Michèle George

Michèle George (born 2 January 1974) is a Paralympic equestrian of Belgium. She won seven gold and one silver medal at the Paralympic Games.^[1]

Michèle George
George at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Personal information
Nationality	Belgian
Discipline	Para-dressage
Born	2 January 1974 (1974-01-02) (age 51) Ostend, Belgium
Horse(s)	Fbw Rainman Best of 8
Medal record Para-equestrian Representing  Belgium Event 1st 2nd 3rd Paralympic Games 7 1 0 World Games 4 1 0 Total 11 2 0 Paralympic Games 2012 London Individual championship test grade IV 2012 London Individual freestyle test grade IV 2016 Rio Individual freestyle test grade IV 2020 Tokyo Individual championship test grade V 2020 Tokyo Individual freestyle test grade V 2024 Paris Individual championship test grade V 2024 Paris Individual freestyle test grade V 2016 Rio Individual championship test grade IV World Games 2014 Caen Individual championship test grade IV 2014 Caen Individual freestyle test grade IV 2022 Herning Individual championship test grade V 2022 Herning Individual freestyle test grade V 2010 Lexington Individual freestyle test grade IV

She was named "Belgian Paralympian of the Year" twice: in 2014^[2] and in 2022.^[3]

Early life

Michèle George was born on 2 January 1974 in Ostend, West Flanders, Belgium. She began riding horses in 1982, when she was 12 years old, starting on racehorses and then trying show jumping. She eventually met a dressage rider, tried the discipline and "fell in love with it".^[4]

Career

After a horse-riding accident happened in 2008 that caused her to have hemiplegia in her left leg,^[5] she started competing in grade IV para-dressage.

George competed at the 2009 European Championship, where she finished second. She then competed with her gelding Fbw Rainman at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, finishing second in the individual freestyle para-dressage test.^[6]

In 2012, George and Fbw Rainman participated in the London Summer Paralympics, where they won two gold medals in the individual championship and in the individual freestyle test, making her the first winner of a gold medal in para-dressage for Belgium.^[5] In the same year, she also became the first Paralympian to win the Equestrala (Belgium's equestrian of the year award).^[7]

With the same horse, she competed at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games, finishing first in individual para-dressage and in freestyle.^[8]

In 2016, she and Fbw Rainman won a gold medal in the individual freestyle and a silver one in the individual championship test at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games.^[1]

She then went from grade IV to grade V para-dressage.

In 2021, George and her new mare Best Of 8 went to the Tokyo Paralympic Games, where they won two gold medals in the individual championship and in the freestyle test.^[9][10]

With the same horse, she took part in the 2022 FEI World Equestrian Games, ending up in first place in individual para-dressage and in freestyle. In 2024, they went to the Paris Paralympic Games, winning two more gold medals in the individual championship and freestyle tests.^[11]

Personal life

George has two children and she rides horses with one of them.^[4]