132 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Exceptional Laws
Leslie Law and Shear L’Eau, his partner for
Olympic gold at Athens 2004, on the cross-country
en route to 7th place at 2002 Rolex Kentucky.
Photo by Michelle C. Dunn
e
By Lauren R. Giannini
I
t’s an inspiration to everyone when a rider from a working
class background achieves international success. That’s part
of the story behind Leslie Law, the 2004 Athens Olympics
three-day individual gold medalist and member of Great Britain’s
silver medal team with Shear L’Eau. In 2000 he had partnered
with full brother Shear H20 to earn team
silver at the Sydney Olympics.
Leslie took up horses as a career
when he was 18, spending time on both
sides of the Atlantic. He didn’t grow up
dreaming of the Olympics: horses were
his job. He had no clue that he would win a total of seven medals
when, in 1996, he traveled as part of the British team, only to be
sidelined when his mount, New Flavour, came up with a stone
bruise.
That was just one of many lessons that making a career of
horses isn’t all rosettes and glory. “Make sure you love 90% of
the work,” advised Leslie. “Do not go into it with a specifc dream
or goal in mind as sometimes these goals are not achievable. Go
into it because you love working with the horses. No matter what
level you achieve, desire to do it well and be thankful that you get
to spend your days surrounded by these wonderful animals.”
Leslie began riding when he was 10. His father started going to
auctions to buy unbroken ponies, telling
Leslie and his young brother Graham
that they could keep them or train them
and sell them as riding ponies. They
rode bareback, literally by the seat of
their pants, but frequent spills alarmed
their mother who insisted on lessons. The boys joined the Golden
Valley Pony Club (Hertfordshire, U.K.). That’s where they got
hooked on eventing and learned the importance of determination
and hard work to complement talent and improving skills.
Leslie and his wife Lesley Grant-Law, of Canada, give back the
“The advantages of being
in Ocala are numerous.”