Jennie Loriston-Clarke

Jennie Loriston-Clarke is sister of Michael Bullen, who competed in three-day eventing at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games, and of Jane Bullen who won a gold medal for eventing at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Her sister, Sarah Bullen, was an actress in movies such as International Velvet and The Fourth Protocol, and also competed in eventing.

In the movie International Velvet, Sarah starred as Beth – and her sister Jane starred as one of the riders. Their parents had started the Catherston Stud in 1949, and after her marriage to Anthony Loriston-Clarke in 1965 Jennie moved to Black Knoll House, Brockenhurst, Hampshire. When her father died the following year, three years after the death of her mother, the home farm in Dorset was sold, and she continued the Catherston Stud name at Black Knoll House.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest British dressage riders of all time, Loriston-Clarke had many successes at the international level, taking part in four Olympic Games representing Great Britain. She competed in Munich in 1972 and Montreal in 1976 on her gelding Kadett, Los Angeles in 1984 on Prince Consort, and Seoul in 1988 on Dutch Gold. Jennie’s first major success came in 1978 when she won the individual bronze medal at the World Dressage Championships with her nine-year-old horse Dutch Courage at Goodwood, in England.

After retiring from international competitions at the end of 1995, Jennie became a dressage judge. In 1979 she was awarded the MBE for her contribution to equestrianism and in 2006 she was the first recipient of the British Horse Society Queen’s Award for Equestrianism, an award that was also presented to her sister in 2009, by then Jane Holderness-Roddam. Jennie Loriston-Clarke, MBE has been chairman of British Dressage since 2007, and has been chef d’equipe for many junior and young rider dressage teams.