07/08/2025
For Helen
Today, we laid to rest one of the greats — Helen Jamieson.
A horsewoman through and through. Tough, sharp, dry-witted, with standards that would break most and raise others to greatness.
I started with her as a YTS in a riding school, mucking out and scrubbing buckets, just a kid trying to figure out the world. She moulded me into a proper groom. From there, I worked my way to Olympic Yards because she taught me what work ethic truly meant.
Helen didn’t sugar-coat anything. She called a spade a spade and expected you to get on with it. But she also cared. She taught you by making you better. She gave me the foundations I now pass on every day to my own riders — not just about horses, but about showing up fully for life.
It was emotional today seeing Aileen from Stirlingshire Saddle Fitters, who worked alongside Helen for over 30 years. Watching someone so strong break open with grief… that’s how you know the bond ran deep. Louise was there too, the heart of that trio. And there was such tenderness in the way everyone stood together.
We gathered, old friends, familiar faces, people I genuinely adore, some not so much, even if life has taken us down different paths. For a moment, all the noise of the horse world dropped away. No divides, no competition, just real connection and shared respect.
There’s something powerful about saying goodbye to someone who shaped you.
Something necessary.
Something grounding.
Rest easy, Helen. You made me who I am.
And I’ll never forget it.
