Daisy Dick - British Equestrian Federation

Eventing
2
Kristina (Tina), who makes her Olympic debut, was a
mainstay of the British team during the 1990s. She returns to
the squad after a five-year absence, during which she has
had two children. She was part of Britain’s successful Junior
and Young Rider teams alongside William Fox-Pitt, won an
individual European silver on her senior debut, at
Achselschwang in 1993 on Song and Dance Man and, with
Mary King, was on the last British team to win the world
championships, at The Hague in 1994 on General Jock. She
won team gold at the 1995 Europeans on Midnight Blue and
in 1999 on The Gangster plus individual bronze in 1997 on
General Jock, and she represented Britain as an individual in
2001-03 on Captain Christy. She was travelling reserve for
the 2000 Olympics. Her mother, Althea, was a show jumper,
and her father, Josh, was champion jockey and racehorse
trainer. Tina now combines her eventing career with helping
her brother, Nick, train racehorses. Tina is married to Philip;
they have a young daughter and son, Isabel and Harry.
Age: 37
Lives: Findon, Sussex
Kristina Cook
MINERS FROLIC
Owners: Mr & Mrs Nicolas Embiricos
and Mrs Sarah Pelham
Breeding: TB by Miners Lamp x
Mighty Frolic
Bay gelding, 10yrs
Major results: 2nd Le Lion d’Angers
2005; 9th Bramham, 2nd Blenheim,
3rd Boekelo 2007
Daisy Dick
SPRING ALONG
Owners: Mrs David Dick & rider
Breeding: Irish, by Pallasdigion
Breeder: Mr Willie MacDonald
Bay gelding, 16hh, 15yrs
Major results: 11th Badminton 2004;
8th Badminton and 12th Europeans
2005; 8th Badminton, world team
silver medal 2006; European team
gold medal 2007
Daisy has made four appearances on the British squad, as
an individual at the 1997 European Championships on
Headley Bravo and at the 2005 Europeans on Spring Along,
11th. She made her team debut in at the World Games in
2006, finishing on her dressage score and playing a major
part in the team silver medal. Last year she won European
team gold, having proved a brilliant pathfinder, and was one
of only two riders to successfully negotiate the direct route at
Pratoni’s famous slide fence. Daisy is a former National
Junior Champion and a 1993 Young Rider European team
gold medallist. She has been placed at Badminton three
times on Spring Along, plus this year on Hope Street, and
won Blenheim in 2006 on Springbok lV. Her mother,
Caroline, evented and her late father, Dave Dick, was a
champion jockey who won the Grand National. Daisy holds
a masters degree in zoology.
Age: 36
Lives: nr Reading, Berkshire
Eventing
3

4
Eventing
William is acknowledged as one of the world’s supreme
horsemen, with numerous three-day event wins to his name
including, this year, a record fifth victory at Bramham CCI***
(on Navigator) and Luhmuhlen CCI**** (Macchiato). He has
represented Great Britain at all levels, from Juniors upwards,
winning five senior European team gold medals (1995, 1997,
2001, 2003, 2005) and two individual silvers (in 1997 and
2005), Olympic team silver (2004) and world team bronze
and silver (2002 and 2006). William has won Badminton (in
2004 on Tamarillo) and Burghley four times and in 2002 was
the first Briton to be world number 1. He was also listed for
Hong Kong with Ballincoola and Tamarillo. His mother
Marietta and younger sisters Laurella and Alicia have all
represented Britain and his wife, Alice (Plunkett) is the only
woman to have completed Badminton and Aintree. She is a
TV racing commentator for Channel 4; they have two young
sons, Oliver and Thomas.
Age: 39
Lives: Sturminster Newton, Dorset
William Fox-Pitt
PARKMORE ED
Owners: Mr Philip Adkins
Breeding: Irish, by Parkmore Night x
Bodalmore Lass
16.3hh bay gelding, 15yrs
Major results: 2nd Bramham 2004,
3rd Blenheim 2006, 1st Burghley
2007
Sharon Hunt
TANKERS TOWN
Owners: Mr & Mrs Terry Hunt
Breeder: Mrs Mary Blundell
Breeding: Irish TB, by Diamond Clover
x Money Gone West
Chestnut gelding, 16.1hh, 14 years
Major results: 6th Badminton, 9th
World Games 2006; 5th Badminton
2008
Sharon has produced Tankers Town, who is owned by her
parents, since he was a youngster and they sprang to
prominence when finishing 6th at Badminton in 2006. This
earned them an individual slot at the 2006 World Equestrian
Games, where they finished 9th. Sharon earned her first
Olympic team place with 5th place at Badminton this year.
Sharon had the bad luck to miss the 2007 European
Championships when Tankers Town, had a bruised foot.
Age: 30
Lives: Great Saxham, Suffolk
Eventing
5

