Based in Kent, England, twenty-one year old dressage rider Daisy Hills has had a remarkable journey. Having only registered with British Dressage three years ago, she has already accomplished so much. Originally an eventer who competed at Badminton Grassroots in 2019, she made the switch to dressage and hasn’t looked back. Highlights include winning the Elementary Area Festival and Home International Teams with Eddie who she used to event. The pair also won the NSEA Novice National Championship in 2021 on a score of 80.36%, which Daisy says “I will never forget”. 2024 was an incredible year for Daisy and her top horse Midtgaards Gijon (Gi). The pair’s successes include include winning the Advanced Medium Bronze at the Winter Nationals, winning the Young Rider Team Test at Hartpury Premier League, winning the Young Rider Championship at Sheepgate, being invited to and finishing second in the U21 Class at the National Championships, and winning their first Inter 1 at Arena UK High Profile at their first attempt.
Daisy patting Gi after winning the Young Rider Championship at the Youth Home International this year
Other notable achievements include winning the Young Rider Championship for her region at the Youth Home International this year. She says “having competed in the Novice and Elementary in the previous two years. I remember sitting and watching the YR class in 2023 and wondering if I would ever ride at PSG at all, so to go back only the following year at that level and win individually was a dream come true.”
The hardworking Daisy currently balances riding with University, where she is on a placement for this year and will graduate in 2026. Daisy says she is so grateful to have been selected onto the British Dressage National Academy in both 2024 and now 2025, and the British Equestrian Young Professionals Programme for 2024/25, both of which are fully funded by Sport England.
How did horses come into your life?
Daisy and Eddie winning the Elementary Area Festival in 2023
My mother used to ride when she was younger and my uncle was a jockey, so I grew up on the farm around some of the racehorses. I started having riding lessons at a young age and got my first pony when I was nine. As a child I had always wanted to be an event rider, I did my first ever event aged twelve on a 20 year old pony Dodge who was a legend, and started eventing properly on Eddie in 2017. Eddie and I competed in Pony Club and NSEA dressage, show jumping and eventing and we attended their respective National Championships every year between 2017-2022. I had always done pure dressage as well as the eventing, but my love grew for the dressage and that was where I could see myself going further in the future, and I gave up eventing just over eighteen months ago.
I was so incredibly lucky to find Gi, who has been the most incredible horse to learn on and I am so proud of what I have achieved with him so far. I knew that the 2024 season was my last as a Young Rider (U21s) so I decided to give it a go and we did the season at Young Rider level/PSG. This is something I never thought I would ever do, so to have been top 3 in almost every YR test I did and won the team test at Hartpury Premier League was more than I could have ever hoped for. We then went on to win the Young Rider Championship at the Sheepgate U25 Championships and was invited to compete in the U21 YR Class at the BD National Championships at Somerford – a dream come true and totally unexpected – and we finished second. We have now moved up to Inter 1, which is a new level for both of us and I am so proud that we won on our debut, which was at a High Profile.
What do you love about riding?
Daisy and Gi pirouetting in the rain at the National Championships this year
For me, it is the bond you make with the horses. It is the feeling when you go down the centre line one with the horse, rather than just horse and rider. I spend so much time with the horses and the relationship I have with them is so special and something I really cherish.
What does a typical day for you look like?
As I am currently balancing a full-time placement job with riding, it is pretty full on. Mum and I do the morning and evening yard before/after I’m at work, and Mum turns them out during the day so I couldn’t do it without her help. Generally the horses are ridden six days a week, so I ride either one before work and one after, or both of them after work as I am the only person that rides them.
Who do you train with?
Daisy and Gi performing a flying change on their way to winning their first inter 1 at Arena UK High Profile.
I have been training with Leanne Wall for the past six years, and she has had a huge influence on my riding and I owe so much of what I have achieved to her. Leanne is without a doubt the most supportive coach I have ever had, both in and out of the saddle and I am so grateful for everything she has done for me. Leanne is local to me so I try to train with her as often as I can. I met Louise Bell through the National Academy last year, and have trained with her ever since. Gi and I spent last summer based with Lou, which was so amazing to have that quality of help available every time I rode. With Leanne as a List 1 Judge and Lou as an International GP rider, I find their training really compliments each other, and it is so beneficial to have Leanne’s perspective as a judge and Lou’s perspective as a rider. I have also had some training recently with Hannah Biggs through the Youth Academies, which has been so helpful and really put some things into a different perspective.
