British Pound Sterling

Eve McCoy

Business

winterGrey

Eve McCoy International Showjumper 

Eve riding Cocktail D’Azur at Hickstead. Credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves

Eve was delighted to talk to Horse and Hound recently following an amazing show at Hickstead.

The full interview is also available on the Horse & Hound's website: https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/exclusive-eve-mccoy-interview-838812

I’ve seen what Dad’s been through’ - why Eve McCoy is aiming for success in a different sport to her famous father. 

Eve McCoy on advice from dad champion jockey AP, why she chose showjumping over racing, and maintaining a social life while following her dreams and home-schooling

Eve McCoy, the 14-year-old daughter of 20-time champion jockey Sir AP McCoy and Dragon’s Den judge Chanelle, is fast making a name for herself on the showjumping circuit. Eve has both winning genes and ambition – and catching up with her in the midst of a successful season it’s clear she’s also well used to the hard work and dedication it takes to get to the top.

“Obviously the help I’ve had from my Mum and Dad, with the amazing horses I have been given, explains some of my success,” she says, with previous top rides including the pony Moores Pride and horse Elia and current speed horse Cocktail D’Azur. But there has definitely been a lot of training and hard work paying off in recent years, too, and fantastic coaching from the likes of Shane Breen. Eve is currently trying to find the right balance between her sport and schooling.

“I am in my GCSE year and am home-schooled at the minute. I was at Cheltenham College, but I found it quite difficult juggling school and riding. Now we have a tutoring company who tutor me from home and it’s worked out a lot better. I do four hours a day.”

Eve’s timetable is pretty full on – she is based in Lambourn with her family, but all her horses are stabled with Lea Popely in West Sussex and then she trains with Shane Breen, who is based at Hickstead.

“I go down there three or four times a week. It’s quite far from my house – 2 hours and 20 minutes. Either my mum or dad will take me – basically anyone I can find to take me down,” explains Eve.

On the days she doesn’t go to train, Eve has an extra-long day at school to make up for the time she’s missed.

“Or I’ll go and see my friends,” she says. “It’s nice going to see them – they are not doing quite the same thing as me, they are all in school, so it’s really nice catching up with them.”

When Eve was boarding at Cheltenham College she was training with Eleni Murphy, who was based in Preston, “very far away”. “I was leaving on a Friday night and arriving back to school on a Monday,” she explains.

The risks of home-schooling
Eve, who has a friendly and modest demeanour, admits the change to home-schooling came with risks. “It’s quite a big social change, and a bit depriving of your social life – but thankfully I’ve been able to keep my friends,” she says. “I am definitely enjoying living at home again, but sometimes because me and my mum are so similar, and even my dad, too, we can get on top of each other a bit. My mum works from home and my dad is retired.”

Coach Shane Breen has long been a regular on Ireland’s Nations Cup teams, and Eve raves about him as a trainer.

“He is such a top-class rider and his work ethic is amazing,” she says. “I’ve learnt so much from him, especially how important the groundwork is – the flatwork and nailing the basics before you move on to jump bigger. When I first began training with him it was such a completely different atmosphere and suddenly I was in such a professional environment and I was really impressed how hard he worked – how hard you have to work in showjumping.”

Unsurprisingly, given her father was one of the most driven jump jockeys in history, AP has passed on similar advice to Eve.

“My dad has taught me how important it is to work really hard. To make sure you are not making the same mistakes and that you are learning every time you do. It’s motivating having such a successful father, because hopefully one day I’ll be just as good as him but doing something a bit different.”

Eve McCoy: “no pressure” from parents
Eve is keen to emphasise that her parents put no pressure on her to choose riding as a sport or career.

“I always knew I wanted to do something with horses. I was always a bit more interested in showjumping [than racing] because maybe I thought it was a little bit more glamorous,” she laughs. “And much safer. My parents weren’t very keen on me racing and obviously I’ve seen what my dad’s been through with all his breaks and bruises – I wasn’t really that interested in ending up in the way his body’s all messed up now.”