Eventing
6
This will be a fifth Olympics for Mary, the senior rider on the
team and one of the best-known and most popular names in
British eventing. She earned her first senior Union flag in 1991
and was a member of the last British team to win the world
championships, in 1994 in The Hague on King William. She
has won Badminton twice, in 1992 (King William) and 2000
(Star Appeal) and in 1996 she won Burghley on Star Appeal.
She has won four European team gold medals (1991, 1995,
1997, 2007) and individual bronze (1995) and silver (2007) plus
Olympic team silver in 2004 (King Solomon) and world team
silver in 2006 (Call Again Cavalier). She has won the national
senior title five times, plus numerous three-day events. Mary
has successfully bred her own event horses and was 2nd at
Bramham this year on her home-bred mare, Kings Fancy. Mary
is married to David King, a farmer, after whom many of her
horses are named, and has two children, Emily and Freddie.
Age: 47
Lives: Sidmouth, Devon
Mary King
CALL AGAIN CAVALIER
Owners: Mr & Mrs Eddie Davies and
Miss Janette Chinn
Breeding: Irish, by Cavalier Royal Vll x
My Woodlands Lady Vll
Bay gelding, 16.2hh, 16yrs
Major results: 4th Burghley 2005;
world team silver, 2006; 1st
Chatsworth CIC-W, 1st Gatcombe
CIC***, European team gold and
individual silver, 2007
Eventing Officials
YOGI BREISNER (Team Manager)
Yogi Breisner was appointed World Class Performance
Manager and chef d’equipe to the British eventing team in
2000. He had just eight months to get to know the squad
before the Sydney Olympics, at which they won silver,
Britain’s first Olympic medal for 12 years.
Yogi is Swedish-born and first trained under his fellow Swede
Lars Sederholm at Waterstock, where he was based for 13
years from 1978-91. A member of the Swedish eventing
team from 1976-87, Yogi won European team gold in 1983
and competed at the Los Angeles Olympics on Ultimus. He
finished in the top 10 at Badminton four times. Aside from his
duties as British Eventing’s National Coach, Yogi is much in
demand in National Hunt racing, training both jockeys and
horses to jump. Yogi is 52 and is married to Hilary; they live
in Thame, Oxfordshire, and have two sons.
JENNY HALL (Veterinarian)
Jenny qualified as a veterinarian at Liverpool University in
1985 and immediately took up an internship in large
animal medicine and surgery at New Bolton Centre in the
USA. She spent time as an equine surgery resident at Ohio
State University before taking up a post in surgical research
on implantable devices in Arizona. Jenny returned to the
UK in 1991 to work in private equine practice, mainly in
racing. She travelled extensively to three-day events as a
private vet, including the Atlanta Olympics, and was
appointed vet to the British team in 1999. Jenny lives in
Lambourn, where she has had her own specialist equine
practice since 1996. She is married to the trainer Kevin
McAuliffe and has daughter, Aoife.
Eventing 7

Eventing 8
KENNETH CLAWSON (Jumping Coach)
Kenneth began his own riding school at the age of 16 and
competed successfully in show jumping on the national
circuit. By the early 1980s he had a talented group of pupils,
including Nick Skelton. Kenneth first became involved with
eventing when he started coaching British team rider Rodney
Powell and supported riders at the 1990 World Games. He
has since started the careers of many successful young event
riders. He was appointed jumping trainer to the British team
in 1997. In 2001 he was awarded the British Horse society’s
top teaching accolade, Trainer of the Year. Kenneth has
owned and produced many horses, including Mr Smiffy,
winner of Burghley in 2000. He lives in Leicestershire and
has a daughter, Sophie.
TRACIE ROBINSON (Dressage Coach)
Tracie passed her BHSI at the Talland School of Equitation,
where she was head girl and chief instructor for seven years.
She was yard manager for dressage rider Dr Wilfrid
Bechtolsheimer and began working with British dressage
team member Carl Hester. She has also trained Mark Todd,
schooling his Burghley winner Diamond Hall Red, plus Eddy
Stibbe and Enrique Sarasola. Tracie was appointed dressage
trainer to the British team in 2001, since when the team has
led this phase at each championships. Tracie lives in
Leicestershire.
Eventing Officials
Olympic Eventing Records
1948: London
Team eliminated: Brig Lyndon Bolton, Major Peter Borwick, Major Douglas Stewart
1952: Helsinki
Team eliminated: Bertie Hill, Reg Hindley, Major Laurence Rook
1956: Stockholm
Team gold: Bertie Hill, Major Laurence Rook, Lt Col Frank Weldon
Individual bronze: Lt-Col Frank Weldon/Kilbarry
1960: Rome
4th place: Capt Norman Arthur, Michael Bullen, Bertie Hill, Lt-Col Frank Weldon
1964: Tokyo
Team eliminated: Michael Bullen, Sgt Ben Jones, Richard Meade, Capt James Templar
1968: Mexico
Team gold: Major Derek Allhusen, Jane Bullen, Sgt Ben Jones, Richard Meade
Individual silver: Major Derek Allhusen/Lochinvar
1972: Munich
Team gold: Mary Gordon Watson, Richard Meade, Bridget Parker, Capt Mark Phillips
Individual gold: Richard Meade/Laurieston
1976: Montreal
Team eliminated: HRH Princess Anne, Richard Meade, Lucinda Prior-Palmer, Hugh Thomas
1984: Los Angeles
Team silver: Diana Clapham, Lucinda Green, Ginny Holgate, Ian Stark
Individual bronze: Ginny Holgate/Priceless
1988: Seoul
Team silver: Ginny Leng, Capt Mark Phillips, Ian Stark, Karen Straker
Individual silver: Ian Stark/Sir Wattie
Individual bronze: Ginny Leng/Master Craftsman
1992: Barcelona
5th place: Karen Dixon, Ian Stark, Mary King, Richard Walker
1996: Atlanta
5th place: Karen Dixon, William Fox-Pitt, Gary Parsonage, Ian Stark
Individuals: Mary King/King William 12th, Chris Hunnable/Mr Bootsie, Charlotte Bathe/The Cool
Customer
2000: Sydney
Team silver: Jeanette Brakewell, Pippa Funnell, Leslie Law, Ian Stark
Individuals: Mary King/Star Appeal 7th, Karen Dixon/Too Smart 8th, Ian Stark/Arakai, 10th
2004: Athens
Team silver: Jeanette Brakewell, William Fox-Pitt, Pippa Funnell, Mary King, Leslie Law
Individual gold: Leslie Law/Shear L’Eau
Individual bronze: Pippa Funnell/Primmore’s Pride
Eventing 9

