Para Dressage squad for Herning 2022

Sir Lee Pearson – Grade 2

• Age: 48
• Based in: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Lee is, quite simply, the most successful para dressage athlete of all time, winning a total of 14 gold medals, two silvers and one bronze across six Paralympic Games – there's a reason he's known as the godfather of para dressage. 

He discovered the sport while watching the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics on TV, which inspired him to take up riding. He made his team debut at the World Para Dressage Championships in 1999, where he took gold medals in each of the three tests. He took the triple title (team, individual and freestyle) at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, 2004 Athens Paralympics and 2008 Beijing Paralympics, setting an equestrian world record by being unbeaten at three consecutive Paralympic Games.

In 2003, Lee became the first disabled person to have won a title at the British Dressage National Championships while competing against non-disabled riders when he took the 2003 elementary restricted title. He received a CBE in 2009 and  received a knighthood in the New Year Honours List after the Rio 2016 Games for services to equestrianism and disability sport.

Lee was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games aboard his homebred Breezer. They set three personal best scores, each of which earned them a gold medal. 

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Breezer

• Known as: Breezer
• Owner: Sir Lee Pearson
• Colour: Bay
• Sex: Gelding
• Height: 16.1hh
• Age: 11yrs
• Sire: Bacardi
• Breeder: Sir Lee Pearson GBR

Breezer was born in the field at the house where Lee's parents' live. His first senior call-up was for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, despite a rocky selection process that saw them eliminated at the final selection event at Hartpury CPEDI3* after the Breezer become upset. However, Breezer rose to the occasion in Tokyo, despite not having left British soil since 2019, and produced three personal best scores – their freestyle test beating their previous best by some eight percent. Lee described his sensitive dancing partner as being like a 'baby lion' in Tokyo. 

FEI record

Personal bests

Individual test	Team test	Freestyle test
76.265%	77.636%	82.447%
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (2021)	Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (2021)	Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (2021)

 

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Georgia Wilson – Grade 2

• Age: 26
• Based in: Abergele, North Wales

Georgia started riding when she was two years old after her physio suggested that it would help with her balance. Her first pony was a Shetland called Diana, who was followed by a pony called Poppy – he was handed down to Georgia’s sisters when she'd outgrown him. Georgia joined the Pony Club and the RDA at Clwyd SRC, attending her first RDA nationals on Aaron, a palomino pony. It was here that she got the bug for dressage, and she also competed with BYRDs Wales team. 

Georgia's first senior call-up was for the FEI European Championship in Rotterdam in 2019, where she rode Midnight. She took individual silver and helped the British team to another silver, before storming to gold in the freestyle ahead the reigning Paralympic champion, Pepo Puch of Austria. Initially selected as a reserve for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with new ride Sakura, the late withdrawal of Sophie Christiansen saw Georgia earn herself a seat on the plane to her first Games. She proved herself worthy of the occasion by taking double bronze, bested only by fellow Brit Sir Lee Pearson and multi-Paralympic medallist Pepo Puch. Since the Games, Georgia and Sakura have continued to strengthen their partnership and head to Herning for their first World Championship on the back of two new personal bests from Wellington Festival of Para Dressage in June and Hartpury CPEDI3* in July. 

Throughout her championship career, Georgia has been coached by Herning team mate Sophie Wells.

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Sakura

• Known as: Suki
• Owners: Geoff, Julie and Georgia Wilson
• Colour: Chestnut
• Sex: Mare
• Height: 16hh
• Age: 8yrs
• Sire: Supertramp
• Breeder: G. Eilberg GBR

Dressage-bred Suki and Georgia had only been a partnership for seven months before their last-minute Tokyo call-up. She was one of the youngest horses in the field, but showed her calibre to help Georgia to two bronze medals. While in Tokyo, Georgia described Suki as 'the kindest mare ever – I could take her anywhere, she could probably come into the hotel and sleep next to me'.  

