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Richard Davison (equestrian)

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Richard Davison
Davison at the 2012 Olympics
Personal information
Born (1955-09-20) 20 September 1955 (age 69)
Medal record
Equestrian
Representing  Great Britain
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Herning Team dressage
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1993 Lipica Team dressage
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Hickstead Team dressage
Davison at the 2012 Olympics

Richard Davison (born 20 September 1955) is an Olympic standard dressage rider.[1]

Davison is a four-time Olympian having represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in London in 2012, Athens in 2004, Sydney in 2000 and Atlanta in 1996.[2] He was the British Team captain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[3]

He is a World and European Championship team medallist.[4][5] He remains one of Britain's most successful dressage competitors, having competed over four decades. He has made an extensive contribution to the sport during his career, not only as a rider, but also as a trainer and team manager.[6] His knowledge and experience has helped steer dressage from being barely known among the general public to becoming the sport of the 'dancing horses' that Britain celebrated during London.[7]

In 2022 he won team silver at the FEI World Championships on Bubblingh, a horse owned by Gwendolyn Sontheim[8] and which he had bred out of a mare which he had also competed for her at the 2002 World Championships and on whom he had won team bronze at the 2003 European Championships.

He is the former British Dressage World Class Equestrian Programme Performance Manager and British Olympic Dressage Team Captain,[9] and for many years was a coach to the British World Class Show Jumping Programme.[6] He has been credited for 'masterminding the strategic plan behind Britain's most successful period of International successes' which resulted in the Dressage team's historic Olympic and European team gold medals and World Championship medals.[9][6]

He has acted as a Board Member and moderator for The Global Dressage Forum at each event since its inception in 2001.[10][11] The event provides a live forum for the global dressage community and has HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark as its President.[12]

Davison has been described as an eloquent and skilled moderator who is practised at combining firm control with humour when needed, and who keeps meetings on message and delegates engaged.[13][14][15]

The six time Olympic medallist Carl Hester MBE describes Davison as 'A long-time friend, teammate and advisor' and like others credits him for 'masterminding the strategic plan behind Britain's most successful period of international success'.[16]

From 1995 until 2003 Davison was a member of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Dressage Committee. In 2008 when the FEI President HRH Princess Haya Bint Hussein demanded that the entire committee should resign, on the grounds it did not fully represent the interests of the dressage community, Davison was appointed by the FEI Executive Board to the Ad Hoc Task Force which was established to replace the committee and to inject a new focus in the sport.[17]

He was also a member of the FEI Dressage Judging Working Group established in 2015 to review International judging scoring systems and to make recommendations for improvement. The Working Group made nineteen recommendations when they presented their final report in 2018.[18] One of Davison's roles was to seek input from a cohort of behavioural psychologists and visual cognition experts from Nottingham Trent University to evaluate and ease cognitive load involved in judging.

In 2010 he was also a member of the FEI Working Group tasked with expanding current guidelines for Stewards to facilitate clear implementation of the policy on warm-up techniques at FEI events. Among other things this was established to give stewards greater powers to sanction aggressive riding techniques.[19][20]

He has acted as an expert witness in high profile legal claims,[21] and he is a member of the organising committee of the London International Horse Show and acts as technical advisor to a number of other competitions. He was a member of the founding group of the Burghley Young Event Horse series.[6]

Davison has competed horses for high profile owners including Lord and Lady Bamford, HRH Princess Haya bint Hussein, Gwendolyn Sontheim and the Countess of Derby. In 2015, together with his younger son Joe, he was asked to present a dressage masterclass demonstrating his training methods to HM Queen Elizabeth II using Hiscox Artemis, the horse Davison rode for Lady Derby at the 2012 London Olympic Games.[22]

The Countess of Derby arranged for Sir Elton John and Robbie Williams to give permission for Davison to ride to their music in his dressage freestyle programmes. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra recorded the compositions and the project was supported in part by The Foundation for Sport and the Arts.[23][24]