Dressage 10
Medals Available: Team and Individual
British Horses: 3
British Riders: 3
British Reserves: 1 horse and 1 rider
Total Competitors: circa 50 horses and riders, 1 reserve
horse and rider is allowed for each team.
Team Competition: Decided by a combination of all
3 scores in the team test.
The Dressage tests are performed in a 60m x 20m
all-weather arena, they are a predetermined set of
movements, except in the final (freestyle/kür) round where
the riders decide their own test and perform it to music.
Riders are striving for harmony, lightness and a free,
flowing and regular movement of their horse in all paces.
The horse and rider are marked by five judges from
different positions in the arena and each rider will receive a
final percentage score.
The Format
13th & 14th August: Team Grand Prix
All horses and riders in the competition perform the same
test. The combined score of all three riders in the Team
produces the team score. The highest percentage score
wins the team competition.
16th August: Grand Prix Special
The top 25 individuals from the team competition
perform the grand prix special, which is a different test to
the grand prix.
The 15 highest placed combinations go through to the
final.
19th August: Freestyle Test (The Kür)
Riders choreograph their own set of movements to
be set to a taped musical accompaniment; there are
certain movements that must be incorporated.
They are marked on their execution of the movements and
artistic performance of the tests.
The Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle scores are
combined to decide the individual winner of the
competition.
Dressage at the Games
Athens 2004. Richard Davison & Ballaseyr
Royale (top) and Carl Hester & Escapado
(bottom)
Laura Bechtolsheimer
MISTRAL HJORIS
Owners: Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer &
rider
Breeding: Danish Trakehner by
Michellino x Virginia
Chestnut gelding, 17hh, 13yrs
Major results: 5th f/s Rotterdam, 3rd
GP Special and 2nd GP4 Lingen, 6th
GP Sp & GP Hagen 2008
Laura is one of Britain’s brightest dressage stars, and scored
a record grand prix mark of 75.33% for a British rider, in the
World Cup qualifier at Olympia on Mistral Hjoris. Aged 20,
she was the youngest rider to win the British National
Championship. She represented Great Britain as a Young
Rider in 2004, winning European team bronze and finishing
5th individually on Douglas Dorsey. The pair were 21st and
members of the sixth-placed British team at the 2006 World
Games. Last year she made her team debut on Mistral
Hjoris, who came from Hasser Hoffman in Denmark; she
was best of the 5th-placed team at the European
Championships at Turin and finished 20th. Laura’s father,
Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer, represented GB at the 1995
Europeans, and he and her mother, Ursula, who have lived
in England for over 20 years, run a breeding and training
centre. Laura’s brother Felix’s band, Hey Negrita, have
produced the music for her kür. Laura has a degree in
philosophy and politics from Bristol University.
Age: 23
Lives: Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Coach: Klaus Balkenhol
Dressage 11

Dressage
12
Jane (neé Bredin) is the senior member of the team, having
competed at the 1994 WEG and 1996 Atlanta Olympics on
Cupido. She then disappeared from the international scene
due to injured horses, but made a comeback this year with
wins on Lucky Star and a personal best of 72.85% at Lipica.
She comes from a non-horsey family and started riding aged
seven, at a local trekking centre in Cornwall. She joined the
North Cornwall branch of the Pony Club, winning the
eventing championships in 1976. In 1981 she went to work
for David Hunt, staying for 11 years, before working with
Cupido’s owner, Suzie Cumine. She now runs a yard with her
husband, Aram, who rides for Hong Kong.
Age: 48
Lives: Great Cherverell, Wiltshire
Coach: Ulla Salzgeber
Jane Gregory
LUCKY STAR
Owner: Greenlands Farm Ltd
Breeding: Danish, By Lucky Light x
Twinny
Bay gelding, 16.2hh, 16yrs
Major results: 1st GP & GP Sp
Munich, 1st GP f/s, 3rd GP
Mariakalnok, 1st GP Special & GP2
Munchen-Riem, 2nd GP f/s Lipica,
2008
Emma Hindle
LANCET 2
Owner: rider
Breeding: Hannoverian by Wenzel x
Stella
Brown stallion, 16.2hh, 15yrs
Major results: member of 6th placed
team at WEG Aachen, 17th GP, 15th
Kur 2006; member of 5th placed
team at Turin Europeans and 21st,
2007; 6th GP & Kur Wiesbaden,
7th/1th Hagen, 1st/3rd
Braunschwieg, 2008
Emma joined the senior British team in 2003, making an
important contribution to the team’s European bronze medal by
finishing 10th overall on Wie Weltmeyer. She has been a
stalwart member ever since and, with the same horse, was a
on Britain’s seventh-placed team at the Athens Olympics and
the 5th-placed team at the 2005 Europeans. Prior to that,
Emma had won medals for Britain in Junior and Young Rider
squads. Her riding career began with working hunter ponies
and eventing before she finally concentrated on dressage. She
trained for seven years with Stephen Clarke before working in
Sweden at the Flyinge Stud with Kyra Kyrklund and then in
Germany with Ellen Bontje and Jurgen Koschel. She now rides
the former Dutch team horse Lancet 2, and was a member of
the 2006 World Games team and the 2007 European
Championship team. Emma has trained as a chartered
accountant and has an MBA in business management. Her
father, John, represented GB in ice-hockey at Olympic level.
Emma runs the Brookhouse Stud in Germany.
Age: 33
Lives: Dreieich, Germany
Coach: Kyra Kurklund, Richard White
Dressage
13

