If you are fearful, a horse will back off. If you are calm and confident, it will come forward. For those who are often flattered or feared, the horse can be a welcome mirror of the best in human nature.
I want to make the world a better place, for women, mainly.
I believe that horses bring out the best in us. They judge us not by how we look, what we're wearing or how powerful or rich we are, they judge us in terms of sensitivity, consistency, and patience. They demand standards of behavior and levels of kindness that we, as humans, then strive to maintain.
I have learned not to take too much notice of those who disapprove of my lifestyle choices, because I know that I was not designed to be part of the crowd. If I am different, I make no apology, and I hope that others will have the courage to be themselves and stand up for what they believe in, fight for those who need protection, love who they want to love, and be proud of it.
Fitting in is boring. But it takes you nearly your whole life to work that out.
Women's sport helps break down a lot of barriers for women in other areas, whether in religion or politics.
I've always been fascinated by intelligence and how our brains work, and how they can be improved.
I really love good food occasionally, but I need time to enjoy it and I need to be hungry.
I am many things, but one of the things I am is a lesbian.
I play golf - even though I'm awful at it.
Being made to feel like an irrelevant child was probably an asset. Benign negligence is not a bad parental attitude or at least a cross between a benevolent dictator and benign negligence - you should just let kids crack on with it.
I didn't just grow up with horses; I wanted to be one.
I think 'ambitious' is one of those adjectives used for women in a derogatory way.
I get a lot of abuse on Twitter. It's mostly homophobic, but what can you do? I just either ignore it or laugh.
I don't make decisions for money or popularity. I do things because they're right for me, and they're interesting and challenging.
Lots of women don't realize that they're gay until they're grown up.
Swimming and athletics are the big gigs at the Olympic games. Cycling and rowing are pretty big for Britain, but globally, the two big things are athletics and swimming.
The most important quality in a partner is a sense of humour.
I find people interesting. People trying hard are interesting. People with a passion are interesting - whether its old cars or taxidermy or knitting.
I think all kids should have something they feels is theirs.
I cannot be a placard waver for every campaign; that's why I have mostly kept quiet about gay marriage.
Dad is a really surprising guy. Every time I think he's going to be useless, he ends up doing something amazing and saying exactly the right thing.
I felt like a misfit at school, and I think that's quite common.
It had become boring to write: 'I like Clare Balding'. To say: 'I don't like Clare Balding' is much more newsworthy.
I've never been particularly maternal.