FEI record

Individual test	Team test	Freestyle test
73.647%	74.410%	76.754%
Hartpury CPEDI3* (2022)	Wellington Festival of Para Dressage (2022)	Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (2021)

 

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Natasha Baker – Grade 3

• Age: 32
• Based in: Uxbridge, Middlesex

Natasha has been surrounded by horses all her life and began riding at her local RDA group (South Bucks). After watching the Paralympic Games on TV in 2000, she announced to her parents that this was what she wanted to do – this goal was achieved when she competed at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Natasha made her senior championship debut in 2011, when she rode Cabral as an individual at the FEI European Championship. She represented Great Britain every year from then until 2016, winning 14 medals including double gold at London 2012 and triple gold at Rio 2016. Double silver came at the World Equestrian Games in 2018 with Mount St John Diva Dannebrog, before Natasha received the call-up for the Tokyo 2020 Games with new ride Keystone Dawn Chorus. Despite it being their first championship together, the pair took indivdual and freestyle silver, and help Britain to retain their team gold medal. 

Out of the saddle, Natasha is a regular voice on FEI.TV and ClipMyHorse.TV, commentating on their dressage coverage.

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Keystone Dawn Chorus

• Known as: Lottie
• Owners: Joanna Jensen, Christian Landolt, and Phil, Lorraine and Natasha Baker
• Colour: Bay
• Sex: Mare
• Height: 16.1hh
• Age: 11yrs
• Bloodlines: Dimaggio x Escudo
• Breeder: S. Lavandera GBR

Lottie and Natasha's partnership began in 2019, with their eyes set on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games from the outset. However, the delay of the Games due to COVID-19 gave them an extra year to bond, an opportunity they took full advantage of and which saw them between the white boards in both para and able-bodied competitions. Such is Lottie's calm and kind personality that Natasha was also able to try cantering her in open spaces out hacking – something she'd never been able to attempt previously. One year later than intended, they headed to Tokyo still very lacking in international experience as a partnership – it was only Lottie's fourth international outing with Natasha and she'd never travelled abroad before – but that didn't stop them from taking home individual and freestyle silver, and helping Britain to team gold. Although they have only had limited outings this year due to Natasha getting married, those they have had have been winning ones. Natasha describes Lottie as 'my little Mary Poppins, because she's practically perfect in every way'.

FEI record

Personal Bests

Individual test	Team test	Freestyle test
76.54%	78.09%	81.83%
British Dressage Para Winter Championships (2020)	Wellington Festival of Para Dressage (2022)	Wellington Festival of Para Dressage (2021)

 

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Sophie Wells – Grade 5

• Age: 32
• Based in: Harby, Lincolnshire

Sophie started riding at the age of eight at her local riding school and took up able-bodied dressage at the age of twelve. In 2008, she became the first para dressage rider to win a non-disabled international competition, after she finished first in the Junior international class at the Hickstead Under-21 international. She was the first para dressage rider to compete on both an able-bodied Junior team and the para dressage team in the same year (2010), competing on the dressage Young Rider European team, as well as being selected as part of the World Equestrian Games para dressage squad.

Sophie was selected for her first Paralympic Games in London 2012, where she won team gold along with silvers in the individual and freestyle competitions. She was also picked for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, where she took individual gold and freestyle silver, and helped the team defend their team gold. She has been on the British team at every championship since 2009, picking up an impressive 33 medals along the way. 

Sophie was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with World and European medallist C Fatal Attraction, but a late fitness concern for 'Jorge' saw inexperienced Don Cara M step up to take his place. The pair pulled out all the stops to help the British team retain their Paralympic title, and also took individual silver. 

In addition to her para dressage career, Sophie competes in able-bodied dressage and has a busy coaching schedule. 

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Don Cara M

• Known as: Don, Donnie
• Owner: Rowland Kinch
• Colour: Dark bay
• Sex: Gelding
• Height: 16.3hh
• Age: 13yrs
• Sire: Don Jovi
• Breeder: H. M. Melis NED

Don started his ridden career as a dressage horse, but a mental block on flying changes left him struggling to reach his potential. He found his way to Sophie through a recommendation by his former rider, Amy Woodhead, and in the process found his calling – there are no flying changes in para dressage! As a very green and sensitive soul with limited international mileage, going to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo was a huge ask for Don, but he and Sophie came away with an individual silver – a result that had the usually stoic Sophie wiping away happy tears – and a historic team gold. Since their return, their partnership has continued to flourish and on only one occasion have they finished off the winner's podium (second to Sophie's other ride, Jillz Geuzenhof). According to Sophie, Don 'doesn't have a weakness', and 'he's like a Ferrari and I'm [the one] touching the buttons'. 

FEI record

Personal bests

Individual test	Team test	Freestyle test
78.71%	75.651%	80.715%
Hartpury CPEDI3* (2022)	Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (2021)	Keysoe CPEDI3* (2022)