Dressage
Travelling Reserve
Maria has won two European pony silver team medals and
two Young Rider European team bronze medals, in 2004 and
2005. In 2005 she won the Elizabeth Woodward memorial
trophy for the highest-placed under-25 rider in the British
small tour rankings. She was placed several times on the
Sunshine Tour this year on Two Sox. Her father, Ferdi, who is
the team trainer, was a member of the British team in the
1990s on Arun Tor, and her brother Michael also competes.
Maria is an open university student and studies languages.
Age: 24
Lives: Beoley, Worcestershire
TWO SOX
Owner: Ferdi Eilberg
Breeding: German-bred by Ehrentusch x Furstin
Bay gelding, 16.2hh, 14yrs
Olympic Dressage Records
Maria Eilberg
1984: Los Angeles
Team placing 8th: Christopher Bartle, Jane Bartle, Jennie Loriston-Clarke
Highest placed individual: Christopher Bartle/Wily Trout, equal 6th
1988: Seoul
10th place: Jenny Loriston-Clarke, Tricia Gardiner,
Barbara Hammond, Diana Mason
Highest placed individual: Jenny Loriston-Clarke/Dutch Gold, 14th
1992: Barcelona
7th place: Emile Faurie, Laura Fry, Carl Hester, Carol Parsons
Highest-placed individual: Carl Hester/Giorgione, 16th
1996: Atlanta
8th place: Jane Bredin, Richard Davison, Joanna Jackson, Vicky Thompson
Highest-placed individual: Richard Davison/Askari, 21st
2000: Sydney
8th place: Richard Davison, Emile Faurie, Carl Hester, Kirsty Mepham
Highest-placed individual: Emile Faurie/Rascher Hopes, 20th
2004: Athens
7th place: Richard Davison, Carl Hester, Emma Hindle, Nicola McGivern
Highest-placed individual: Carl Hester/Escapado, 13th
Dressage Officials
RICHARD DAVISON (Team Manager)
Richard, 50, has himself ridden at three Olympics, Atlanta,
Sydney and Athens. He has been a member of the British
dressage team since 1993, winning team silver at the
European Championships at Lipica that year on Master JCB
and European team bronze at the 2003 Europeans on Askari
where he finished 10th individually. He has been a World Cup
finalist four times. He holds the prestigious FBHS title and
was FEI international rider representative from 1999-2003. He
is married to Gillian; they have two sons, who both ride, and
live near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.
FERDI EILBERG (Coach)
Ferdi is a professional dressage trainer and rider from Germany,
where he worked with Dr Reiner Klimke and was awarded the
Reiter Abzeichnung, a gold medal for success in show jumping
and dressage at advanced level. He has been resident in
England since 1980 and has ridden for the British dressage
team many times, winning team silver in the 1993 European
Championships on Arun Tor and being listed for the 1996
Olympics. Ferdi was dressage trainer to the British eventing
team from 1982-92 and teaches Mary King. He was appointed
director of coaching to the British dressage team in 2002 and
Performance Manager in 2003, the year the team won its first
European medal, bronze, for 10 years. Ferdi, 53, has been
awarded an honorary BHS Fellowship. He is married with two
children and lives near Redditch, Worcestershire.
JOHN McEWEN,BVMS MRCVS (Veterinarian)
John has been in equine veterinary practice for 30 years and has wide
experience of the competition horse. He has been vet to the British show
jumping team since 1978 and to the British dressage team since 1983.
This will be his sixth Olympics. John has been an FEI vet since the early
1980s and on the FEI Veterinary Committee from 1999 and is currently
chairman. John is Director of Equine Sports Science and Medicine for
the British Equestrian Federation. As chairman of the International
Treating Veterinary Surgeons Association he has been responsible for
creating improvements in the welfare of the competition horse and is
currently researching methods of fitness training in the dressage horse.
He is 59, runs a practice in South Wales and is married with a son and
a daughter.
14 15
Dressage

Jumping
Medals Available: Team and Individual
British Horses: 4
British Riders: 4
British Reserves: 1 horse and 1 rider
Total Competitors: circa 75 riders, each team can bring one
reserve horse and rider.
Team Competition: The team competition is decided by the
combined score of the 3 best placed riders in the team
rounds.
The Jumping competition at an Olympic Games can be
conducted in a sand or grass arena; in Hong Kong it will
take place on an all-weather sand surface. The main
requirements of jumping are speed, agility and accuracy of
both the rider and the horse. Riders jump between 12 and
15 obstacles in a specific order and within specific time
limits, with 4 penalties for a knock-down or refusal, 1 per
second over time, and elimination for two refusals or a fall.
The maximum height of the obstacles is 1.60m. Where
relevant, those riders who are joint on the lowest number
of faults will ‘jump-off’ using a shortened course, against
the clock.
The Format
15th August: 1st Qualifying Competition
All 75 riders complete one round, not against the clock
and with no jump off. Those competitors with the same
number of faults are placed equal.
The competition counts for qualification to the individual
final and decides the jumping order for the team
competition.
17th & 18th August: Team Competition
This takes place over 2 rounds, a qualifying round and a
final round. The top 10 teams go through to the second,
final, round. A team’s score is decided by taking the best
three scores out of the four.
Jumping at the Games
Athens 2004. Robert Smith & Mr Springfield (top)
and Nick Skelton & Arko III (bottom)
Ben Maher
ROLETTE
Owner: Daniel Paul
Breeding: KWPN by Lester
Bay mare, 16.2hh, 10yrs
Major results: 1st Mechelen GP, 1st
Maastricht GP, 2007
Ben is the youngest member of an Olympic show jumping
team for some years and makes both his senior team and
Olympic debut, having been previously shortlisted. Originally
trained by Steven Smith, he now runs his own yard. He
sprang to prominence on Alfredo, with whom he won team
gold at the 2004 Young Rider Europeans and the 2005
Hickstead Grand Prix. He has had many international
successes on a variety of horses and, during the winter, won
two grands prix on Rolette, plus numerous placings on the
American circuit. Ben has represented Great Britain on
Nations Cup teams on six occasions.
Age: 25
Lives: Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire
21st August: Individual Final
This takes place over 2 rounds, not against the clock but
with a maximum time and a jump off for equally placed
riders.
All previous rounds count towards qualifying, with the best
placed 35 competitors contesting the first round. The top
20 competitors go through to the final.
The winner is decided by the best score combined from
the 2 rounds.
16 17
Jumping

