Carl Hester

Carl Hester
MBE
Hester at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born (1967-06-29) 29 June 1967
Sark, Channel Islands
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
2012 LondonTeam – Dressage
2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam – Dressage
World Championships
2010 KentuckyTeam dressage
2014 NormandyTeam dressage
2018 TryonTeam dressage
European Championships
2011 RotterdamTeam dressage
2009 WindsorTeam dressage
2011 RotterdamSpecial dressage
2011 RotterdamFreestyle dressage
2015 AachenTeam dressage
2013 HerningTeam dressage
World Cup
2017 OmahaIndividual dressage

Carl Hester, MBE (born 29 June 1967 in Sark, Channel Islands) is a British dressage rider competing at Olympic level.[1] As of 8 August 2012 the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) rank him 12th in the world riding Uthopia.[2]

Early life and career

Hester was raised on the Channel Island of Sark,[3] educated at Elizabeth College Guernsey. Aged 19 he applied for a job with horses on the UK mainland at The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy and on the centre’s skewbald mare, Jolly Dolly, he won the 1985 Young Dressage Rider Championship. Moving to Bourton-on-the-Hill he competed at the first Blenheim Horse Trials and won the Spillers Dressage with Jumping Championship. He next rode for Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer[3] (father of Laura Bechtolsheimer) and in 1990 went to the World Championships on Rubelit von Unkenriff, the European Championships in 1991 and in 1992 the Barcelona Olympics on Georgioni. Hester became the youngest British rider ever to compete in an Olympic Games. He next went into a business partnership with Kate Carter at her yard at Stow-on-the-Wold until Carter decided to move for more space. Hester too moved to buy his own yard at Oaklebrook Mill, near Newent, Gloucestershire.[4][5]

2011 European Dressage Championship

In 2011 Hester riding the horse Uthopia was part of the British team that won the team gold medal at the 2011 European Dressage Championship in Rotterdam.[3][6] Hester also won individual silver medals in the Grand Prix Freestyle and Grand Prix Special.[7]

As of 8 August 2012 the (FEI) ranked him 12th in the world riding Uthopia.[2]

2012 Olympics

In 2012, Hester was selected with three others to represent the United Kingdom at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in the Individual and Team Dressage events.[8] The UK dressage team won the gold medal with Hester riding Uthopia.[9]

In the New Year Honours 2013 Hester was appointed as a Member of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to equestrianism.[10][11]

Notable Horses

  • Exquis Escapado - 1993 Bay Oldenburg Gelding (Exlibris x Ikarus)
    • 2004 Athens Olympic Games - 13th Place Individual
    • 2005 FEI World Cup Final - 10th Place
    • 2005 European Championships - 5th Place Individual
  • Liebling II - 1997 Bay Holsteiner Gelding (Lorentin I x Koenigspark XX)
    • 2009 European Championships - Silver Medal Team, 11th Place Individual Grand Prix, 10th Place Individual Freestyle
    • 2010 World Equestrian Games - Silver Medal Team
  • Uthopia - 2001 Bay Dutch Warmblood Stallion (Metall x Inspekteur)
    • 2011 European Championships - Team Gold Medal, Individual Silver Medal Grand Prix, Individual Silver Medal Freestyle
    • 2012 London Olympic Games - Team Gold Medal, 5th Place Individual
    • 2013 European Championships - Team Bronze Medal, 6th Place Individual Grand Prix, 6th Place Individual Freestyle
  • Nip Tuck - 2004 Bay Dutch Warmblood Gelding (Don Ruto x Animo)
    • 2014 World Equestrian Games - Team Silver Medal, Individual 12th Place Grand Prix, Individual 12th Place Freestyle
    • 2015 European Championships - Team Silver Medal, Individual 5th Place Grand Prix, Individual 8th Place Freestyle
    • 2016 Rio Olympic Games - Team Silver Medal, Individual 7th Place
    • 2017 FEI World Cup Final - Bronze Medal
    • 2017 European Championships - Individual 4th Place

Personal life

Hester is openly gay.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Carl Hester: Great Britain & N. Ireland, Equestrian". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Ranking / Standing Search". Fédération Équestre Internationale. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Knight, Sam (8 August 2016). "The Duo That Dominates Dressage". The New Yorker. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Gloucestershire going for gold at the London 2012 Olympics". www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "Carl Hester Official Website". Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Britain win first-ever European team dressage title". BBC Sport. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  7. ↑ Parkes, Louise (21 August 2011). "FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 – Grand Prix Freestyle". Fédération Équestre Internationale. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "London 2012: Team GB dressage team announced by BOA". BBC Sport. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  9. ↑ Williams, Ollie (7 August 2012). "Olympics equestrian: 20 gold medals for GB with dressage win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 25.
  11. ↑ "2013 New Year's Honours" (PDF). Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  12. ↑ Buzinski, Jim. "20 openly gay and lesbian athletes at 2012 London Summer Olympics". Outsports. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2016.

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