‘We riders are not really normal!’: mum-of-two sets sights on Badminton cross-country with ‘hotheaded’ chestnut

Twelve months ago, Sammi Birch was heavily pregnant, having nailed a top-25 Badminton finish with Finduss PFB in 2022. This year, she and Finduss have returned to Mars Badminton Horse Trials – with eight-year-old Charlie and baby Emilia in tow.

The Birch family live in Cirencester, near to the Gloucestershire event, which means that Sammi’s husband Ed and the children are sleeping at home, leaving Sammi to focus on the task in hand, although they are eager spectators. This is the first week Sammi has spent apart from her 11-month-old baby.

“It’s a constant juggling act, but you just have to get on with it,” Sammi says. “I was at Blenheim three months after Emilia was born, so I’m really fine now. We riders are not really a normal breed – we’re just desperate to get back in the saddle.

“For me, while it’s amazing having a baby and I want to do it, the riding helps made me feel like ‘me’ again. Charlie is very helpful, and there’s a big gap between them – so she’s my little miracle. Emilia is very easy. Daddy’s got her this week, which is good as I can concentrate. When she’s around I’m sort of looking out for her.”

Sammi Birch: “I wouldn’t want to be sat on anything else”

Sammi needed all her focus to channel Findus PFP’s energy between the white boards today, describing the 14-year-old chestnut as a “hothead”. They scored 36, but this is not the horse’s strongest phase.

“He’s affectionately known as Loopy Louie,” Sammi says. “He’s never been a dressage horse; he struggles a lot with his nerves so I’m thrilled with him.

“He has many quirks: he has a bit of a problem with the stable, doesn’t like being alone, he’s quite needy, adrenalised. It’s a management issue – so I can’t get him out in the warm-up for too long.

“And while you’d never say you were looking forward to Badminton cross-country, I wouldn’t want to be sat on anything else. He has all the power and scope in the world.”

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