Halsall, Gardner, Gardiner, Olsen Receive British Dressage Medal of Honour

Dressage

Great Britain

British Dressage bestowed judges Clive Halsall and Andrew Gardner, legendary Olympian Trish Gardiner and BD official Lotte Olsen with the "Medal of Honour" at the 2023 BD National Convention.

The prestigious Medal of Honour accolade recognises individuals who’ve made an outstanding contribution to the sport over a distinguished career and to reward long service to British Dressage.

Clive Halsall

We were delighted to present the first Medal of Honour to a world renowned dressage official, as both a BD List 1 and FEI 5* judge. Clive has ridden nationally to Grand Prix level, internationally at small tour level, and has represented Great Britain at the FEI World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses. In recent years, he has forged a highly successful judging career, a vocation which has taken him all across the world. Based in Lancashire, Clive has a passion for training too and travels extensively to train and run clinics, alongside his busy judging schedule. He has also made a huge contribution to our Under 21 international teams, initially as Pony Trainer and currently as Coach Advisor alongside Peter Storr, which have resulted in ten medals at the FEI European Championships in the last three years alone.

Andrew Gardner

On day two we recognised another world-renowned and highly-respected official for British Dressage. Andrew’s contribution and commitment to the sport of dressage has been unwavering. He was on the working group that led to the formation of British Dressage, serving on the Board between 2000 and 2006, before later going on to serve two terms on the FEI Dressage Committee between 2017 and 2021. In his role as a List 1 and FEI 5* judge, Andrew has been a member of countless ground juries and officiated at international events across the world, including the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, as well as FEI European and World Championships. Most recently, he has been appointed to the FEI Judges Supervisory Panel. Andrew has been an outstanding official and great ambassador for British Dressage.

Trish Gardiner

Our final recipient is former Olympic rider and List 1 judge Trish Gardiner, who competed at Grand Prix level for over 25 years and represented Great Britain at many international competitions. Trish enjoyed a long and successful career at the top, including 13 years as a regular in the British team between 1977 and 1990, competing in the Seoul Olympics in 1988 with her thoroughbred Wily Imp. Following her distinguished time in the saddle, Trish continued to make an active contribution to the sport as a List 1 judge and served on the BHS dressage committee in the years leading up to the formation of British Dressage in 1998. More recently, Trish has enjoyed a partnership with none other than Valegro, hacking out with the equine superstar as a regular visitor to Carl Hester’s yard. This is long overdue recognition for one of the trailblazers of British Dressage.

Lotte Olsen

Lotte has made a significant contribution to British Dressage over the years in a number of roles. As was one of the first Directors of British Dressage, Lotte served on the Board from 1998 to 2005, helping to provide much needed financial stewardship in the early days of the organisation. More recently, she took on the position of Chair of the Eastern region for two terms, from 2015 to 2022, managing the committee alongside other commitments, including judging, stewarding and organising BD competitions. Lotte was a supportive and enthusiastic Chair, who made it her mission to visit every corner of the region, ensuring that all Eastern members felt included, represented and listened to. Lotte is still very much involved in the South & East in her roles as a List 2 Judge, steward and competitor and this autumn, Lotte has completed two terms as BD’s Nominated Director on the BEF Board – and we're immensely grateful for her contribution in this vital role.

-- text by British Dressage