One of the first Olympic torch bearers to set off tomorrow (19 May) will be carrying the flame in memory of her older sister – who had hoped to ride at London 2012.

Claire Heslop asked to take part in the Olympic torch relay on behalf of her sister, the late dressage rider, Jane Gregory (pictured). Jane – who rode for Britain at the Beijing and Atlanta Games in 2008 and 1996 – died following a heart attack last year.

Mrs Heslop said the relay would be a “fitting tribute“.

“The Olympics is going to be so painful for us all,” she told H&H. “We had hoped when the Games finally came to London, Jane would be riding there.”

Mrs Heslop’s route will take her through Bugle in mid-Cornwall.

“We have all Jane’s grooms, past and present, coming to watch, plus her husband [Hong Kong dressage rider Aram Gregory] and Susie Cumine, who owned Cupido, the horse who took Jane to Atlanta,” she added.

During its progression around the UK, the Olympic flame will be carried by a number of equestrians, including former Olympic eventer Jane Holderness-Roddam, who won team gold in Mexico in 1968.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (17 May 2012)

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British Olympic dressage rider Jane Gregory has died, following a heart attack.

The 51-year-old rode for Team GB at the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong and at Atlanta in 1996. She shared her 2008 Olympic experience with H&H readers in a regular diary.

She is believed to have suffered a massive heart attack while riding at home last Monday and fell into a coma.

She was on life support, but died on Friday (1 April).

Jane married her long-term partner, Hong Kong dressage rider Aram Gregory in 2006.

For tributes to Jane see this Thursday’s H&H (7 April)

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Well that’s my Olympics over with and I’m fighting mixed emotions. On the one hand it’s been amazing to be part of such a fantastic British team, but on the other I am disappointed with my own performance.

Looking back at the build up it was a really weird feeling, as every day seemed to be the same as the day before, with the big day so far away, then, almost before you know it, the big day suddenly arrived.

I was drawn fifth to go in the team competition so was competing in the early evening. I spent the day trying not to let the butterflies take over. There was a lot of excitement and people buzzing around, but I tried to keep my mind on the job and stay focussed.

I arrived at the stables in plenty of time and we gave Lucky Star a quick trot up with the vet to check he was 100%. He was fine of course, but you can’t help but think: “What happens if he falls over? What happens if he loses a shoe?”

That over with I felt very calm and decided I was going to warm up in my top hat and tails as it was one less thing to worry about at the last minute. We started off in the air-conditioned indoor school and then went outside for the final 10-15min of our warm up. That was when the pressure started to build as you realise that, in a matter of minutes, you will be competing for your country at the Olympic Games.

As you can imagine, nothing can prepare you for trotting through the gates and into the arena for real. Although it was not yet completely dark, the lights are incredibly bright and you have extra distractions, such as the sound of camera shutters going off, to deal with.

At the start of each evening of competition the stands were packed with spectators. The crowds had been asked to stay still during the tests and not use flash photography, but with it being so warm many of them were using hand-held fans to keep cool and this just added to the incredibly electric atmosphere. Later in the evening many of the spectators had headed home and it was much stiller and quieter for riders competing then. Lucky Star and I went straight into the buzz!

When we entered the arena Lucky Star felt a bit in awe of the place and we didn’t get off to a very good start. He moved slightly in the halt and then trotted off crooked, which he never does. I knew we had a lot of ground to make up after that.

The beginning of the test I felt very happy with. He felt really with me and was going well. Unfortunately we then made three little, but very expensive mistakes, two of which were in movements that earned double scores. Added together they were very costly. I think I was trying a little too hard and he picked up that this wasn’t just another grand prix test.

When I came out I was devastated that the judges didn’t feel the test was very good and that we didn’t get the marks I was hoping for. I just wanted to go straight back in and ride it again to show how well we could do it. I had that awful, awful feeling that if it wasn’t perfect then I wasn’t good enough and my biggest concern was that I had let the team down.