Historical 1819
Helsinki 1952 – Show Jumping Team Gold
Munich 1972 – Eventing Individual
Gold. Richard Meade & Laurieston
Stockholm 1956 – Eventing Team Gold
Athens 2004 – Paralympic Team Gold
Helsinki 1952 – Show Jumping Team Gold
Seoul 1988 – Eventing Team Silver
Athens 2004 – Eventing Individual
Gold. Leslie Law
Mexico 1968 – Eventing Team Gold
Los Angeles 1984 – Show Jumping Team Silver
Los Angeles 1984 – Eventing Team Silver
Mexico 1968 – Show Jumping
Individual Silver. Marion Coakes &
Stroller
Athens 2004 – Eventing
Team Silver
Athens 2004 – Paralympic Individual Gold.
Debbie Criddle & Figaro IX
Historical

Jumping
20
This will be Tim’s Olympic debut, for which he has been
working for many years. His other team appearance was at
the Jerez World Games in 2002, when he finished 35th on
Parcival. He has made 33 Nations Cup starts for Britain and
has many international placings on Corlato, who has made a
remarkable recovery from a serious fall at Lisbon. The pair
qualified for this year’s World Cup final, but it was decided to
save the mare for Hong Kong. Tim has taken a high-profile
role in the marketing of the sport in Britain and has appeared
in two popular television series, Faking It and Only Fools and
Horses. He is married to Laura and has two sons, Joseph
and Mark.
Age: 44
Lives: Roade, Northampton
Tim Stockdale
CORLATO
Owner: John Bosher
Sire: Holsteiner by Corfino l
Grey mare, 17.1hh, 11yrs
Major results: 4th Windsor GP, 4th St
Gallen GP, member of winning
Nations Cup team in Rome, 2nd Vigo
WC qualifier, 3rd Bordeaux WC qual,
1st Nantes GP, member eq 3rdplaced
NC team at Aachen, 2008
John Whitaker
PEPPERMILL
Owned by: Rebecca Stones
Breeding: By Burggraaf x Litaire
Bay stallion, 16.1hh, 11yrs
Major results: 1st Rome Grand Prix
and winning nations cup team,
European team bronze and individual
5th place 2007; member winning NC
team Rome, member eq 3rd-placed
NC team at Aachen, 2008
John is one of the most revered international riders, for
whom this is a sixth Olympics. He has been a member of the
British team since 1980 when he won the individual silver
medal at the alternative Olympics in Rotterdam. He has only
missed five championships since then and, with his younger
brother Michael and Nick Skelton, has been a mainstay of
the British team. He has won 15 team and six individual
medals over 28 years at the top of the sport, plus 18 World
Cup qualifiers. He won individual silver at the 1990 WEG,
plus the 1991 individual European title and back-to-back
World Cup finals, all on Milton, the first horse to win £1m.
Riding Peppermill, he was the linchpin of the team that won
bronze, Britain’s first jumping medal for nine years, at last
year’s European Championships in Mannheim. John is
married to Clare, who is heavily involved with the business.
They have three children, Robert, Louise and Joanne, who
all compete internationally.
Age: 53
Lives: Huddersfield, Yorkshire
Jumping
21

Jumping
22
Michael is one of the world’s leading riders, a supremely
talented horseman and, with his older brother John and
Nick Skelton a mainstay of the British team for over 20
years. He has ridden at every championship bar two since
1984, including four consecutive Olympics and 11
consecutive European Championships. He holds an Olympic
team silver medal from Los Angeles in 1984, plus world team
silver and bronze medals, three European team golds, three
team silvers, two team bronzes and two individual silvers and
a bronze. He has won the Hickstead Derby four times. With
Portofino, he was a member of the team that won bronze at
the Europeans at Mannheim last year, thus qualifying for
Hong Kong. This year, he was Britain’s sole representative at
the World Cup final, also on Portofino. He lives with partner
Melissa and three young children, Jack, Molly and Katie.
Age: 48
Lives: Whatton, Notts
Michael Whitaker
PORTOFINO 63
Owned by: Gillespie Equestrian
Breeding: KWPN by Habsburg x
Betstricha
Bay mare, 16.3hh, 14yrs
Major results: 3rd World Cup final, 8th
World Games, 2006; European team
bronze medal, 2007; 11th World Cup
final, member of winning Nations Cup
team in Rome, 2008
Nick Skelton
RUSSEL
Owned by: Lisa Hales
Breeding: Holsteiner by Corfino l
Grey stallion, 16.2hh
Travelling Reserve
Nick is acknowledged as one of the greatest talents ever
seen in jumping. He was a mainstay of the British team at
the height of its success in the 1980s and 1990s, winning
three successive European team gold medals and three
successive team silver, plus World silver and bronzes and
individual World and European bronze medals in 1986-87 on
Apollo. He has ridden at four Olympics. In 2001, he broke his
neck in a fall, but he returned to the saddle in 2002 and rode
Arko into 10th place at the Athens Olympics. He finished
30th at the 2006 WEG on Russel. Nick has two sons,
Harry and Daniel, who both work in racing.
Age: 51
Lives: Claverdon, Warwickshire
Jumping
23

