76 SIDELINES JUNE 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
e
JohnNunn IsABitofAnEventer
ByMariaWynne
Sidelines
Writer Across thePond
American John Nunn is a visionary, an ex-racehorse trainer,
an entrepreneur, a good boss, a loving family man, a sponsor,
a supporter and an event rider. He’s also very successful, and a
familiar andmuch-respected figure on the eventing circuit.
In 1991, having trained racehorses for 15 years, he bought a
small tack business called Bit of Britain that catered mainly to
the racing industry. John relocated the business to Northeast
Maryland and set about expanding into other disciplines.
It was eventing that he came to enjoy the most because of
the nature of the people, the riders, supporters, volunteers and
the camaraderie, and so, with this sector in mind, he set about
developingBit ofBritain into themost valued retailer on thecircuit,
mannedby fellow enthusiasts and hardworkers.
In 2003, Bit of Britain had outgrown its old premises and set up
a new home in Oxford, Pennsylvania, a fewmiles further north,
and it’s from there that “BoB” continues to operate, grow and
expand. Now, it consists of a large retail store, awarehouse and
an active mobile store that travels to over 35 shows each year.
The company produces two retail catalogs annually, and has a
full-servicee-commercestore for customerswho like toshop24/7.
Wewere able to grab a fewminuteswith John to find out more
about theman himself, his past, his present and his plans for the
future.
What characteristicsdo you look for inahorse?
Patience. A Thoroughbred that’s impatient is hard to change.
They’re so much easier to teach; nervous horses are tough for
any job. Iwant them tohavegoodgroundmanners. It carriesover
towhen you’reon them inmost cases. If theypush youaroundon
the ground, they’ll push you aroundwhen you ride them. There’s
definitely a difference between quiet and patient. Quiet can be
good, but not inall cases.
Now that you’re so deeply involved in the sport of eventing,
what’s your perfect horse?
Theyhave tohaveabigheart andbebrave. Theyhave tohave
that in any sport.Weak heart, weak horse!
Whatareyour thoughtson the futureofeventhorsebreeding?
As much as I’m a Thoroughbred man through and through, I
don’t think the average Thoroughbred can reach the level of
dressage that’s required to reach the pinnacle. So I think the
infiltration of other breeds will be required. Growing up, some of
our best jumpers were Percheron/Thoroughbred crosses. Solid,
solid jumpers.
What are your plans for the futureoutsideof Bit of Britain?
I’d like to sell Bit of Britain and move on to just my wholesale
company. This would give me more freedom to create more
products and even be more active than I am. I’m sure I will at
some point give up eventing andmove over to a tamer discipline
or maybe get back to training some racehorses. But for now, my
winter passion is downhill skiing. I took the family out toParkCity
for aholiday and got some great runs in theweekwewere there.
What personality traitsdoyou look for in riders that youwork
with?
I love riders that don’t just have the drive for what they do, but
theymust alsobegoodhorsemen. I enjoy knowing the riders that
I sponsor knowwhat to do in all regards to the horse, be it injury,
sickness, nutrition, aswell as all avenues to dowith the athlete. I
avoidpoor sportsmanshipand respect humble riders.
What advicecanyougive riderswhen it comes tofindingand
securingsponsorship?
The trick iscommunication.Keeping thesponsorup-to-dateand
making them feel like they’re part of the team. In today’sworld of
easy communication, it’s very simple compared towhen I trained
racehorses and had to call clients all the time. Now you can post
on social mediaor text and that keeps youoff the phone.
About thewriter:MariaWynnehas spent her entire lifewithhorsesandher family
background is steeped in them. She’s a proud (single) mum of the adorable 5-year-
old son named Theodore Denman, who’s named after the 2008 CheltenhamGold
CupWinner.
John and his familywalk a cross-country course.
Photos byAKDragooPhotography,
John on course