The team were all really supportive and reminded me that that’s just horses for you. For me it wasn’t good enough, but at least we didn’t do anything dramatically wrong. I was more than a little upset that it wasn’t the score we were all expecting – but I feel very proud that we done it and very fortunate to be a member of such a fantastic team and the plus is we still came sixth in the world. The British team spirit out here has been really amazing.

Although it hasn’t all gone according to plan, it has been a great experience to look back on and we will live to fight another day. Once we are back in the UK and Lucky Star has recovered from the journey, we will be back out there again, riding another grand prix. I’m eager to take all the positives from this and look forward to our future challenges!

With heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me.

Jane

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Emma Hindle has ridden the test of her life to lie in second place individually at the halfway stage in the Olympic team dressage competition in Hong Kong.

She scored 71.125% on the Thoroughbred stallion Lancet, and is only 1.1% behind Germany’s Heike Kemme on Bonaparte.

Emma’s superb performance, which caused the floodlit arena to erupt, prompted Chris Bartle, Britain’s most successful Olympic dressage rider thus far, to say: “I think my record is in danger. If Emma carries on like this, she’ll go all the way.”

“It’s one of my best ever,” confirmed Germany-based Emma, who wouldn’t be drawn on Britain’s team chances. “Our goal is a medal in 2012; this is a stepping stone.”

Third is Lancet’s former rider, the Netherlands’ Imke Schellekens-Bartles, who scored 70.87% on Sunrise. The mare got her tongue over the bit in the canter half-passes and, according to Imke, “felt a little affected by the heat”.

With two out of the three Dutch riders having performed under expectations — Hans Peter Minderhoud was unfortunate to be drawn first, and scored 69.62% for a seemingly faultless test — Germany, bar a lightening strike or a rider falling off, has gold in the bag already. Tomorrow’s riders, Nadine Capellman and Isabell Werth, are highly unlikely to score below 70%. The Germans are unbeaten in the Olympics since 1972.

“I think the medals are decided already, I’m afraid,” said Imke, a member of the team which at last beat Germany at last year’s Europeans. “We may be lucky to get one at all.”

The Americans also look dangerous, with Courtney King fourth on Mythilus on 70.45%.

And Britain’s chance of a medal relies on Laura Bechtolsheimer, who is under pressure to pull off something special tomorrow, after a below-par start by Jane Gregory on Lucky Star, who scored 63.3% — at least 5% below her usual standard.

“That was disappointing,” said Jane with admirable candour. “It was a combination of me perhaps trying too hard and him not being at his best. He’s a good horse, just not an amazing horse.”

Emma Hindle and Lancet photo gallery

Read Jane’s Olympic diary

Stay in touch with all the Olympic dressage news as it happens on Horseandhound.co.uk, and read H&H’s report, on sale 21 August, ’08

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Twelve years after her last British team appearance, at the Atlanta Olympics, Jane Gregory returns to the limelight as pathfinder for Britain’s dressage squad in Hong Kong when the team contest starts tomorrow at 7.15pm (Hong Kong time).

Jane rides the 16-year-old Danish-bred Lucky Star, on whom she scored a personal best of 72% at Lipica this year. A similar performance will be required under the steamy floodlights of Sha Tin if Britain is to have any chance of getting near the bronze medal.

The experiencd Emma Hindle is second to go on Lancet, and Olympic debutant Laura Bechtolsheimer is anchorwoman on the mighty Mistral Hojris.

Britain has never won an Olympic dressage medal — the best performance is still Chris Bartle’s sixth place on Wily Trout at Los Angeles in 1984.

Predicted rivals for the bronze slot are Denmark, headed by Andreas Helgstrand, this time on Don Schufro, Sweden, fielding the ultra-reliable Jan Brink and Briar, and the reigning bronze medallists, the USA, with everyone’s favourite, Debbie McDonald’s lovely mare Brentina.

Danish team manager Kimi Nielsen said: “We have great team spirit. They enjoy being together and do lots of fun things. We’re one big family.”

