Rider biographies

British Dressage selects riders to compete on the world stage at pony, junior, young rider, senior and para equestrian levels. Dressage is an Olympic and Paralympic sport with the next games taking place on home soil in London in 2012.

Biographies

Laura Bechtolsheimer is enjoying a phenomenal career, partnering her and her father’s 15 year old Michellino gelding Mistral Hojris to win team, individual and freestyle silver medals at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and a team silver and individual bronze medal at the Alltech FEI European Dressage Championships 2009 - the best British performance at a European Championship for 16 years.

The partnership set new heights by becoming the first ever British dressage rider to score over 80% and together they hold the British International grand prix record in all three classes – the grand prix, the grand prix special and the grand prix freestyle. Read more in Laura’s official BD biography here.

Find out about our most successful dressage riders: their road to success, whether they are superstitious, what their favourite tipple is and much more. For the low-down on the top riders in the British Dressage Grand Prix rankings, click on their names below to view their official BD biographies:

	Emma Hindle	updated July 2009
	Carl Hester	updated October 2010
	Laura Bechtolsheimer	updated October 2010
	Maria Eilberg	updated October 2010
	Fiona Bigwood	updated October 2010
	Richard Davison	updated November 2010
	Steph Croxford	updated December 2009
	Michael Eilberg	updated August 2010
	Judy Harvey	updated October  2009
	Nicola Buchanan	updated September 2010
	Emile Faurie	updated August 2011
	Charlotte Dujardin	updated August 2011

Read about the amazing life stories of Britain’s top paralympic riders. They are members of the Paralympic World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) squad from which the team members are selected to represent Britain. Click the names and be inspired:

Click to view rider biographies:

	Sophie Christiansen MBE	updated August 2011
	Deb Criddle	updated August 2011
	Anne Dunham MBE	updated August 2011
	Lee Pearson CBE	updated November 2010
	Ricky Balshaw	updated November 2010
	Jo Pitt	updated January  2011
	Simon Laurens	updated August 2009
	Natasha Baker	updated August 2011
	Sophie Wells	updated August 2011
	Emma Sheardown	updated August 2011