Anne Dunham (equestrian)

Anne Dunham (born 24 September, 1948) is a British equestrian who has competed in the Paralympic Games. [cite web |title=Athlete Biography DUNHAM Anne|publisher=The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games |url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/BIO/Athlete/9/1206639.shtml |accessdate=2008-09-27]

Early life and disability

Whilst at school Dunham worked at a local stable in her spare time and, by the age of 16, she was running a yard of 80 horses at weekends. She has said that she "always wanted to compete" but whilst she was able to ride the horses in the stables their owners competed with them.cite web |title=Anne Dunham Para-Equestrian Dressage |publisher=Official Equestrian Team GBR website |accessdate=2008-09-27 |url=http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/rider-detail.php?id=17]

Dunham was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27 and has been wheelchair bound since the age of 30. At the age of forty, when her husband sold his business, she bought a horse and began to compete.

Paralympic career

Dunham first competed at the Paralympics in dressage events at the 1996 Atlanta Games where she won a bronze medal in the individual mixed Kur trot grade II,cite web |title=Medal record |publisher=Website of the International Paralympic Committee |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_search.html?sport=all&games=all&medal=all&npc=all&name=Dunham&fname=Anne&gender=all |accessdate=2008-09-27] and gold in the open team event.cite web |title=Dunham claims record fourth gold |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2008-09-09 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/paralympics/7606752.stm |accessdate=2008-09-27] In the individual mixed dressage grade II she finished just outside of the medals in fourth position. [cite web |title=Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games Equestrian Mixed Dressage grade II |publisher=Website of the International Paralympic Committee |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_results.html?eclass=grade%20II&sport=equestrian&competition=1996PG&gender=x&discipline=&event=Dressage |accessdate=2008-09-27]

At the 2000 Summer Paralympics, in Sydney, Dunham was part of the team that successfully defended their title in the open team dressage event. In the individual events at the games she finished fifth both in the mixed dressage - championship grade II and mixed dressage - freestyle grade II. [cite web |title=Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Equestrian Mixed Dressage - Freestyle grade II |publisher=Website of the International Paralympic Committee |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_results.html?eclass=grade%20II&sport=equestrian&competition=2000PG&gender=x&discipline=&event=Dressage%20-%20Freestyle |accessdate=2008-09-27] [cite web |title=Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Equestrian Mixed Dressage - Championship grade II |publisher=Website of the International Paralympic Committee |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_results.html?eclass=grade%20II&sport=equestrian&competition=2000PG&gender=x&discipline=&event=Dressage%20-%20Championship |accessdate=2008-09-27]

The 2004 Athens Games were Dunham's third Paralympic appearance. As part of a team with Lee Pearson, Debbie Criddle and Nicola Tustain she won her third consecutive gold medal in the team dressage. [cite web |title=Britain win team dressage |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2004-09-26 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/3691452.stm |accessdate=2008-09-27] Competing in the grade I freestyle and championship individual events she finished fifth and sixth respectively with fellow Briton Pearson winning gold in both. [cite web |title=Athens 2004 Paralympic Games Equestrian Mixed Dressage - Freestyle grade I |publisher=Website of the International Paralympic Committee |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_results.html?eclass=grade%20I&sport=equestrian&competition=2004PG&gender=x&discipline=&event=Dressage%20-%20Freestyle |accessdate=2008-09-27] [cite web |title=Athens 2004 Paralympic Games Equestrian Mixed Dressage - Championship grade I |publisher=Website of the International Paralympic Committee |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_results.html?eclass=grade%20I&sport=equestrian&competition=2004PG&gender=x&discipline=&event=Dressage%20-%20Championship |accessdate=2008-09-27]

Dunham went to her fourth Paralympics in 2008. The dressage events were not held in the host city Beijing but instead took place at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Hong Kong. Dunham at the age of 59, competing on her horse Teddy Edwards, won her first individual Paralympic gold medal in the championship test grade Ia and also won silver in the freestyle test grade Ia. [cite web |title=Paralympics: Great Britain vie with China |publisher=The Daily Telegraph |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/paralympicsport/2712689/Great-Britain-vye-with-China-in-Beijing---Paralympics.html |date=2008-09-10 |accessdate=2008-09-27] [cite web |title=GB collect three equestrian golds |publisher=BBC Sport |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7606106.stm |date=2008-09-09 |accessdate=2008-09-27] In the team open Dunham, with teammates Lee Pearson, Sophie Christiansen and Simon Laurens won the gold medal. This meant that Dunham has won a gold medal in this event at four consecutive Games.

ee also

*Equestrian at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
*Equestrian at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
*Equestrian at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
*Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
*Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

References