Eve McCoy has already achieved a lot in her showjumping career, including riding on children on horses teams internationally and qualifying for and riding at Horse of the Year Show.

“That was one of the wow moments for me, because I had never been in an atmosphere like that,” she says of her NEC experience. “At HOYS there were so many people and so many amazing top riders competing at the same show as me.

“A few years ago, I jumped on the children on horses team at Vilamoura, and I did all the Nations Cups; it was such a surreal experience because it was the first time I had jumped out of the country and I was surrounded by lots of different people my own age but from different countries.”

The search for Eve McCoy’s next partner
Currently Eve has only got one horse to compete, Cocktail D’Azur, but she is on the hunt for another.

“My pony Moores Pride was sold and my horse Elia has just gone too. At the minute I just have Cocktail D’Azur, who’s my speed class horse. I’m looking for another horse to hopefully do the juniors on at the minute. We are looking to get one in the next month or two – it just depends if we find the right one. We want something I can jump the juniors on and we want it soon enough so that I can build up a good record and be ready for the trials.”

Cocktail D’Azur has been in brilliant form this summer.

“He did really well at Hickstead and so we want to carry on that track. He’s so nice to ride and you can tell he really enjoys it – he loves to go quick. I think he knows when he is going into the jump-off. You have to get off and get back on again and he knows that when you’re back on its time.”

We end our catch-up with some kit advice – Eve being equally fashion and safety conscious. She is currently wearing Animo and says: “I love it, it’s so amazing for all seasons and they have such a wide range of choices. That’s my jacket, shirt, socks, jodhpurs. I have a Sellaria Equipe saddle, which is through Zebra products. It is amazing. And I wear Samshield hats – they are so safe and pretty. My Dad is quite strict on helmets because he’s had so many injuries and he loves these hats.”

With such dedication and the right training, horses and support, we look forward to seeing what Eve can achieve in the future – starting with junior trials if that right horse can be found.

Cocktail D'Azur

13 Year old Show jumper Currently training with Eleni Murphy based in Lambourn

1. Eve McCoy

Eve's double championship wins at Hickstead and her interview with H&H's Luz Wollocombe

Cocktail D Azur (Nano) and Eve sped round their second class of the show to take the win today in the 1.30m - Sponsored by: FMBs Therapy Systems.

The time to beat of 52.74 had been set Rachel Proudley and Happy Boy. Drawn 47th to go out of a field of 60 starters, Nano and Eve took up the challenge, jumping clear and crossing the line in 52.59.

A great start to Bolesworth International in the FMBs Therapy Systems 1.30m

Elia

Toughness, taste, and consistency are three values that represent Animo. These adjectives are perfectly characterized by our distinctive symbol, the albatross. Its elegance and magnificence in flight is our source of inspiration, always flying high with grace. 

Like the albatross’s long journeys, we have taken our own path to create projects that have led us to reach our goals of becoming a brand that symbolizes forward-thinking and evolution in equestrian apparel and accessories.

Animo

We are a fifth-generation family business. That’s over 100 years of knowledge and experience, delivering quality, consistency, and service.
We are a nutrition company, specialising in high-performance equine nutrition.

Connolly's Red Mills

FLECK Riding crops and whips have been a firm fixture for years in the product range available in the world of equestrian sport

Fleck Germany

Superior health and nutrition products for horses.
Delivering worldwide.
Proud partner of Connolly's Red Mills and Carr & Day & Martin, together offering the complete equine care package.

Foran Equine Products is rooted firmly within the Irish Equestrian Industry. We currently export our products to more than 30 countries worldwide.
At Foran’s, we consider the health and well being of the horse to be paramount. Our understanding of equine nutritional requirements and our dedication to excellence have enabled us to become a market leader in the international competitive equestrian industry.