Jumping
DEREK RICKETTS (Team Manager)
Derek had a highly successful international show jumping career
from 1967-1993 and was a member of the British team that won
the 1978 World Championships. He has also won European team
gold and silver medals, in 1977 and 1979 on Hydrophane
Coldstream, and is an FEI gold badge holder for Nations Cup
performances. He now breeds and produces competition horses
and is a senior hunter judge. He has been a member of the British
Show Jumping Association’s executive board since 1996. Derek
was appointed Performance Manager to the British show jumping
squad in 2002. He is married to Sue and lives near Bicester,
Oxfordshire.
ROBRECHT CNOCKAERT (Veterinarian)
Rob qualified as a veterinarian at Gent University in Belgium. He
runs a mobile practice which focuses on performance issues in
sport horses. He has been working as team vet to the British
jumping team since 2005, travelling to the 2006 WEG and, last
year, to the European Championships in Mannheim.
Jumping Officials
Sydney 2000. Michael Whitaker &
Prince of Wales
Olympic Jumping Records
1948: London
Team bronze: Major Arthur Carr, Lt-Col Harry Llewellyn, Lt-Col Henry Nicoll,
Major Arthur Carr
1952: Helsinki
Team gold : Lt-Col Harry Llewellyn, Lt Col Duggie Stewart, Wilf White
1956: Stockholm
Team bronze: Peter Robeson, Pat Smythe, Wilf White
1960: Rome
Individual bronze: David Broome/Sunsalve
1964: Tokyo
Individual bronze: Peter Robeson/Firecrest
1968: Mexico
Individual silver: Marion Coakes/Stroller
Individual bronze: David Broome/Mister Softee
1972: Munich
Individual silver: Ann Moore/Psalm
1984: Los Angeles
Team silver: Tim Grubb, Steven Smith, John Whitaker, Michael Whitaker
1988: Seoul
6th place: Nick Skelton, David Broome, Malcolm Pyrah, Joe Turi
1992: Barcelona
7th place: Tim Grubb, Nick Skelton, John Whitaker, Michael Whitaker
1996: Atlanta
11th place: Geoff Billington, Nick Skelton, John Whitaker, Michael Whitaker
2000: Sydney
8th place: Geoff Billington, Carl Edwards, John Whitaker, Michael Whitaker
2004: Athens
Individuals: Robert Smith/Mr Springfield, 4th; Nick Skelton/Arko lll, 10th
Sydney 2000. John Whitaker &
Calvaro
24 25
Jumping

Para-Equestrian Dressage 26
Introduction
The first international Para-Equestrian Dressage competition
was a World Championship held in Sweden in 1987. This was
followed by World Championships in Denmark in 1991 and in
Great Britain in 1994. Para-Equestrian Dressage was first part of
the Paralympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and was then included
at Paralympic Games in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.
Great Britain has been at the forefront of the sport since its
inception and won team gold at all three Paralympics as well as
many individual medals.
In Hong Kong, Great Britain will be hoping to make it four team
golds in a row. The GB squad is in a strong position, having won
the World Championships in Great Britain in 2007, but these
Games will prove to be the most competitive yet, and the
squad's aspirations are a tough challenge. Seven riders are in
the GB Squad, which is the biggest of all competing nations as a
result of the outstanding historical success and world rankings
of Great Britain in the sport. All members of the squad, both
riders and support staff, are immensly looking forward to Hong
Kong and are relishing the opportunity to compete against the
best Para-Equestrian Dressage riders in the world, in
oustanding equestrian sporting facilities and in challenging
climatic conditions.
David Hunter
Team Manager Para-Equestrian Dressage
Para-Equestrian Dressage Records
1996: Atlanta
Team gold: Anne Dunham, Kay Gebbie, Elizabeth Stone,
Diane Tubbs
Individual gold: Joanna Jackson (Grade IV& Freestyle)
Individual silver: Elizabeth Stone (Grade III) Patricia
Straughan (Grade IV) Dianne Tubbs (Grade I)
Individual bronze: Anne Dunham (Grade II), Dianne Tubbs
(Grade I Freestyle)
2000: Sydney
Team gold: Anne Dunham, Kay Gebbie, Lee Pearson,
Nicola Tustain
Individual gold: Kay Gebbie (Grade IV Freestyle), Lee
Pearson (Grade I & Grade I Freestyle), Nicola Tustain
(Grade II Freestyle)
Individual bronze: Kay Gebbie (Grade IV),Nicola Tustain
(Grade II)
2004: Athens
Team gold: Debbie Criddle, Anne Dunham, Lee Pearson,
Nicola Tustain
Individual gold: Debbie Criddle (Grade lll & Grade lll
Freestyle); Lee Pearson (Grade l & Grade l Freestyle)
Individual bronze: Sophie Christianson (Grade la), Nicola
Tustain (Grade II & Freestyle Grade II)
David Hunter
David Hunter was a British Army
cavalry officer for 10 years, serving in
Germany, Cyprus, Northern Ireland
and the UK as well as spending a
year at the Ecole National d’Equitation
in Saumur, France. In 1993 he left the
army and was appointed director of
equine welfare for the International
League for the Protection of Horses, a
role he occupied for 5 years. In 1998
he moved to Fakenham Racecourse
as chief executive and clerk of the
course and in 2002, in addition to his
racing duites, he took on the role of
Performance Manager to the British
Para-Equestrian Dressage Squad.
David has successfully led the Brits to
team and individuals successes at the
Athens Paralympic Games, two World
Championships and one European
Championship. He is married with
three children, and lives in Norfolk
with too many horses, dogs and
chickens! When time allows, he
schools and exercises his daughter's
event horse, game shoots and runs to
try and keep fit.
Para-Equestrian Dressage at the Games
Athens 2004. Lee Pearson & Blue Circle
Boy (top) and Sophie Christianson & Hot
Stuff (bottom)
Medals Available: 11 sets of medals in total – team plus
individual medals in each of the 5 grades for
both a Championship competition and the Freestyle
competition.
British Horses: 7
British Riders: 7
British Reserves: 3 (non travelling)
Total Competitors: circa 78 horses and riders
Team Competition: A team of 4 out of the 7 riders
is selected to contest the Team competition, the 3 best
combined scores from the team test and the championship
test count towards the result. The Team must include at
leat one Grade Ia, Ib or II rider.
Para-Equestrian Dressage is the equestrian competition
that features in the Paralympic Games.
As in Dressage, the horses and riders complete sets of
movements in an arena, this is either 40m x 20m or 60m x
20m depending on the grade. Also as with Dressage,
sometimes these movements are predetermined and all
riders ride the same test and sometimes they are decided
by the rider and set to music.
In Para-Equestrian Dressage each rider is classified as a
particular grade from Ia,Ib, II, III or IV, depending on their
disability, with Ia being the most severely disabled, in order
to provide a fairer competition.
They find different ways to communicate with the horse,
and sometimes various aids are allowed, again dependant
on the level of disability. The compulsory movements in the
tests are different according to the different grades.
The Format
7th September: Team Test
Each of the 4 team riders complete a test for their relevant
grade. The three best scores from this test and the
individual championship test (see below) combine to give
the final score with the highest overall percentage being
the winner.
8th – 9th September: Individual Championship Tests
Each grade has a competition where each rider in that
grade rides the same test. The highest percentage within
each grade is the winner.
10th – 11th September: Individual Freestyle Tests
Each grade has a competition where the riders perform a
set of movements of their choice set to accompanying
music. The highest percentage in
each grade is the winner.
Para-Equestrian Dressage
27

