I think it’s going really well. I was lucky enough to have access to some great competitions at the end of the year, so there’s a lot going on. It’s largely about building\u2014and learning how to fight\u2014methodically and slowly. But I think I have a great team and I’m really excited to see where it goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last summer, you married Paris Olympic team gold medalist Harry Charles. Did marriage open a new chapter for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, it was a great year. Harry is a wonderful person. We’re so happy and lucky that we found each other, and sharing the sport together is amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n How and when did you start riding horses?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My parents put me on a horse when I was 2. My older sister, who was three years older, wanted to go out and ride. And I kind of just joined along and always loved horses. And then I did it a little bit when I was really young. And then when I was 6, I started actually getting lessons and jumping with very little jumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having grown up in the United States, I imagine you did the equitation classes. Would you say that those shaped your riding style?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, in my junior years, I did that and started doing all the juniors and the Young Riders. And I kind of came up through that. It\u2019s definitely helpful to have that foundation. What equitation gives you is a lot of repetition on certain lines that are very helpful going forward. But once you reach 18, it does get to a point where you need to transition into jumping the Young Riders, the under-25s, and doing all of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you pay particular attention to your riding style, which is particularly polished?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To be honest, it’s just kind of the way that my balance works and the way that I’ve always done it. So I’d say now, at this point in my career, it’s kind of just how it is. But thank you for the compliment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you’re in the saddle, you exude a lot of calm. Are you somehow impervious to pressure?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I think you always want to do well. Everyone here is a great competitor, and you want to put your best foot forward. I think there’s always kind of that inherent self-pressure. But I try and just focus on my own job, avoid making mistakes and get it done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What have you gained from Eddie Macken, one of the biggest names in Irish show jumping, who used to be your coach?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eddie is a wonderful person and an amazing mentor. I have nothing but amazing things to say about him. Now, when I compete, I\u2019m surrounded by the Charles family. In competitions, I always travel either with Harry or with Peter [Charles, her father-in-law and British team gold medalist from the 2012 London Olympic Games]. I like to bounce ideas off people. I’m working on my independence, but I do really enjoy having their help and having someone there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe is still, to this day, one of my best memories in this sport.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n At just 20 years old, you reached the highest level and joined the U.S. team in 2018 and 2019. What memories do you hold of that period?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All the best memories. And it was so much fun. I had an unbelievable horse very young in my career [Venue d\u2019F\u00e9es des Hazalles (President\u2014Reine-F\u00e9e des Hazalles, Alcatraz) a mare she rode from 2017 to 2021, including at the 2019 Pan American Games (Peru)]. She is still, to this day, one of my best memories in this sport. She’s now retired in England, just next to our stables, and I see her all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How would you describe the relationship you built with Venue d\u2019F\u00e9es des Hazalles?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n She was unbelievable. Her previous owner Fabienne [Daigneux-Lange, a professional rider and a veterinarian from Belgium, who jumped the chestnut mare up to the five-star level] was kind enough to trust me with the mare and sell her to me. She was a very scopey mare\u2014very careful, very brave. She was everything that you would want in a horse. She gave me so much confidence going into those bigger classes and on the American team. I was so lucky to have her. She was the best teacher in a way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, when you were only 21, she carried you to your biggest events, with a 15th place in the World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden, and a fourth individual place along with a bronze medal in the team competition at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Looking back, being so young at the time, were you able to enjoy those moments as much as you should have?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No, I enjoyed every moment of it. I knew I had a special, special horse at the time. And everything that I was able to accomplish with her, that meant a lot. I never took it for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n What are your best memories with her?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s so many! I have great memories from the World Cup Finals, Pan American Games. One of the last classes I jumped on her, we were second in the five-star grand prix in Hamburg [a Longines Global Champions Tour leg in 2021]. Every day it was a pleasure to ride that horse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you say that the COVID-19 pandemic stopped your rise with her?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Honestly, yes. It was very unfortunate timing. We were in great form, and she obviously was at an age [14 years old] where the year definitely put us back a bit. I didn’t compete at all in 2020 [past March 15, their last five-star grand prix of the year, earning a fourth place at the Winter Equestrian Festival (Florida)].<\/p>\n\n\n\n I came back to Florida at the beginning of 2021, and we just weren’t in the same form that we had been in. I think it was hard on everyone, the whole world was shut down. It was so much worse for so many people. That was just my personal experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time, you also rode the excellent Limbridge. Why didn\u2019t you keep him?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He was a fantastic horse. I got him from Ashford Farm, he’s an unbelievable jumper. Immense talent. But Jana suited him a lot better than I did. [Jana Wargers, who was riding for Ashford Farm at the time, went on to place second in the Rome CSIO5* grand prix and ninth at the 2022 FEI World Championships (Denmark) with Limbridge.] What ended up happening is when we were back there, she started riding him and they clicked. So we decided that that was a better route to take. They did amazingly, I loved watching them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will you produce foals from Venue d\u2019F\u00e9es des Hazalles?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I actually have two embryos for next year. I’m really excited about that. One is by the Selle Fran\u00e7ais sire Diamant de Semilly (Le Tot de Semilly\u2014Venise des Cresles, Elf III), the other by the Oldenburg stallion Balou du Reventon (Cornet Obolensky\u2014Georgia, Continue)\u2014which is very special, since Harry used to ride that stallion [and notably placed ninth in the 2023 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Finals (Nebraska)].<\/p>\n\n\n Did the fact that you were never able to return to your best form with Venue d\u2019F\u00e9es des Hazalles prompt you to give up riding for a while?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No. Honestly, I had just been riding for my whole life. I had always done it. I had just graduated from college [at Stanford University, where she studied science, technology, and society].<\/p>\n\n\n\n I just wanted to see if there was something else I was really passionate about doing. I thought that this is a sport you can come back to\u2014we have that luxury that we can do it for a very long time. I thought that was my opportunity to go see if there was anything else out there that ignited the same kind of passion. I’m very happy that I had those years, and equally happy I came back to the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What did you dedicate yourself to during those three years off from the five-star level?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was living in New York. I started modeling and got signed with an amazing agency [DNA Model Management, which also represents the iconic Linda Evangelista, Doutzen Kroes, Adriana Lima, Emily Ratajkowski\u2026]. I worked with some great brands. I was very happy, it was a great time in my life. I still do a little bit of modeling here and there, but I’m mostly focused on the horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a different world. I got to work with some amazing people, great photographers and fantastic designers. I had a lot of fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You recently posted a photo of yourself, your husband Harry Charles, and fashion icon Anna Wintour, former editor-in-chief of American Vogue. How did you feel about mixing the two worlds?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was so much fun! And to see Harry at his first fashion show [Bottega Veneta, in Milan] was fantastic. Honestly, it was a great experience to be able to take it with me. We just had a blast, and it was an amazing collection. It was really cool to be a part of that, you know, this little world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Image-10-700x466.jpeg\")
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