Emma Hindle

Date of birth: 19 May 1975.

Lives: Erbach, Germany.

Major achievements: As an under-21, Emma was on the team for the Junior European Championships in 1989 and 1990 and the Young Rider European Championships in 1992, 1993 and 1996.

As a senior, Emma was a member of the British bronze medal-winning team at the 2003 European Championships at Hickstead with Wie Weltmeyer. She has been a member of the British team every year since and achieved the best British placing, seventh overall in the individual competition, at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Current competition horses:

•Lancet, a 16.2hh German-bred brown stallion by Wenzel I out of Stella, born 1993 and owned by Emma Hindle.

•Diamond Hit, a 16.1hh German-bred brown stallion by Don Schufro out of Loretta, born 1997 and owned by the Brookhouse Stud.

•Fürstenreich, a 17hh bay stallion by Floristan I out of Maibel, born 1998 and owned by the Brookhouse Stud.

•Chequille Z, a 17.1hh bay stallion by Caretano Z out of Hauterive, born 1999 and owned by the Brookhouse stud.

First competitive experience: “A lead rein class on a pony called Woody at a show near Liverpool when I was five. My uncle David was leading and we finished second.”

Trainer: Richard White.

Superstitions: “I am extremely superstitious about wearing my two bracelets and I wear ‘lucky socks’ from nanny, basically because they are the most comfortable with my competition outfit. I broke my superstition with the bracelets in 2003 in Berlin. I took them off because I get a rash otherwise, put them down and someone stole one, but I won anyway. I replaced the stolen one and now only need to wear one, but always wear both anyway.”

Most admired riders: “Holland’s Anky van Grunsven and the German riders Ulla Salzgeber, Hubertus Schmidt and Kathrin Meyer zu Strohen, who has won lots of young horse classes at Germany’s Bundeschampionats. She is a clever lady.”

Qualities looked for in a dressage horse: “There is no perfect dressage horse. I like them to be active behind from nature and to have good self-carriage, three good paces and to be willing to work. There are always exceptions. I’m riding a young horse at the moment who wants to learn so much that it makes up for a lot of deficiencies in other areas.”

Favourite dressage venues: “Nothing compares to Goodwood, which sadly is no more. Wiesbaden in Germany is a great show and I love competing in Sweden – the Swedish get really excited about dressage, even more so than the Germans.”

What other career would you have chosen: “I don’t think I can ride for the rest of my life and, in the long-term, my plan is to run my family business, which is property developing.”