The Man Behind the Mike

Mike Tucker was born into a life of farming and horses. His passion and hard work enabled him to progress from international groom to successful international event rider, top level Eventing official and television commentator. The pinnacle of Mike's career as a commentator was covering Nick Skelton's Gold Medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016 for the BBC. In `The Man Behind the Mike' we learn about Mike's family history and the connection with the Badminton Estate where his grandfather farmed; The Beaufort Pony Club, a huge influence in his life with many top level riders being members; a visit to Australia, staying with the Roycroft family, which proved to be a pivotal moment in his efforts to become a successful event rider; and about Mike's second place at Badminton, which laid the foundations of his credibility as a rider and commentator. The `voice behind the microphone' had the experience and knowledge to commentate with authority and to command respect from the listening public at venues of not just horse trials but also show jumping, dressage, and shows in general. The wealth of experience and lifetime involvement in the world of equestrian sport has enabled him to travel all over the world meeting many different people and sharing his expertise. We are told many funny, revealing, fascinating and sometimes sad anecdotes of his experiences of the successes and failures along the way and we are given a true insight into the real stories behind the headlines, and `The Man Behind the Mike'.

Jane Wallace was born in Cambridge and started riding at an early age. She was soon spotted as showing talent and rode many of the top show ponies of the 1960s, winning at all the major shows including the Horse of the Year Show and Dublin Show. In 1989 Jane won the Individual Silver Medal at the European Championships at Burghley and was ranked 3rd lady rider in the world. Jane was a highly regarded hunter judge, judging at the major shows including The Horse of the Year Show. She taught and gave lectures/demonstrations in England and abroad. She continues to run a busy livery yard and still teaches. Jane has written several books, The Less Than Perfect Horse, Jumping is Jumping, Teaching Children to Ride and seven Threshold Picture Guides.