Eventing at the highest level is thrilling but can
be prohibitively expensive for many. Team Healy Eventing – a family venture based in Bamford – have developed a winning formula of producing their own horses on a comparatively modest budget, as Rebecca Erskine discovers.
It is a bitterly cold February day when I head over to Bamford but Sarah Healy, her daughter Ellie and son Finn are happily out with their horses and sporting the healthy glow of people who love what they do.
It is a family passion years in the making. Sarah was a successful one-horse rider and reached the current 4* level, contesting events such as Bramham and Chatsworth in the mid-2000s with a toddler Ellie (now 23) and baby Finn (now 21) in tow. Riding became a magnetic draw for both children and, even on the school run, they would eagerly devour videos of the Pony European Championships. It was not long before they had their own pony and were entering Pony Club competitions.
With three horse riders in the family, it has proved a costly hobby but Sarah’s experience of horses, together with support from husband Simon, has led to some savvy purchases. From a first pony ‘bought for buttons’, the family have built up a stable of seven – each with very distinct personalities. They have done so by buying young horses, typically at the age of four, and ‘producing’ them (i.e. training, conditioning and exhibiting them at competition level). It is a process that takes time but can be hugely rewarding and builds an unbreakable bond between horse and rider. As Ellie describes: “I really enjoy training young horses and getting into their heads to get the best out of them. I’m not naturally brave so I’m drawn to kind, sweet horses who, if I train them well enough, will hopefully look after me in return!”
Finn, on the other hand, is quite happy to work with temperamental sorts. He has been producing Peggy, Rambo and Joey since the age of four. “Being thrown from ‘Naughty Peggy’ has been a repetitive lesson, and it’s taken time to help another lively character, Toki, to overcome his fear of tents and flags!” he laughs. “As for Joey, he was totally feral when he first arrived. We nearly sold him, but patience really does pay off and it’s often the most spirited horses that go on to win.”
The family have bucked the trend of success in the youth ranks often being the preserve of the super wealthy. In 2018, Ellie won team gold in the Pony European Championships in Yorkshire. Finn was hot on her heels the following year in Poland, winning team gold and being crowned individual pony European champion. He went on to win team gold/individual 4th at the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) [the international governing body of equestrian sports] European Junior Championships in 2022.
The pair were flying but as Finn explains, that can change overnight: “There are definitely more downs than ups! In 2023, I was all set to go to the Young Rider Europeans in Italy but had to pull out because the horse I was due to take sadly picked up an injury shortly before departure. Eventing really is a leveller, but you genuinely learn something new, about both the horse and yourself, every day. Every horse teaches you something different.”
Ellie too has had her share of disappointment. Her last two seasons were cut short due to her top horse’s mystery virus (thankfully now back on form). She is now aiming to consolidate at 3* this season and is aiming for the 3* European Cup Team. If she is to fulfil her dream of Bramham under 25s in 2027, however, she needs an experienced horse. Her search, which has already taken her to Germany and Ireland, continues.
To compete year on year, it is vital to maintain a steady stream of younger horses, and shared ownership and sponsorship play a big role in financing that. Finn is currently putting together a small syndicate to help with Joey’s running costs. Part of that syndicate is Lorna who travels across from Cheshire every fortnight to watch Ellie and Finn train (and to feed Finn’s ferocious appetite with her sweet treats!). “Lorna has fast become part of our extended family”, Sarah affirms. “She has been involved in larger event horse syndicates in the past so knows her stuff but enjoys that we’re a small team here and she can really get involved.” Rambo is part owned by Caroline in Essex who even travelled to Poland in 2025 to cheer Finn on, despite the fact he was competing with Joey rather than Rambo! A third horse, Vincent, has been entrusted to the family by its owner in North London, simply to be ridden at the Healys’ level.
Working together as a small team means having an instinct for each other’s horses and knowing them ‘inside out and upside down’. Ellie, who is a practising physiotherapist, may be out seeing her clients and Finn at uni, but they will know if something is ‘off’ with each other’s horses, as much as they will their own.
Both are active on Instagram and have developed an impressive number of followers. That social presence, together with success in competitions, has attracted significant backing from sponsors. Support has been diverse, ranging from luxury clothing brand Holland Cooper to Baileys Horse Feed, Childéric Saddles and Zebra’s UVEX riding safetywear. Local Chesterfield business Ecovoltz have even gifted an e-scooter to enable quicker transport around the larger showgrounds.
It is an exciting year ahead. If the start of the season goes as planned, Finn is hoping to compete on Joey and Rambo at the Under 25s National Championship at Bramham International in June. The competition is designed to bridge the gap between the juniors and the seniors. Importantly, it is where selections will be made for the first ever FEIUnder 25s Eventing World Championships, taking place in Ireland in July. “I have been lucky enough to represent Britain three times at every youth level. To be selected for this year’s U25 world championships would be the icing on the cake,” he reflects. Finn is also aiming to compete on Peggy at the 7-Year-Old National Championships at Cornbury in September – quite some journey for a horse who initially had to be led through water! Ellie is hoping to be there too in the 6-Year-Old category.
This family enterprise is a business in all but name. It is well organised, has thrived through sound commercial decisions and has reached a stage where it makes sense to take on an apprentice to free up more of Ellie and Finn’s time for producing and competing. Sarah is keen, however, that growth does not break what they have built: “Being super keen, passionate and determined has led us to compete at the highest levels. We’ve done that by approaching it as a hobby – albeit a very serious one – and by accepting support from others. I’m so proud of all that Ellie and Finn have achieved and am excited for what is yet to come.”