As the daughter of the new Match of the Day presenter Gabby Logan and former Scottish rugby player Kenny Logan, and with a twin brother, Reuben, who plays rugby professionally, it’s hardly surprising that budding showjumper Lois Logan is also pursuing a career in sport.
But if her mother, a former rhythmic gymnast who represented Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, had had things her way, Lois would have been lining up at Wimbledon, rather than saddling up a horse.
"My mum wanted me to be a tennis player. She was like: 'I really, really tried, but you didn’t want to,'" she laughs. "Now I say to her: 'I wish you’d pushed me harder to do tennis, because I could have been a really good player by now.'"
In fact, Lois’s love of horses stems from her mother. When the family moved to their home in Buckinghamshire a decade ago, Gabby issued an edict to Lois and her brother. "We had no friends, we didn’t know the area, we didn’t have anything to do at the weekend. She said: ‘You can learn to play chess, ballroom dance or ride a horse.’
"Now, my dad’s like: ‘Gabby, you created this monster.’ I think they thought I’d grow out of it, but if anything, it’s got stronger and stronger."
Lois’s natural way with horses is plain to see on this exclusive HELLO! photoshoot, where she has teamed up with Abbey. A Goodwood local, the grey gelding has led parades on the estate and is the spitting image of one of Lois’s own horses, Jet Stream, whom she calls "my best mate".
HELLO! met Lois to mark her participation in this summer’s prestigious Markel Magnolia Cup at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on 31 July, when 12 women – including a nurse and a lawyer, and some competitors who have never ridden before – become jockeys for the day to raise money for charitable causes.
Previous participants have included the model Edie Campbell, broadcaster Sara Cox and presenter Vogue Williams.
This year, the race, which has raised more than £2.7 million for charity since its inception in 2011, will support The King’s Trust International’s Project Lehar, which supports adolescent girls in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Even though Lois has "always been a very sporty person", she has "never done anything as brutal as this", she says, referring to her new regime, which involves getting up at dawn three times a week to ride.
"It’s been tough," she says. And that’s without juggling her university studies – Lois, 19, is studying geography at Loughborough University – with looking after her own two showjumpers.
However, her showjumping background doesn’t confer the advantage one might assume. "It’s like being a long-distance runner or a weightlifter – they’re totally different," she says. "It’s a different way of thinking with the horse. But I’m hoping I can take my competitive edge into the race."
New challenge
Although Lois grew up riding and competes at a high level, she asked her friend Eleanor Franchitti, who competed in the cup in 2024, for advice, having "never had anything to do with racehorses" before. "She scared me a little bit," Lois laughs. "She was like: 'They don’t stop.'"
Through her father, Kenny, Lois was able to try out a racehorse at the yard of the legendary jockey Sir AP McCoy in Lambourn. "I rode out there and was like: 'Actually, I feel like I’ve got this,'" she says. "Racehorses are so chill, and they know their job when they get on the track. AP is the nicest guy in the world; he just wants to help."
The broadcaster Clare Balding has also played a part. After hearing that Lois was taking part in the Magnolia Cup, Clare invited her to visit the yard run by her brother, royal horse trainer Andrew Balding, in Kingsclere, Berkshire. He is now providing the horse, Little Miss Magic, that Lois will ride in the race.
"Clare’s brilliant," Lois says. "Mum mentioned that I was doing the cup, and Clare was like: 'Oh, she’s got to go to Kingsclere,' because it’s such a massive family operation.
"It was quite daunting – it was like my first day at school," she recalls. "Even though I’ve been involved with horses for such a long time, I felt like an amateur. But it’s been amazing to learn so many new things and meet new people."
Her family have been a great source of support, too. "My mum came to Kingsclere and it blew her mind," she smiles. Meanwhile, her father, who used to ride when he was younger, is the "top groom".
"I think if it was my dad’s choice, he’d retire tomorrow and just do horses with me. He takes me to all my shows. He’s a horse holder; he’s a groom. He’s the best," Lois says.
During Covid-19, Kenny, who accompanies Lois to our shoot, even took it upon himself to build an arena at their home for Lois to practise in. "He was watching YouTube videos; he hired a digger," she says. "He did an amazing job.''
Royal connections
It’s through her father that Lois has had the opportunity to meet fellow horse lovers Zara Tindall and the Princess Royal, who is the patron of Scottish Rugby. "Zara is lovely; we talk about horses," she says. "And my dad has known [Princess] Anne for a really long time. She really likes my dad; he’s done a lot for her charities.
"She was in the box next to us at Ascot in 2023, and she heard that Dad was there, so she came to see him and Dad introduced me. I think I did a weird curtsy handshake – I didn’t know what to do with myself. But she was really nice, and we spoke about horses because she knows I’ve got horses."
Lois has "always been close" to her brother, Reuben, who plays rugby for Northampton Saints. In fact, her twin was the matchmaker who paired up Lois with her boyfriend, the South African golfer Cam Raubenheimer.
"They were both in the rugby team [at school] and I was too scared to talk to him," Lois recalls. "Reuben was like: 'I’m going to set you two up.'"
Three years down the line, even though Cam is busy with his golf and studying at university in Nottingham, "we’ve managed to make it work", she smiles. "My parents love him – he’s done all of their golf days since we started going out."
Cam will even be joining the Logans, whom Lois describes as a "very, very close family", on their summer holiday to Greece. "We’re going with a couple of other families and my mum’s already like: 'We need to learn card games. We’re going to do trivia quizzes.'
"We’ll be sitting on the couch in the evening, doing trivia and general-knowledge questions, because we’ve got to win."
Of her mother’s new role as Match of the Day presenter, Lois says: "I’m so proud of her. She works unbelievably hard – she doesn’t have a day off – but I don’t think she’d have it any other way."
