Making It Happen: The Autobiography

by Carl Hester (Contributor)

Carl Hester is one of the greatest ever equestrians, leading Great Britain to gold medal victory at the London 2012 Olympics. In these memoirs, he tells the story of the passion for horse-riding which revolutionised his life and made him the champion he is today. Carl grew up on the remote Channel Island of Sark, moving to the UK mainland at the age of 16 to work with horses, mainly as a way to leave home. He could never have predicted what a great affinity he would have for dressage. Carl's career enjoyed a stratospheric rise as he progressed from working as a groom/rider to riding international dressage horses full time for renowned owners Dr and Mrs Bechtolsheimer, to training his own horses, and other top riders, to international success. Carl's early career revealed someone capable of monumental achievements. He provides a rare insight into both the people and the horses that drove him to victory.

Genres: Horses, Nonfiction, Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 2014

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book....in fact I only made it to about page 55. Carl Hester is undisputedly one of the most famous dressage riders and trainers in the world, but I don't like his seemingly cavalier attitude towards animals. I have read many books by animal lovers (a few great, a lot of them ghastly), but what they all have in common is a great warmth towards animals. I just don't sense that here. In the pages I read he barely discusses any of the horses that helped him in the beginning of his journey - instead they just sound like transport, or a way of realising his ambitions. Almost more like bicycles than flesh and blood.

I include the anecdote that I found most unattractive. His other descriptions were less offensive, but even so there is no heart.... Horses are glorious animals, and we who have experienced the joy of their company, and riding them, are incredibly fortunate. I sensed nothing of this in the 55 pages that I read.... BTW, those of you who are soft-hearted will probably do best not to read the spoiler.

Early next morning on the first day of the course I came up with the bright idea of taking Easter Ruby up to the gallops at Goodwood. Rhett Bird came too. For me, eventing was still the great passion, don't forget, and the gallops was a good idea, but off in the woods was a very large trakhener (a log over a ditch fence) which I decided we were going to jump. Easter Ruby, however, did not want to jump said fence. After several failed attempts and a walloping from my jump whip, Easter Ruby decided he'd had enough of me and took off at a hundred miles an hour. I couldn't stop him and we ended up tangled in some barbed wire alongside the racecourse. In my youthful naivety I kept attempting this bloody jump but Easter Ruby wasn't having any of it so eventually I gave up and went back to the stables. By that stage he had cuts all over his legs from the wire. It was a nightmare. Rhett had come back to the stables with me and when I got off I saw the extent of the damage - superficial though it was there was no way of disguising it. With a sense of foreboding I got ready for my lesson with Domini, bleating at Rhett, 'I'm in so much trouble.' Domini was a force of nature to be reckoned with even at the best of times. Some quick thinking was required as I appeared on this horse grazed up the the eyeballs, ready for Domini's interrogation. Asked what on earth I had been doing, I said we had gone up the the gallops, a bird scarer had gone off and spooked Easter Ruby and we'd ended up in the hedge. I got away with it. That was my first Goodwood stay-over and every stay at Goodwood has a story to it. That one, the getting away with it bit, ended up being the first of many Goodwood laughs.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this 4 stars after consideration for it's likely audience. If you have any sort of interest in horses, you will have undoubtably heard of Carl Hester, the boy that came from Sark, and ended up winning gold at Olympics. If you are not horsey, I don't know that there is enough to hold your attention - while his life has been interesting, there are a lot of references to horses and other riders that would probably not mean very much, so would be more a 3 star. I particularly liked reading about any interactions he had with eventers.
Carl comes across as quite a character, full of laughs and pranks, and this story feels like your sitting around the kitchen table with him, recounting his life.

[Mary Pagones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Hester is one of my favorite equestrians to watch, not only because of his riding but also because of his entertaining and accessible way of explaining dressage. He's delightfully funny and his love and concern for his horses always shines forth. The same is true of his autobiography. While I would agree with previous posters that this isn't a terribly linear narrative (autobiographies seldom are), it does make you feel as if you are sitting down in a pub with Carl, having a few drinks with him and listening to him chat about his life and the horses he has known (certainly not a bad thing).

