Meet Lydia Heywood - The Eventing Equestrian Representing Team Jamaica
At 24 years old, Lydia Heywood has raised, trained, and competed as a high-level equestrian and currently represents team Jamaica in the United Kingdom where she currently resides. Her goal? It is simple. Lydia is committed to the equestrian world and creating the pathway to make it more diverse. “I have really big goals”, Lydia exclaims, but her drive and determination is unmatched. As an Event Rider, she is a triple threat in the world of competing; riding dressage, cross country and show jumping. Out of the ring she supports her riding by working in insurance and is making a change in the United Kingdom with her equestrian program Cool Ridings. To say Lydia is focused would be an understatement, Lydia is a successful humble overachiever personified. A woman to look up to and emulate based on her unwavering determination and drive. One glance at her social media pages or a few moments speaking to her, you will be inspired. She represents everything an RH woman is, and we were lucky to speak with her about her life and journey.
Born in Gloucester, United Kingdom, Lydia currently resides in The Cotswold’s, neither of which location is particularly known for having a diverse population. When she was 11, she was enrolled in lessons at a riding school on Saturdays and from nearly day 1, she set her eyes on purchasing a pony. “I instantly fell in love with riding, particularly one horse named Alfie and I began begging for my own horse. It came down to my schooling and education, so when my exams before secondary school went well, my Mum Claire allowed me to get my own pony and from there I began to compete.”
(Lydia and her mother)
Serendipitously, Lydia’s mother loved horses as well, so when Lydia showed interest and talent in the sport, it was an exciting moment and bonded the mother daughter duo together even more. “I could have had an appetite for the dark side and gone a different route but her support; from the extra hours she worked to afford me to be able to be in the saddle, to the hours she spent in the barn with me as my right hand, [her support] never went unnoticed or unappreciated. I didn’t have tons of friends in the equestrian world, but I did have her.” In a heartbreaking twist of fate, her mother now suffers from a motor neuron disorder (MND), which has irrevocably turned their world upside down, however their bond compounded with their shared love of riding horses remains unchanged.
(Joanna Holder and Lydia in 2011)
(Lydia, her mother and Joanna Holder)
Another woman that played a large role in Lydia’s journey was Joanne Holder, whom she met when she was 13 years old. “We didn’t have a large wallet at our disposal so finding people in the support that supported us and wanted to see us succeed made all the difference.” Joanne exposed Lydia to the business side of the sport, from importing, training, and selling horses. Even at a young age, Lydia learned her special talents on the back of a horse, especially when competing, allowing their value to increase and be sold for a much higher value later on.
In 2012, her mother scored tickets to the Olympic Games that took place in London, UK, where they cheered on the international riders and Lydia saw an athlete competing as an individual from Team Jamaica on the cross-country course. “Seeing the Jamaican flag on the big screen that day really resonated with me and nothing before or since has touched me quite like that. From that moment I knew I wanted to represent Jamaica. It took me 18 months to prepare all my documents and to be granted my Jamaican citizenship. My journey to represent Jamaica has really helped me find myself.” Since, Lydia has competed and represented Jamaica in several competitions around the United Kingdom where she competed with her beloved horse, JD. “My hope is that riding for Jamaica makes other young people interested in riding believe that they can do anything. I would love to see more black people enter the sport because I have been lonely, and I hope I can help other people to feel like they belong.”
Speaking of belonging, change in the equestrian world needs to be approached from a 360-degree view; it took until 2021 for Lydia to find a helmet that fit her hair and that was only after she was sponsored by Charles Owen. The first thing that happens when one begins at a riding school is getting fitted for a helmet, and if you cannot find that one that fits your hair, it is traumatizing and demoralizing; it happened to Lydia herself when she was fitted for her first helmet. “It instantly makes you feel unwelcome in the sport, and I never want a person who wants to learn how to ride to feel the way that I felt. It is avoidable.” Lydia eases this inequality, through her program Cool Ridings, “Children can’t be what they don’t see”, she says. Cool Ridings is a diverse community that celebrates and uplifts each other. Nurturing talent and ensuring opportunities are available to become a well-rounded athlete will result in developing nations winning medals in equestrian sport and networking is ever so important. Cool Ridings increases the sense of belonging for so many and seeing black riders at shows will not be a shock one day, I know the looks and double takes all too well. We are trying to rebalance the sport and that comes from exposure and support from within.”
Lydia is also currently a Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Consultant with The Royal Agricultural University. She is actively working towards a plan to enhance the access and participation in an effort to make the university more diverse. “I do truly believe that one cannot trust the message until they trust the messenger, so I hope to be an asset during 2022, launching campaigns together with diverse communities.”
In terms of where she sees herself in the next five years, Lydia has many big goals for herself: Expand her work with Cool Ridings and continue producing horses to international level and even a dream to ride in the Olympics. With her unmatched passion to make a difference in the sport she loves, her goals don’t seem far off. Her final sentiments to us were, “these are exciting times, I feel great change coming and welcome inquiries about how to get involved with my missions! Everyone has a journey and I feel as though this is my path.”
To cheer on and support Lydia, be sure to follow her on Instagram here!
