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‘A horse needs to feel like a conquering king’: why Matt Sampson’s showjumpers want to perform for him

British showjumper Matt Sampson explains how his primary motivation is the horses rather than results, his priorities to keep his string happy, and how he got his successful business off the ground, in this exclusive interview for H&H subscribers

  • While trying to produce consistent results is naturally a big part of being an international rider, much goes on behind the scenes from a business perspective. Showjumper Matt Sampson and his fiancée Kara Chad, a successful Canadian rider who represented her country at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, run Maple Park Farms together.

    “There’s quite a lot going on, but I love having the business. We have three people training with us, we have our competition horses, we’re breeding and we’re also selling,” explains Matt.

    “We’re not a dealing stable by any means, but I like to produce a horse and find the right person for them. I get a real buzz out of seeing them go on to do good things together.”

    And following in the footsteps of other power equestrian couples, Matt and Kara are proving to be a good team.

    Matt’s fiancée Kara Chad is top-level showjumper herself, pictured representing Canada at the 2018 World Equestrian Games

    Matt’s fiancée Kara Chad is top-level showjumper herself, pictured representing Canada at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. Credit: Alamy

    “We’re both striving to do the same thing, so I think it can only help to have two minds rather than one,” says Matt.

    “We’re very lucky that it works, and we work well together with the horses. There’s times where I’ll have a horse and I’ll say it’s the perfect fit for Kara, and other times Kara will have a horse that’s a better fit for me, we’re not afraid to say that.”

    “Good hacking and fields are our priority”

    The life of a showjumper often means much time on the road, and Matt and Kara are no different, splitting time between Spain, Calgary and England.

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