Meet Lizzie Baugh

Lizzie gains focus and a goal to achieve from sport. As part of This Girl Can Week, Lizzie tells us about her experience as an equestrian rider and who her female role model is.

Lizzie Baugh

Photograph: Jump in Action

Lizzie Baugh

Year of study: 1st Year
Course studied: MRes Equestrian Performance

What sports do you play: Eventing (Equestrian)
How often: 4-6 x per day

What is your best sporting achievement? - My best sporting achievement would be being selected to represent Great Britain at the Young Rider European Eventing Championships in both 2017 & 2018, finishing in 9th & 13th place individually respectively.

How do you feel when you are competing in your chosen sport?

Competing in my sport gives me a focus and a goal. It is a highly individual sport, where I spend 4-6 hours per day training alone with just myself and the horse, therefore the long days of training can seem relentless without a set goal.

I usually spent 1 hour per day training each horse, and I have different goals for each horse dependant on their skill and experience level. Through training I form a strong bond with the horse and get to know their personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

I focus on both my horse and myself during training to improve us individually and as a partnership. When competing, it is very rewarding when all the time which has been put into building a partnership and improving with the horse pays off. Sometimes it is not all about the result, a personal best with that horse can often be more rewarding than a good result as it is all a journey for both the horses and myself.

Do you think it is important for women to be well represented in sport? (Why)

Yes, equestrian sports in particular are one of the only sports where both women and men compete on equal terms and women are at absolutely no disadvantage to men. In any sport it is important for women to be well represented, whether it is done for health benefits, personal goals or competition results.

What are the benefits sport and physical activity can offer to people?

Sport and physical activity offers many health benefits both physically and mentally. A simple goal can offer both focus and concentration and when it is achieved there is a huge feeling of satisfaction. I also find sport to be a great form of stress relief, particularly during intense times at university.

Do you have a female role model that you most identify with and why?

My role model would be Piggy French, a female Event rider who has overcome many setbacks regarding injuries to her horses which have prevented her from achieving her goal of getting to an Olympic Games. She has now had a child and has a strong team of horses again, having recently been part of the gold medal winning team at the World Equestrian Games 2018.
She is now aiming for Paris 2020. She has shown great resilience and has not given up on achieving her end goal.

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