An evening raising money for Debbie Criddle. There will be a 3 course meal with a auction at the end proceeds will go to Debbie, we can't think of a better cause to support this remarkable lady on her quest for the Paralympics 2012
Date of birth: 10 May 1966
Lives: Taunton, Somerset
Major achievements: Grade III rider Deb won individual, freestyle and team gold at the 2001 European Championships, the 2003 World Championships and the 2004 Athens Paralympics, all riding Nina Venables' Figaro IX. They were the first combination to have won a gold treble at all these championships consecutively.
In 2005, riding her own Pompidou II, she achieved a team gold and an individual bronze in the freestyle. Deb competed as an individual at the 2007 World Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships, once again riding Figaro IX, winning bronze in the individual test and silver in the freestyle. She was selected to ride as an individual at the 2008 Paralympics. She finished fourth in the freestyle, missing out on bronze by a fraction, and fifth in the individual test.
Deb was out of top level competition for a brief spell due to lack of horsepower, but the purchase of a Swedishbred gelding by the name of Akilles by the Lady Joseph Trust turned that corner. In February 2011, she was introduced to her new partner and in just a matter of months they've formed a strong partnership.
Deb competes in able-bodied British Dressage (BD) competitions up to medium level.
