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‘I start them at five, they all hack and we jump more in the winter’: Tom McEwen’s training ethos for young horses

Gemma Redrup Gemma Redrup

    • In this exclusive, subscriber-only interview, Tom McEwen shares what he looks for in a young horse, why thoroughbred “blood” isn’t that important to him and how he trains his horses, including favourite exercises and the importance of hacking and turnout for every horse in his yard

    Riders, no matter whether they are professional or amateur, have a preference on the type of horse they like to have in their yard and ride. British double eventing Olympic team gold medallist Tom McEwen is no different.

    “When sourcing a young horse, I look out for two main things. Like with any athlete – human or horse – and no matter the equestrian discipline, soundness is the most important thing, which comes down to conformation,” explains Tom. “Within that, you can overlook some things but not others and sometimes things that put you off conformationally can then not affect a horse for years.”

    Badminton Horse Trials cross-country: Tom McEwen and

    Tom McEwen and his brillant partner Toledo De Kerser competing at Badminton in 2018. Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

    Toledo De Kerser, the horse with whom Tom picked up team gold and individual silver at the Tokyo Olympics, has been somewhat of a flag bearer for Tom in recent years.

    “Until his final event [where Toledo injured himself on the flat across country at Burghley in 2023], Toledo was the soundest horse I’ve ever had – the only time he missed an event was the Europeans in 2019 when he ran loose on the gallops and fell over onto some concrete. His soundness really contributed to him being such a special horse in that, year after year, he could compete,” states Tom.

    Trainability is key

    The second key component Tom looks for in a young potential top event horse is “trainability”.

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    Gemma Redrup
    Gemma Redrup

    H&H features, racing and point-to-point editor
    Gemma is an experienced journalist, having been part of the H&H team since 2014, who is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s reporting talents have taken her to numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
    Gemma Redrup

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