Hester's life story is so improbable I'm not sure you could weave it into a convincing fictional tale (and as a fiction writer myself, I certainly wouldn't dare)--he was born into an unhorsey family (the child of a single mother), grew up on a remote island, took his first horse-related job at a therapeutic riding center...and finally make it to the Olympics. I loved reading about what life was like growing up on the island of Sark as well as his hilarious and self-depreciating anecdotes about the eventing, dressage, and general equestrian scene in Great Britain from the 1970s onward. His descriptions of the various horses and dressage tests he has ridden really make them come to life as if you are riding along with him.

My only tiny complaint (besides the somewhat rambling structure) is that I would have liked perhaps a bit more in the way of background details on some of the people--it's often taken for granted that the reader knows who he's talking about, without any introductory description, even for some of the more obscure personalities. And I wouldn't have minded a bit more detailed behind-the-scenes gossip but perhaps I'm just being greedy.

[Heleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book written by a great rider and genuine horselover. Really enjoyed it and made me respect Carl Hester even more.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I didn't dislike this read (and there were some interesting bits of information), I don't think this was very well-written.

[Meghann · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, I enjoyed reading Carl’s story. I did lose track a bit with all the name dropping and at times it did feel a bit like he was simply listing his various winnings (I tended to skim read these bits.) Aside from these aspects however, I enjoyed reading about his early life on Sark, the various jobs which lead him to where he is now, the amusing anecdotes from his many adventures, his experience at the 2012 Olympics, and of course, Charlotte and Valegro.

[Kathy Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been engrossed in this book for the past three days; Carl Hester is a fascinating person! His life seems to have been a combination of happy circumstance and bloody hard work, and he has managed to fit a huge amount into a mere 50 years (although this book only charts 48, more has happened since).

[Emma Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Hester is an amazing equestrian and athlete. His story of how he got to were he is today is truly inspirational. He is a great trainer, horse owner and yard owner, someone to look up to. His book is such a great read and funny.

[DocGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great Carl Hester - how could I rate him any les than a 5*?!
What I loved about this book was Carl's sense of humor- yes, I'm British, so I appreciated it more than North Americans seem to have.
I completely disagree with those who say they don't feel he sounds like he has empathy for his horses. In the first part of the book, as is usual with multi medal winning athletes, the pace of the book goes at more of a gallop (sorry!), but his enormous love of horses like Uthopia, Vallegro and others is much clearer in the second half.
He is also honest about his personal relationships as well as throwing some light on Charlotte DuJardin which was really interesting.
As a rider and avid follower of Horse and Hound for 50 years, I savored every word of this book - thank you Carl!

[Mrs M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating reading

For anyone mad keen on horses, this real life story is fascinating, and a good example of what hard work and luck can produce.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous story on how Carl found his way into the dressage world

[Mandy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carl Hester is definitely a character. I enjoyed reading about his upbringing on Sark and it was interesting reading his rise to international dressage superstardom from very humble beginnings.

[jean sargent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book really enjoyed it, hadn’t realised he’d done so much it was all very interesting. I love reading horse retaliated books and this was really good.

[Susan Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m old school and purchased the hardback copy but this can also be purchased for Kindle which many find to be easy and convenient.

Carl’s style of writing takes a little getting used to as he takes the reader through recollections and life experiences. He may go from one thing to the other, a bit like being put through the paces of a dressage test perhaps. His book requires the reader to stay focused as he develops his perspective in the fascinating and hard knocks yet immensely rewarding life he has lead.

His affection for Dr. B and his honesty is much appreciated. I am inspired by his beliefs and tenacity to make it to the top and enjoyed the delivery of humor as well. M

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could have used tighter editing and it's hard to keep all the characters and horses clear, but I love Carl Hester and completely enjoyed his story. He's funny and not too taken with himself. He worked his way up from nowhere and is grateful for the opportunities he received. A book any dressage fan will like.

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an incredible read. He is frank and amusing in his tale and I found it very hard to put down.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely to read about where a great rider such as carl came from