I am in the second year of a BSc in Neuroscience at Bristol University.
Equestrian - Dressage
I wanted to ride from an early age. I started lessons aged 7 and got my first pony when I was 8. The pony was quite naughty and I decided to start dressage so that I could learn how to train him properly. I very quickly became hooked!
I have been doing dressage since I was 9 – nearly 12 years.
Sarah Millis
I have represented Great Britain every year since 2004 and my biggest achievements are: Dressage Team Gold Medal at the Youth Olympics in Sydney, Australia, January 2009. Member of the Great Britain Young Rider Dressage Team for the European Championships 2009. Great Britain’s representative at the 2008 Young Rider World Cup Final.
I hope to be selected for the Young Rider Team for the European Championships in 2010 and to be GB’s representative for the Young Rider World Cup Final in 2010. After that I move to senior competition and hope to represent Great Britain internationally at Grand Prix level in 2011 and aim for selection for the Olympics in 2012.
My proudest moment was hearing the National Anthem played when I won my first international competition in Spain in 2008.
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While I am at University I ride at weekends and go to the gym regularly. In the holidays I train every day. I am on the Bristol University High Performance Squad which gives me access to the gym as well as to a physiotherapist and a sports psychologist.
It would enable me to travel to more international competitions and gain more valuable international experience. The International competitions are self funding except for the European Championships. I also need new equipment on an ongoing basis, in particular I currently need a new saddle. At present I also have a horsebox which is very old and unreliable for going to major competitions, especially long distance international travel.
Dressage is currently the fastest growing Olympic equestrian sport. More than 2.4 million people in the UK ride regularly and many more occasionally. I am currently one of the top Young Riders (under 21) in the country. There are very few combinations of horse and rider able to compete at the top level (Grand Prix) and I will be one of the youngest when I move to this level next year. I am very committed and work extremely hard to ride and compete at International level whilst pursuing a challenging degree course.
My dressage hero is Kyra Kyrklund who is a great horsewoman and has competed at 5 Olympic Games on 5 different horses – an amazing achievement! A general hero would be Steve Redgrave who I admire for his determination, commitment and hard work and well de
My advice to other sportsmen/women would be that hard work, dedication and persevering through difficult times can make a huge difference to getting where you want to be.
My sport is very technical and, being a perfectionist, I enjoy striving for that technical perfection. Horses are incredible animals and to be able to work with them in such a close partnership is an amazing experience.
I currently receive a Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme award for athletes in full time education but no sponsorship as such.
Financial help however big or small would be greatly appreciated.
