Laura Collett

Laura Collett (born 31 August 1989) is a British equestrian who competes in eventing.^[1][2]

Laura Collett

MBE

Collett in 2010
Personal information
Born	(1989-08-31) 31 August 1989 (age 35) Leamington Spa, England
Sport
Country	United Kingdom
Sport	Equestrian
Event	Eventing
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team eventing 2024 Paris Team eventing 2024 Paris Individual eventing

Early life

Collett won the supreme pony title at Horse of the Year Show in 2003 when she was 13. She won nine medals during her youth career, including three individual golds, in the juniors in 2006 on Fernhill Sox, in the juniors in 2007 on Rayef, and the young riders in 2009 again on Rayef.^[3]

Career

Collett has been selected for three European Eventing Championships as an individual. She was eliminated on the cross-country on her senior championship debut at Luhmühlen in 2011, but finished 13th at the 2015 championships at Blair Castle on Grand Manoeuvre. Collett was second at Luhmühlen five-star in 2018 on Mr Bass, but she achieved her first five-star win in October 2020 when she took the title at the Pau Horse Trials, France, riding her own, Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett's horse London 52 and therefore has the honour of winning the only five-star of 2020 because the eventing calendar that year had been decimated by COVID-19.^[4] The horse had previously been the 2018 eight- and nine-year-old champion at Blenheim Horse Trials,^[5] as well as winning the Event Rider Masters at Chatsworth Horse Trials^[6] and the CCI4*-L at the Boekelo Horse Trials,^[7] both in 2019. But he had also fallen at the 2019 European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen having sat third after the dressage.^[8]

In 2021, eight years after her near-fatal accident, Collett and London 52 were selected to represent Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She won gold in the team event with Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen.^[9]

Collett was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.^[10][11]

In 2022, Collett won the Badminton Horse Trials. Riding London 52, she led from start to finish, setting an all time Badminton record finishing score of 21.4.

In June 2024, she was confirmed as part of the Great Britain team to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics on London 52.^[12] She won gold in the team event with Rosalind Canter and Tom McEwen.

Personal life

Following a heavy fall from her horse in 2013, Collett had to be resuscitated five times and given an emergency tracheotomy by paramedics after suffering a fractured shoulder, broken ribs, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver and damage to her kidneys. Also, a fragment of her shoulder bone had detached and travelled to her right eye through her blood stream and damaged the optic nerve. She was placed in an induced coma for six days.^[13][14]

International Championship results

Results
Year	Event	Horse	Placing	Notes
2005	European Pony Championships	Noble Springbok		Team
				Individual
2006	European Junior Championships	Fernhill Sox		Team
				Individual
2007	European Junior Championships	Rayef		Team
				Individual
2008	World Cup Final	Fernhill Sox	13th
2009	European Young Rider Championships	Rayef		Team
				Individual
2010	European Young Rider Championships	Fernhill Cristal		Team
			8th	Individual
2011	European Championships	Rayef	EL	Individual
2013	World Young Horse Championships	Obos Cooley	WD	CCI**
2014	World Young Horse Championships	Pamero 4		CCI**
		Controe	WD	CCI**
2015	European Championships	Grand Manoeuvre	13th	Individual
	World Young Horse Championships	Mr Bass		CCI**
		Cooley Again	16th	CCI**
2017	World Young Horse Championships	Sir Papillon	4th	CCI**
2019	European Championships	London 52	EL	Individual
2020	World Young Horse Championships	Moonlight Charmer	EL	CCI3*-L
2021	Olympic Games	London 52		Team
			9th	Individual
2022	World Championships	London 52	4th	Team
			40th	Individual
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

CCI5* results

Results
Event	Kentucky (USA) late April	Badminton (UK) early May	Luhmühlen (Germany) June	Burghley (UK) early September	Pau (France) late October	Adelaide (Australia) early November	Maryland
2010				30th (Ginger May Killinghurst)
2011		8th (Rayef)		40th (Noble Bestman)
2012					RET (Noble Bestman)
2013		49th (Noble Bestman)
2014	Did Not Participate
2015		28th (Grand Manoeuvre)
2016		22nd (Grand Manoeuvre)
2017	Did Not Participate
2018	Did Not Participate
2019		WD (Mr Bass)
2020	Cancelled due to COVID-19	Cancelled due to COVID-19	Cancelled due to COVID-19	Cancelled due to COVID-19	(London 52) 16th (Mr Bass)	Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021		Cancelled due to COVID-19		Cancelled due to COVID-19	RET (Dacapo)	Cancelled due to COVID-19
2022		(London 52)
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Notable horses

• Fernhill Sox
  • 2006 European Junior Championships - team silver, individual gold
• Rayef
  • 2007 European Junior Championships - team & individual gold
  • 2009 European Young Rider Championships - team & individual gold
• Fernhill Cristal
  • 2010 European Young Rider Championships - team gold, individual 8th
• Mr Bass
  • 2015 World Young Horse champion
  • 2018 Luhmühlen 5* runner up
• London 52
  • 2018 Blenheim 4* 8&9 year old winner
  • 2020 Pau 5* winner
  • 2021 Olympic Games - team gold, individual 9th
  • 2022 Badminton 5* winner
  • Badminton 5* finishing score record holder (21.4)