Emily King Season Update

We caught up with our sponsored rider, Emily King for a third quarter update. 

Discover the scoop on Emily's epic success at Badminton Horse Trials with Valmy Biats and get the latest on her other equine plans until October.

Team Hiho x

I’m starting this blog with the highlight of the spring season—Badminton. Valmy was absolutely incredible. It was one of the best overall performances he’s delivered. Interestingly, he finished one place lower than last year—fifth instead of fourth—but each phase showed marked improvement.

This year, I made a deliberate change to Valmy’s preparation. Not only in the lead-up to Badminton, but also in how I managed him during the event itself. He was extremely fit following his prep runs, having had a few fast outings and working well up the gallops. But then, two weeks before Badminton, I really backed off—both in gallop work and flatwork—allowing his body time to fully recover. The aim was to have him arrive at the event feeling fresh and sharp.

One of the things that’s held him back from achieving top placings in previous five-stars has been a slight burnout on cross-country day. He’s a true galloping machine with immense power and stamina, but I suspect the workload building up to these major events had taken the edge off his peak performance. So this time, I did things differently. No last-minute drilling, no intense dressage training once we arrived. I kept him happy and relaxed—lots of hacking, hand-grazing, and very little pressure. My dressage test was scheduled for Thursday afternoon, which was ideal as it gave him Friday to recover before cross-country.

The result? He gave me the best feeling he’s ever given me around Badminton. He galloped from start to finish with energy to spare. We were completely in sync—it was a joy to ride him around that course. I’m so proud of how all those small changes and details came together. From meticulous planning to intentional rest periods, everything was aimed at giving him the best possible experience—and it worked. He delivered a beautiful test, an exceptional cross-country round, and just rolled one pole in the showjumping—unlucky, but still outstanding. He finished happy, sound, and fit, which is the ultimate goal.

Anyway—enough about Valmy… for now! He’s had a well-earned holiday and some time to recover from being a superstar, which allowed us to turn our attention to the next group of horses.

Jackpot originally had the four-star long at Bramham in his spring plan, but I made a slight adjustment after a few confidence wobbles in earlier runs. He spooked at the coffin fence at Burnham Market and again at the water at Thoresby. Rather than push on, I decided to prioritise his confidence and rideability, switching him to the four-star short at Bramham. This allowed us to work on the complexity of each phase without the added physical demand of the longer distance.

He had a great run at Belsay in the Advanced, where he finished second, and then jumped a super double clear at Bramham with a 30 dressage. I wasn’t chasing the time, focusing instead on preparation and rhythm—he still finished in the top 20 and absolutely has top-10 potential.

After a short break post-Bramham, Jackpot had excellent runs at Upton and at Barbury in the four-star short last weekend. That result—28 dressage and double clear—was his best four-star performance on paper to date. Again, I didn’t run him flat out as I’m still fine-tuning his rideability. Right now, the priority is for him to feel confident at every fence, even if it means taking slightly longer to set up. That part now feels much more secure.

His next run is at Aston-le-Walls in the open intermediate. I’ll be keeping the focus on rideability but will begin to ask for quicker transitions—galloping to a collected canter in a shorter distance. The aim is to improve the efficiency of our preparation, without necessarily galloping faster overall. This will be a key final prep before his mid-season goal: the four-star long at Scone Palace.

The next group of horses have also been progressing brilliantly.

At Millstreet, Ballyknock Cruiser finished fourth in the three-star short, and Mellow Lane—who was just a little too enthusiastic in the dressage—still finished on her dressage score and gave a fantastic feel in the jumping phases. She really proved her potential for the bigger classes to come.

HG Woods has had a fantastic spring, including wins at both the intermediate at Kelsall Hill and the intermediate novice at Bradwell. I’m planning to give him more experience throughout the summer, with the aim of a three-star long at Ballindenisk in the autumn, and a potential step up to four-star—very exciting prospects for him.

I’ve also taken on a lovely new ride, Angel’s Choice, an intermediate mare I’ve been getting to know over the last few months. She’s had a mix of strong results and learning experiences, as we’ve worked to find out how she likes to be ridden cross-country and in showjumping. Recently, it feels like everything’s clicked. She was fourth in the intermediate at Aston-le-Walls with a 25 double clear, and I’m really excited for her future. She’s full of jump and scope, and her technique continues to improve. She has a huge engine and covers the ground so well—I believe she has all the right attributes to become a top-class horse.

The six-year-old, Killountain Quality, has stepped up to novice with real ease. He’s posted several double clears already. While his dressage is still developing—mostly due to physical immaturity—he’s got enormous potential. His jumping, both show jumping and cross-country, is phenomenal. I’m focusing on producing him quietly and correctly, with the long term in mind. There’s no rushing him—he’s a special horse, and I want to do everything right.

The two five-year-olds, Poetic License (“Rupert”) and Into The Groove (“Groovy”), have made an excellent start to their careers, finishing second and third at their first BE event at Bishop Burton, both on their dressage scores. It’s such a joy to work with these young horses and introduce them to the sport. Rupert is more traditionally bred, very thoroughbred in type, while Groovy is more continental and flashier, but both have incredible temperaments and handled their first event atmospheres like pros. Most importantly, they love their work—and that makes everything worthwhile. I’m excited to see how they progress through the levels.

Looking ahead, the next few months will be full of opportunities—and big hopes. Selection for the Senior Europeans is imminent. Valmy has had some brilliant performances and is feeling fantastic, but as ever, Team GB has many exceptional combinations. It’s always a tough selection process. We’re keeping everything crossed that he’s chosen—it would be a dream to represent Britain at senior level.

Of course, we’re also lucky to have a wonderful backup plan: Burghley Five-Star, which is an incredible event in its own right. But selection for a senior championship is special—it’s not something that comes around often. Unlike five-stars, where you can aim for two a year, a team championship offers just one opportunity annually. And this year, the Europeans offer six team spots—as opposed to the three available at the Olympics—so we’re doing everything we can to stay in contention.

We’ll keep striving, keep learning, and keep chasing that dream.