Meet the young Yorkshire couple taking the horse training world by storm
The Point to Point season is close at hand and one couple, Alex Wilson and Esme Howell, are hoping for success despite having to juggle so many other things. Chris Berry spoke to them.
Next weekend sees the start of the Point to Point season and for one young North Yorkshire couple with dreams of success there is excitement as well as an awareness of what lies in front of them as they seek to move into the professional racehorse training ranks in the near future.
It has been a whirlwind two years for aspiring racehorse trainer Alex Wilson, his artist, photographer and horsewoman fiancée Esme Howell, and their now nearly two-year old son Toby, since moving to Foulrice Farm, Stearsby, previously home of racehorse trainer Peter Beaumont, where they have stabling capacity for nine horses.
“It’s like carnage daily here,” says young mum Esme, trying to complete her latest dog portrait with help from Toby.
“I must have this done before Christmas,” she says, setting up a new photography commission and ensuring all eight horses currently based at Magnolia Stables have been fed, watered, mucked out, ridden and are back in their freshly bedded stables.
“Managing eight horses with a toddler in tow is just something you have to adapt to,” says Esme.
“There’s no other way as Alex is not yet full-time at the stables and we need his income from his day-job.
"We share the stabling and racehorse training duties alternating between who does morning and evening with the horses as he works shifts.
"It’s all a bit of a juggle for us both, but you adapt, and Alex and I are grateful for the help my mum Paula gives as she’s heavily involved, has Toby three days a week and will always grab a bucket and help out around the horses too.”
It's a system that’s working well as the grey and green silks of Alex Wilson are becoming a regular sight first passed the post in the amateur ranks of Point to Point.
Alex had six race wins last season and at Cartmel earlier this year the 27-year old trainer had his first Chase winner at Cartmel with Hollywood Harmon ridden by Pippa Brown.
Alex knows just how much his fiancée’s support and Toby’s smiley face mean to him.
“They’re so important to me. I don’t take anything for granted. We are fortunate to also have support from my mum and dad and Esme’s parents and Pippa. We’re a great team.
"I am ambitious, of course I’d love a Cheltenham Festival winner, who wouldn’t, but I don’t want to grow too quickly because then you can’t give your best.
"In the next five to ten years it would be good to get to a reasonable number of horses. At this stage getting a full licence and working full-time with what we have is stage one.”
Understanding horses and getting to know their character is what Alex believes has been key to their success so far.
“It’s more the mind than the physical that we’ve been working on. Just like people, horses all think differently. What we’ve done so far is made so-called no-good horses winners.
"A lot of that is about getting their heads right and them wanting to do the job. It makes logical sense to me, while also using high speed treadmills and the latest technology available to push the fitness to that next level.”
Esme is also an accomplished horsewoman and Alex says it was his fiancée that started him out on this training journey.
“I grew up around horses and my love of racing has always been there,” he says.
"My dad, Cooper, has been around them all his life but I did other things for quite a few years, like running and basketball, before starting again five years ago when Esme got me back riding.
"She took me for lessons. I was so nervous about it. At first, she even held the lead rein for me on the road, like I was a kid.”
Alex’s six race wins last season led to the Yorkshire Area Point to Point title as Leading Trainer with five or less horses; Hollywood Harmon earning Novice Horse of the Season; jockey Pippa Brown, Lady Novice Rider and Ride of the Season for her double with Hollywood Harmon and Jardin Carre.
Esme was also a nominee in national awards for her work while continuing to make a name for herself through equine photography and painting dog portraits.
"Capturing the bond between horse and rider is something I really love doing,” says Esme. "I’m currently doing more photoshoot commissions than painting commissions because that’s where the demand is.
“My work in photography is primarily equestrian based including videography for online content creation, but I also do weddings.
"I’ve painted animal portraits of any kind of animal, but dog portraits are the most popular. I love painting a finely detailed portrait. My favourite commission would always be a spaniel.
"I also have a big love for illustrations. I’m a bit anal about detail. I can sometimes spend hours getting one eye painted the way I want it, which may not be financially worth the time. But I love it.”
Esme followed her mum into the art world and they launched Howell & Heritage a few years ago.
“We both do pet portraits and mum had a career in picture framing too, so we incorporated those with homeware, making all kinds of everything for the home.
"It took off and we were doing really well but that’s had to take a back seat just at the moment. One too many balls to juggle.”
Alex says he’s looking forward to the new Point to Point season which gets under way at Alnwick on December 13.
‘We’ve a few new horses for this season Glencorp, A Piece of the Moon and Muddagent. They’ve joined our winning horses Holly (Hollywood Harmon) and Miles (Jardin Carre).
"I’m hopeful that we’ll have one of them run at Alnwick and a couple running at Sheriff Hutton in January, with potentially the new three making their first appearances of the season at Askham Bryan.
“Holly ran a blinder in the Fraser Cup Hunter Chase at Cartmel. She’s my first winner under rules and beat two really good horses.
"Jardin Carre is the most improved horse we have. She had a first, second and third last season. Glencorp has already won in Ireland; A Piece of the Moon only came here in October, through Pippa and has potential to pick up a few wins.
“Muddy (Muddagent) is a right character. He’s cheeky, full of it, and on the go all the time. He might take a few runs for the penny to drop as he’s not run in races over fences but has a big heart and wants to do well.
"He’s a bit like Holly in that when we work him he’ll give you everything. If we can channel his energy the right way, who knows what he could do. We’ll let him find his feet.”
Esme says her hobby for next year, when juggling between Toby, horses, stables, photography, portraits and never-ending housework, will be to take their now retired Point to Point three-time winner out showjumping.
“One thing we’re not very good at around here is letting horses go. We retired Tanora at the end of last season.
"She won her third race in May but we’d planned her retirement and we’ve stuck to our guns on that. I won’t be pushing her. It will just be a bit of fun for me and her.”
Alex and Esme have come a long way in a short time. They’re hoping that the coming season will see them add to their prowess with more wins and Alex’s full trainer’s licence.
“I’d love to go full-time and have horses running on the flat and over the jumps,” says Alex.
“Hopefully we can make that happen over the next 12-18 months. I’ve already had a few owners who have horses, who’ve said they’d be interested, but for now let’s get this new season off to a great start. For me that’s about all of us being happy in what we do.
"I know I couldn’t do any of this without Esme and our near two-year old stable lad Toby who already knows a thing or two about horses.”