Biography
28th of December 1985 was the day that little Sammy Watson landed on planet Earth - location Ireland! I was a tubby young chap, almost all of eleven pounds (spare a thought for Mummy Watson!) so life on the back of a horse seemed unlikely (unless we could find a pony with a reinforced steel spine).
However, as I waddled through my early years, the endearing puppy flab was replaced by nothingness and I became a not-so-fat young Irishman. I soon found myself plonked on a horse and that, folks, is how it all began. Many hand-me-down ponies were kicked and flapped over logs, into ditches, through hedges and submersed in water. My liking of the four-legged creatures was moderate.....I wasn't exactly hooked from the word go.
My sisters Suzannah and Rozzie were both talented in the saddle - if we could have tackled eventing as a family then Zanna would perform an immaculate dressage test and put us firmly in the lead. Rozzie, on board our first homebred star 'Floating', would stylishly leave the coloured poles in place, and then I, by default, would give the cross country a go (probably undoing all their good work!). But alas, the family format hasn't taken off so I bear the responsibility of flying the Watson flag alone.
To date it's been enjoyable and emotional. In 2008, I combined my finals at Trinity College (studying Management Science and Information Systems) with a bid to represent Ireland at the Olympics. Unfortunately I wasn't picked for the latter, and although a first from university sounds glamorous, the Olympic urge still flickers away. Having been based with Laura Collett in 2009 I now have my own yard in Worcestershire.
2010 went very well and Horseware Bushman (George) and I finished 13th at Badminton, which although outside my aim of top 10 was still very pleasing. 2010 also saw us achieve a personal best in Dressage at WEG and had a clear round at XC. We then returned home and recovered well from Kentucky.
In 2011 Bushman and I will ride our third Badminton, and we will be working towards our focus of the 2012 Olympics. I also plan to start to build a squad of young horses to look beyond 2012.
Come what may, there'll be no compromise for 2012... or between now and then! I've arrived at 4* level and been well and truly bitten by the bug... watch this space!