Jack Whitaker ready to further illustrious family legacy in show jumping

By Megan Armitage

Show jumping's royal family has a young and feisty powerhouse on its side in Jack Whitaker.

The 22-year-old might be one of the youngest members of the iconic Whitaker family, spearheaded by his 69-year-old uncle John and originally dating back to his grandfather Donald, but the young rider has already made a name for himself on the domestic and international scene.

Whitaker, who is based in Nottingham, won Youth Olympic silver and Youth European Championship silver to his name as a teenager and now competes in the prestigious Longines Global Champions Tour.

And with show jumping in his blood, Whitaker noted that it was almost impossible to not love the sport growing up.

"Watching John and my dad when I was young, I would go to all the shows as a kid," he said.

"It's honestly very hard not to enjoy it when you go to the shows and get to see all the good part of it. It's a massive thing to watch them winning and it gets instilled into you.

"Seeing them get a big cheer when they go into the ring, it made you want to be like that.

"We were never forced into it, my sisters are the only two of age that don't ride. The door was just left open and I did it and they didn't.

"But we're all keen for the horses and the sport."

According to Whitaker, the family style is winning, and win they do.

The family have a history of Olympic and world medallists on their side and Whitaker is not quiet in his belief that they also have the best horses.

Show jumping relies heavily on the strength and depth of the horses each rider can compete with and the Whitaker family have the beauty of their own farm and lifestyle to breed and raise each horse to its best.

"Our style is winning," said Whitaker. "To win you need horsepower. We try our hardest with every horse but to be the best you need to have the best horses.

"We try so hard at home to make sure they're ready and create those world class horses.

"It's so competitive nowadays you need those world class horses and they don't just pop up anyway, you have to produce them and raise them."

Four of the Whitaker family are back jumping in front of a British audience at the Royal Hospital Chelsea for the London leg of the 2024 Longines Global Champions Tour.

On the opening day of competition, Whitaker finished 15th in the 5* two phase event and with the opportunity to showcase his family's success to the British public, the young and upcoming rider noted that there's only good things to come from being part of the Tour.

"I can't complain," he said. "I've been able to travel to some really nice places all around the world and take my horses with me.

"I'm just really happy to be here."

LONGINES Global Champions Tour. Unique and iconic locations in dynamic capital cities and breathtaking Riviera destinations. The best riders guaranteeing high octane top sport for fans at every event. Precision, power, and elegance combined in one spectacular championship series. For more information visit www.gcglobalchampions.com