How did you become an equestrian?
I was born into an equestrian family. My mother was very into racing, and bred and sold racehorses. I was always surrounded by horses, and it was something I grew to enjoy as I grew up. I didn't always think that I was the greatest rider; I wasn't ambitious, I just enjoyed horses, enjoyed riding, and then the older I got, the more excited I got by the idea of it being a competition. It probably started to click at 15, I had my first significant result at 18. I quite enjoyed the success that came then...so I worked a bit harder, trained a bit harder, and got very engaged with the whole cross-country thing of eventing. The excitement of going cross-country. Those days you never think of risk, you only think of excitement.
Greatest achievement?
My first victory at Burghley in 1994 [The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials]. My first four-star victory. Four star is the top level of the sport. I was quite young but I was up against all the pros who'd been winning for years. It was my first victory at that level and it made me realise I'd achieve something. I thought I'm going to go down as a Burghley winner, and if I never win another event in my life it won't matter. I won Badminton last year on a horse called Chilli Morning: we were expected to do well but my family was there and we really got into it. That was rewarding for a different angle.
How did you come back from such a severe injury?
(Fox-Pitt was in a coma for two weeks after a fall in 2015.) I was incredibly lucky. I had great support, I had a lot of psychological and physiological support to get me back. I don't want to use the word 'disabled' but I was certainly much disadvantaged: I lost my sight, I lost balance, and I lost a lot of feeling of perception. I was very lucky I made it back for Rio. But I didn't suffer. I think everyone around me suffered – there was a stage at which they didn't know whether I'd be anything other than a vegetable. There was a lot of worry for my poor family but there was no worry for me: I was oblivious. I never suffered physically, never suffered any pain: I think being in a coma for two weeks helped everything settle down. I haven't had a headache since: not one headache for a whole year!
And you made the Rio Olympics...
I always thought I was going to Rio. Nobody else did, they just didn't want me to be disappointed. But my sight came back, my senses recovered, I was just about able to ride okay. I proved to all my doubters in time to be selected for Rio in July. That gave me a real goal – I needed that target. Everything was a big effort both mentally and physically, but I had Rio in my mind and that got me riding again. I wasn't as busy as previous years, but I started riding five or six horses a day and that got my back on track. If I'd just written off the year I still wouldn't be doing much. Having an incentive helped me heal. [continued below]
Favourite Olympic moment?
Winning a medal in London was very special. Although my personal result was not as good as I'd dreamt, it was still very exciting and a real thrill to get a medal in front of my home crowd. Beijing was also exciting because my horse travelled very badly and was quite unwell when he arrived, so for him to have competed well and win a medal was pretty much a miracle. That was very special as well.
Favourite event?
It would have to be Burghley Horse Trials. It's in September and it's been a very happy hunting ground for me so there's no reason for it not to be my favourite. It's done me very well.
Favourite horse?
My horse of a lifetime would have to be a horse called Tamarillo. He won my first Badminton for me and took me to the Olympics. He was bred by a wonderful family in Hampshire. Latterly, Chilli Morning is an exceptional horse because he's such a good competitor. He finds the sport very comfortable and easy. Sadly he's now retired but he's done well for me.
Best thing about the job?
Life is never the same; you're never bored, you're always challenged because it's another animal so it's got the unpredictable side, which is always interesting. I love working inside the horse's brain. Yes, you could say it's hard work, but even the tough moments aren't dull. There's none of that mundane work to get through. Every day something is thrown up. With a horse, it's not just about training him, it's about managing him: you're his carer and you've got to work out what makes him tick.
And the worst?
Injured horses. It's a physical sport and you do get injuries, and horses do get injuries. That can be the end of any dream. Horse injuries are the most depressing side to the sport. Everyone has experienced it. If you've got event horses, then you've got lame horses. Lameness is the most crippling thing in our sport: it really does finalise dreams.
Biggest misconception about your job?
People assume what I do is physically tiring. Of course it is but as a rider I'm physically prepared so I don't find it that demanding. Another is owners. All my horses are owned by other people and you then deal with those people on a very personal level – but I enjoy that. I've had good owners, they've not been tricky and they've often become friends. I quite enjoy communicating with them and sharing the ups and downs with the owners. [continued below]
Tell us about your partnership with Jeep...
I'm very lucky to be sponsored by Jeep. They've sponsored me for a few years now and it works both ways. Years ago I was looking for a car, and I thought Jeep would be perfect for a family car. I approached them and they said yes, which was fantastic. Because our relationship went so well we've developed: we just work well together as a team. Jeep's big in America but they're still small in Europe, and there's a big hole that could accommodate them.
Plans for the future?
I've got some very nice up-and-coming horses but I don't have any top level horses. i need to find some horses and bring them up to top level, so I'm very excited about that. I'll be doing a bit more training, a bit more dealing. I'm pretty busy with the family: four children is good fun but it's very busy! My children are very keen I try to go to Tokyo [2020 Olympics] but I'll be pretty old by then.
What would you do if you weren’t riding?
It would have to be something outside. I dreamt of being a vet but I was too thick so horses became a natural progression. I could have been a racehorse trainer – I would have been interested by that. But if I'm going to become a racehorse trainer now, I'll have to start learning quite soon!
Favourite bit of clothing or gear?
I'm very big on shoes. There's a company called Chatham that I work with and they provide a very good selection of shoes. Clothing-wise it's got to be Musto. They pretty much kit me out: I'm catered for in any condition so I'm very lucky. I'm also very lucky to wear my Rolex which I won through the event in Kentucky. I was never a watch person: I left it in the safe for about a year. Then I thought 'what a waste', took it out of the safe and I've never taken it off.
William Fox-Pitt is an ambassador for Jeep. For more information, visit jeep.co.uk
