'5 MINS WITH CARA HAYWARD'

As part of our #TEAMHUFF launch I spent 5 mins with Cara to find out more about her life, her lifestyle and her passions:

Tell us about the horses that got you where you are today…

Paris was the first horse owned, when I was 12. She was a fiery chestnut mare, which I bought without my parents knowing. She was wild and staying on was an achievement each day. I worked every weekend to pay her bills.....which is quite tricky when you're 12.

Then there was Bournefield Magic Roundabout, I bought from Reading Market for £500. He was a coloured cob and I managed to produce him all the way to elementary when I was 15.

Monaco, I acquired as a 2 year old colt. I backed and produced to advanced whilst based with Richard Davison.

Louis is a beautiful ex race horse who I trained from Novice to PSG. He taught me about the implications and appreciation of retraining ex racehorses and is one the reasons I work with the ROR today.

And then there is my amazing Hugo. He’s my current baby in training and probably the best horse I have ever owned. He's only a 5 year old but is scoring up to 79% at Novice already. He’s my current GP hope!

How do you relax at the end of the day?

Hot bath, snuggle on the sofa with my amazing partner Phil putting the worlds to rights. Oh and a cucumber martini!!

What do you do to keep fit?

Not enough! But I do a lot of walking, running and Pilates. So I am trying!

What’s your biggest luxury in life?

Time. It's the only commodity you can never replace and is priceless. For me giving someone time is something that truly shows you really care. I love spending time with my family and friends. That's the biggest luxury for me.

When the going gets tough, what keeps you motivated?

My goals. Staying focused isn't hard for me. When I have the bit between my teeth I know exactly how to dig deep, work hard and get to the end. It may mean the road throws in diversions along the way, but staying calm and focused is key. The goals and achievements of the riders I coach is a very easy way of keeping me focused and motivated. And it's great to see their achievements. Oh and sushi and chocolate... they help too!

What do you think is the biggest challenge you face as a professional rider?

I love my career as a coach. To be able to help rider achieve their goals is the greatest job satisfaction I could dream of! I love training and producing horses and helping them understand the goal the rider wants to achieve. The horsey world can be tough and there can be some negative people and that can make me want to retract sometimes. But I know it’s important to keep your head held high and stay focused on the job in hand. No path of any rider or coach is exactly the same as another and that's really important to remember that. The other greatest challenge for me is time management... sometimes I think I can take on the world and help everyone all at once! That's a challenge which is continuous work in progress!