Ariat Europe

Before specialising in Dressage, Anne-Marie competed successfully in Showjumping, Eventing and Working Hunter Classes. In 2001 at only 14 years old she qualified her horse 'Forrest Fire' and pony, 'Maeseyfron Rhett' for the British Dressage National Championships at Stoneliegh Park, going on to win her Class (open to senior riders) on Forrest Fire, and has never looked back!

In 2002 Anne-Marie went back to the National Championships on Forrest Fire and won again, this time at Medium level. 2002 also saw Anne-Marie be selected for the World Class Start Program for Potential Olympic Athletes, a programme she has been reselected for every year since.

In 2003 Anne-Marie was shortlisted as one of 5 riders for the Pony (U16) European Championships, and was also a member of the Pony (U16) and Junior (U18) British Squads.

In 2004/5 she represented Great Britain successfully on numerous occasions. 2006 was Anne-Marie’s first year as a Young Rider (U21), again competing at the European Championships in the Young Rider section and returning home as the Best British Rider.

2007 was another successful year with Anne-Marie being selected again for the European Championships at Under 21 level, again returning as Best of the British Riders! Anne-Marie was third at the Winter National Championships at senior level and in the top fifteen at the Summer National Championships, again at senior level. At the premier League competitions throughout the year team 'Perry' swept the boards winning almost every Young Rider (u21) competition entered!
Success has carried on into the 2008 season and with her new Horse 'Aristo' she cleaned up at Hickstead International CDI winning the entire Young Rider Tour.

Maria is based with her father, International Rider and Trainer Ferdi Eilberg and her family in Worcestershire, England. Maria has been a member of the Pony, Junior and Young Rider Teams from 1998-2005, winning 2 silver medals with the Pony Team and 2 bronze medals with the Young Rider Team. She was travelling reserve for the World Equestrian Games with Two Sox in 2006 and National Grand Prix Freestyle Champion in 2007. Together Maria and Two Sox were also travelling reserve for the Olympic games in 2008 and went on to win the National Grand Prix and Freestyle Championship. They were a member of the Silver Medal Winning Dressage Team at Windsor in 2009.

Maria and Two Sox are now beginning preparations for next year in view of selection for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

Rachael Claridge started Endurance riding 15 years ago, and became a Gold Series Rider in 1993. In 2003 she achieved a remarkable 5th place at her first 160km FEI ride at Cirencester, England. Later that year they came 2nd in the 100km Endurance Ride at Dukeries and then won the 160 FEI 160km at Cirencester, beating the opposition by two hours. Rachael and Silver Mistrahl have now completed 2000 miles with Endurance Great Britain – a real achievement. Rachael’s aims are to be selected for the World Equestrian Games next year and to ride for Great Britain when Endurance becomes an Olympic Sport.

Emily has been riding from a very young age, progressing up through the pony club through to BE Eventing. She started competing in British Eventing when she was 12 in the National Pony Trials.

Emily is the only youth rider to have competed on seven consecutive Great Britain Championship Teams competing at European Championships. During those years Emily has won four Team Gold Medals, one Team Silver Medal, two Individual Bronze Medals and then one Individual Gold Medal when she won the Young Rider European Championships in 2008.

Emily has also won the British National U16 Championships (2004), U18 Championships (2007), and the U21 Championships (2007). In 2009 Emily won idividual bronze and team gold at the Young Rider European Championships.

Future targets and aims are to continue representing Great Britain on Championships teams, winning more medals in young riders. Then winning individual and team medals at senior level at Europeans and WEG. Finally her main goal is to Win Olympic Individual Gold.

At only 18 Laura is one of the most exciting talents in the eventing world today, with the potential to get to the very top of her chosen sport. A team gold medal winner for Great Britain at the age of 15 in the Pony European Championships and a member of the British Junior Team in 2006 Laura's ultimate ambition is to win gold at the London Olympics in 2012.

In 2006 Laura won the CCI** at Tweseldown riding Fernhill Sox and in doing so became the youngest rider ever to win an International Two-Star Three-Day Event. Laura represented Great Britain at the Junior European Championships held at Necarne Castle, Northern Ireland, winning individual Gold and team Silver. In 2007 Laura won her first Advanced class at Belton Park on Fernhil Sox, in addition she also successfully defended her Junior European Title in Switzerland and won Gold on Rayef and led the GB team to win Gold as well. Laura is the first rider ever to win consecutive Junior European Titles.

2009 saw Laura achieve both Individual and Team Gold at the Young Rider European Championships.

In a career spanning almost 20 years Mary King has become one of British Eventing’s icons and a regular member of the British team. The risks of riding were brought home to her in 2001 when she broke her neck in a fall, from which she fortunately fully recovered and fought her way back to fitness and back into the British squad for the World Championships in 2002. Mary earned her a place as a reserve in the squad for Athens in 2004 and, due to another member’s withdrawal from the team, got the call she’d been waiting for and even better, the Olympic medal she’d dreamed of for years.