What are you and your horses currently working on?
Gi and I are currently getting established at Inter 1 and we are looking forward to a season competing at Small Tour. We have also just developed a Freestyle at PSG which I absolutely love and am so excited to ride! We are playing with some of the Grand Prix work too which is super exciting.
Do you have any competitions lined up?
Daisy and Gi on their lap og honour afterwinning the Advanced Medium Bronze at the Winter Nationals,
Gi and I are going to the Area Festival at Addington in just under two weeks’ time, and will be doing Small Tour at the High Profiles and Premier Leagues this season. Eddie hasn’t been out competing in a while whilst we’ve been focusing on training at home, but I would love to get him back out at Medium soon.
It takes a team to do dressage, who is in your support team?
My amazing Mum, Dad and brother do so much for me, they are a huge part of what I do and I could not do any of this without them. My family and friends are all so supportive. My coaches Leanne, Louise and Hannah have and continue to be hugely influential. Kate Haynes does physio on both the horses and me and always keeps us feeling on top form. Our cranial osteopath Edwina Gray has made an incredible difference to the horses, as has our farrier Dan Stern and performance vet Liz Barr. I feel so lucky to have all of these amazing people behind me with so much knowledge.
What challenges have you faced on your dressage journey?
Eddie adores his job, sometimes too much, but he really struggles in a big atmosphere to keep a lid on things. We made it to the Nationals at Elementary Bronze in 2023 but unfortunately had to retire as it was too much for him, and similarly he struggled with the atmosphere at Youth Inter Regionals and Home Internationals but we made it through. This was really hard at the time but you have to listen to your horses and he is more special to us than any test. For me, stepping up to PSG from Elementary so quickly was hard as I had so much to learn in such a short space of time, but my coaches have been so helpful and Gi is amazing to learn on.
What opportunities stand out for you, that you have enjoyed so far?
I have been lucky enough to be selected onto the fully funded BD National Academy in 2024, and now again in 2025. This has been a huge opportunity for me, with access to amazing training and being able to develop myself both on and off the horse. The BEF Young Professionals Programme has also been a hugely beneficial opportunity so far, learning how to develop myself out of the saddle and what it takes to run a successful business. Also, spending the summer based with Louise was an amazing opportunity for me to be able to train with Lou so often and learn so much from her, both with my riding and management of the horses. I was asked to ride in two demos over Christmas, which was am amazing way for Gi and I to get used to riding in an atmosphere and in front of a crowd and I was so proud to be a part of both demos. Thank you so much to Leanne, and Dan and Craig at Aster Horses for inviting me.
What are your future aspirations?
The dream is to go all the way and see how far we can go to the top of the sport. To represent Great Britain would be a dream come true, with an Olympic Games one day being the ultimate goal. At the moment I am just loving the journey and the horses.
Your Top Tip
Never underestimate the power of your warm-up plan. It can make or break your test. Also, this sport has so many ups and downs, so definitely enjoy the good days and learn from the bad ones. Our horses give us their all and we are so lucky to be able to do what we do.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
You win the competition before you enter the arena; you go to the show to pick up your rosette. I think the psychological side of the sport is so important and has a huge impact on how we ride.
Down the Centre Line
Who would be your dream horse to ride?
Freestyle or Glamourdale, I’m not sure I could pick one!
Who is your equestrian hero?
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour
If you could have five people for dinner, who would they be?
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, Lottie Fry, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Carl Hester and Isabell Werth
Favourite horse event?
Definitely London International at Christmas!
Horse product that you can’t live without?
Stain remover!
Want More?
If you enjoyed meeting Daisy you might like to view more dressage rider “chatting with” interviews here. You can keep up with Daisy’s progress and visit her instagram page here
