Welcome to Sophie Fretwell Eventing

Nestled in the heart of rural Nottinghamshire, Red Cottage is the home of Sophie Fretwell Eventing. Our lovely family yard, now the base of the eventing business Sophie has been establishing since the age of 16, puts wellbeing at front and centre. A relaxed, professional environment here goes hand in hand with special attention to nurturing the best environment for your horse.

For manager and owner Sophie Fretwell, horses have always been a way of life. An accomplished eventer (competing up to Intermediate and 3* level), what sets Sophie aside is a passion and commitment to putting the horse above all else. Welfare is deeply embedded in the approach at Red Cottage, and the health and happiness of each horse always comes first. Sophie believes that ‘enjoying the journey is as important as reaching the destination,’ an ethos which leads the way here.

All levels of ability are catered to – whether you’re looking for full competition livery or simply to ride around the rolling surrounding countryside at your own pace – with an array of personalised livery packages to suit all requirements. Most of the horses at Red Cottage have been produced by Sophie Fretwell, who has experience from breaking in through to competing, always prioritising patience and empathy in her approach.

Sophie Fretwell

Owner

Sophie Fretwell is an experienced eventer, competing up to Intermediate and 3* level. With a varied and valuable skillset – from bringing on young horses through to the first steps into the competition arena – she can assist at all levels from groundwork to rehabilitation or giving green horses a helping hand. Sophie combines dedication to self-improvement with a commitment to enjoying the journey at every step.

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Sophie has been my coach and mentor for the past 12 years. She has always been so incredibly supportive, helpful and always goes above and beyond the standard instructor role. She is so intuitive and calm around the horses, who always respond well to her natural approach. She continues to help me overcome my nerves, never pushing me past my comfort zone unless I’m ready. I always enjoy my lessons, feeling like I’ve really accomplished something and connected more with my horse. I don’t know where I’d be without her!

Alice WardRider
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As an owner it is always hard to find someone you trust to take your horse on, to work with them and try to help them reach their full potential. Sophie's holistic approach to horses and riding means that she works in real partnership with various professionals, farriers, saddle fitters, physios, vets and coaches to ensure that all avenues are explored to keep the horses in top condition with their welfare being at the forefront of everything she does. Her professionalism and dedication is unquestionable and she provides regular and clear updates so you feel 100% part of the journey.

Debbie StantonOwner
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My daughter and I have been receiving lessons from Sophie regularly since 2019. Each session is tailored to suit our needs as well as the horse – carefully and methodically thought out to ensure we receive our best results in a fun and educational way. The horses needs are always at the forefront of Sophie’s mind, offering her advice and at times, personal equipment to help with any niggles or under performance. We would highly recommend Sophie again and again for all aspects of horsemanship, tuition and care.

Charlotte BeardsleyRider
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Working with Sophie is always a pleasure, as equine welfare is at the core of what she delivers. From her consistent approach to training young horses to competing at an international level she is professional and takes a holistic and individual view of every horse. Sophie and her horses are treated by myself monthly, this coupled with a collaborative approach with other professionals and a willingness to approach strengthening exercises and rehabilitation on an individual basis creates persistent improvement in the overall performance, and mitigates additional strain on the horses.

Danielle WalkerEquine Sports Massage Therapist

Meet The Horses

Here are my current horses, and very much valued members of our team. Click on the images to find out a bit more about them!

Atantic Rebecca (Bex)

Bay Mare, 2008, 16.1hh

Becky has been with me for 10 years now. Purchased through some now friends as a project for my 4 year old sister, she is the horse that has just kept on giving. To date she has never had an XC fault and we have conquered many physical hurdles throughout her career, including making it to Advanced points in British Eventing. She has given me and my team some of the highest highs, from her first BE90 through to being placed internationally at some very prestigious venues. Sadly her physical issues have meant we have to manage her quite carefully now and she will never quite reach the level we knew she’d be capable of, but she is still enjoying eventing at open intermediate level and giving us all lots of fun. She will retire here when the time comes and will continue to be kept in the luxury she very much deserves, but hopefully not just yet. The young guns need some time to catch up!

Ardcarnes Silvin Candy (Bilbo)

Bay Gelding, 2016, 16.3hh

We purchased Bilbo in 2020 from Ireland. He has spent the first year just quietly maturing (perfect timing with the pandemic!) gaining some dressage wins, some British Showjumping experience and an all-round education. He is smart and flashy and we are very excited about him for the future. He started his BE career in 2022 and to this date so far he hasn’t been out of the top 5. He is a slow burner but a talented one so hoping he will be worth the wait and hoping to push on to the bigger ones in 2024. He is also a talented Dressage horse and a very careful Showjumper so we have fun in all seasons - he is incredibly versatile for a horse of his size and stature.

Scarecrow of Scatterbrook (Worzel)

Bay Gelding, 2016, 16.2hh

Worzel joined us at the same time as Bilbo, a drunken purchase between myself and my husband Sam (who completely fell for his cheeky personality and couldn’t resist bringing him home!). He was rather a gamble at the time as he was weak and had no idea about his body and how to use it, but he is really blossoming. He is quite the little powerhouse now with a real swag to his movement and a beautiful jump. Watch this space with him, I believe him to be a rough diamond and am incredibly fond of him. He’s a huge character on the yard.

Endeavour I (Dez)

Bay Gelding, 2016, 16.2hh

Dez joined the team in late 2021 following a serious injury in one of the other horses putting him out of action. He was the result of a group of special friends clubbing together in my time of need to get us back Eventing and so far he has more than delivered. He has had brilliant results so far in the last two seasons, will finish 2023 with Osberton International and then hopefully travel around the bigger international events for the whole of the 2024 season if all goes well. Because of his beginnings he is very special to us all and we really hope he can show everyone else in due course too!