5 minutes with... Emily King
Yesterday we met up with Emily King, International British event rider, European Gold and Silver medallist and U21 and U25 National Champion. Emily had just arrived back in the UK after finishing 14th at the 7 year old World Championships at Mondial du Lion in France so we were lucky to grab a 5 minute interview!
Name: Emily King
Age: 22
Discipline: Eventing
Level: 4* Event
Instagram: @emilykingofficial
How many horses do you currently have?
I currently have 10 horses plus a few babies! It certainly keeps me busy!
Tell us a little bit about your main/top horse
So my main horse is called Dargun, or ‘dre’ for short, like Dr.Dre! He is 10 years old.
Together we have had a few successes, noteably, we won the U25 National Championships at Bramham and came 4th in the British Open!
Does he have any likes or dislikes?
He absolutely loves cuddles and attention but he hates travelling, I think he finds it so dull!
What’s your normal training schedule like?
I train every day come wind or rain but am lucky to have an indoor for the particularly bad days! (Emily is based in Chester, UK)
My normal day starts at about 6am and then I drive to the yard and start my riding, teaching or looking after my horses until I clock off at around 7pm at night, so it’s intense!
On competition days however my day can start as early as 2am (gulp!) until 7pm again! So competition days are very tiring.
What does a normal week look like for you?
I ride every single day but around that I try to fit in some paperwork and some time to go to the gym or for a run, which can be a struggle! On weekends however, I am trying to fit in time to be a little more social, but I am lucky to share a yard with my boyfriend Sam Ecroyd, otherwise finding time for a relationship could be a bit difficult!
Have you got any upcoming competitions?
Nope! The season is now finished for the winter so it’s time for all the horses to have a bit more chill time and easier training sessions after the World Young Horse Championships in France!
That was actually a surprise as I was a reserve for this and got called up LITERALLY last minute! I only ended up arriving about 30 minutes before the trot up after a mad rush of preparation at home, the horse was out in the field and unclipped so it was hectic to say the least!
Is there anything you can’t live without?
It sounds so cliché but I genuinely couldn’t live without chocolate, wine or coffee!
Do you have any words to live by?
My favourite quote is ‘Work hard until your idols become your rivals!’
What is the silliest thing you’ve ever done at a show?
Oh god, so many things! But probably the time I learnt the wrong test for my Dressage… safe to say by the time I realised I had learnt the wrong test, it was too late! Oops.
You seem pretty fearless in your riding, is there anything you are scared of?
I’m terrified of spiders!!! Cross country doesn’t even phase me as much as spiders! Ugh nope!
Who is your ultimate equestrian idol?
It has to be my mum, Mary King.
(Mary King is a 6 time Olympian and medal winner in Eventing and has competed at the World Equestrian Games, winning Gold twice!)
Emily and Mary are doing a Masterclass together at Your Horse Live at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire in November.
