Carl Hester (born 29 June 1967 in Cambridgeshire, England) is a British dressage rider competing at Olympic level. As of 8 August 2012, the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) rank him 12th in the world riding Uthopia. In 2012, Hester formed part of the Great Britain Dressage team that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Early life and career Hester was raised by his mother and stepfather. He lived on the Channel Island of Sark from the age of four, and was educated at Elizabeth College in Guernsey. His biological father is the actor Tony Smee.
Aged 19 he applied for a job with horses in the UK at The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy and on the centre's skewbald mare, Jolly Dolly, he won the 1985 Young Dressage Rider Championship. Moving to Bourton-on-the-Hill he competed at the first Blenheim Horse Trials and won the Spillers Dressage with Jumping Championship. He next rode for Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer (father of Laura Bechtolsheimer) and in 1990 went to the World Championships on Rubelit von Unkenriff, the European Championships in 1991 and in 1992 the Barcelona Olympics on Georgioni. Hester became the youngest British rider ever to compete in an Olympic Games. He next went into a business partnership with Kate Carter at her yard at Stow-on-the-Wold until Carter decided to move for more space. Hester too moved to buy his own yard at Oaklebrook Mill, near Newent, Gloucestershire.
2011 European Dressage Championship In 2011 Hester riding the horse Uthopia was part of the British team that won the team gold medal at the 2011 European Dressage Championship in Rotterdam. Hester also won individual silver medals in the Grand Prix Freestyle and Grand Prix Special.
As of 8 August 2012 the (FEI) ranked him 12th in the world riding Uthopia.
2012 Olympics In 2012, Hester was selected with three others to represent the United Kingdom at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in the Individual and Team Dressage events. The UK dressage team won the gold medal with Hester riding Uthopia.
Hester was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.
International Championship results Results Year Event HorseScore PlacingNotes 1990 World Equestrian Games Rubelit v. Unkenruf5thTeam18thIndividual 1992 Olympic GamesGiorgione7thTeam16thIndividual 1999 European Championships Legal Democrat5thTeam13thIndividual 2004 Olympic Games Exquis Escapado 7thTeam13thIndividual2005World Cup FinalExquis Escapado10th2005European ChampionshipsExquis Escapado5thTeam6thIndividual2009European ChampionshipsLiebling II72.085%Team72.250%10thIndividual Special75.900%10thIndividual Freestyle2010World Equestrian GamesLeibling II72.128%Team69.417%17thIndividual Special2011European ChampionshipsUthopia82.568%Team81.682%Individual Special84.179%Individual Freestyle2012Olympic GamesUthopia77.720%Team82.857%5thIndividual2013European ChampionshipsUthopia75.334%Team72.250%6thIndividual Special81.696%6thIndividual Freestyle2014World Equestrian GamesNip Tuck74.186%Team75.532%12thIndividual Special76.589%12thIndividual Freestyle2015European ChampionshipsNip Tuck75.400%Team77.003%5thIndividual Special79.571%8thIndividual Freestyle2016Olympic GamesNip Tuck75.529%Team82.553%7thIndividual2017World Cup FinalNip Tuck83.757%2017European ChampionshipsNip Tuck74.900%4thTeam76.732%5thIndividual Special80.614%4thIndividual Freestyle2018World Equestrian GamesHawtins Delicato77.283%Team77.219%9thIndividual Special2019European ChampionshipsHawtins Delicato78.323%4thTeam77.508%9thIndividual Special70.732%14thIndividual Freestyle
Personal life Hester is openly gay. In July 2024, it was announced a film was to be made about his life.
See also 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics gold post boxes
References
External links BBC Sport – Carl Hester profile