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Meet our team

British Dressage (BD) members pay for the 19 BD staff who beaver away behind the scenes at the Stoneleigh Park headquarters in Warwickshire to make competitive dressage in Britain happen.

The workload is split in the following ways:

David Holmes Name: David Holmes
Position: Chief Executive
Tel: 024 76 698843
Email: davidholmes@britishdressage.co.uk

David Holmes has been in charge of the team at the BD headquarters since 1999. Before that he worked as a voluntary BD training director, having completed his term as Commanding Officer of the King’s Troop.

David is involved in everything at the highest level, sitting in on pretty much every meeting going from judging to marketing committees. He also brokers the deals with the insurers and music licensing societies, so BD members have the best insurance cover available and don’t break the law when they play their freestyle music.

 


 

Jo Bagnall Name: Jo Bagnall
Position: Deputy Chief Executive
Tel: 024 76 698827
Email: jobagnall@britishdressage.co.uk

Jo Bagnall worked in BD's marketing and communications department for eight years before becoming the company's first Deputy Chief Executive in 2007.

 


 

Angela Green Name: Angela Green
Position: PA to Chief Executive
Tel: 024 76 698844
Email: angelagreen@britishdressage.co.uk

Angela Green has the task of dealing with the inordinate amount of paperwork generated by all the committee meetings, preparing agendas and taking minutes, as well as performing the standard secretarial roles of keeping David’s dairy and fielding all his calls.


Michelle Garland Name: Michelle Garland
Position: Membership & Music Officer
Tel: 024 76 698832
Email: michellegarland@britishdressage.co.uk

Michelle Garland processes the membership applications and renewals of BD’s 12,000 members every year, entering the details on computer and keeping an up-to-date record of all members.

Michelle is also in charge of music membership. She arranges this membership for non-BD members who compete in freestyle tests, so they don’t break the law when they play their music in public.


Debbie Collins Name: Debbie Collins
Position: Horse Registrations Officer
Tel 024 76 698836
Email: debbiecollins@britishdressage.co.uk
Debbie Collins deals with nearly 10,000 horse registrations a year and also sorts the downgrading and assessments of horses and horse passports. BD holds detailed records of each registered horse, including its competition results, height, age, colour, etc. As a member, you can access your horse’s details online by clicking Results and you can also view other horses’ competition results free of charge. Non-members pay £5 to view this info.


Sarah Murphy Name: Sarah Murphy
Position: Paralympic and Grading Officer
Tel: 024 76 698837
Email: sarahmurphy@britishdressage.co.uk

As paralympic officer, Sarah deals with the invitations from international para shows and organises trips abroad for para competitors, sorting their travel arrangements and documents. She liaises with the selectors to produce selection policies and assists in the organisation of any events, such as the para national convention.

Sarah's role as grading officer involves working together with grading administrator Charlene Bryant to ensure the relevant show organisers are provided with details of competitors who have qualified for their shows.

Sarah also allocates the wild cards for the national and winter championships. These are extra places allocated to riders who have not gone through to the finals because they are competing in regions where the standard of competition is particularly high.


Ruth Tyler Name: Ruth Tyler
Position: Sport & Technical Officer
Tel: 024 76 698833
Email: ruthtyler@britishdresssage.co.uk

Ruth Tyler is involved in the nuts and bolts of developing the sport. As a member of the rules and fixtures committee, she is responsible for British Dressage Rules 2007. Ruth organises the development of new tests, the annual BD national convention and maintains the trainers’ database, which lists all BD accredited trainers to help riders find a good, local teacher. To view this list, click Find a trainer.


Lianne Harris Name: Lianne Harris
Position: Senior International Officer
Tel: 024 76 698835
Email: lianneharris@britishdressage.co.uk
Lianne Harris deals with all matters international for Britain's top senior riders. She organises their trips abroad, sorting invitations from international shows, entries, travel documents, issuing international horse passports, riders' licensed, etc. Her job also involves liaising with selectors and chef d'equipes.


Lisa Jenkins Name: Lisa Jenkins
Position: Judges Officer
Tel: 024 76 698831
Email: lisajenkins@britishdressage.co.uk

Lisa Jenkins looks after nearly 1,000 judges, keeping their records, sorting out applications to become a trainee judge, judge training, testing, seminars and any judging problems.

Lisa is currently on maternity leave. Lianne Harris and Debby Futter are looking after this area until Lisa returns.


Karen Ryder Name: Karen Ryder
Position:

Office Manager, BYRDS &

Under-21 International

Tel: 024 76 698840
Email: karenryder@britishdressage.co.uk

Karen Ryder is the longest-serving member of staff. She looks after riders aged up to 25. This includes an annual Talent spotting competition, the British Young Rider Dressage Scheme, which is known as BYRDS, ponies, juniors and young riders, including teams for international competitions. Go to Under-25s for more info on opportunities for riders aged under 25.


