British Equestrian welcomes a final intake of its highly successful Young Professionals Programme

On 15 October, British Equestrian welcomed a new cohort for its Young Professionals Programme, which aims to help young people build a wider skill set to support their personal and career development in the equestrian industry. 

This year’s cohort of 16 young people, who are all under the age of 28 years old, have either recently set up their own equestrian business or are looking to do so in the near future. Over the coming months, they’ll have the opportunity to attend a series of interactive workshops with specialist speakers, covering a broad range of topics essential to running a business. These include contract writing, employment law, conflict management, insurance and finances, and building a personal brand. 

Funded by Sport England, the programme is run in conjunction with British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping.  

The keynote speaker for the opening session was Jezz Palmer, who was part of the first Young Professionals Programme cohort in 2017. He now runs a dressage training yard in Hampshire with his wife Lucy and recently picked up two titles at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships 2024. In a Q&A session with British Equestrian’s Head of Performance Pathways, David Hamer, Jezz shared some of the lessons he learned during his time on the programme and how they’ve helped him in developing a successful business. He also spoke about his experiences since leaving the programme and the advice he’d give to those starting to build a career in the industry.  

“Having learned to ride in a riding school as a child, there was nothing I wanted to do more than work with horses,” Jezz explained. “As I didn’t have any financial backing to buy my own horses to compete, I knew that I had to carve a career in the horse industry that would enable me to fulfil my dream of competing for my country. Being part of the Young Professionals Programme helped me to do that.” 

The afternoon session was led by Performance Lifestyle Advisor Jane Holden and focused on performance development. Through a number of practical exercises and open conversations, Jane encouraged everyone in the room to think about the core values make up their individual identities and how these can carry over into their roles as athletes and business people. The next stage was to begin to use these values to put together a personal development plan, which will support their journey through the programme and into the business world.   

The end of an era 

Since it started in 2017, the Young Professionals Programme has supported over 150 young people to transition away from the youth pathways of British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping and take the next step in achieving their aspirations within the equestrian industry. Like Jezz, many have gone on to develop highly successful international riding careers, which are supported by businesses such as running livery yards, coaching and training services, and providing rehabilitation facilities.  

This new intake marks the final time that that programme will run in its current format. From next year, with continued support from Sport England, the format will be adjusted to offer a more flexible delivery model that can offer the right balance of support and education to a broader group of young people.  

“Today was a day of two halves,” commented David Hamer. “One being the start and induction day of the new cohort of the British Equestrian Young Professional Programme and the other half being the realisation that this is the last cohort of the current format of programme delivery, and therefore, the last Young Professional Programme that British Equestrian will be running. 

“Going forward, our aim is that the programme will offer a broader and more flexible range of support to riders who are moving out of the youth pathway into senior international competition or transitioning off the World Class Programme. The new delivery model will offer those riders identified as requiring support the opportunity to join sessions when they think it’ll support them best.” 

The 2025 Young Professionals Programme cohort 

Dressage  

• Gracie Catling  
• Daisy Hills 
• Emma Horgan  
• Sophie Isaacs 
• Anna Roberts 
• Bridget Tate 

Eventing 

• Elizabeth Barratt 
• Barnie Brotherton 
• Freddie Carden 
• Ivy Fisher 
• Joel Hart 
• Josie Proctor 
• Milla Read 
• Marianna Sawyer 
• Archie Tulloch  

Showjumping 

• Eleanor Watson