It’s one hell of a comeback. In 2000, champion showjumper Nick Skelton broke his neck in a bad fall; two years later, he was back on a horse and out of retirement. He went on to win Olympic gold twice, first in London in 2012, then aged 58 at Rio in 2016 (with a replacement hip), becoming the oldest British winner of an individual Olympic gold medal in more than 100 years. Skelton (and his horse Big Star) finally retired in 2017; his story is told in this solid but largely unrevealing documentary, flawed by tight-lipped interviews, no one rocking the boat.
Skelton was born in Warwickshire, the son of a chemist. He rode his first pony aged 18 months (“we did everything together”) and after parting ways with school at 15, he went to work for tough guy horse owner and trainer Ted Edgar (“a bastard” according to one friend). Talented and ambitious, Skelton was a superstar showjumper, but back at the stables, boss Edgar still made him clean the lorries. In the end, Skelton decided to go it alone with his wife, Sarah; they mortgaged their house and bought a horse.
In front of the camera Skelton sits straight-backed, a little stiff, telling very little. There’s a wink or two to hard-partying on the 80s showjumping circuit, but sadly no Jilly Cooper-worthy anecdotes. Skelton covers his divorce to Sarah in a sentence or two and even on the subject of the fall (he was initially told by doctors never to ride again) he gives little away. Like most of the talking heads here he’s much more lyrical about the horses, and this really does feel like a film made for showjumping fans. Funnily enough, the dullest interviewee is Bruce Springsteen, who turns out to be friends with Skelton. “He’s got a hot fire in the furnace,” says the Boss. It’s a shame we don’t get to see it.
• Big Star: The Nick Skelton Story is in cinemas from 6 June.
