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“I wouldn't be the most confident person in the world,” Donald Whitaker tells World of Showjumping. “And this is a tough sport; most of the time, you're failing. You beat yourself up and you look at yourself, always self-criticising and thinking what you can do better. But when you get a horse like Millfield Colette, she kind of gives you that confidence where you start to believe a little bit, and you start to think that actually it is possible – you can do it. That's probably why I get so emotional talking about her, because she has built that confidence into me.”

The 33-year-old – who hails from the famous Whitaker-dynasty as the son of Steven Whitaker – and the charming Millfield Colette (Cornet Obolensky x Clearway) were part of the British team that won silver at the Longines FEI Jumping European Championships 2025 in A Coruña, Spain. Individually, Donald placed 10^th – and at the top of the ranks when it came to heartfelt post-round praises in the mixed zone.

To World of Showjumping, Donald – currently ranked 64^th in the world – tells about the beautiful partnership he has created with Millfield Colette, the second-to-none team spirit in the British camp and what growing up as part of the Whitaker-dynasty has been like.

“Growing up in our family is obviously very different to most,” Donald – the youngest son of Carol and Steven, and little brother to Ellen, Joe and Thomas – says about being born into the legendary Whitaker-family. “You're completely surrounded by horses, 24/7 every single day of the week. There was nothing else you could do; even if you did fall into something else, it was never going to be anything but horses. My sister Ellen was very successful already in her younger years, as were my brothers as well. I am the youngest, the little one looking up to the rest of my family.”

I don't have to look outside my family for heroes

“I don't have to look outside my family for heroes, and we are such a close family too,” Donald continues. “I learned everything from my dad and he is still around at the shows. I think he's as good a trainer that you can get in the way that he understands horses and the way he understands riding. I was also based at my uncle Michael's for a while, and it was amazing to be there. When you grow up around that, it kind of gives you a different feeling, I suppose, and I feel unbelievably lucky to have that.”

However, having Whitaker as your surname comes with a certain expectation… “I think everyone expects you to be good,” Donald says. “I think rather than the pressure from the outside, it's pressure you put on yourself more than anything else, which I probably did quite a lot in the earlier parts of my career. I kept thinking that I have to do good because of my family."

That's the mindset all the Whitakers have; giving up is just not an option

"The thing is, you're comparing yourself to John and Michael, who were number one and two in the world for so many years and have literally won everything. They're the kind of people we grew up watching and that's what you are comparing yourself to, so the standard was ridiculously high. If you weren’t winning, then you kind of always felt like you were failing. However, it's not really an option to not keep going, and that's the mindset all the Whitakers have; giving up is just not an option.”

“My family is also an incredible source of support,” Donald continues. “You've got these people around you and you speak to them every day, they are there every single second of the way. It gives you massive confidence when you can lean on people that have done it all. They have failed worse and won bigger than what you've done, there's nothing they haven't done in the sport, they can reflect on everything and help you. It's pretty special, and a privilege to be part of.”

After running his own business in Britain and Belgium, as well as working shortly for Darragh Kenny’s Oakland Stables, Donald moved to his girlfriend Nicola Pohl’s family farm in Dagoberthausen, Germany, nearly five years ago, and now runs a business with her. “I kind of took my own path, I did my own thing and figured things out, probably the longer route rather than the direct one,” Donald explains. “However, I've got a lot of experience by doing different things, going to different places. I moved around a little bit before I settled on my own and eventually the timing with Nicola was perfect. It literally changed my life in the last years.”

 I have learned a hell of a lot in the last couple of years

“Also, in my opinion, Di Lampard has given me opportunities, kind of stuck with me at times, when she probably shouldn't have,” Donald points out. “Di giving me the chance to go on the teams with the likes of Ben and Scott has been incredible. I have learned a hell of a lot in the last couple of years, that's for sure. It all joins together. It's a funny sport because you feel like you're lost and you’re nowhere and then all of a sudden you can be at an absolute high.”

“Right now, I have a fantastic string of horses,” Donald continues to tell about his current situation. “I have Millfield Colette, and then I have Di Caprio, which is the horse that I actually went to Nicola’s with. He's a bit older now, maybe coming towards the end of his career, but he feels better now than what he has in the last couple of years. And then there is Picasso, a horse I think a lot of. We have been steadily bringing him up behind Colette. To get the opportunity to ride a horse like Colette is incredible. We also have a lot of young horses, spread around different stables.”