Davison spent the early years of his career training and studying dressage in Vienna as a pupil of Arthur Kottas-Heldenberg, and also at the famous Spanish Riding School, considered to be the home of classical dressage, where he also had the honour of being accepted as a student.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Davison joined other equestrian personalities in Equestrian Relief, a fund raising initiative in support of NHS workers.[25][26]

Equine Welfare and Ethical Training

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Davison champions the underpinning of equine training methods, together with the regulation of equestrian sport, with the use of science-based evidence.[27]

He is a Trustee of World Horse Welfare.[28]

He has been invited to present at a number of equine science meetings including those run by The Saddlery Research Trust, the British Horse Society, Liverpool University, The Reaseheath College, BEVA, and has co-chaired events for the International Society for Equestrian Science.[29][30][31][32][33][34]

Media Work

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Over the years Davison has contributed regularly to a number of equestrian publications,[6] and acted as a guest editor of Horse and Hound magazine with whom he was a long-time columnist.[9] He has regularly commentated on TV. He has made a number of dressage training DVD's. He authored the book Dressage Priority Points published in 1996[35] and wrote the foreword to Brain, Pain or Training.[36]

Between 2013 and 2017, together with Carl Hester MBE, he hosted The Dressage Convention.[37] The duo used the weekend-long event to attempt to dispel the mysteries surrounding dressage training and make it fun and inclusive. In an effort to unite the classical dressage community with their own competition worlds they invited Sylvia Loch of The Classical Riding Club to join them.[38]

More recently the duo of Hester and Davison have co-hosted Dressage Unwrapped at the London International Horse Show together with other International dressage celebrities.[39]

Horse and Country television have featured Davison in a number of masterclasses and series including 'Daisy Dines With', a cooking and dining series hosted by Daisy Bunn where, alongside fellow Olympian Geoff Billington, he was a guest of Nina Barbour.[40] Alice Plunket also featured Davison and his family in her series 'In the Frame'.[41]

To the Reuters news agency in 2016 Davison described the world record holding champion dressage horse Valegro as the 'Muhammad Ali' of dressage, the greatest.[42] He reiterated this at Valegro's official retirement ceremony at the London International Horse Show but went on to credit the influence of Valegro's rider Charlotte Dujardin and trainer Carl Hester by saying 'In my time in the sport - which is 40 years - I've never seen a horse like Valegro. Frankly he is the greatest, he is the Muhammad Ali of this sport. But he also needs a fantastic rider, and I think it is the alchemy between those three (Valegro, Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester), that has given us the privilege of watching the greatest combination together'.[43]

Honours and awards

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Richard Davison is a former visiting fellow at Nottingham Trent University. In 2017 the university awarded him an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science in recognition of his significant contribution to the world of equestrian sport.[44]

He was awarded the Horse and Hound magazine 1996 Dressage Personality of the Year Award.

In 2009 he received the Horse of the Year Show Equestrian of the Year Award.[45]

He was awarded the British Equestrian Federation Medal of Honour in recognition of activities connected with International endeavour.[46]

He is a Fellow of the British Horse Society and a Fellow of the International Dressage Trainer Club.[6]

Davison is holder of the FEI Gold Badge of Honour.[47]

Since 1992 Davison's family have awarded the 'GW Davison Award' to British Dressage riders who perform with excellence when competing as part of the British team at a European or World Championships or Olympic Games. The award is intended to nurture and commend team spirit while competing at the highest levels.[48]

Personal life

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Davison is married to fellow equestrian Gillian, and they have two sons. Their eldest son Tom is an international equestrian coach based in the USA and the EU.[49] Their youngest son Joe is an International show jumper. Horse and Hound magazine featured his Staffordshire home asking, 'is this the most idyllic dressage yard in Britain?'[50]