Para-Equestrian Dressage
Ricky was talent-spotted at a very early stage and joined the
British Paralympic squad at the age of only 14, two years
before he was eligible to compete internationally. A grade Ib
rider, he has cerebral palsy, and took up riding on the advice
of a physiotherapist. His first international competition was in
Finland in 2002, where he finished 3rd in all three tests. He
was a member of the 2003 team for the World
Championships for Disabled Riders and came 5th in the
grade ll freestyle. Riding as an individual, he won individual
grade Ib bronze at the World Para Dressage Championships.
He also competes at novice level in able-bodied dressage.
Ricky is currently studying hospitality business management
at Birmingham College of Food and hopes for a managerial
job in a hotel, but riding is his priority. Having been reserve
for Athens, Ricky will make his Paralympic debut.
Age: 21
Lives: Telford, Shropshire
Coaches: Ferdi Eilberg, Michel Assouline, Joss Edwards
Ricky Balshaw
DEACON’S GIORGI
Owners: Julia Lazzari & rider
Breeding: by Giorgione x Amber
Express
Bay gelding, 16.2hh, 12yrs
Sophie Christiansen
LAMBRUSCO lll
Owner: Para Dressage Training Trust
Breeding: Dutch warmblood by
Uniform
Grey gelding, 16.2hh, 15yrs
This is a second Paralympics for Sophie, a Grade Ia rider
who made her debut in Athens in 2004, winning a grade l
bronze medal on Hotstuff. As a result, she was voted BBC
London Disabled Athlete of the Year. In 2005 she won treble
gold as a member of the victorious British team at the 2005
European Para-Dressage Championships and headed the
individual and freestyle grade l tests with Martini Maybe. Last
year, she won la freestyle gold and individual bronze at the
World Para Dressage Championships. Sophie, who started
riding aged six, used to compete in half-marathons, and won
the Windsor one in a self-propelled wheelchair race in 2002,
the same year she was chosen to carry the torch for the
Commonwealth Games. Sophie has cerebral palsy but is
not, however, wheelchair bound; she uses an electric scooter
to cover long distances. She is studying maths at Royal
Holloway University of London.
Age: 20
Lives: Sunningdale, Berkshire
Coaches: Clive Millikins, Michel Assouline
28 29
Para-Equestrian Dressage

Para-Equestrian Dressage
Felicity, a Grade ll rider, is making her Paralympic debut. She
has cerebral palsy and first sat on a pony at the age of four
while on a school trip. She began competing in 1998
through the Pendle RDA branch and the North West
Dressage Group, with the help of her then trainer, Kate
Bailey. She manages to ride two or three times a week.
Felicity was selected to join the World Class Development
programme in 2005. Last year she competed as an
individual at the World Para Dressage Championships,
winning a bronze medal in the Grade ll freestyle.
Age: 23
Lives: Darwen, Lancashire
Coach: Adam Murdin
Felicity Coulthard
ROFFELAAR
Owner: rider
Breeding: by Majesteit
Bay gelding, 16.1hh, 10yrs
Deborah Criddle
PAVAROTI
Owner: Bruce Criddle & rider
Breeding: German bred by Quavaroti
x Leona
Bay gelding, 17.1hh, 10yrs
This will be Debbie’s third Games, having won triple gold –
individual, freestyle and team – at Athens in 2004. She
achieved the same trebles consecutively at the 2002
European Championships and the 2003 Worlds (all riding
Figaro lX), which is a record. They won individual bronze and
freestyle silver medals at the 2007 World Para Dressage
Championships. Debbie also competes in able-bodied
dressage up to medium level. Debbie is a grade lll rider; she
suffered a motorcycle accident in 1985, after which she lost
the use of her right arm, which was amputated in 2003. She
only has ‘half power’ in her right leg, and her injuries have
resulted in a twisted spine and continual pain. Debbie is
married to Bruce.
Age: 42
Lives: Taunton, Somerset
Coach: Nina Venables
30 31
Para-Equestrian Dressage

