Meet Harry Charles and Jack Whitaker
Ranked right after each other on the FEI rankings, friends Harry Charles and Jack Whitaker are having a lot of fun going to the same shows. This weekend at Kingsland Oslo Horse Show.
Published:
October 20th, 2021
Harry Charles (22):
Born in 1999, Harry is the eldest son of London Olympic gold medallist Peter Charles. This summer, he made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games with Romeo 88, representing Team Great Britain. He had his five star debut at the world famous Aachen in 2019 while also being a crucial part of the Global Champions Tour team Miami Celtics – resulting in him getting into the world’s top 100 in the FEI rankings, now at place 97.
Jack Whitaker (20):
Son of Michael Whitaker, Jack has been riding his whole life, now competing at the highest level. He won individual gold at the Pony Europeans in 2016 and a team silver medal at the Youth Olympics in 2018. This summer he claimed the silver medal at the FEI Youth European Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, after winning his first five star at the Dutch Masters in April. He is ranked 98 on the FEI rankings, one place behind Harry.
Being a Charles and a Whitaker, they’ve been riding horses their whole lives and have been close friends as long as they can remember. Sitting on a sofa by the warm up at Telenor Arena, they’re thrilled they’re competing at the same shows, at the same level. The last three weeks they’ve been at the same shows, but they don’t travel together on purpose. The streak started with the Nations Cup Final in Barcelona and ended this weekend at Kingsland Oslo Horse Show. Whitaker went to Drammen this summer, but neither have been to KOHS before. This year’s show has largely been about the squad of young, upcoming riders doing so well.
Harry: It’s an honour to be here and we hope we can come back. We’ve been enjoying Norway, it has a lot to offer. It’s a very nice country and people are super and seem to have a good knowledge of horses.
Jack: Both Harry Allen and Kevin Jochems have gone serious as well, it’s so nice to have a bunch of good lads around the show, it’s good fun.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Harry: Rap. Only rap, it’s pretty bad, actually. Drake, Travis and I like Roddy Ricch a lot. I don’t ride with headphones in, but before a class I listen to music. I have a playlist to get myself going before I get on.
Jack: I am very, very varied. I like a bit of everything: A bit of rap, a bit of country, a bit of rock. Favourite artist? Honestly, I quite like My Chemical Romance… And Jay-Z, Kanye West, Chris Stapleton. Varies a lot.
Which horse show has the best rider parties?
Jack: Knokke! Or Brussels.
Harry: I don’t go to many riders parties… Hehe.
What’s your go-to drink at the bar?
Jack: Beer. Peroni, probably.
Harry: Bacardi and coke.
Do you have any pre-ride rituals?
Harry: Remember the course!
Jack: You listen to music, don’t you?
Harry: No, not always. If it’s a big class I get a bit motivated by it, but I actually just try to keep everything the same, to be honest. It’s the best thing you can do, just don’t change. When you know your plan and your system works, keep it the same.
Jack: I just try to stay relaxed. Make sure I know the course and keep it chill. I can get nervous when I start cantering into the ring, but once you’re at the first fence, it all goes away.
What are your highs and lows this weekend?
Jack: I blind missed the first day. That was a big low, but I also messed up two jump offs, that was a bit annoying. All my horses have been jumping very well, just needs to pull off. And then the high was going clear last night in the Grand Prix, but then again the low was having one down in the jump off last night as well. That’s how it goes, you got to take the good with the bad a bit, I think.
Harry: My high was definitely last night in the Grand Prix. I was third, so that was super. The low is I didn’t get to see any of Oslo, I wanted to see the city a bit. With the horses I’ve had a really good week so far, I actually haven’t knocked a jump down, so you might have to ask me again after the World Cup what my low is. Oh, and actually, another low was when Jack and I got off at the wrong train station and ended up a long way away from the show.
Harry and Romeo finished 6th in the World Cup later that day.
What are your strengths and weaknesses? Are you different riders?
Jack: I wouldn’t say we’re so different.
Harry: Of course we’re different in a way, everyone is, but I guess our foundations are similar as we’re both brought up with the same system and education. You know, the Americans have their style, the French has theirs, I guess we (the British) have our own system.
Jack: We’re pretty relaxed.
Are you scared of anything when you enter the course?
Harry: Knocking jumps down, haha.
Jack: It depends on what horse you’re riding, there will always be tricky parts of the course for the horse. I just always try to think of the best way to ride it. Instead of thinking what could go wrong, I try to think of what could go right, you know.
What do you do when you’re not riding?
Jack: I play a bit of football as well and do a lot of different things: Go to the cinema a lot, go-carting… Just like normal people, I guess.
Harry: My closest friends are all from school, so they all live by me and I spend a lot of time with them. And when I’m not at the stable I’m a pretty good gamer. At the moment I’m doing my pilot’s license as well, trying to start flying around a little bit at home. Planes. I like to travel as well, so if I have a weekend with no show, I try to go away to see a new city.
