Erin tipped as one to watch for 2016
A talented rider from High Wycombe has been nominated by Sport England and SportsAid as one of the Top 16 hopefuls for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Erin Orford has been tipped for her talents in para-equestrian dressage as a great hope for Team GB in 2016.
Erin, (20), is currently working towards selection for the World Equestrian Games 2010 in Kentucky. She says: "I am thrilled to be part of the 16 for 2016 and am honoured to have been chosen. It's great to know that there is so much support and confidence in my ability to get to the top in the future and a great boost for morale for the up and coming competition seasons."
Erin is a bilateral amputee and is missing the radius in both arms, which means that she has shortened lower arms and only four fingers on each hand. She was inspired to take up para-equestrian dressage after watching it at the Paralympic Games in Athens 2004.
Success at a para-equestrian dressage talent spotting competition in 2005 hinted at Erin’s bright future and she was chosen as the rider of Painted Affair, a horse on loan to the Para Dressage Training Trust (PDTT).
With Painted Affair, Erin attended her first senior international competition in France at the end of 2006, achieving second place on all three days. It was on Painted Affair that Erin was selected onto the British Equestrian Federation World Class Development Programme at the beginning of 2007, and in June that year she was long-listed for the Para Dressage World Championships in July.
Sarah Armstrong, World Class Programme Manager, at the British Equestrian Federation, said: "Erin is really proving herself to be one to watch and is now part of the Potential Squad in the World Class Development Programme. With new dressage horse Nirvana, Erin’s recent achievements included a creditable second place at the Grade Three Championship at Stoneleigh and a win in the Team Test, along with a second in the Championship Test at a senior international in Belgium. If she continues with the same hard work and determination she can go far."
The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme aims to provide Britain's elite riders with the best preparation to represent Equestrian Team GBR at International level and incorporates the three Olympic disciplines and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage.
The ‘16 for 2016’ are all supported by SportsAid, a charity which gives financial assistance to talented youngsters aged 12 to 18, to help them meet the costs of pursuing their sporting dreams.
For further information, please contact Rachel Worthing or Sam Kandiyali at Target Public Relations on 01242 633100 or email bef@targetgroup.co.uk