Taking A Jump With Heather Walker

Barbados has long stood out as a leader in equestrian sports in the Caribbean and we have certainly made our mark on the international stage. With such a rich history on the island,  equestrian pursuits seemed fitting for this issue. We reached out to several partners in the sport and one name kept coming up – Heather Walker. After some convincing, the modest athlete with a warm smile invited us to watch her practice and chat about horses, competing and balancing it all with her career as a lawyer.

LB: How did you get into the sport?

HW: I have loved horses since I can remember and was very much that horse-crazy kid growing up. I started riding at the age of seven but would have started earlier if I could have! I got my start at one of our local riding schools Big C Stables, run by Di Clarke and Sara Jones. When my mum would go to Big C to get manure for her garden, I would tag along to see the horses, follow around Trevor (one of the grooms), and beg (read harass) Aunty Di to let me start riding. But Big C had, and still has, a policy that riders can only start at 7 years old. I was also a very small kid, and I think they were hoping I would grow a little more before I started. Once I turned 7 years old I turned up at the stables for my first lesson and that was that.

LB: Do you participate in any other sports?

HW: Equestrian is my main sport now. When I was younger, I used to compete in cross-country running for my school, and more casually played tennis, swimming, and golf as extracurricular activities for varying periods. But slowly and surely, everything gave way to equestrian as I started riding more and competing. More recently, I trained for and competed in the Barbados Adventure Race.

LB: What are the greatest hurdles to getting into show jumping?

HW: The cost, it is an expensive sport. We are lucky to have some great riding schools on the island where you can take lessons for a reasonable cost, but as you become more experienced and if you want to move up the levels, it becomes an investment.

LB: What was your first competition?

HW: My very first show was at Big C – I think it was an equitation class on Little Man (a sweet little chestnut gelding who is still teaching kids the ropes today). Show jumping is my first love and when I was younger I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel and compete in the other Caribbean islands. My first competition through the Caribbean Equestrian Association (CEA) was in Trinidad – but ironically I didn’t ride for Barbados; I was ‘lent’ to Antigua as they didn’t have a 12 & Under rider for that competition. It was a great learning experience! There were four rounds over two days, each round on a different horse/pony, and each rider had 5 minutes to warm up and jump their horse/pony to get a feel for them before heading into the ring. I competed in Antigua & Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago, Martinique and Guadeloupe. My first international competition was in Ecuador. That was an eye-opening experience, and I remember thinking the arena was huge. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to travel and compete in Colombia, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Through the Barbados Equestrian Association, I have been able to take part in clinics with overseas coaches who have been to the island which has also assisted with the development of my riding. Last year, thanks to the BEA and the FEI Solidarity, I was given the amazing opportunity to spend four weeks in Germany as a working student at Holger Hetzel Sport Horse Stables, a premier training and sales yard. 

LB: What is it like balancing your career as a lawyer with trying and competing?

HW: Law can get very busy and quite stressful. However, horses and equestrian sports keep me sane! I firmly believe we must make time for what we love, even if that means some very early mornings in the stables before work, or some late evenings in the office. It’s a bit of a give and take as the pressures from both law and equestrian competition can clash, but I try my best to balance both.

LB: How was the last competition in Barbados?

HW: This year, Peggy (my horse) and I competed in two of the FEI World Challenge series here in Barbados – jumping and eventing. It was a great experience builder for Peggy. The competition format is that out of three competitions (two rounds each) held throughout the year, you take the best two scores out of the three. We finished double clear at FEI JWC Competitions 2 (placed 1st) and 3 (placed 2nd), and now have a clean score to put forward against our regional zone and internationally.

This year was also the first time that we held the FEI Eventing World Challenge (EWC) in Barbados. Peggy and I competed in Category C – which consisted of a dressage test and a derby (a mix of show jumping and x-country obstacles). This was so much fun! We had a decent dressage test followed by a clean (jumping and time) derby round, which left us in first place.

LB: What is next for you?

HW: Next year the plan is to move Peggy up to the 1.20m level (FEI JWC Cat B), and thereafter to the 1.30m level (FEI JWC Cat A). My  dream is to represent Barbados at the Central American & Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games. Who knows, maybe I will get to the Olympics one of these days! One good thing about our sport is that we can ride and compete for many years. -­­­