I asked Showjumper Yazmin Pinchen some questions, read on to find out her answers.
Yazmin Pinchen, is a showjumper from the UK.
She was born in 1993 and started Showjumping from a young age with ponies. She won an individual silver and team gold medal at the European championships in Turkey for children on horses at only 14. From that she went onto compete at the Children on horses world final in Mexico. Since then she says ‘I’ve never looked back’. She has competed at many 5* around the world as well as jumping on the Great British nation cup teams. Yazmin now has a great string of competitive horses and a great team behind her. She has a partnership with the famous musician Liam Payne and she is one to watch.
Yazmin has a small string of competitive horses and a great team behind her.
When did you start riding?
I shared a first pony with my sister when I was 3 years old.
Why do you ride?
I started when I was young as my parents were into it, I grew up around racing and Showjumping. My sister was actually a lot more keen than me and suddenly it switched. She wanted to continue school and I wanted to ride. I love the adrenalin you get from winning rounds and when the crowd cheer and you have done well it’s an amazing feeling. I love being able to ride knowing my horse trusts me and we are able to jump huge fences together. It’s incredible when you really think about it all.
What is your favourite equestrian memory?
My favourite equestrian memory would have to be winning the 4* Grand prix at Bolseworth! Watching my winning round back gives me goose bumps – it really was a day to remember beating riders I looked up to and proving to everyone I was capable.
Yazmin has her own base in West Sussex with top class facilities. One of Yazmin’s up and coming horses is owned by the famous singer/songwriter Liam Payne.
Do you have lessons and if so who with?
I mainly train at home trying new exercises as often as I can with my team but I try once a week to go to Rob Whitaker’s yard which is really close to me and have a jump there, he is really helpful and extremely knowledgeable. Its great having someone help you out now and then especially to reassure you that your doing things right.
What is your favourite thing about coaching?
I absolutely love giving people confidence and them leaving a lesson feeling they are one step closer to their goals. We all have goals whatever level we are so if I am able to help someone reach a goal I know I’m doing something right.
How did you get involved with Liam Payne?
I was fortunate to have a mutual connection who put a good word in for me, I never thought much more of it until I got a WhatsApp message from him wanting more info and a meeting. Honestly that was an amazing day and I pinch myself all the time to remind myself how lucky I am!! I am so grateful Liam Is supporting me on my Olympic dream journey.
Who inspires you?
A lot of different people inspire me for different reasons, in terms of riding I look up to Marcus Ehning. To me he Is a textbook rider and makes it look so easy and neat.
Yazmin is very lucky to be sponsored by Parlanti Roma, Kep Italia, Vestrum, Voltaire UK as well as the feed company Dodson and Horrell. The whole of the UK is currently in lockdown so everyone’s lives and plans are constantly changing.
Which equestrian brand is your go to brand?
For clothing I am obsessed with Vestrum, it is so chic and elegant. I wear Parlanti Roma boots as they’re made to measure and the fit is so perfect, you forget your wearing boots!! And I won’t wear anything but a Kep helmet.
How are you dealing with lockdown?
Lockdown isn’t really a huge difference for me and my horses apart from not being able to go to shows and having to bulk buy horse feed and bedding!! Every day I get up and go to the yard to ride and spend time with the horses and my team who I am very close with. I then come home and have lunch, clean my house or do paper work. I definitely miss going out for dinner with my partner and son as this is something we do more than we should usually but I know for sure when we can eventually go out again we will all appreciate it a lot more!
What were your aims for this year?
This year I really planned to focus on Liam’s horse Tommy and step him up a level but obviously that has been put on the back foot which isn’t always a bad thing letting a young horse develop slowly. I wanted to do the Uk international shows and get my stallion out there as much as I could as he is 17 now so time is ticking for him. I really hope it will all be over soon and we can get back to competitions.
What are your aims for this year now with shows suspended?
This year I will still aim to produce the young horses and especially some of the offspring from my stallion Van de Vivaldi. I have two three year olds that I will slowly start to break and then turn away into the field again and that is something I am really excited about. I have been doing a lot of home videos and trying to help keep my followers motivated during this time and I have lots of other ideas I will bring to social media. I think it’s just a time to sit back and think about how fortunate we are to have horses, being able to still go to the yard and ride and have fresh air. I hope people can use this time to their advantage and have quality family time to.
Yazmin has been lucky enough to compete at various shows all over the UK as well as abroad. She’s had a lot of different horses and many wins.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
I see myself in the top 10 in the Uk and top 50 in the world. I was at this stage a few years ago so I know I can do it again and having new owners coming in and supporting me helps me reach my goals.
Where is your favourite place to compete?
That’s a very hard question because I’ve been so lucky to go to some incredible shows but I’ve got to stay British and say Royal Windsor. Being a royal show it has such an amazing atmosphere – I really love it there and would love to go back.
What is your biggest win?
Bolseworth 4* Grand Prix
Have you ever tried another discipline?
I haven’t but I really want to ride a grand prix dressage horse and try it all out, I do wonder a lot if I should try Dressage!!
Yazmin currently has a yard full of different horses, ranging from babies, young broken horses as well as the older, more experienced horses. Her eldest horse is Vinny who is 17 years old.
What is your favourite thing about Vinny?
I could talk about him all day, he is just a dream to me. I love his character and how loyal he is to me. I trust him so much and feel so safe with him because I’ve ridden him for 10 years now. I can have a break and get back on him and feel confident to go and jump a huge track and try and win. We have such a solid connection and I know I’ll never have a horse like him again.
Out of all your horses, who would you say is the most talented?
Van de Vivaldi - I can’t not say him..
Why did you choose Tommy?
I am quite fussy, I had tried about 25 horses at least before Tommy. The minute I sat on him I knew, he was so scopey and jumped everything so easily. When you know, you know!
Out of all your horses, who would you say is the most friendly?
Dominant H
What is your top tip for up and coming riders?
Just keep going and keep practicing, ask for advice and never give up.
Yazmin is a talented rider who has been at the top and knows just how hard it is to get there. She is now back in the game after having her child ‘Harry’ and she is looking to get back to the top. With her current string of horses, I am sure she will go far. I’d like to say a massive thank you to Yazmin Pinchen for taking time out of her day to answer my questions. I look forward to seeing her compete in the future.
Good luck for the future Yazmin!!
Do make sure you check out Yazmin on social media as well as on her website where you can see what she has to offer.
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