Jeanette Proctor Name: Jeanette Proctor
Position:

BYRDS Assistant

Tel: 024 76 698834
Email: jeanetteproctor@britishdressage.co.uk

Jeanette Proctor helps BYRDS officer Karen Ryder look after riders aged up to 25. This includes an annual Talent spotting competition, the British Young Rider Dressage Scheme, which is known as BYRDS, ponies, juniors and young riders, including teams for international competitions. Go to Under-25s for more info on opportunities for riders aged under 25.


Claire Carter Name: Claire Carter
Position: Fixtures Officer
Tel: 024 76 698845
Email: clairecarter@britishdressage.co.uk

Claire Carter manages the competition calendar, putting together the Show schedules for nearly 2,000 days of competition a year and liaising with show organisers. Claire does not run any shows, so please send your entries to the relevant show organiser, not the BD office.


Claire Booth Name: Claire Booth
Position: Communications Officer
Tel: 024 76 698842
Email: clairebooth@britishdressage.co.uk

Claire Booth deals with all journalists’ enquiries, keeps local and national press up to date about BD news and generally promotes the sport. She writes and updates rider biographies for international shows, is in charge of the BD trade stand, members’ marquee, banners, etc, places advertising in the national press for key events and is involved with British Dressage magazine and this website.


Joanna Bowns Name: Joanna Bowns
Position: Marketing Officer
Tel: 024 76 698839
Email: joannabowns@britishdressage.co.uk

Joanna Bownsworks with communications officer Claire Booth, ordering all the rosettes for regional finals and championships, making sure show organisers receive rosettes with the right sponsors’ names. Joanna also collates the press cuttings, places advertising in local and regional press and sorts the admin side of sponsorship contracts.


Charlene Bryant Name: Charlene Bryant
Position: Grading Administrator
Tel: 024 76 698846
Email: charlenebryant@britishdressage.co.uk

As grading administrator, Charlene enters all the show results from the 2,000 days of competition held in Britain every year on a database. This information is available online in the Results section of this website, with a "Q" next to a rider's name indicating they have qualified. It is Charlene who sends you a letter when you have qualified, explaining what you need to do next.

Charlene works together with grading officer Sarah Murphy to ensure the relevant show organisers are provided with details of competitors who have qualified for their shows.


Angie Cook Name: Angie Cook
Position: Finance Manager
Tel: 024 76 698841
Email: angiecook@britishdressage.co.uk

Angie Cook and finance officer Jean Swidryk sort BD’s accounts: the daily collating and banking of all income, raising invoices and making payments, paying salaries and keeping records from which the annual audited accounts are prepared.


Jean Swidryk Name: Jean Swidryk
Position: Finance Officer
Tel: 024 76 698838
Email: jeanswidryk@britishdressage.co.uk

Jean Swidryk helps finance manager Angie Cook to sort BD’s accounts: the daily collating and banking of all income, raising invoices and making payments, paying salaries and keeping records from which the annual audited accounts are prepared.


Polly Hawkes Name: Polly  Hawkes
Position: Finance Assistant
Tel: 024 76 698838
Email: pollyhawkes@britishdressage.co.uk

Polly works part-time and helps finance officer Jean Swidryk with the accounts.


 Harriet Best and Zoe Wiseman Names: Harriet Best and Zoe Wiseman
Position: Office Assistants
Tel: 024 76 698830
Email: officeassistant@britishdressage.co.uk

Harriet Best and Zoe Wiseman are in charge of opening all the post, general office stationery ordering, processing orders for tests and score sheets and from the online shop. They also invoice all the orders, help the membership and horse registration departments and work on the BD stand at events.


Position: Regional Development Officers

There are eight regional development officers (RDOs) on the payroll based in their own regions. They organise affordable clinics and training days for all members at all levels, as well as judge training, working closely with the fixtures officer.

Each RDO is part of a committee with a chairman and regional representatives for training, under-25s, judges and Paralympics. Details of your RDO, local reps and training days are published in British Dressage magazine on the Regional Activity page and are available online by clicking Your regions.


Maggie Jackman Name: Maggie Jackman
Position: Sponsorship Manager
Tel: 01993 832602
Email: maggiejackman@btinternet.com
Sponsorship manager Maggie Jackman finds and manages companies who sponsor BD and is employed on a part-time contract basis.


Leslie Bliss Name: Leslie Bliss
Position: Web Editor
Tel: 01306 628257
Email: leslie.bliss@btinternet.com
Leslie Bliss looks after the editorial content of this website, keeps it updated and sources the news stories. She is employed on a part-time contract basis.