Young event rider heads for the Olympics — on a bobsleigh

A promising young event rider from Wales has swapped horses for high-speed ice runs and the chance to compete in the bob skeleton at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Wrexham-based Laura Deas has competed to two-star level in eventing, but is now hurtling head-first down a bobsleigh run.

The 20-year-old was spotted by UK Sport’s talent search Girls4Gold.

She said: “My brother heard about Girls4Gold on Radio 5 Live and so I applied. The speed of my [running] sprint is crucial for bob skeleton. I’m quick over 30m.”

The change of sport comes after Laura’s family were living in a caravan while they built a house and a yard to further her eventing, career.

Laura’s mother Sue said: “With the deaths in eventing, I’m glad she’s leaving. I think she’s probably safer going head-first at 80mph down an ice run on a tea-tray than riding cross-country.”

Laura added: “I love eventing and have worked hard to try to get established. It is ironic that just as I am getting rides for owners — and the house is nearly finished — I am giving it all up. Everything’s for sale.”

Laura starts full-time Olympic squad training in October at Bath University, with her eyes set on winning a medal in 2014 at a town on the Black Sea — Sochi, Russia.

“I’m sure I will miss the horses, but I love bob skeleton,” said Laura. “My initial problem with doing skeleton was that my neck muscles weren’t strong enough and my head was banging on the ice. But now I love it.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (9 July, ’09)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now