Laura Collett (born 31 August 1989) is a British equestrian who competes in eventing.
Early life Collett won the supreme pony title at Horse of the Year Show in 2003 when she was 13. She won nine medals during her youth career, including three individual golds, in the juniors in 2006 on Fernhill Sox, in the juniors in 2007 on Rayef, and the young riders in 2009 again on Rayef.
Career Collett has been selected for three European Eventing Championships as an individual. She was eliminated on the cross-country on her senior championship debut at Luhmühlen in 2011, but finished 13th at the 2015 championships at Blair Castle on Grand Manoeuvre. Collett was second at Luhmühlen five-star in 2018 on Mr Bass, but she achieved her first five-star win in October 2020 when she took the title at the Pau Horse Trials, France, riding her own, Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett's horse London 52 and therefore has the honour of winning the only five-star of 2020 because the eventing calendar that year had been decimated by COVID-19. The horse had previously been the 2018 eight- and nine-year-old champion at Blenheim Horse Trials, as well as winning the Event Rider Masters at Chatsworth Horse Trials and the CCI4*-L at the Boekelo Horse Trials, both in 2019. But he had also fallen at the 2019 European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen having sat third after the dressage.
In 2021, eight years after her near-fatal accident, Collett and London 52 were selected to represent Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She won gold in the team event with Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen.
Collett was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.
In 2022, Collett won the Badminton Horse Trials. Riding London 52, she led from start to finish, setting an all time Badminton record finishing score of 21.4.
In June 2024, she was confirmed as part of the Great Britain team to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics on London 52. She won gold in the team event with Rosalind Canter and Tom McEwen.
In August 2025, she was selected for the British team for the 2025 European Eventing Championships held in Blenheim on London 52, riding alongside McEwan and Yasmin Ingham from the 2024 Olympic squad as well as Bubby Upton and Caroline Harris. She won the individual gold medal on London 52 at the event, although the British team suffered from falls by Ingham and Upton in the cross country section.
Personal life Following a heavy fall from her horse in 2013, Collett had to be resuscitated five times and given an emergency tracheotomy by paramedics after suffering a fractured shoulder, broken ribs, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver and damage to her kidneys. Also, a fragment of her shoulder bone had detached and travelled to her right eye through her blood stream and damaged the optic nerve. She was placed in an induced coma for six days.
International Championship results
Results Year Event Horse PlacingNotes 2005 European Pony Championships Noble SpringbokTeamIndividual 2006 European Junior Championships Fernhill SoxTeamIndividual 2007 European Junior Championships RayefTeamIndividual 2008 World Cup Final Fernhill Sox13th 2009 European Young Rider Championships RayefTeamIndividual 2010 European Young Rider Championships Fernhill CristalTeam8thIndividual 2011 European Championships RayefELIndividual 2013 World Young Horse Championships Obos CooleyWDCCI** 2014 World Young Horse Championships Pamero 4CCI** ControeWDCCI** 2015 European Championships Grand Manoeuvre 13thIndividual World Young Horse Championships Mr BassCCI**Cooley Again16thCCI**2017 World Young Horse Championships Sir Papillon 4thCCI**2019 European Championships London 52ELIndividual2020 World Young Horse Championships Moonlight CharmerELCCI3*-L 2021 Olympic Games London 52Team9thIndividual 2022 World Championships London 524thTeam40thIndividual EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew
CCI5* results
Results Event Kentucky (USA) late April Badminton (UK) early May Luhmühlen (Germany) June Burghley (UK) early September Pau (France) late October Adelaide (Australia) early November Maryland201030th (Ginger May Killinghurst)20118th (Rayef)40th (Noble Bestman)2012RET (Noble Bestman)201349th (Noble Bestman)2014Did Not Participate201528th (Grand Manoeuvre)201622nd (Grand Manoeuvre)2017Did Not Participate2018Did Not Participate2019WD (Mr Bass)2020Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19 (London 52) 16th (Mr Bass)Cancelled due to COVID-192021Cancelled due to COVID-19Cancelled due to COVID-19RET (Dacapo)Cancelled due to COVID-192022 (London 52)2023 (London 52)2024202543rd (Bling)3rd (London 52)10th (Bling)202614th (Bling) EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew
Notable horses
Fernhill Sox 2006 European Junior Championships - team silver, individual gold Rayef 2007 European Junior Championships - team & individual gold 2009 European Young Rider Championships - team & individual gold Fernhill Cristal 2010 European Young Rider Championships - team gold, individual 8th Mr Bass 2015 World Young Horse champion 2018 Luhmühlen 5* runner up London 52 2018 Blenheim 4* 8&9 year old winner 2020 Pau 5* winner 2021 Olympic Games - team gold, individual 9th 2022 Badminton 5* winner Badminton 5* finishing score record holder (21.4)
References
External links