Para-Equestrian Dressage
Anne, who celebrates her 60th birthday just after Hong
Kong, is likely to be one of Britain’s oldest Paralympians,
and one of the most experienced, as this is her 4th
consecutive appearance. She has won 11 gold medals,
plus countless silvers and bronzes. Anne was diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her late 20s, shortly after her
daughter was born, and has been wheelchair-bound since
the age of 30. Her first competitive experience was in a
hunter trial at the age of 40; her husband had sold his
business and she finally became a horse owner when they
bought a farm in Wales and turned it into a holiday home
and riding school. Anne teaches both able-bodied and
disabled riders, and advises the county council on
wheelchair access. In 2003 she was awarded the
British Dressage Outstanding Contribution award.
Age: 59
Lives: Broad Hinton, Wiltshire
Coach: Pammy Hutton Anne Dunham
TEDDY
Owner: Sally Ann Brown
Breeding: Welsh Section D
Chestnut gelding, 16hh, 9yrs
Simon Laurens
OCEAN DIAMOND
Owner: John Gamlin
Breeding: Oldenburg, by Rubinstein
Black gelding, 16hh, 12 yrs
Simon makes his Paralympic debut, having become a
Grade lll Para-Equestrian Dressage rider in November 2005.
He was a member of the winning British team at the 2006
Hartpury International with his partner John Gamlin’s former
show horse, Ocean Diamond, where they won the individual
and team tests. Simon went on to win back-to-back Grade lll
titles at the National Dressage Championships and team and
freestyle gold medals at the 2007 World Para Dressage
Championships. Simon was brought up in Jersey, where he
was on the show jumping team. On moving to England, he
worked for dressage rider Gemma Green for nine years.
He was diagnosed with MS in November 2004 and sold
all his horses and lorry, but was persuaded to keep Ocean
Diamond, with whom he was encouraged to take up
Para-Equestrian Dressage. Simon works with John in
property development.
Age: 40
Lives: Birdlip, Gloucestershire
Coach: Henriette Andersen
32 33
Para-Equestrian Dressage

Para-Equestrian Dressage
Lee is probably the world’s most high-profile Paralympic rider.
He is unbeaten at Paralympic level, winning many accolades on
his best-known horse, the distinctive big dun, Blue Circle Boy.
He now has a new ride, Gentleman, for what will be his third
Paralympics. Lee has won 18 gold medals since starting in
Para-Equestrian Dressage in 1998. He won three at Sydney,
three at Athens, and three at the 2007 World Para Dressage
Championships. Lee is a grade I rider; he was born with
arthrogryposis, which affects the muscles and joints, and he
took up riding because he couldn’t pedal a bicycle. Lee
became the first chairman of the FEI Athletes Committee in
2007. He was awarded the MBE in 2001 and the OBE in
2005, plus an honorary doctorate from Staffordshire University.
He was BBC Midlands Sports Personaity of the Year in 2004.
Lee runs a yard with six stables and produces horses.
Age: 34
Lives: Leek, Staffordshire
Lee Pearson
GENTLEMAN
Owner: Mr & Mrs David Pearson,
Gillian Chinn & rider
Breeding: Hannoverian by Gullit x
Wonne
Bay gelding, 17.2hh, 7yrs
Reserves
Joanne Pitt
Joanne finished 8th individually in Athens and in 2005 won three
able-bodied elementary tests in succession at her first attempt. She
was the 2002 Scottish RDA Grade ll champion, and the reserve
grade ll British National Disabled champion in 2003 and 2005.
Joanne has right-sided hemiplegics cerebral palsy. She has an NC
and HNC in horse management from Oatridge College and has
passed her BHS stage l exams.
Age: 29
Lives: Huntley, Aberdeenshire
Coach: Michel Assouline
Nicola Tustain
Nicola won individual bronze, freestyle gold and team gold at Sydney.
In 2003 she retained her World Championships titles with Prinz Heinrich,
and won the National Disabled grade ll championship, a title she won
again in 2006 on Prinz Heinrich. Despite injury, she won team gold and
individual and freestyle bronze at Athens, and team and individual gold
medals plus freestyle bronze at the 2005 Europeans. Last year she won
individual gold and freestyle silver at the World Para- Equestrian
Championships. She holds a BEF medal of honour. Nicola was born
with right-side hemipligia and suffers from dystonia (spasms).
Age: 30
Lives: Corwen, Denbighshire
Coach: Henriette Anderson
Sophie Wells
Sophie, a grade lV rider, has amniotic band syndrome. She was
the under-21 international champion in 2006 and, last year, was
6th in the World Para Dressage Championships and 3rd in the
Able bodied Junior International at Hickstead. She is a member
of the World Class Potential squad and is currently studying for
A levels in PE & sport, biology and physics.
Age: 18
Lives: Newark, Nottinghamshire
Coach: Angela Weiss
34 35
Para-Equestrian Dressage