Blast from the past: 50 photos of Carl Hester to celebrate his birthday

Carl lived on the Isle of Sark from the age of four, where he learnt to ride on a donkey called Jacko

When Carl was 16 he was offered a job at the Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy in Dorset

Carl with the Fortune Centre’s Jolly Dolly, winning the 1985 Young Rider title

Carl is crowned the Young Rider National Dressage Champion in 1985, riding Jolly Dolly

Carl with Janni and Christopher Taylor’s schoolmaster Slightly Trendy, with whom he was selected for the Young Rider team, at a competition at B.E.C in 1988

A sight seldom seen! Carl Hester performs on grass with Wesley, at Barnsley in 1990

Carl at his first international competition — the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, where the British team finished in fifth place

Clad in a top hat at the 1990 World Championships

Carl and Dr. Wilfried Bechtolsheimer's grand prix horse Giorgione S. The pair competed at the 1992 Olympic Games together

Carl dressed as “The Explorer” riding the leading British stallion Jumbo at a Christmas pantomime event

Carl and Dr. Wilfried Bectolsheimer’s stallion Giorgione S in Wiesbaden, Germany

Carl at a selection trial in 1993 with Giorgione S. The previous year the pair had represented Britain at Carl’s first Olympics and had retained their 1991 title at the National Championships. Wilfried described “Gino” as “the dominating force in British dressage” during his career. His daughter, Olympic medallist Laura, rode Giorgione as a “little girl” and Wilfired has a statue of the horse overlooking his outdoor arena

Carl and Boucheron, winners of the medium and advanced medium classes at the Midland Dressage Championships in 1994

Carl with Boucheron at Talland in 1994

Carl with Escapado, affectionately known as “Peanuts”, who he rode at the 2004 Athens Olympics, finishing best of the Brits in 13th, and went on to ride into fifth at the 2005 European Championships. Escapado then went to Hans Peter Minderhoud, launching Hans Peter’s grand prix career, before joining Dolendo for retirement at Carl’s yard in 2011

Carl and Gershwin at Horse of the Year Show in 1995

Carl riding Donner Rhapsody, a full sister to the great Donnersong, with whom he took the national medium and advanced medium classes in 1999 and was fourth in the prix st georges championship in 2001

Carl with Donnersong, who he described as “king of the small tour”. Donnersong was retired to stud in 2003 and died after recurring bouts of laminitis in 2012, having enjoyed retirement with owner-breeder Kate Carter

Carl with his great horse Dolendo, or “Donald” taking the medium championship in 2001. Donald went on to take national grand prix titles with Spencer Wilton before the ride passed back to Carl. Donald was ruled out of the 2008 Olympics due to injury and retired with Carl in 2011. He died in 2015

Carl and Dolendo enjoy a lap of honour after triumphing at the South West regionals. In 2001, Donald qualified for the National championships with both Carl and Spencer Wilton, going on to win the medium championship with Carl and take fourth in the elementary with Spencer

Carl in the grand prix freestyle at the 2004 Athens Olympics with Escapado, where they finished in seventh place individually

Carl and Liebling II during the 2009 World Festival CHIO in Aachen, Germany

Carl and Uthopia in action in Greenwich Park during the London 2012 Olympic Games

Carl strikes a pose with the gold medal-winning Uthopia

The Olympic gold medal-winning rider after he is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by The Queen during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on 19 July 2013

Nip Tuck delights crowds during the grand prix freestyle at the Royal Windsor Horse Show

Carl and Nip Tuck in August 2014 during the grand prix of the FEI World Equestrian Games at D'Ornano Stadium in Caen, France

Catching up with Valegro, Charlotte Dujardin's gold medal-winning ride

Carl is presented with the British Horse Society Award by Her Majesty The Queen the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 2015

Carl and Nip Tuck during the horse inspection at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Carl salutes the crowd after his freestyle at the 2017 World Cup final