Lissa Green tried to choose a career that didn’t involve horses. She studied Criminology and Forensic Science at Bristol University in southwest England. She worked in telemarketing for a winter. She even became an elementary school P.E. teacher, determined that horses would be “only a hobby.” But in 2012, the young Englishwoman had to accept the fact that the only thing she really wanted to do was to become a professional eventer.
“Creating that perfect partnership with another live being is what gets me out of bed each morning,” Lissa says. “I love that ultimate trust between horse and rider.”
And all of that reticence about becoming a professional rider? That’s despite — or perhaps because of — her parents, legendary eventers Lucinda Green and David Green.
“Having had two very successful parents in the sport, I at first wanted to be different and shy away from eventing, keeping the horses as only a hobby,” Lissa says.
But when your earliest memory is of cantering around in front of your dad’s saddle — David Green is a three-time Olympian — and your mom is an Olympic silver medalist and a record six-time Badminton Horse Trials champion – it makes it harder to deny a future in the sport.
Hard Work and Challenging Horses for Lissa Green
Despite her family’s broad-ranging connections, Lissa forged her own way in the sport. Like many of her peers, she grew up under the tutelage of the local Pony Club, rather than being trained by her parents. (Her choice, she says.) Nor did she get her pick of the best horses to ride.
“My parents both made me work to get where I am,” Lissa says. “They would never simply buy me a nice horse. I had to ride whatever horse nobody else wanted to, right from the get-go.”
That meant working extra hard, while trying not to notice the implied pressure of having two famous parents. “To be honest, having to ride difficult horses was something I used to mildly resent, but now I am so grateful and appreciative of it,” she says. “I never would’ve learned half of what I know now with push-button horses. And one day, maybe, I’ll be fortunate enough to ride one of those unicorns.”
Creating an Eventing Legacy of Her Own
Lissa Green and Malin Head Clover, Blenheim Palace International HT, September 2015
Now Lissa has her own barn in Marlborough, about 90 minutes west of London, where she keeps eight horses. She trains with Major Richard Waygood, the former Riding Master of the British Army, current Chef d’Equipe for Team GB’s eventing team and former Chef to the Team GB Dressage Team. But while Lissa officially trains under Major Waygood (and has her sights set on having two horses go 4* by the end of 2017, while hoping to make a Nations Cup team by 2018), she still also listens to her mother. And while Lucinda Green has a keen eye for pre-walking a course and can offer up plenty of advice from years spent in the sport, it’s her approach to digestive health that has particularly stuck with Lissa.
Lucinda Green has been using SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program for more than 10 years. Lissa saw the results her mom had with SUCCEED firsthand, so when it came time for Lissa to make her own decisions about her professional partners, she chose SUCCEED.
Why Lissa Green Uses SUCCEED
“SUCCEED is my safety net,” Lissa says. “When I know my horses are receiving SUCCEED daily, it tells me that their insides are being looked after. The horse is the most important part of the equation. If they’re not functioning at or above 100 percent, how can we ask them to perform for us?”
Take Hollyfield II (known around the barn as Øli, which rhymes with “holy”). Øli, a 16.2 hh gelding, came to Lissa in 2015 after what she describes as “a bit of a turbulent past.”
Determined to help him mentally reset, she focused on creating a calm, fun environment for him, hunting him in the fall, then giving him a few months off. She also started him on SUCCEED. Initially, she had little luck with the gelding, and both her mom and her trainer recommended she move on. But Lissa persisted, and she credits the time out in the pasture — coupled with daily doses of SUCCEED — with the renewed enthusiasm and improved attitude he suddenly showed earlier this year.
“I already have noticed a vast improvement in Øli,” Lissa says. “He is so much happier in his work and we’re completely in awe of how much he has transformed in such a short space of time.” (Lissa now hopes to take him to Étoiles de Pau CCI 4* at the end of 2017.)
Others have noticed the improvement in Lissa’s horses, too. “I talk about and recommend SUCCEED regularly … so much so that I even got asked about it in the start box once, as some lady knew I used it and wanted to know if it would suit her horse!”
In addition to feeding SUCCEED once daily, Lissa also believes in building a strong base of conditioning through road work, plenty of cantering up and down grassy hills for strengthening, and making sure her horses have access to plenty of forage.
“Above all, I try to make sure each horse is happy,” she says. “They’re calmer, happier horses when they’re on SUCCEED — and I like the fact that they absolutely LOVE SUCCEED.”
