Carl Hester

Date of birth: 29 June 1967.

Major achievements: Carl won the 1985 National Young Rider Championship just 18 months after taking up dressage, was a Talent Spotting finalist in 1986 and a member of the British Young Rider team in 1988.

In his competition career as a senior, Carl has amassed a record 44 national dressage titles and has been British Dressage (BD) National Champion five times. He has competed in three Olympics, one World Equestrian Games, four European Championships and has reached one World Cup Dressage Final.

Carl and Escapado were the highest-placed British combination at the 2004 Athens Olympics as well as the 2005 European Championships, where they finished sixth with a personal record-score. He was selected for the 2007 European Championships with Lecantos, but had to withdraw due to his ride injuring himself a couple of weeks before the competition.

In 2008, Carl’s bad luck continued. He had two horses in contention for the Olympics, Dolendo and Lecantos, but both ended up out of the running due to injuries.

2009 continues with great success in the UK for Carl, his new recent ride of Uthopia has achieved results of 76.11% at Premier League PSG and CDI Inter 1 winning with 76.66%.

TMovistar also continues to impress in 2009 with a recent win at the Saumur CDI Inter 1 with 77.55%.

In 1996, Carl won the Dressage Trainer of the Year and, in 1997, he was awarded the Spillers Equestrian Personality of the Year. He is a sought-after trainer; his former pupil Vaughn Jefferis became the 1994 individual three-day event world champion and Carl was the dressage trainer for the New Zealand three-day event team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Qualities looked for in a dressage horse:“I look for willingness to work as well as an ability to lengthen and shorten with a desire to go forwards rather a lot.”

Favourite dressage venues: “Hickstead, as we always have stonking good weather, the arena surfaces are great and there is a party atmosphere. Abroad, I love the Sunshine Tour, which takes place on three consecutive weekends in Spain in March, from the point of view that it is the most relaxed atmosphere to start a horse’s international competition career.”

What other career would you have chosen: “Something in the hotel trade as I come from an island geared to tourism and worked in bars and hotels in my early years.”