Harry Meade

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Harry grew up in a highly successful eventing family. His father, Richard, won an abundance of medals, three of which were Olympic golds, and took top honours at both Badminton and Burghley. For a list of Richard’s medal haul click here. During Harry’s childhood, Richard's yard, which Harry has now taken over, was a hive of activity, firstly as a competition base and later as a training centre for international teams. Harry was soon hooked on the idea of becoming a professional event rider and emulating his father's Olympic success.

Keen to gain as much experience as possible after leaving school, Harry became a working pupil for the Spanish show jumper Luis Alvarez Cevera, then he spent a winter working for the Austrian dressage trainer Ernst Bachinger, who is now chief trainer at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

On his return to England, Harry was leant a young horse by a neighbour for a month one summer and together they won at the Pony Club Championships. This caught the eye of several owners, who subsequently asked Harry to compete their horses. As Harry’s consistently good results built up, so did the opportunity to ride a greater variety of competitive horses. Harry was short-listed for the junior and young rider British teams for five consecutive years, each time on a different horse.

At the age of 18, Harry competed at the Junior European Championships in Germany, where his secure yet sympathetic style of riding was recognised and resulted in an award for the most stylish cross-country rider.

Although always determined to pursue a professional career in eventing, Harry was encouraged by his father to gain some outside qualifications. Having achieved straight As at A-level, Harry juggled training and studying for a history of art degree at the nearby University of Bristol, from where he graduated with a 2:1.

For two years prior to university Harry had been apprentice rider to Will Miflin, but during his time at Bristol he was approached by William Fox-Pitt, Britain's best event rider, who offered Harry a position as his apprentice. So Harry moved to Dorset where he competed William's younger horses and stood in for his boss at training sessions involving the top horses when William was overseas.

In 2003, Harry was selected for the Student World Games, held in Tokyo, and the following summer he competed in the World Cup series. Harry’s potential was further recognised when he it was announced that he would be one of three event riders that year to receive government funding through the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS).

After two seasons with William Fox-Pitt in Dorset, and a total of five years working in other people's yards, Harry was keen to strike out on his own and returned to his family home at Church Farm. Now with a great team of horses and a hard-working support network including his family, grooms, farriers, vets and trainers, Harry is on track to achieve his Olympic dream.

That goal was brought a step closer in November 2008, when Hary was selected to join the British Equestrian Federation's Lottery-funded World Class Development squad, which is for riders considered to have medal-winning potential.

It is a great pity that Harry's top horse, Midnight Dazzler, will be too old for the London Olympics, as he has been Harry's greatest partner to date. His owner Carolyn Lissack has watched Bobby progress through the eventing ranks with a series of riders, but in Harry, Carolyn is convinced she has found her horse's perfect partner. A notoriously tricky but truly talented character, Bobby has thrived with Harry who, as Carolyn says, treats the horse like the special individual he is. In the Western Daily Press in April 2007, Carolyn said: Harry is absolutely sure about what he wants and he investigates everything. He doesn’t try to put a square horse through a round hole. There is a policy on his yard that he will do everything to the best of his ability and he and Bobby fit together so well. I am confident that Harry loves him as much as I do. They are a true partnership. I knew that someone would get that out of him and I am so glad it’s Harry.

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