Five Brits in the mix for Olympia dressage title — but who's missing?
The dressage entries for Olympia 2017 have been revealed and include five British combinations
Richard Davison is an elite British dressage rider and four-time Olympian, who has been at the forefront of international equestrian sport for more than 30 years.
Richard made his championship debut for Britain in 1993 riding Master JCB, when he was part of the silver-medal winning team at the European Championships in Lipica. Since then, he has competed at three more European Championships, two World Equestrian Games and four Olympic Games: Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and London 2012.
Richard Davison was part of the British team that won silver at the 2022 World Dressage Championships in Herning, Denmark, partnering his home-bred Lingh gelding Bubblingh – the horse’s first championship, and Richard’s first in a decade.
Aside from competing at the highest level of international dressage, Richard has been heavily involved in various areas of equestrian sport throughout his life. He spent four years as British World Class performance manager, from 2008 to 2012, combining his role with competing at top level himself.
Richard is a sought-after coach and has also been on organising committees for plenty of top-level competitions, including World Cup qualifiers such as the London International Horse Show. He was formerly vice president of the International Dressage Riders Club and a Fellow of the International Dressage Trainers Club. He is a Fellow of the British Horse Society (BHS) and has served on BHS committees, as a board member of British Dressage and also on the FEI Dressage Committee.
Richard Davison is based in Staffordshire with his wife Gill, also a grand prix dressage rider, and his son Joe, an international showjumper.