54 year old Scottish showing producer Richard Telford has amassed an enviable career in both the show-ring and on the eventing circuit.
Richard’s successes include winning championship titles across the country at the Royal Highland Show, Horse of the Year Show, Olympia, Royal Windsor Horse Show and the Royal International Horse Show.
In October 2008 an accident at home with a stallion led to a DVT bringing on a terrifying heart attack while Richard, based at Ayton Castle in the Scottish Borders, holidayed in Tenerife.
Richard said: ‘I woke up in the morning feeling as good as new but then I had this amazing pain in my chest. We were going to a water park and I said I’ll be fine! It kind of went away a little bit but then it really hit me. It was unbelievable.
‘The hospital said I wasn’t having a little heart attack – I was having a big one. If I’d been at home I would have been a goner because I would have been in the middle of nowhere and I wouldn’t have got to hospital in five minutes like I did in Tenerife!
‘Psychologically it floored me. However in the weirdest way it made me better. I feel healthier and go for regular checks; I never used to go to the doctor for anything!’
Remarkably Richard was back onboard and competed at the Horse of the Year Show that December.
Ten years on from the accident Richard continues to still be at the top of his field campaigning numerous horses towards this year’s Horse of the Year Show qualifiers this year.
‘We are very excited about a Dales pony, we also have a very nice heavy-weight cob, a stunning little racehorse and I also have a Suffolk Punch we’ll put towards the heavy horse classes,’ says Richard.
Pictures by Angus Blackburn.
Read the full story in EQY Magazine, which comes with the July 2018 issue of Scottish Field.
The pictures accompanying this article are available to view and purchase – simply click on the image you want to view – it will
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