Nicola Wilson: a member of the British meritocracy

Indeed, while the North Yorkshire-based rider tumbled in the latest FEI World Eventing Rankings from No.2 to No.15, she has consistently been in and around the top 10 all year long, shadowing the likes of World No.1 Michael Jung of Germany. In fact, Wilson was on the podium with Jung (2nd) and Jung’s compatriot Ingrid Klimke (1st) at the 2017 FEI European Eventing Championships in Strzegom, Poland in August, with her lovely 11-year-old mare Bulana.

“That will remain one of the most fantastic competitions of my career,” Wilson told Grand Prix magazine this month. “I knew that Bulana was in great form, both physically and mentally. And I knew that we were capable of doing something great together, but you never know how things will go!”

In June, the pair also finished runners-up at the Luhmühlen CCI 4* in Germany, one of the most elite Eventing competitions on the planet (part of the current FEI Classics series), alongside many other excellent results in recent times.

Bulana, who came to Wilson after having been ridden by New Zealand’s Lizzie Green, is the latest in a strong string of horses accompanying the Brit. They go back to Tom, the first pony Wilson’s mother Mary Tweddle bought for her and her sister when she was three years old. From her earliest days with Tom practicing on the family’s property — which featured practical, valuable obstacles such as a river, banks and fields — through her young rider experiences with Mr. Bumble (Tumble Wind), to her thrilling Team silver with Opposition Buzz in front of the home crowd the 2012 London Olympic Games, Wilson has always been quick to credit her equine partners as well as the (human) team around her, notably coach Christopher Bartle. Other current mounts include Annie Clover and One Two Many.

Wilson’s career has been marked by determination and perspiration, overcoming limited resources and her own uncertainties. When she started out, she would ask herself, “Do I have enough talent? Will I be capable of finding owners who would support me and allow me to make this my career? Will I be good enough?”. In the end, though, the work she has put in over the years — including travelling 200 kilometres home on weekends while studying at university in Manchester to continue her training — has paid off.

Today, the 41-year-old is turning her gaze towards future competitions like the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. And wherever she goes to compete in her ‘triathlon’ sport, which combines Dressage, Cross-country, and Show Jumping, Nicola Wilson will have to be considered a favourite for a medal.