Celebrating International Women's Day
Wednesday 08 March 2023
.jpg "Celebrating International Women's Day")
On 8 March every year, International Women's Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. It is a day to both recognise, and be inspired by, the achievements of the women who have made, and continue to make, a difference.
Of course, equestrian sports are unique in that they are the only major sport where women and men compete against each other on equal terms. Women were first permitted to compete at the Olympics in Dressage in 1952, followed by Showjumping in 1956 and finally Eventing in 1964.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, we take a look at some of the incredible women behind the teams at British Showjumping and delve into what it is like to be a female leader in our sport. From juggling family life to equality in the industry, these ladies provide inspiration to future leaders, no matter your gender.
Di Lampard
Di Lampard, a former British Showjumper, and now the first full time female Chef d’Équipe of a Senior International Showjumping team. In a role dominated by her male counterparts, Di has not only proven to be the most successful female Chef d’Équipe at this level, but with 27 top 3 finishes at Nations Cups competitions, Team Bronze at the 2022 European Championships and two Individual Olympic Gold medals, she is fast becoming one of the most successful Chef d’Équipe’s full stop.
Growing up showing ponies, Di remembers when she first became captivated by the thrill of Showjumping: “I was so intrigued by the excitement coming from the opposite end of the showground, I went across to watch [the showjumping] & it was a game changer for me”.
From here Di was hooked on the sport and went on to compete professionally, enjoying an illustrious career representing Great Britain in two World Equestrian Games, two European Championships, and more than 40 Nations Cup competitions, as well as being the first female to win the Cock o’ the North Championship at The Great Yorkshire Show in 1999. She remarked that one of the highlights of her career was winning the Team Bronze Medal at the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome which helped Great Britain to qualify for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
While these days it has become the norm to see teams comprising of both men and women head to international competitions to represent their country, Di notes that this wasn’t always the case: “Years ago, as a female rider it was more challenging to be selected for teams. However, it made me more determined as a woman to succeed. Now days its more normal to have women in teams”.
Her determination prevailed, and following her distinguished career jumping on teams, in 2015 Di was appointed Performance Manager. Commenting on combining her experience, Di said “I thoroughly enjoyed riding in the Nations Cup competitions; it’s such an exciting competition. Now being Performance Manager adds to the camaraderie between all the Chef d’Équipe’s as well”.
“I really enjoy working with the athletes, horses & planning their shows. Getting to know how the athletes prepare themselves & their horses, giving advise & sharing ideas” continued Di.
Regarding the historical importance of her role, Di commented: “I’m so very proud to represent my country as the first full time female Chef D’Equipe and I feel there should be more of us. Recently there has been more female deputy Chef’s which is encouraging”.
When asked what the hardest part of her career has been as a woman, Di reflected on a time when her son was young and she returned to the world of showjumping, often having to leave him at home. “This [leaving] was heart breaking as Henry was often crying, although he was in the safe hands of my mother Jean & husband Dietmar. I felt awful until the phone rang to say he was happily playing & smiling again; usually we had only left 5 minutes previously!”
Di is a strong believer in equality and celebrating the achievements of women all over the world, and acknowledges how important it is that men and women compete on equal terms in equestrian sports: “It [showjumping] is a wonderful, exciting sport that makes it more interesting with true gender equality. With having a horse in the equation, the two hearts of the athlete & horse this is part of the challenge that makes this so very attractive. Horsemanship, fitness, feelings, timing & natural ability comes into play”.
When asked what advice she would give to women thinking about following a leadership career in sport, Di commented: “If you have the experience & confidence in your own ability, go for it! There is now plenty of help to support you in all areas of continued professional development”.
Clare Whitaker
Clare Whitaker, Youth Team Manager, responsible selecting the teams for the Youth Nations Cup Shows, as well as helping with selecting the Children on Horses and Pony Teams.
It is no surprise that Clare has always had a heavy involvement in showjumping as husband John, and children, Joanne, Louise and Robert all compete internationally, but Clare wanted to give something back to the sport they all love so much. “I enjoy seeing the children coming up through the ranks and going on to be successful as adults in senior teams” commented Clare.
Whilst Clare attributes her biggest achievement in life to becoming a wife, mother and grandmother, she credits receiving the British Showjumping Lifetime Achievement Award as the pinnacle of her career in showjumping: “I didn’t realise that I had been doing it for so long until it was read out” she explained.
When asked why she feels it is important to celebrate International Women's Day, Clare commented: “There are some very successful women in all walks of life, and they should be recognised”.
Interestingly, Clare doesn’t feel that she has had to face many barriers within the sport as a result being a female Chef d’Équipe and believes it would be “very difficult to have showjumping done any other way other than equal for men and women”.
