Ian Stark: From Desk Job to the Olympic Podium

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On today's episode of In Stride, Sinead talks to Ian Stark about his non-traditional start to an astonishingly successful eventing career and the lessons his horses and support team taught him along the way.

Ian Stark is a Scottish event rider who has competed in five Olympic games in addition to several World Championships, and European Championships. He collected many medals, both team and individual, during his career, including four Olympic silver medals. In addition to being a top competitor, Ian has served as a coach, selector, and course designer at the highest level of the sport.

Ian tells the story of how he got into riding and competing in his first event at 18 years old. Ian and Sinead discuss people’s temperament and the connection to their success. They talk about the importance of being able to work well with others and how that has been a reoccurring lesson in Ian’s career. He details how he selects the right horses, which involves having self awareness and discipline around keeping his ambitions separate from his assessment of a horse's abilities. Ian also discusses the change in the relationship between riders and officials, and what the future may hold for eventing.

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