For Donald, getting the ride on Millfield Colette has made all the difference. “It's quite funny, actually. She was born and produced in Yorkshire and so was I, so it is a bit of a fairy tale,” he smiles when telling the story of how the two collided.

To me, she's one in a million

“Tommy Kennedy and Laura Robinson had Colette as a youngster, and they produced her. I always saw her as a young horse, always watched her, and always knew of her. However, it was my girlfriend Nicola who really noticed her,” Donald explains. “She was nine when we bought her, and we literally bought her over the phone. We never tried her because we were very confident that it was a good fit. It's not something we often do, but everything about the situation was quite special.”

“When we got her home, I figured out pretty fast that she is very special,” Donald continues. “It is kind of her way or no way. The way I looked at horses, my approach to everything, she changed all that for me completely. Going from the level that I was doing to what I am doing now wouldn’t be possible without her, and I don’t think I’ll find another one like her. To me, she's one in a million.”

“She's got the biggest heart; she never ever lets you down, and I don’t think she could if she tried. She gives everything she has. I’ve never had a feeling with a horse like I have with her. She changed everything for me; she gave me my first successes at a high level, and my first five-star Grand Prix,” Donald tells.

That's the beauty of our sport, that you can click with a horse like this

“I came to the European Championships a couple of years ago with Di Caprio, but it probably wasn't the right time, it was too early. But to come to the Europeans in A Coruña with Colette, everything just felt right. When she goes in the ring, she is like a lion, she grows and you really feel it – she gives me that confidence to go do what we're doing. I couldn't possibly do it without her.”

“That's the beauty of our sport, that you can click with a horse like this,” Donald continues. “Colette made me believe that everything was possible, that's basically what she has done for me. She's not the easiest horse in the world, though. She is very special, so you have to figure her out – but she tells you, very clearly. I think we came together at the right point in time; if I'd had her two years earlier, it probably would not have been as good because I don't think I had the right experience then. I think everything happened for a reason.”

Jumping to team silver in A Coruña alongside Scott Brash and Hello Folie, Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly, as well as Matthew Sampson on Medoc de Toxandria, was an unforgettable experience for Donald. “The team we had there was the best I think I've ever been a part of,” Donald says.

You don't think these things are possible – until a horse like her comes around and changes your life

“Just in general, the vibe, the feeling around in the stable and in the evenings, it was fantastic. I've never been part of something like that. To have Ben and Scott is always amazing – they're literally two of the best riders in the world – and me and Matt have been friends since we were little. We grew up together, so to be on the same team at European Championships was pretty special. In fact, the team was actually more Yorkshire than it was anything else!”

“It was amazing to get the silver medal, it was the best thing I’ve done in my career,” Donald continues. “Doing it with the team that we had, we felt like it was meant to be. We had special horses, and I think that's what makes it – the horses. I think people forget that we're spending literally every single second of our life around them. When you come to European Championships, something that you've always dreamed of, and you do it with your best friend, like I did with Colette, it really is so special. You don't think these things are possible – until a horse like her comes around and changes your life.”

Colette has given Donald the confidence to dream, and with the World Championships in Aachen coming next year, there isn’t a better goal to have. “Olympics are Olympics, but in our sport, Aachen is the Mecca,” Donald says. “It would be an absolute dream come true if it was ever even possible to get there. It would be amazing, especially with Colette. The way she performed in A Coruña shows that she's got the capabilities to do it. We got to keep everyone healthy, and keep myself fit. Although it's only one year away, with horses you never know. The hardest part of what we do is keeping the horses and everyone around you fit, happy and healthy.”

You can't get anywhere without working your absolute socks off

“Nothing goes without hard work,” Donald continues. “You can't get anywhere without working your absolute socks off, and there's no fuss about that – especially in our family. That's the only thing we've ever known; work as hard as possible and never stop. I think a lot of people might believe they're hard done, that they should have a certain opportunity – but there's no opportunity there if you don't go and get it. I'm a strong believer in things coming to those who work hard.”

“This sport is really, really difficult and without the right backing and the right people around you, it can get very lonely,” Donald concludes. “For me, it would be impossible without the people around me, the backing of Nicola and her family at Dagobertshausen, and the help and support from the staff, their endless hours. We're on the horse in the ring, but I think our staff are just as deserving of the medals and the trophies. It takes an army, and without their support, I wouldn't be here, it wouldn’t be possible.”

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