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| LUCINDA GREEN WINS MARTIN COLLINS SPECIAL AWARD AT THE AHT EQUESTRIAN AWARDS 2008 - 17 Nov 2008 |
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One of the world’s most successful event riders, Lucinda Green, was honoured at the Animal Health Trust Equestrian Awards 2008 in London last Thursday night when she was presented with the Martin Collins Special Award for outstanding contribution to equestrianism.
The Martin Collins Special Award is given to an individual who has made a major difference within the equestrian world. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the AHT Equestrian Awards this year the award was dedicated to the person who was judged to have made the greatest contribution over the past 20 years.
Readers of Horse and Hound magazine were asked to nominate individuals from which a short list of three was drawn up for the judging panel of Madeleine Lloyd Webber, Susan George, Major Malcolm Wallace, Christopher Bartle, Mike and Angie Rutherford, Sarah Pidgley, Stephen Hadley, Justin Llewellyn and a group of twelve representatives from the Animal Health Trust. The three finalists were event rider Lucinda Green, Paralympic dressage champion Lee Pearson and the Whitaker family.
A spokesperson from the AHT Equestrian Awards committee, who was involved in the judging panel, said, “All the nominees would have made such worthy recipients that it was a very difficult choice to make. However, we had to pick a winner, and along with the readers of Horse & Hound and the racing press, we came up with a person we felt represented a great contribution to equestrianism over the past 20 years.”
Lucinda Green MBE is the only rider to have won Badminton Horse Trials six times on six different horses and was World and European Champion as well as an Olympic silver medallist. Since retiring from international competition in 1987 she has worked as a commentator for television, reported on equestrian sport for the Daily Telegraph and passed on the benefit of her talent and experience to hundreds of aspiring event riders around the world through her training clinics, which focus on how to ride more safely across country. She is also a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of Selectors for British Eventing.
The award was presented by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and Martin Collins founder of Martin Collins Enterprises, the world’s first and market-leading manufacturer of synthetic riding surfaces.
“Lucinda Green is an icon for equestrian sport,” commented Martin Collins, “and is still providing inspiration to hundreds of riders - young and old - through her very successful clinics and training videos. Throughout her career she has been a superb ambassador for eventing and continues to play a very important part in the development of the sport in the UK and around the world.”
Lucinda commented: "This is something that I really can't believe has happened, it is the most unexpected award to have come my way in many years. I never even considered that it would be me when in the company of such other worthy finalists in Lee Pearson and the Whitaker family. I am surprised but wholly delighted and I would like to thank all of you who voted for me to win this Martin Collins Special Award". |
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| Category: Dressage |
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