Michael is one of the founding members of the famous Whitaker showjumping dynasty. He first came to fame in 1980 when he won the Hickstead Derby on his first attempt, at the age of 20. He went on to win this iconic competition another three times.

Michael has also won Olympic team silver at the 1994 Olympics, and a haul of European Championship medals, including two team gold and individual silver. However, individual gold still eludes the 60-year-old - which is still hopes to win with his top horse Valmy de Lande.

Michael talks about his future ambitions in this interview, as well as his past successes. We also talk about:

I hope you enjoy listening as much I enjoyed making it. If you do, please don't forget to 'like and subscribe'.

Happy riding!

After rather a long break (sorry, long story), Free Rein returns with a bang, featuring an interview with international dressage rider Richard Davison.

Richard is a four-times Olympian and has been involved in dressage for more than three decades – not just as a rider, but as a judge, performance manager, consultant, spokesperson and much, much more.

Richard is interesting, charming and chatty, and always has an opinion, which makes him so great to interview.

In this podcast we cover a whole range of subjects, including:

There was so much great content, which I had to whittle down into 50 mins for this podcast. I hope you enjoy listening as much I enjoyed making it. If you do, please don't forget to 'like and subscribe'.

Happy riding!

In this episode Charlotte talks to international event rider Piggy French. Piggy is one of Britain’s leading event riders, with numerous wins and placings at the top level of eventing. However, a five-star win still eluded her – until now. After 25 attempts, Piggy finally bagged a major trophy – winning the 2019 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials with Vanir Kamira.

Other successes include winning team gold at the 2018 World Championships in North Carolina and individual silver medal at the 2009 Europeans at Fontainebleau. 

Piggy talks to Charlotte about:

Trevor and Caroline Breen are the most glamorous couple in showjumping. But they're not just a pretty face. Trevor has won the Hickstead Derby twice - winning it in 2014 with Adventure de Kannan and again in 2015 with Loughnatousa WB. He has also won the Hickstead Speed Derby, the Eventing Grand Prix and the Queen Elizabeth Cup. It seems fitting that Trevor and Caroline now live just minutes from the Hickstead showground. Caroline is also a successful international showjumper, having trained with Olympic showjumper Tim Stockdale. She also runs Breen Sport Horses, while bringing up their two children Mia and Ollie. In this exclusive interview they talk about: 

• How they met - and what attracted them to each other 

• Finally winning the Hickstead Derby 

• What makes Addy the one-eyed wonder horse so special 

• Their daily routine and training their horses 

• Why Caroline swapped gymnastics for horses 

• Why Trevor nearly didn't become a showjumper And so much more...