A world leader in premium-quality equine supplement solutions
Available in over 40 countries worldwide and with over 60 equine healthcare products in our range, we are experts in nutritional supplements that optimise the health and performance of your horse. Our expert nutrition team can provide you with tailored advice on our range of supplements that align with your feed of choice and our precision nutrition approach.

Foran Equine

About Us
With over 30 years experience within the industry, NAF is one of the most innovative equine supplement manufacturers in the world, utilising cutting edge research and ingredients sourced from across the globe to formulate our nutritional products.
Each unique NAF formula utilises naturally sourced nutrients and advanced scientific principles. The techniques involved in creating these formulas enable the ingredients to be combined together in complex and synergistic blends, to provide far greater benefits to the horse than those they could offer singularly.
The Five Star formulations are not only the flagship products of their specific sectors within the wide range of NAF nutritional formulas, they set the standard and lead the rest of the supplement
market. The result is an extensive range of products which are designed to offer something for your horse’s every need.
Team GBR
At NAF, we are extremely proud of the high standards of the products that we manufacture. We are Official Suppliers to the British Equestrian Team. This enables riders from all British Team disciplines to use NAF products, under the direction of the British Team Vets, to support the health and fitness of their team horses when competing for their country. All NAF products are safe to feed under FEI regulations.
It’s not only Team GBR riders that believe in NAF products to keep their horses in optimum condition and peak performance. Many other riders, from leisure riders and Pony Clubbers, through to professionals and International riders trust NAF to keep their horses happy, healthy and in great condition.
Quality Control
NAF's extensive research and development programmes, including clinical trials, ensure that our formulations are continually updated and improved in line with the latest findings, so they remain at the forefront of innovative nutritional support.
We have a purpose built on-site laboratory and from this facility, our Quality Assurance team process samples and test results of every raw material and finished mix to check they all meet the rigorous specifications of our quality procedures.
The majority of testing required is specialised, so NAF use a fully accredited external laboratory to ensure that all results are independent. We also conduct regular audits of our suppliers as well as our own manufacturing operations, ensuring that all guidelines and industry standards are adhered to.
All ingredients used in feed and supplements must comply with EU feed law, regarding the use of feed materials and additives, and the presence of undesirable substances. The EU additives list is continually being updated, and it is NAF’s responsibility to remain abreast of any changes, and the sub-regulations which may apply to the use of each particular additive. This is something we take very seriously.
As a fully UFAS (Universal Feed Accreditation Scheme) accredited supplement company, NAF adhere to stringently high quality control standards in how our products are manufactured, and guarantee full traceability of all ingredients right back to their source. We are also one of the first companies in the UK to meet the strict manufacturing requirements of the BETA NOPS code to ensure the control of naturally occurring prohibitive substances (NOPS) in our products.
So to guarantee that you are giving your horse very the best, make sure you feed NAF - the name you can trust.

Samshield is the result of a mix between the young pro rider’s needs, the young designer’s creative energy and engineer’s technical vision.

Samshield’s philosophy is to always propose advanced products in terms of active and passive security, comfort, hygiene, material and finish quality as well as customization.

Modern riding demands innovation, Samshield added elegance and distinctiveness.

Instagram: @samshieldofficial

Samshield 

Selleria Equipe brand represents quality craftsmanship and attention to the detail, all these characteristics makes it a manufacturing excellence in Italy and worldwide. Each saddle is manufactured to satisfy the demands of both the rider and the horse in each equestrian discipline

Each saddle turned out at the Selleria Equipe permises- in themselves an avant-garde architectural landmark – is manufactured with meticulous care to satisfy sporting demands show jumping or dressage, in eventing or endurance riding. All in the name of an endless passion, supreme technique and debonair elegance.



Selleria Equipe


Zebra Products is the UK and Ireland’s leading distributor of premium equestrian brands catering for horse and rider.


Kelsall Hill E C National

Related Members

1. Eve McCoy

Related Horse

Elia

Recent Results

All England Jumping Championships

Wellington International

Wellington International

Coombelands