References

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  1. ^ "Richard Davison". London2012.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Richard Davison". equestriangbr.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Richard Davison". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Fry leads team to dressage silver at FEI World Championships". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  5. ^ Horse & Hound (15 August 2003). "Britain wins bronze at the European Dressage Championships". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Richard Davison". Horse and Rider. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Post-London planning key, says Davison". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  8. ^ Murray, Becky (6 August 2022). "'The score hasn't dampened my enjoyment': Richard Davison on his World Dressage Championships grand prix". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Horse & Hound (26 March 2015). "H&H guest editor Richard Davison: 'there's always uproar'". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Global Dressage Forum". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Global Dressage Forum - Foundation". www.globaldressageforum.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Global Dressage Forum - Forum". www.globaldressageforum.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Making Progress at the 2010 Global Dressage Forum". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Highlights of the 2015 Global Dressage Forum". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Global Dressage Forum NA Attracts Large Audience, Top Participants". Dressage-News. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  16. ^ Hester, Carl (2015). Valegro: Champion Horse (1st ed.). Third Millennium Publishing. ISBN 9781908990532.
  17. ^ "Scoring explored by FEI's dressage task force | Horsetalk - International horse news". www.horsetalk.co.nz. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Report of the FEI Dressage Judging Working Group" (PDF). fei.org. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  19. ^ Print. "Working Group To Submit Report on Warm-Up Guideline to FEI Bureau". www.chronofhorse.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  20. ^ Jurga, Fran (8 April 2010). "FEI Report on "Aggressive Riding" Due Next Week; Germany Ready to Launch New Rules for "Fair Riding"". Equus Magazine. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Jacqui Dark (nee Fulton) - Equine Law". www.equinelawuk.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Hiscox Artemis Performs for the Queen". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Richard Davison Gets Elton John Freestyle for Artemis". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers Support Britain's Richard Davison". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  25. ^ "olympic riders Archives". Horse Scout. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Team Dressage - Equestrian Relief". www.equestrianrelief.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Richard Davison: Welfare in top level Equestrian Sport - Horse Scout". Horse Scout. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Our Trustees". World Horse Welfare. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  29. ^ Marcus, Charlotte (30 December 2021). "Saddle Research Trust Conference spreads equine welfare and performance knowledge worldwide". Veterinary Practice. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  30. ^ "Meeting Presentations – Animal Welfare Research Network". awrn.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  31. ^ "8th ISES Conference - 2012". www.equitationscience.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  32. ^ "Equitation science: principles and practices" (PDF). therapiemetdieren.be. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  33. ^ "British dressage team captain to share experiences of Olympic Games - Articles - Equine Practice - University of Liverpool". www.liverpool.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  34. ^ Surgeons, Rossdales Veterinary (9 October 2022). "Inaugural BEVA Elite Performance Horse". Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  35. ^ Davison, Richard (1996). Dressage Priority Points. Howell Book House. ISBN 978-0-87605-932-6.
  36. ^ "Understanding Horse Performance - Brain, Pain or Training Book by Sue Palmer". Intelligent Horsemanship. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  37. ^ "Dressage Greats Unite the Community at The Dressage Convention". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  38. ^ "The Dressage Convention « HEYSPORTS.CO.UK". heysports.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  39. ^ "Olympia Announces 'Dressage Unwrapped' Presented By Carl Hester, Gareth Hughes and Richard Davison • The London International Horse Show". 23 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Daisy Dines With..." horseandcountry.tv. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  41. ^ "In the Frame". horseandcountry.tv. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  42. ^ "Equestrian - Valegro bows out after emotional London farewell". Reuters. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  43. ^ Silver, Madeleine (22 December 2016). "Valegro tribute: 'I've never seen a horse like him — he is the greatest'". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  44. ^ "Honorary graduates - Richard Davidson - Alumni - Nottingham Trent University". www.ntualumni.org.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  45. ^ "Richard Davison Honoured With HOYS Equestrian of the Year Award". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  46. ^ Today, Richard Davison for Dressage (6 June 2010). "Brits Get Ready for the WEG". EquiSearch. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  47. ^ "Richard Davison (10011348)".
  48. ^ "What's That Bling? The Davison Award". Eurodressage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  49. ^ "Tom Davison". Horse and Rider. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  50. ^ Bateman, Stephanie (20 July 2017). "Is this the most idyllic dressage yard in Britain?". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
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