“I don’t think it matters being a female Chef d’Équipe. There are a few in the Youth Teams and we are treated the same and have equal say” continued Clare.
Her advice to any women thinking about taking up a leadership career in sport would be “If you want to do something badly enough, you just have to go for it and prove you can do it!”
Anne Newbery
Anne Newbery has been the Chef d'Équipe for an impressive number of different British Showjumping teams including the Youth teams, the Para-Showjumping team, and most recently the Veteran team.
Working in a team environment is a huge element of Anne’s role, and something that Anne relishes in the most. Creating lifelong memories and friends, while achieving fantastic results together.
“One of the main highlights must be the relationships built between all the various team members over the years” she commented. “Winning several gold medals at the Junior Europeans during the 80s and 90s, the European Champs with the Veterans in 2019 and acting as Chef for our Para-Showjumping riders are all up there as well”.
Throughout her career, Anne, like Clare, has found that she hasn’t faced many barriers being a woman in the sport: “The gender equality in equestrianism and working with horses is such a leveller for all involved. I think it [competing on level terms] is vital and sets our sport apart”.
When talking about the importance of International Women’s Day, Anne states that “We need to keep celebrating International Women’s Day to highlight and support those who continue to forge worldwide change for those women less fortunate than ourselves”.
Speaking highly of her fellow equestrian Liz Edgar, Anne explains how she looks up to and respects her for many reasons: “her horsemanship, talent, honesty, work ethic, organisational skills, strength of character, calmness and sense of humour”.
“I would love to have had more time with Liz” reflects Anne. “She was one of the greatest horsewomen ever and I was lucky enough to call her a friend and mentor”.
On reflecting on the greatest piece of advice she has received when it comes to leadership, Anne told us: “A good leader takes a little more than their share of the blame and a little less than their share of the credit”, whilst she would encourage those who are thinking of taking up a leadership career in sport to “Go for it. Stay true to yourself and be the best you can”.
Helen Nicholls
With more than 20 years of experience in elite sport, Helen Nicholls is the newly appointed Performance Director at British Equestrian, responsible for Equestrian and Para Equestrian World Class Programmes, and leading the strategy for Paris 2024.
Relatively new to the role, but already thriving on the variety and challenges it presents, Helen told us she must be ‘so agile in my thinking and always staying alert to risks and opportunities’.
Having a day like today that highlights being a woman is important to Helen: “In life, especially in sport, there are many occasions where being a woman is not an advantage and to have a day that challenges that and highlights the positive aspects is really important if we are ever to achieve a more balanced global approach to gender”.
That fact that equestrian sports are the only sport where men and women compete equally is a shining jewel for the industry, and Helen noted how important it is for the sport: “When a child watches the competition, they don’t see a difference, they accept equal status and they value the skills of males and females on a par – that is so rare in sport and something which most sports struggle with for decades.
She recounts watching the Tour de France with her daughter who asked where the female cyclists were. Helen continued: “The truth is, they were at a smaller, less important, un-televised, poorly attended event a week later – what does that say? It says the women’s racing doesn’t matter and isn’t valued.”
As part of her role, Helen supports the continued success on the international stage for British riders and owners, which could open her up to scrutiny from the public, however Helen doesn’t feel that her gender impacts this: “I think all leaders are under scrutiny and I have never personally felt like my gender affects that. I think the challenges and the scrutiny and stereotypes are in the earlier stages of career progression and development”.
Similar to Di, Helen has found the hardest part of her career as a woman was juggling her profession with young children: “To be on the road coaching at an elite level was just so challenging, both practically and emotionally. I learnt all the parenting shortcut tricks pretty quickly!”
When asked what advice she would give to women thinking about pursuing a leadership career in sport, Helen replied with certainty to: “Absolutely go for it but always stay true to who you are and what you are good at”.
“You don’t have to ‘fit the mould’ or try and be like anybody else because your biggest skill is being authentically you. Being a leader isn’t always about being the ‘Big I Am’ at the front of the room – most often it’s about the skill and ability to coach and support other people to be absolutely world class and create a supportive, stable environment where people can thrive”.
1inbbkeu36fgo.jpg "Zara Nicholls Races to Top Spot in the STX-UK Pony British Novice Second Round at Weston Lawns")
.jpg "Marcella Johnstone and Will Brown Reach for the Stars in the second NAF Five Star Bronze and Silver League Qualifiers")
7y6b55koibbj.jpg "Brian Thompson and Alex Hewett are winners in the Nupafeed Supplements Senior Discovery Second Rounds")
