THE PHILIP SMITH CONTENDERS – REBECCA HUDSON-PEACOCK

The four competitors for Philip Smith in 2025 were Hamza Minty from Kwa-Zulu-Natal (KZN), Rebecca Hudson-Peacock from the Western Cape, Alexandra Ric-Hansen from KZN, and Olivia Roberts from KZN. We caught up with the four of them ahead of the Philip Smith. 

REBECCA HUDSON-PEACOCK

HQ: ⁠Please tell us a bit about your equestrian background.

Rebecca: I’m lucky enough to have been born into a horsey family, so I’ve been around horses all my life. I’ve been competitive right from the beginning.

HQ: Which disciplines do you ride now, and what levels do you compete at?

Rebecca: I compete in showjumping and equitation currently, both at the Open level. But I have previously done eventing and dressage both at Open level.

HQ: ⁠What do you feel have been your biggest achievements in the sport so far?

Rebecca: I feel my biggest achievement is producing my TI Wavedancer from 110 into the Open classes. She is not the most simple horse, so it has been a huge learning curve for me.

HQ: Please tell us about your horses.

Rebecca: My horses are TI Wavedancer and Capital Chesterfield. Wavedancer, AKA Danny, is a 12-year-old SA Warmblood mare who I’ve had for three years now. I compete her in showjumping as well as her being the horse that helped me qualify for Philip Smith. Capital Chesterfield AKA Chezzy is a 12-year-old SA Warmblood gelding who I’ve been riding for five months now after stealing him from my sister after she jumped him at 1.35m. I compete him in showjumping as well as equitation.

HQ: Who are your coaches?

Rebecca: My jumping coach is Mandy Mason and my dressage coach is Michelle Moreira. I’ve been riding with Mandy since mid 2023 and I started riding with Michelle at the beginning of last year.

HQ: How are you preparing for the Philip Smith?

Rebecca: I have prepared for Philip Smith in many different ways, including having lessons on many different horses as well as running mock environments of what I’ll be doing at Philip Smith to prepare me physically. However, I believe my greatest preparation is that I’ve always been open to learning new things from many different people throughout my riding career over the years.

HQ: Which phase are you most nervous about, and why? Which phase are you most comfortable with, and why?

Rebecca: I’m not nervous for a specific phase, though I know how intense the jumping phase can be mentally and physically; however, I do feel confident for the dressage phase with my experience at Medium dressage level. I know I’m very ready for this event and have done all the homework, but I also know that I am competing against the best of the best.

Good luck, Rebecca!