2006 continued the run of success when Mary was part of the silver medal winning team at the World Championships, Aachen and 2007 brought both individual and team success in Pratoni when Mary won well earned individual silver and team gold medals at the European Championships with Call Again Cavalier.

Her glittering career has brought five team gold medals at World and European Championships and the title of British Champion a record four times. She has also represented Britain at the last four Olympic Games, in 2008 Mary won team bronze at the Beijing Olympics.

Sharon Hunt is ranked among the top 50 eventers in the world.  In the 2008 Olympics, Sharon - aboard Tankes Town - was part of an incredibly talented team that secured a bronze medal. 

Sharon currently competes on ten horses at all levels - including the World Equestrian Games, Burghley and Badminton - and travels throughout the UK and beyond to compete.  When she is not riding, training or maintaining her own fitness levels (by running, swimming and gym work), Sharon is busy delivering key note speeches and giving mounted demonstrations at a variety of equestrian, sporting, corporate and other events throughout the country.  In addition, she provides private tuition, takes on her own working pupils and advises a number of fledgling eventers.

Following a successful career in young riders, which included victory in the Under 25 Championship at Bramham and an individual silver medal in the European Young Riders Championship in 2002, the daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips really established herself at senior level in 2003 by finishing second at Burghley three day event with Toytown. Following that performance, Zara was long listed for Athens in 2004 but her hopes of competing with the British event team at an Olympic Games were dashed by an injury to Toytown that ruled him out for the rest of the year.

In June 2005, Zara put that disappointment behind her with a great performance at the newly upgraded four star event in Luhmuhlen. At the European Championships at Blenheim in September Zara rode into the history books by taking two gold medals on her senior debut, exceeding achievement of her mother, who won the individual title at the European Championships in 1971.
2006 brought the prospect of the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany – Zara’s first four star Championship after a fantastic performance the gold was hers and silver for the British team.

Following in his father’s footsteps David Deptford began Western riding when he was just 8 years old. A successful breeder of some of the greatest show ponies, David’s father was inspired by an article in a national newspaper and soon converted to the western way of riding. David met his partner, Sarah who soon converted to western riding and has been doing so for around 20 years. David and Sarah have two daughters, Amy and Eleanor, who both ride and compete successfully in the western disciplines.

David has represented Great Britain three times to date in nations cup events and is currently on the shortlist for the 2006 World Equestrian Games. This year he represented British Reining at the Dubai International Horse Show in a demonstration of all seven FEI disciplines.

Graham Fletcher is a world-class international showjumper, being involved in the sport at the highest level for over 30 years. Graham’s successes include an Olympic Silver medal, team member for three Olympic games, twice British National Champion, Leading Show jumper of the Year and winner of many International Grand Prix’s. Graham no longer competes, due to injury, but he continues to train both horse and rider, in addition to supporting his wife's showjumping career. Graham commentates on the sport regularly for major TV companies and in Britain’s leading equestrian magazine “Horse and Hound”.

Many Ariat riders have worked their way up through the ranks of their chosen discipline having started riding at a very young age. Junior show jumper Jessica Mendoza is no exception, and at only 13 is already at the top of her sport. She was the youngest ever 128cm English Team member and has represented England over 9 times.

Jessica started riding not long after she could walk, when her parents bought her a Shetland pony named Molly, and it has all gone on from there. At first she tried showing but it wasn’t long before the jumping bug caught her! Luckily however, her mum Sarah helps to exercise the horses and ponies so Jessica can still concentrate on her studies.

In 2007 Jessica was the leading Rider at Pony of the Year Show, Individual Champion at the Hickstead Schools Final and achieved 1st & 2nd places in 128cm Championships at Horse of the Year Show.

The next year she opened her account by winning nearly every Hickstead qualifier, a feat recognized by the BSJA as she was voted the youngest ever Show Jumper of the Month. She continued throughout 2008 to claim nearly every major class and later that year she won at Hickstead in the final and returned there to claim her second successive National Schools Championship. She also made the move into 138cms and won five Horse of the Year Show qualifiers on her two 138cms ponies - Creative Dancer and Dooneens Future Star. Her record of victories in the small pony scene will prove hard to emulate in the future.

Throughout 2009 the Ariat saddlecloths and badge on her trade mark red jacket have been carried to major 148cms Grand Prix victories in Europe by Tixylix in Wierden, Moorselle and Freudenberg. In addition to these Grand Prix wins Jessica has won both gold and silver medals at Nations Cup events as well as the 148cms Grand Prix, Leading Rider and Talent Spotter Grand Prix at Pony of the Year.

Jessica has now successfully achieved her aim and became the youngest ever rider to represent Great Britain at the European finals in Moorse1le in Belgium.

Tina has enjoyed a glittering International showjumping career and still competes at top level in the UK. Tina has won the Queen Elizabeth cup twice, been reserve rider in the Barcelona Olympics, won Britain’s Leading lady rider, the Toronto Volvo World Cup qualifier and numerous International and UK competitions. As one of a handful of BSJA Elite trainers, Tina concentrates much of her time training horse and rider.