The 10^th anniversary year of British Dressage has certainly been a busy one full of amazing stories.

 

The Olympics provided high drama with one of Britain’s leading riders Carl Hester having two horses in contention for the team one minute and both out with injury the next. Then Emma Hindle was diagnosed with cancer and needed major surgery just after being chosen to represent her country.

 

The British para riders did us proud at the Paralympics with their best ever medal haul while the national championships were marred by the fact that the rider at the top of the leaderboard for the national title was unable to compete in the deciding test as her horse was stuck in traffic following a major accident on the motorway.

 

Here’s a summary of the main events:

 

 

The forum is launched on the website and becomes a huge success, doubling visits to more than 100,000 a month.

 

Former British Dressage chairman Diana Mason is awarded an OBE.

 

 

Fiona Bigwood loses her top ride, the 15-year-old Mr G de Lully. Fifth in the rankings, they represented Britain at the European Championships in 2005 and 2007.

 

Laura Bechtolsheimer retires Douglas Dorsey. The 17-year-old gelding by Donnerhall helped Britain win team bronze at the 2004 Young Rider European Championships, was the 2005 national champion and part of the team for the 2006 World Equestrian Games.

 

 

Event Insurance Services Winter Championships moves to a new venue at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire.

 

Georgina Somerset has to have Paris 52 put down after the stallion broke his leg. He was on the team for the 2005 Junior European Championships and 2007 Young Rider Europeans.

 

 

Former team member Fiona Bigwood and her partner Anders Dahl have an exciting but stressful time as their second child arrives early. Morten Christian Dahl was born at 33 weeks and spends two weeks in intensive care.

 

Former Olympic rider Vicki Thompson and Oldencraig Equestrian Centre owner Ian Winfield tie the knot.

 

British Dressage marks its 10^th birthday with a glamorous ball and 400 members join in the celebrations.

 

Anna Ross-Davies becomes the first rider to be voted British Dressage Personality of the Year. Laura Bechtolsheimer is BD Rider of the Year.

 

Carl Hester’s Dolendo is out of Olympic contention.

 

British dressage mourns the loss of sport’s true friend, Vyvien Randall, of Blue Waters Hotel, sponsors of the national championships.

 

Double whammy for Carl Hester as his second horse Lecantos is withdrawn from the final selection trial due to injury.

 

Jane Gregory returns to top-level international scene after an absence of more than a decade and is selected for the Olympics with Lucky Star.

 

BD chief executive David Holmes takes on a prestigious key position at the FEI headquarters in Lausanne as executive director of sports.

 

 

Sir Paul McCartney leads a £2m fundraising campaign to help the British Paralympic team.

 

 

New CEO is announced. Amanda Bond was the deputy principal and equestrian event director at Hartpury College. She is due to start work at the British Dressage offices in November after spending most of the year in Hong Kong as chief of Paralympic services.

 

Emma Hindle takes an impressive fourth place individually in the grand prix team competition at the Olympics. A particularly amazing achievement as it transpires she had major surgery for cancer only a matter of weeks before going to Hong Kong.

 

International Danish rider Anders Dahl and his partner Fiona Bigwood retire Afrikka. The 18-year-old and Anders were Denmark’s most successful combination in 2007 and reserves for the Olympics. Fiona and her mother Penny have owned the Danish-bred Oldenburg gelding since he was three.

 

Camilla Sygall takes a “baby break”. The up-and-coming Dutch-based British rider and Dries Roefs produce their first offspring, Jack.

 

Eventer’s British Dressage membership launched to great success.

 

 

Paras enjoy most successful Paralympics ever. They win team gold for the fourth consecutive time, thereby remaining unbeaten since the Paralympics started in 1996. Lee Pearson becomes the most successful para rider of all time, having won three gold medals at three consecutive Paralympics.

 

Anna Ross-Davies’s ride Liebling II goes to Carl Hester. Anna and Liebling were Britain’s most successful combination at the 2007 European Championships.

 

Drama at the national championships. Maria Eilberga and Two Sox are crowned national champions, but rival Laura Bechtolsheimer is unable to compete in the final test as her horsebox is stuck in traffic, despite an attempt to arrange a police escort

 

 

Dressage receives unprecedented publicity thanks to Katie Price, aka Jordan, who takes part in a display at Horse of the Year Show after taking up dressage in March.

 

Dressage at Hickstead secures prestigious new Exquis World Dressage Masters League qualifier.

 

British Dressage deputy chief executive Jo Bagnall gives birth to Chloe.

 

British teenager becomes one of the first women students at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Sojourner Morrell, 17, was accepted to begin the 10-year training programme after a month-long probation, ending the school’s 436-year tradition of accepting only male candidates.

 

British Dressage membership hits record 14,000.

 

 

FEI president Princess Haya demands FEI dressage committee resign. Olympic team captain Richard Davison is chosen to sit on the newly-formed FEI dressage task force.

 

The National Equine Database (NED) goes live after many years of hard graft. It heralds a new era in the British horse world as it is the first time there has been a single database with a record of every equine passport issued in this country.

 

Group of fundraisers secure £13k for para rider Erin Orford to have her first “riding legs” made.

 

 

 

Dressage enjoys more exposure as BBC Newsround presenter “Abs” (Michael Absalom) is filmed having a go at dressage for CBBC Sportsround. After three hours of training at Kingswood Equestrian Centre in Wolverhampton, he attempts a dressage test.

 

FEI judge Nick Williams dies aged 76. Williams served on the FEI dressage committee and judged at two Olympics, Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992.

 

PSI presents Lady Caroline Inchcape with its dressage supporter award. She is only the second Brit to receive a PSI award.