Tanya Larrigan

I was born into the world of circus where animals ruled the roost and our world revolved around them. My parents trained horses and I rode before l could walk. During practice time l would be up on the lead horse, this way Mum could keep an eye on me!

After circus life, we had a riding school, livery and holiday business plus re-schooled problem horses for sale. l was riding Grand Prix moves by the age of nine on my mother’s high school horse Rainbeau, but show jumping was my first love. I fell into competitive dressage when l was 18 years old, when Rainbeau and I made the team for the first ever Junior (now Young Rider) European Dressage Championships.

Salute came to me when l was 21. He was Medium level with problems but we went on to make the team for the World Championships when l was 23, plus two Olympic Squads and a European Championships team. I carried on competing internationally with Diplomat but a problem with my lower back (it is literally screwed together!) caused me to stop competing, though l’m back now with Lord Classic.

In 2009 I was honoured with leading the Quadrille display at the European Dressage Championships at Windsor, and on the coaching front I was appointed Para coach for the BEF Regional Foundation Squad programme for the Southeast and London, British Dressage Para representative for the Southeast and I am leading the new Para Coaches Development Programme, which is a very exciting project.

l do a variety of work, l am an author, a coach educator and a BD, BSJA and BHS trainer. I train equestrian displays including ‘The Mini Marvels’ miniature horse long reining display team, l even created and designed a range of children’s toys based on them! 2010 will be my fourth year producing ‘The Magic of the Horse`, an Equestrian Variety Performance featuring 40 horses – it was my dream!