News
Dressage For All 25: Meet Saffron Cresswell
- Written By: British Dressage | Camille Peters
- Published: Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:00
If you’re looking for a role model in motivation and strength, look no further than Saffron Cresswell. A former event rider, Saffron has recently completed her Level 3 Coaching Certificate with British Dressage, and is an inspiration in overcoming life-changing injury whilst continuing as a professional in the sport she loves. 
As part of Dressage For All Week, we meet Saffron Cresswell – a former international event rider who suffered a life changing fall at Bramham Horse Trials in 2024. This year, Saffron has completed her Level 3 Coaching Certificate with British Dressage, and serves as an inspiration to all that when life throws change and challenge at you, there’s always a path to be found with time, patience and dedication.
Can you share a bit about your journey in eventing and tell our members who may not know about your riding accident?
So I was a full-time event rider competing internationally. I started riding at the age of three, and basically did all activities, Pony Club, showing, BD, BS, BE, everything! I then got a good pony that had actually never evented and ended up taking me to the European Championship. I competed him at three Europeans, which was amazing; I sold him and he was responsible for setting up my career. From there, I started riding for other people, and we actually built a yard. My parents sold their house so we could build the yard and I started building up a string of horses at home and running the business together with staff. I’d been long listed for Young Rider Europeans on a number of occasions, and was selected for the Junior Europeans as well; I was part of the Podium Potential Pathway, and had finished eighth at Bramham in the Under 25 Championships a few years prior to my accident.
I went on to compete at Bramham again, and sadly, had a full three fences from home in the Under 25 4* Championships, which left me paralysed instantly from the chest down. From there, I spent four months in rehab and in hospital learning how to do basic tasks again and finding a new way to be able to do anything and get strong following my accident.
When the injury happened, what were some of your first thoughts and feelings? How did you process the immediate shock and the uncertainty?
When I first had my accident, I think it's really hard to comprehend any thoughts because you are one in a state of shock. You're fighting for your life and I don't think it's very easy to really have a thought at all. As it progressed, the uncertainty was the hardest bit. I think something so common with spinal injuries is that there's such an unknown with how people are going to recover. Somebody that looks on a scan to have a really serious break can make a really good recovery, and somebody that looks to have a small break and damage their spinal cord could have minimal recovery. So I think not knowing was the hardest bit. I've always been somebody that's very much acted upon something if I wanted it, and in that scenario, there was no way of finding an answer. I literally had to take every day as it came.
How did your mindset shift as you moved towards focusing on what you could achieve?
As I continued in hospital, I’d say my mindset changed but I think it flitted between lots of different places within my head. One day I was so upset, and I really, really was struggling, and I started thinking about the things I could do, not the things I couldn't, and what made me happy. I started looking forwards at the things I could do so I taught a couple of Zoom lessons in hospital. So I had something to do - a bit of a purpose to do at the weekend. I think that was really important, finding a purpose again and finding something that I wanted to do. I think everybody needs something to get up for in the morning, that's absolutely critical.
What inspired you to pursue a coaching qualification after your injury?
After my injury, pursuing a coaching qualification was probably something that was natural progression. Really I was quite keen to pursue this before my accident anyway, so was planning on sitting some of my BHS exams. But through talking to a number of great people within British Dressage, they had suggested about doing the BD Level 3 Coaching Certificate; in particular, Isla Auty was super supportive of making sure it was going to be accessible and possible for me to do. And I've always loved the dressage, so I think it was important for me to build on my knowledge. Hopefully in the future, I’ll be able to educate people and help people better as a result of taking the qualification. 
I think role models is a hard one, and mentors, I think we're dealing with people so much and friends that are amazing and so talented. The late Caroline Moore was somebody who always was pushing me to succeed in whatever I wanted to do; pushing my coaching, and she did such a great job with that and had such a great setup. I think even now I look at her and how she managed to do that, and hopefully I can take some tips from what she managed to achieve and the way she did it to enable me to be more successful as well.
Did your experience as an eventing rider give you a different perspective compared to someone who’s only ever focused on dressage?
I love the dressage, and always have done. I enjoyed competing in BD up the levels and really thrived off the dressage phase in the eventing as well. But I think, to be honest, it's all the same. I think the principles, the scales of training and the way we need the horses to go are really similar. I think the different perspective that can sometimes be really helpful is the forwardness of the event riders and how you really are riding for every mark. That can come in so helpful into the dressage world, which I hope I can encourage as I do more coaching,
What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve had as a coach so far?
I think really following riders and seeing them out doing well is really nice, and it's my little take that allows me to be back in the sport. It’s almost feeling nervous for somebody, and feeling that pressure of wanting them to do well. You want them to warm up, go well, then be happy with their results and keep the progression going. If somebody has started the season scoring a certain score and finished way ahead of that, the horse is looking stronger and happier within the work and the rider’s more knowledgeable, I think that's what's really rewarding.
Looking back on your journey, what advice would you give to someone facing a life-changing setback, in or out of the equestrian world?
I think everybody deals with these situations so, so differently. The one thing I would say is there's no right or wrong way to deal with this. I think the biggest thing you can do is try your hardest to look forwards and think about the things you can do, and not the things you can't, and find a purpose again. Because the quicker you can find something you want to do and are passionate about, then the less time you have to think about all the negatives and all the hard bits that come with being paralysed, or dealing with whatever that setback is. And I think it's important to remember that everyone's setbacks are huge, even if they seem smaller to somebody else. Looking forwards and finding a way around it - almost seeing it as a challenge of how can you beat that situation – that's absolutely key.
You can follow Saffron's journey and coaching updates via social media using the links below.
If you're inspired to try dressage from a different perspective or new role, find out more about our learning, coaching, judging and volunteering opportunities below.
