Oscar Williams
Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport.
Raised in Lancashire, Oscar started riding aged 12 and quickly became hooked. A keen member of the Lancaster & District branch of the Pony Club, he learnt to ride on a succession of hand-me-down ponies before persuading his parents to buy him his own horse – a wholly unsuitable but much-loved Welsh section C.
Oscar went on to study equine science at Myerscough College and, after deciding jumping wasn’t his strong suit, turned to dressage. Inspired by the London 2012 Olympics, he later spent four years working for leading trainer Emile Faurie. During that time, he competed at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelled with the yard to CDIs at Aachen, Vidauban, Saumur and Achleiten.
He also holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021), combining his equestrian background with a passion for writing about the sport.
He regularly reports on elite dressage, breeding and welfare issues, as well as the science and policy shaping modern equestrian sport.
Oscar now lives in Cumbria with his two boisterous spaniels, Miffy and Dougal, and is interested in making equestrian sport more inclusive and accessible.
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How a horse ‘like a spaniel on speed’ earned a perfect 10 at BurghleyD’Artagnan gives Tiana Coudray “his entire heart and soul” – even if that means testing her nerves along the way
By Oscar Williams Published
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The latest news updates from Burghley: dressage day twoDon't miss a moment in the contest for the 2026 Defender Burghley title
By Pippa Roome Last updated
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‘So nice, so balanced, so gorgeous’: how this five-year-old stole the show at BurghleyWLS Cula Bula and Caroline Powell topped this year’s Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse five-year-old final – and Caroline already has her sights on a return in four years’ time
By Oscar Williams Published
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Yasmin Ingham’s other Du Loir: meet Goliath, the horse following in Banzai’s hoofprintsA stablemate of her World Championship gold medallist is making his own mark – on his Burghley and five-star debut
By Oscar Williams Published
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A 19-year-old horse stands top after day one, but disappointment for Harry Meade: how things stand at BurghleyNadja Minder and Toblerone head the leaderboard after the first day of dressage, but the day brought mixed fortunes elsewhere in the field.
By Oscar Williams Published
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Meet two quite distinct Burghley first-timers: the one who started mucking out horses aged 17, and the one who’s dreamed of this since childhoodJack Pinkney and Mary Edmundson are both first-timers at Defender Burghley this week – but their journeys to this moment are quite different
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘I’m doing it on her behalf’ – Tim Price on riding the late Georgie Campbell’s favourite horse at BurghleySecond at Thursday’s lunch break on his first Burghley outing with the gelding, Tim Price opens up on carrying out the late Georgie Campbell’s five-star ambitions
By Oscar Williams Published
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Which nations secured Olympic and Paralympic dressage qualification at the World Championships – and who missed out?Fourteen nations sealed their tickets to LA28 in the dressage and para dressage team finals in Aachen, including one through a separate continental route
By Oscar Williams Published
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Meet the brothers behind Faultless, showjumping’s answer to Drive to SurviveBen Asselin and Kyle Koss reveal how the show became a reality
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘It is what it is’: Sophie Wells falls agonisingly short of a second individual medal in AachenSophie Wells and MSJ Gold Standard finished fourth in the grade V freestyle – agonisingly close to another World Championships medal – rounding out a mixed week
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘He’s extraordinary – like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’: Nicola Naylor and Humberto L sign off from Aachen with brave and demanding freestyleNicola Naylor and Humberto L closed a demanding week with 76.5% and fourth in the grade IV freestyle – a marked improvement on Saturday’s team test – as she reflected on a horse who is a different animal entirely once he’s out of the ring
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘She’s made my dreams come true’: 19-year-old mare bows out after a career like no otherTwo uncharacteristic spooks, a tearful tribute and the end of one of British para dressage’s most decorated careers – how a 19-year-old mare’s final competitive test unfolded in Aachen
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘I was expecting some massive scores – I didn’t think I’d be one of them’: Brit Jemima Green’s shock freestyle silverA personal best by over two points, a result she never saw coming and a week she admits has been mentally one of the hardest of her career – how Jemima Green sealed freestyle silver in Aachen
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘It takes a village’: The US beat their own Paralympic record to win team gold in AachenKate Shoemaker’s Vianne produces the highest score of the championships, Fiona Howard completes a remarkable turnaround and chef d’equipe Michel Assouline already has one eye on LA 2028 – how the US claimed a record-breaking team gold
By Oscar Williams Published
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Britain secure Los Angeles 2028 spot despite missing out on the team podium at World ChampionshipsIt’s a fifth-place finish for Britain’s para dressage team – how day two of the team competition unfolded in Aachen
By Oscar Williams Published
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FEI admits rules error and rider taken to hospital in separate Aachen dramasAn FEI admission of fault over the handling of Clodagh Walsh’s elimination and a fall sent Junichiro Okawa to hospital – both incidents occurred in the grade I at the para dressage World Championships
By Oscar Williams Published
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Spook leaves British rider wondering ‘where are we going?’ as para squad gets team competition under wayA spook proved costly for Jemima Green and Mari Durward-Akhurst had a hard-fought result – how day one of the team competition unfolded in Aachen
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘Dad would be down the pub telling everybody’: Sophie Wells returns to the top with an emotional goldA personal best, two schooling sessions all week and a horse so laid-back Sophie Wells says she has to do less work rather than more – how the unflappable MSJ Gold Standard delivered gold on her worlds debut for Britain’s most decorated para rider
By Oscar Williams Published
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British World Championship bronze vindicates late horse swap, as Team US cruises to another gold medalA blind rider’s worlds debut delivers after a last-minute change of ride, and one of para dressage’s most talked-about mares continues imperious form – how grade IV unfolded in Aachen
By Oscar Williams Published
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Meet the para dressage riders carrying British hopes at the World ChampionshipsH&H’s dressage editor introduces the British para dressage squad, who are focusing on building towards LA28 over places on the Aachen podium
By Oscar Williams Last updated
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Jemima Green stuns herself with career-best bronze at World Para Dressage ChampionshipsJemima Green and Fantabulous edged a personal best for individual bronze in a grade II class that had it all – a near miss for the eventual winner, an agonising wait for the scores and a costly mistake from the favourites
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘This is our story’: Mari Durward-Akhurst’s emotional silver on Britain’s opening daySilver on an emotional worlds debut for Mari Durward-Akhurst, an unbeaten run continues for Rixt van der Horst and a golden birthday for the USA’s Marie Vonderheyden – the World Para Dressage Championships get under way in Aachen
By Oscar Williams Published
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Can anyone beat the USA to the top of the para dressage podium at the Aachen World Championships?H&H’s dressage editor Oscar Williams shares his team podium predictions and individual stars ahead of the World Para Dressage Championships in Aachen
By Oscar Williams Published
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‘We’re not going in that corner!’ Carl Hester’s wild Bowie finale in Aachen – and his verdict on retirementCarl Hester and Fame’s David Bowie mash-up at the dressage World Championships was a wild ride. Here’s Carl's verdict on the test, the championships as a whole, and whether an eighth Olympics – and a new record – might be next
By Oscar Williams Published
