Combining her on the horse life with a booming modeling career, British junior rider Chloe Vell has been all around the world, sometimes in the saddle and sometimes on the runway! Selected on the British Junior Riders' Squad aboard Kaja di Valentina, Vell is currently juggling her life as student, rider and fashion model.
"As part of my modeling career I was flown to New York the day after the British nationals and was then taken onto the tiny island of Nantucket for a week," the 15-year old told Eurodressage. "I have also been to Spain and all over UK, but sadly due to riding, I have turned down a number of jobs in Europe, but hope to get to Paris and Milan soon."
Touring England, Scotland, Wales, France, Holland and Germany as part of her horse campaign, Chloe enjoys having two such unique passions, but she knows that at the end of the day the horses come up trumps. "The riding wins out above all, but that’s heart speaking, not head," she confessed.
However, Chloe is lucky the two passions compliment each other in many ways and hopes to make the most of this in the future. "My posture is similar in both dressage and modeling, all to make myself look as elegant and as tall as possible," she said. "Being told what to do by a trainer and photographer is also very similar, as well as having to cope with all eyes on you in the arena or in front of the camera. However, one is live and cannot be altered or improved after the event and needs beauty in the way the horse moves, while the other requires you to not always to be beautiful, but photogenic. Overall, I guess you have to be very precise in both."
Chloe began her riding career on quite a sharp pony, which she originally started in ‘showing’, but her pony galloped off as soon as the canter work started, so she decided to try dressage. "I fell in love with it instantly and I purchased my most talented pony 'Danger' from Germany in 2009, when he was 15," she explained.
Her German trainer at the time, Jorn Kubelke, found the Westfalian Danger (by Davis Cup out of Night Lady), which was originally owned by Anne-Sophie Jung and had moved to Sweden to be ridden by Stephanie Douglas-Anderburg. The Swedish pony rider competed him as a younger pony at the 2003 European Pony Championships and finished 9th individually with him. "
We have now donated him to Bev and Samantha Brown at Godrics Stud to retire to stud and be used in our British pony breeding program," Vell explained.
Recently added to the British Junior Riders Squad, Chloe started her more serious competition career on ponies three years ago when she was just 12 years old. She was selected for her first international as a British representative at the CDI Pompadour and was also placed on the GBR squad next season. "I won an FEI pony class at Addington HP and two further FEI pony classes at Premier leagues that year. In addition, I came 7th in the team test at Roosendaal and 9th in the Individual Test. Sadly, the selectors felt he was too old for European team selection that year," she said.
While modeling provides her with many great opportunities and cash flow, Chloe knows that in dressage there are some things that you just can't get in human industries. "My favorite thing about dressage has to be creating an unbreakable partnership with your horse and being able to compete for Great Britain," she explained. "It is the most amazing experience that anyone would wish for, and I am very lucky I have been able to achieve it."
Signed by Select Model Management in London when she was 13, the company is very careful to plan her jobs around school and riding, and Chloe makes sure that the modeling calendar fits around the horse shows. "I have appeared in London fashion magazines, worked for big companies such as Pull and Bear, and was the youngest model to be signed by Abercrombie and Fitch for their spring campaign in 2013," she said proudly. "I meet loads of people from a different world to horses and the industry finds it interesting to have a model with other pursuits. ASOS online magazine recently commented on my involvement in both modeling and dressage. I interviewed with Bruce Weber for A&F who was great to work for and was really interested in my riding achievements. I find the modeling easy as all your arrangements are organized for you, and someone does your hair and make-up, which I especially like, as I am not one to spend too much time over that sort of thing! But the riding comes first and the modeling fits around it."
While modeling allows her to save up for the horse things she needs and compliments her competition skills in dealing with high pressure environments, riding gives her muscles that no other models have! "I still have to balance in my school work too, and while my school is very academic, they are great at allowing me time off," she explained. "My parents help me by reducing time off as much as they can and help me to understand the work I missed. I do have to turn down jobs that don’t fit with riding or school."
Chloe is currently riding Kaja di Valentina, a rising 9-year old Hanovarian, and together the pair have made it on to the British junior squad. "Last year I won my first National Title at the BD Championships at Advanced Medium Restricted. I came second at Kaja’s first international in Biarritz with really exciting responses from judges."
Training with Lucy Cartwright, who worked for Carl Hester, Chloe is sometimes granted the chance to go to Carl’s yard for a lesson, which is of course an amazing experience. "I train in Gloucester and Lucy is my trainer, coach, and friend," she stated. "I live with her and her partner Daniel Bremner when training and love them both to bits. Sometimes I think I’m with them more than I am at my own house!"
Involved in all sorts of other school sports including national athletics, lacrosse and hockey, Chloe's main sport is netball, which she plays at country level. "I was selected for Regional Squad but due to riding commitments I chose not to pursue this as I couldn’t train for both."
Vell hopes to continue with both modeling and dressage and recently had an interesting conversation with Emile Faurie, about the pros and cons of this unique combination. "I was at my recent BEF Excel Talent training session with him. He did both in order to fund the start of his own equestrian career," she said. "I don’t really know what the future holds as I am working hard at school as well."
With her main goal ideally to be able to ride a horse good enough for senior teams and run a yard teaching others, her back-up plan is to combine modeling with qualifications, and perhaps one day she would like to be a doctor like her mum. "I'm not sure about this though, as I don’t want to give up the riding," she admitted. "Some days I get up and think I will pursue riding funded by modeling (especially if I get a big break), and other days I think I will become a part-time doctor and still ride at Grand Prix. At 15, who knows what’s round the corner. I just keep doing my best."
Chloe Vell - Young Guns in Dressage Profile
Date of Birth: 14 October 1997
Nationality: British
Place of Birth: Manchester
Sign/Horoscope: Libra
Profession: At school/part time model
Hobbies: Riding and netball
Best personal quality: quietly confident, able to cope with criticism and cool under pressure
Personal defect: self critical
Favourite book: don't get chance to read many but just finished 'Sister Missing' trilogy by Sophie Mckenzie
Favourite film: I recently watched Les Misérables and loved it.
Favourite actor: Eddie Redmayne
Style of music: pop
Favourite singer or band: oooh too many, rihanna, emeli sandé etc
Favourite car: range rover
An unforgettable holiday: South Africa on safari
Favourite food: popcorn
Related Links
British Junior/Young Rider Squads for 2013 Announced
British Youth Riders Reel in Scores at 2012 CDN Keysoe
Scores: 2012 CDI Biarritz
British Pony Squad Training in Preparation of 2011 Show Season
Scores - 2003 European Pony Championships