Get to know showjumper Jamie Gornall of Gornall Equestrian and why he feeds SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program.
When Jamie Gornall calls himself a “dreamer,” it’s a bit of an understatement. This up-and-coming showjumper aspires to make Team Great Britain. But that’s not all. He also aims to have the best-bred horses. He strives to give them the best, individualized care. He imagines state-of-the-art facilities designed to encourage his horses’ good health and happiness. And he seeks to share these resources to advance the sport he loves.
But what really sets Jamie apart is that he’s a doer. He’s already made huge strides towards turning these dreams into reality, and he works exceptionally hard every day to progress.
Jamie’s motivation comes from his deep passion for these animals. As he expressed in an interview with Living North magazine:
I got into this sport for the sole reason that I’m absolutely obsessed with horses. I love horses. They are just incredible, incredible animals – how they move, the power they’ve got, the intelligence they’ve got. For me, with every horse I see I always believe that they’re going to be the next big star.
At Freedom Health, we like to dream big, too—especially when it comes to the well-being of performance horses the world over. We are thrilled to welcome fellow dreamer and serious horseman Jamie Gornall to Team SUCCEED.
For the Love of Showjumping
While Jamie grew up in an equestrian family, it wasn’t until he was 14 that he tried riding for himself. Once he got his feet in the irons he was hooked, and riding became Jamie’s new obsession.
The budding horseman tried his hand at a range of disciplines, including showing horses, dressage, cross country, showjumping, hunting and working hunter. But it was the showjumpers that captured his imagination.
“I just love the horses that are involved with dressage and showjumping,” Jamie explains. “They are required to have such immense power, range of movement and intelligence that riding every day is just such a pleasure. I chose jumping as the accuracy and connection required for the higher level is such a science, and every day is a new challenge. The feeling of jumping a big grand prix on an amazing horse is incomparable.”
Going Pro and Training Hard
Jamie wanted to ride full-time, but circumstances didn’t allow it. So, he and his parents established an agreement that he could choose to pursue anything he wanted after he finished his studies.
Around the time that Jamie was completing his education, local trainer Susie Gibson approached and asked him if he’d be interested in turning professional. Shortly thereafter, Jamie was offered a full-time position working for Di Lampard, then head trainer for the British team and current Chef d’equipe. He was 21 years old.
After three years with Lampard, Jamie moved to Germany to train with Janne Friederike Meyer. He was then sidelined for two years while recovering from dual knee surgery. (Doctors tried to tell him that he’d never ride again; but they clearly didn’t know Jamie.) After putting himself through his own therapy regimen, riding nine horses a day and running five miles at night, he was stronger than ever. Jamie then spent some time riding for Ludger Beerbaum before moving back to his native England and launching his own business, Gornall Equestrian.
Photo credit: Christiane Slawik
Gornall Equestrian’s Equine Management Approach
Jamie considers setting up Gornall Equestrian to be one of his greatest achievements. He runs the training and breeding business out of his Home Farm in Yorkshire, a 15-acre former dairy farm that he and his wife, Averil, renovated together. They created state-of-the-art equestrian facilities for maintaining horses up to the highest levels of competition. They also offer semen for breeding from some of the sport’s most illustrious bloodlines.
With Gornall Equestrian, Jamie says, “I’m able to put into practice years of training and learning from others in a way that I personally feel benefits all our horses, owners and staff without compromise. Right from the beginning we’ve always tried to source only the best horses, feed, forage, staff, vets, farriers, tack, etc.”
My main philosophy is this: simple basics done very well are paramount; then it’s the details in the basics that make the difference.
These basics start inside, with individualized feed and management plans for every horse. Jamie likes to keep a very simple and concise feeding plan; he always knows exactly what’s going into each horse and the purposes of every ingredient or supplement. He feeds plenty of forage, concentrates designed with the horse in mind, a joint supplement and SUCCEED.
Every Gornall Equestrian horse receives SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program daily, plus an additional tube when traveling and at competitions.
Jamie Gornall’s Success with SUCCEED
It started when Jamie obtained a new horse that displayed evidence of digestive challenges. His vet, Dr Shane Fouhy from Hampshire Equine Clinic, strongly recommended SUCCEED. It wasn’t long before Jamie put his whole string on the total digestive support supplement.
Some of the first changes Jamie noticed were consistency in the horses’ droppings and a lack of bloating in their bellies. After prolonged use, he says:
The horses are less irritable and sensitive to changes in conditions when they’ve been on SUCCEED long-term. They arrive at competitions relaxed in the body, which isn’t always easy to achieve after a journey, new stables, lots of new horses stabled nearby, etc. This is important as we have a lot of stallions, which are very sensitive and can react extremely to these environmental changes.
Jamie says that using SUCCEED has helped transform his horses into a picture of health and aided their performance, as they feel more comfortable in the gut and absorb more nutrients which helps to build condition. He sees the horses that came to him with digestive challenges now thriving in a normal, basic program.
Additionally, in terms of breeding and fertility, all of his stallions and mares have high fertility rates. That’s a clear sign of happy, healthy horses, he explains.
Why Jamie Recommends SUCCEED
“There are a lot of other products on the market claiming to do the same job as SUCCEED with which I’ve never had any real results,” Jamie says. “I’ve found SUCCEED to be a product that does exactly what it’s designed to do, which then supplements a good horse feed very well.
You can easily feed SUCCEED and no other supplements for gi tract health, knowing and trusting full-well that all internal digestive organs will be looked after by a natural product. We use SUCCEED on a day-to-day basis as a foundation in the feeding and training regime for all the horses at Gornall Equestrian. We find good gi tract health is essential in maintaining the horses’ optimum health.
What’s Next for Gornall Equestrian
Jamie and his horses are thriving, between his keen approach to horsemanship, excellent facilities and careful training program. As they move up the ranks, Jamie was selected for Great Britain’s has Nations Cup Team in 2018 and has his sights on the European Championship in 2019 and the Olympics in 2020.
In addition to competition goals, Jamie hopes to help Great Britain develop a strong breeding program to rival others throughout mainland Europe. Jamie says, “We have some fantastic stallions that hopefully can help Britain to breed the next future superstars!”
And at the end of the day, it’s still all about the horses. Jamie concludes, “I can honestly say I have the best job in the world!”
Keep track of Jamie Gornall and his horses by following SUCCEED Equine and Gornall Equestrian on Facebook.
Have you found Jamie’s story compelling and want to consider trying SUCCEED with your horses? Talk to your veterinarian today. SUCCEED is available through vets and at retail in the U.S. and Canada, and through vets in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.
