LAST year was one to remember for British youth rider Rachel Proudley. Her championship debut saw her take team bronze and individual gold at the FEI Young Rider European Championships in Riesenbeck with the Irish-bred mare Quality Street, after she was crowned leading international lady rider at Mullingar CSI2* International Tour.

Proudley concluded 2025 by successfully defending her puissance title at the London International Horse Show with Easy Boy De Laubry Z, the same horse with whom she made history in Dublin.

Proudley and Easy Boy cleared 2.15m to win the 2025 Defender Puissance at the RDS, in doing so becoming the first female rider to win the class in 61 years. Her achievement is all the more noteworthy given Proudley had neither attended nor competed at the Dublin Horse Show prior to last year, and her mount had never contested a puissance on a grass arena. He had hunted though, which she thinks stood to him.

“Dublin is an amazing show,” says Proudley. “The atmosphere, the crowd; just to be able to jump in that ring was a pleasure.” And how does it feel to canter down to the big red wall with Easy Boy De Laubry Z? “He’s such an amazing horse. He’s so brave, and I think that’s what makes it easier, because he’s always so game at the wall. He never has any hesitation and he’s got so much jump that he’s going to keep going. All I have to do is sit quiet and keep waiting, and then he does all the hard work at the end of it.”

European Champion

Despite her various puissance successes, the achievement which has given Proudley most satisfaction to date was being crowned Young Rider European Champion in Germany last year. “Last year’s European’s definitely had to be the best,” she says. “That was amazing. It was an amazing achievement to jump all those clear rounds, and to be able to sit on a horse like her was incredible.”

The horse she’s referring to is Quality Street, the now 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare by OBOS Quality and out of Coirban Lady Lux (Lux Z x Cavalier Royale), who was bred by Ciara Marron. Quality Street has since been sold, but Proudley’s focus is still firmly on Young Rider European Championship selection, with her new ride Capri. Capri arrived in Proudley’s string through German-based Irish rider Jonathan Gordon, and Proudley’s boss, Richard Howley, takes up the story.

“We were neighbours at home,” says Howley of his relationship with Gordon. “We were talking at the back end of last year, about trying to buy a horse for Rachel for the Europeans after Quality Street was sold. He suggested we have a look at this mare, who had competed up to 1.60m level. Rachel had a sit on the horse, and we decided to buy her with the goal of the 2026 Championships in mind. Everything has been going according to plan, and of course we would love to have the opportunity to go again and to try to be as competitive as we were last year,” Howley concluded.

Rachel Proudley and Quality Street winning the CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix at Mullingar CSI2* \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net

Work hard and progress

When Proudley is asked what advice she would offer other young riders, she says with humility: “Keep working hard. Keep your head down. Keep focusing on your aims, and take advice from the people around you.” This attitude has proven to stand her in good stead, and she has been working for Richard Howley and Morgan Kent at their UK-based HK Horses operation for over two years. “It’s an amazing team, and I’m very grateful to Richard for allowing me to be a part of it,” says Proudley. The operation includes a large breeding programme and accounts for over 250 horses, and she adds: “It’s great for young people to work within a stable. There’s a few of us here together and we all get on well.”

Beyond championship selection and the 2026 Gallagher Dublin Horse Show, Proudley’s goal is to keep progressing within the sport. “I’d love to get on some three-star Nations Cups teams for Great Britain,” she says. “I think that would be a big achievement. I want to keep producing young horses and getting into bigger shows, just keep developing and see how I get on.”

Proudley is planning to return to the RDS with Easy Boy De Laubry Z, and when asked if she intends to defend her title her reply is: Hopefully!” Having already achieved so much before her 21st birthday, she is no stranger to the weight of expectation nor media attention. How does she handle pressure? “It’s very important to have a good team around you,” she says. “You need someone on the floor to fill you full of confidence. Then stick to your plan, try not to let anything get to you, and think about what you’re doing. Just concentrate on your job.”

She makes it sound very easy? “It’s not!”