JESSICA DIMMOCK - RIDER PROFILE
Date of Birth:
Rides for: Great Britain
Based in: Northamptonshire
Horses Competing: Capello II, Tinka's Tyson & Alvin Only
Website: www.jessdimmock.co.uk
Biography
Jess’s love of horses started at an early age when she was regularly taken by her grandmother to see the ponies at the local stables. Stroking the ponies and feeding them polos was not enough for Jess, however and it was not long before she had pestered her parents into letting her have riding lessons and so it was at the tender age of 8 that Jess started her riding career on Tiggy at Brampton Stables.
Even at this early stage, Jess demonstrated her determination and work ethic by volunteering to be lead rein for riders even younger than herself, in exchange for extra lessons!
Jess’s first pony was a chestnut mare called Megan; a Christmas present when she was 11. Delighted to have a pony that she could call her own, Jess spent every spare minute riding and grooming Megan and they were active members of Northampton Pony Club.
It was not long, however, before Jess outgrew Megan and moved onto her next pony- Fiji. It was with Fiji that Jess first started competing outside of Pony Club events and qualified for trailblazers and the Dengie final.By hard work and determination, Jess’s improvement continued and Fiji was eventually replaced by Bambi, who won the Dengie qualifier and came third in the final.
Following Bambi, Jess took on a young novice pony called Penny who Jess took all the way through to “Foxhunter”. The improvement Jess achieved with Penny meant that she was able to sell her to raise money to buy her first horse. That first horse, bought from “Horse Quest” in August 2009, was Capello. Together, Jess and Capello have become one of Great Britain’s best young rider teams.
In the summer of 2011, Jess and Capello achieved their first representative honours when they were selected for the European Junior team championships in Portugal. In the team competition Jess and Capello helped the Great Britain team to 10th place overall with two clear rounds. In the individual competition, after 5 days of intense competition, Jess and Capello finished in a tie for 2nd place with only 8 faults in 5 testing rounds. Despite another clear round in the jump off, they finished just outside the medals in 4th place.
2012 has been another great year for Jess and one that has exceeded even her wildest expectations. It started with selection for the Nations Cup in Belgium and has culminated with Jess and Capello winning the Young Riders Championship of Great Britain at the Horse of the Year Show.
Jess has two other horses – Tyson and Doriana.
Tyson currently competes at 1m 40 level and Doriana is a 5 year old who Jess is producing for a local businessman.
Jess is lucky enough to be coached by top international rider, Tim Stockdale, who rode for Britain at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It is with Tim’s expert guidance that Jess hopes to follow in his footsteps.
Had Jess not dedicated herself to showjumping she might have had a career in one of two other sports. At the age of 15, she was a national standard runner, twice winning the Northants County Cross Country championships and at the even younger age of 10, she was Northamptonshire U11 County Tennis Champion.
Jess’s ambitions now are to represent her country at a senior level, compete successfully and produce horses for the future. Ultimately she would like to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.
Barnsby Interview
Highlight of career to date?
My highlight of my career to date is coming 4th at the Junior Europeans in Portugal. Such an amazing experience I hope to repeat in later years!
All time favourite horse and why?
My all time favourite horse is Capello, I bought him as an inexperienced 7 year old, 3 years on he his my horse of a life time.
What do you enjoy most about your chosen discipline?
The thing I enjoy most of my dicipline is the buzz and satisfaction of competing at shows!
Favourite Barnsby product and why?
My favourite product is my Barnsby saddle, provides comfort both for the horse and rider as well as helping me mantain a secure seat whilst jumping.
Other hobbies / interests?
If I'm not riding, I'm either at the gym or catching up with friends!
Who is your hero/person you most admire and why?
My mum, I wouldnt be where I am today without her! Always there for support and encouragement, not to mention making a very good groom!
All time favourite film?
My alltime favourite film is 'pollyanna', she shows so much determination and has such a positive outlook on life, everyone should aspire to be like Pollyanna!