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Jonty EVANS

Jonty EVANS, Irish Eventing, Para Dressage athlete.
Name Jonty EVANS
FEI ID 10004570
Gender Male
Date of Birth 04/10/1971
Competing for Ireland - IRL
Registrations Para Dressage 2024
Eventing 2018
Last update 30/01/2023
FEI Database





Para Dressage 70x70 Eventing 70x70
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport? At age four he moved to North Wales with his mother and his stepfather. "We lived in the mountains of Snowdonia and would ride our hairy ponies into the Forest Commission land over the valley to this village called Betws-y-Coed, and if you wanted to get home that night the horse had to take you. That's where it started really - you became at one with the horse and learned to read what it liked and disliked. And that ended up with me being able to ride and train them and do what I did."
Why this sport? His interest in eventing was sparked by trips to the Badminton Horse Trials in his youth. "I grew up in the era of David Foster and Ian Stark and Ginny Leng and watching them at Badminton was something I aspired to. But you aspire to it without realising the work it takes to get there or what it's all about."
Club / Team Jonty Evans Eventing: Cheltenham, ENG
General Interest
Hobbies Spending time with his children. (blog.horsenotices.com, 08 Feb 2020)
Memorable sporting achievement Competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (blog.horsenotices.com, 08 Feb 2020)
Hero / Idol New Zealand eventer Andrew Nicholson, Irish jockey AP McCoy, Welsh rugby player JPR Williams, Irish rugby player Ronan O'Gara. (thegaitpost.com, 10 Oct 2015)
Injuries He sustained a serious brain injury after a fall from his horse at the 2018 Tattersalls International Horse Trials in Ratoath, Ireland. He was unconscious for six weeks and spent time in a specialist neurological unit. He tried jumping for the first time since the accident in February 2019, and returned to competition in April 2019 at the Hunters Equestrian REG in Cirencester, England. (horseandhound.co.uk, 19 Dec 2021, 05 Aug 2019; eventingnation.com, 19 Feb 2019; bbc.co.uk, 23 Aug 2018, 20 Jul 2018, 11 Jun 2018) In June 2014 he was left partially paralysed after a fall from a horse at home. He broke three vertebrae, suffered a brain haemorrhage, and lost all feeling in his right leg. He returned to competition less than two months later. (Sunday Independent Ireland, 19 May 2019; horseandhound.co.uk, 19 Aug 2014)
Sporting philosophy / motto "Hard work and perseverance always pays off eventually." (blog.horsenotices.com, 08 Feb 2020)
Famous relatives His daughter Amelia has competed in eventing on ponies. (jontyevans.co.uk, 01 Jul 2016)
Other information RETURN FROM INJURY Following his serious head injury in June 2018, he returned to competition in April 2019. In August 2019, he fell while riding Cooley Rorkes Drift [Art] at the British Eventing horse trials at Smiths Lawn in Berkshire, England, but both rider and horse were uninjured. "I was pretty rusty being back in a dressage arena, but it went well. He [Art] helped me out in the jumping, I rode forward and he jumped round. I was lucky to be riding Art - he was great and was loving it. It was good fun. Since the injury I had to learn how to walk and talk all over again like a toddler. I've also had to accept that life is going to look different. I believe my positive mindset and that of those around me has helped me hugely in facing these many challenges during my recovery." (horseandhound.co.uk, 19 Dec 2021, 24 Oct 2019, 05 Aug 2019; dailymail.co.uk, 19 May 2021; speakerbuzz.co.uk, 24 Oct 2020) STABLES He runs Jonty Evans Eventing in England, training horses and running clinics. "I didn't come from a background with money and I'm very proud of the fact that although my wife and I hardly make any money, we have really good loyal owners and some super horses and I enjoy what we do." (Facebook page, 29 Jan 2023; thegaitpost.com, 10 Oct 2015) CROWDFUNDING In July 2017 he launched a crowdfunding campaign to try and purchase Cooley Rorkes Drift [Art], the horse he rode at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, in an attempt to prevent the horse's sale to another buyer. The following month he met his target after he was given a preferential rate by its owners, and purchased the horse for 500,000 euros. "I am lost for words and so, so grateful to everyone who donated. I just can't believe it. This was my last and final choice, and I didn't really think it could be done." (speakerbuzz.co.uk, 24 Oct 2020; Sunday Independent Ireland, 19 May 2019; rte.ie, 09 Aug 2017; bbc.co.uk, 18 Jul 2017) OTHER ACTIVITIES He is an experienced equestrian television commentator and interviewer. He has hosted the Celebrity Talk area at the Burghley Horse Trials in England, interviewing international eventers, and the HorseFest podcast. He has also worked on the committee of the Event Riders Association, an organisation that works to give a united voice to event riders worldwide. (Twitter profile, 09 May 2021; The HorseFest podcast, 30 Apr 2021; speakerbuzz.co.uk, 24 Oct 2020; jontyevans.co.uk, 01 Jul 2016; eventingriders.com, 20 Feb 2016)
Further Personal Information
Family Daughter Amelia, son Charlie
Occupation Athlete, Business Owner, Coach, Horse Trainer, Media Professional, Public Speaker
Languages English