Equestrian - Champions
The FEI World Equestrian Games are considered as the major international championships for equestrianism, and are governed by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). The competitions are conducted after every four years.
Some of the important Equestrian championships that are held worldwide are as follows −
- The American World Cup
- Saratoga Classic Horse Show
- World’s Championship Horse Show
- The AQHA World Show
- The Arabian and Half Arabian Horse Show
- The Georgia Arabian Horse Show
Equestrian is a sport of Horse Riding which consists of various events. Many participants have won medals in various championships. The description of some of them is as follows.
Reiner Klimke
Reiner Klimke was a German Equestrian who has won six golds and two bronzes in Summer Olympics. In the team events, he won golds in 1964, 1968, 1976, 1984, and 1988. In individual events, he won two bronze medals in 1968 and 1976.
He has also won six gold medals in World Championships of which two were won in individual events in 1974 and 1982 and four in team events in 1966, 1974, 1982, and 1986.
He also got success in European Championships where he won many medals. He died of heart attack at the age of 63.
Carl Hester
Carl Hester is a dressage rider from Great Britain. He started his career at a very young age and won Young Dressage Rider Championship in 1985. From 1990 onwards, he started taking part in World Championships, European Championships, and Olympics.
In 2011, he participated in European Dressage Championship in the British team and won gold medal. He also won silver in special dressage and freestyle dressage in the same championship.
Besides this, he has won four silvers and one bronze in European Championships in different years. In 2009 and 2015 European Championships, he won a silver while a bronze in 2013 in a team event.
Michael Jung
Michael Jung is a horse rider and equestrian participant from Germany who participates in eventing. He has won many medals in Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships.
In 2012 Olympics, he won a gold medal each in team and individual events. In 2010, he won a gold in individual eventing in World Equestrian Games.
In 2014, he won a gold in team eventing and silver in individual eventing. In European Championships, he has won six golds and one bronze.
David O’ Conner
David O’ Conner is an equestrian participant from United States who has participated in two Summer Olympics.
He won a silver medal in 1996 Olympics and a bronze medal in 2000 Olympics in team eventing.
He won a silver medal in individual eventing and a gold medal in team eventing in 1999 Pan American Games.
In 2002 World Equestrian Games, he won a gold in team event. He retired from the team in 2004 and became coach for the US team.
Mark Todd
Mark Todd is an equestrian participant from New Zealand who has won two gold medals in Badminton Horse Trials in Olympics four times and Burghley Horse Trials five times.
He also won gold medals in World Championships while being a member of New Zealand team.
At the starting of his career, he took part in first three-day eventing in a World Championship and got 10th Position. In 1980, he won Badminton Horse Trials. After this, Todd won medals in 1984 and 1988 Olympics.
Charlotte Dujardin
Charlotte Dujardin is a dressage rider from Great Britain and is considered as the most successful rider who has won many major titles and has set many world records. The titles that she has won include Individual Olympic Freestyle and World Freestyle.
Along with it, she has also won World Cup individual dressage and European Freestyle. She was fond of riding from childhood and she has won Horse of the year four times till the age of 16.
In 2007, she got some coaching with Carl Hester for dressage riding. She has won two golds in 2012 Olympics one as an individual and other in a team.
Anky van Grunsven
Anky van Grunsven is a dressage champion from Netherlands who has won many medals in Olympics.
She has the record of winning medals in three consecutive Olympic Games.
Apart from this, she has also won many medals in World Equestrian Games. Between the year 1995 and 2008, she has won the World Cup nine times.
In European Dressage Championship, she has won eight team medals and seven individual medals. After taking part in 2012 Olympics, she retired in 2013.
Isabell Werth
Isabell Werth is a German dressage rider who has won eight medals in Olympics. In 1992 Olympics, she won a gold in team dressage event and a silver in individual dressage event.
In 1996 Olympics, she won one gold each in team and individual dressage events. In 2000 and 2008 Olympics she won a gold in team and a silver in individual dressage events.
In World Championships, she has won seven golds and two bronzes while in European Championships, she has won nine golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.
Nicole Uphoff
Nicole Uphoff is an Equestrian from Germany who has won four Gold medals in Olympics. Besides this, she has also won medals in World Equestrian Games and European Dressage Championships.
She started her riding career in 1985. In 1987, she started taking part in international championships with her coach Uwe Schulten Baumer. She won a two golds, one in team dressage and one in individual dressage events in 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
In European Championships, she has won six golds and one silver while in World Championships, she has won three golds and one silver.
