Legendary BE Coach Gill Watson presented with Lifetime British Eventing Award

Gill Watson MBE FBHS, the world's most successful coach of young event riders, was presented with a Lifetime British Eventing Award and Honorary Life membership at the recent Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials by BE President, Jane Holderness-Roddam as a thank you for her years of dedication to the sport.

Gill spent her formative years with Pat Smallwood at Radnage House and won Burghley Horse Trials on her own ride Shaitan (1969) and was appointed by the Horse Trials Group (predecessors to BE) as team trainer to the Juniors in 1980 and to the Young Riders in 1981.

Following this, Gill also became Chef d'Equipe to the British Junior Squad from 1984 to 2002. Under her supervision, training and management, a total of 96 FEI Championship medals have been won which must be an all-time record for any trainer worldwide. Her most recent success was at Blair Castle for the 2011 FEI Young Rider European Championships where the British squad won Team Gold and individual Silver (Gill is pictured below with last year's squad).


To name but a few of Gill's graduates: William Fox Pitt, Tina Cook, Pippa Funnell, Kitty King and Sarah Cohen. Gill also 'trained the trainers' with former working pupil's Emma Fisher now coaching the Young Rider Team and Jonquil Hemming coaching the Pony Team.

A Fellow of the BHS, Gill has established her own training facility, The Gill Watson Centre, and she continues to train riders of all ages and abilities including riders up to CCI4* star level.