Britain is drawn fourth of the 11th teams, while one can’t help but wonder if the Netherlands’ chances of maintaining the momentum they gained in beating Germany at last year’s European Championship has already been scuppered by their being drawn first to go. Germany, the reigning champions, are 10th.

Olympic debutant Hans-Peter Minderhoud on Nadine is first into the arena, followed by Imke Schellekens-Bartels on Sunrise and defending individual champion Anky van Grunsven on Salinero.

Germany is represented by three seasoned Olympic riders, Heiki Kemmer (Bonaparte), Nadine Capellmann (Elvis VA) and Isabell Werth (Satchmo).

There are a record 22 nations entered, and China fields its first Olympic dressage participant, Lina Liu, who trains in Germany.

But under the new format, with only three riders to a team and therefore no luxury of a discount score, plus the levelling experience of extra heat and humidity — night time is almost worse than daytime here — not to mention a highly atmospheric floodlit arena, an especially gripping contest is predicted.

Stay in touch with all the news from the Olympic dressage competition on Horseandhound.co.uk and read H&H’s full report on all the action, on sale 21 August, ’08

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The waiting is very nearly over now. The atmosphere here in Hong Kong is amazing and I can’t wait for the competition to start.

As I write this I have just got back from our ‘opening ceremony’ in the covered parade ring at Sha Tin racecourse. Everyone wore their special team kit and each of the nations paraded with their flags. The World Youth Choir sang for us and traditional Chinese dancing lions performed. There were speeches and we had a countdown to the start of the main opening ceremony in Beijing. It made everyone feel very special.

We arrived on Wednesday after enjoying a pleasant flight and things have gone quite smoothly since. After freshening up, all the British riders had supper together, which was a really nice start to the whole experience. I didn’t get to see my horse the first night, but was assured that he had travelled and settled in well and Rachel, my groom was with him.

Next morning we got the bus from the hotel to the stables. The journey takes about 25/30mins. It is a huge shock being in the middle of this bustling city. Hong Kong has an extraordinary panorama. There are massive skyscrapers, the harbour, boats and barges. I’ve been here before but it never fails to take your breath away.

On arrival at Sha Tin racecourse you pass through the first accreditation point. It’s efficient but friendly. Bags go through an X-ray machine, like at an airport, and we have our passes checked. Even though we aren’t in Beijing, you feel very aware that you are part of the Olympics.

To get to the stables you first pass over a footbridge over the racetrack. This takes you into Penfold Park, which is situated in the centre of the racecourse. It’s all very green and there are lots of lovely flowers. I’ve even seen turtles sunbathing in the grass! And there are white heron-like birds that flap and can spook the horses while you are exercising them under the floodlights at night. There is an all-weather track that can be used for hacking and a grass area where the eventers can have some cross-country practise. Penfold Park is used by the racehorses until 9am every morning, but after 9am it is open for the Olympic riders to use.

When you get to the stables there is another security check and you have to disinfect your hands and shoes before getting access to the stables themselves. All of the stables here are big and airy, with air conditioning and rubber floors. The horses here want for nothing. They have got the best quality shavings, the best possible hay and the biggest carrots I have ever seen! All the British horses are in one block and although space is at a premium, it’s not a problem. There is a big Union flag at the entrance and smaller flags over the stable doors. There is a great team feeling and we have everything we need with iced water, a deep freeze, toilets and meeting rooms all on hand. The Hong Kong Jockey Club really has gone all out to make it as good as possible for all the teams.

There are many arenas available to ride in, including a massive indoor school, which is air conditioned. I believe it used to be badminton courts and has been transformed for the Games. All of the arenas have the same surface and the footing is excellent. There are also arenas dotted around Penfold Park and there are plenty of misting fans available. The first time I took Lucky Star in to the fans he was a bit shocked at being blasted with a cold water mist straight into his face and reversed straight back out again, but he quickly got over that and now enjoys standing in there. It’s a great way to get your temperature back down as a rider too!

The heat hasn’t been too bad since we arrived. It was hot, but not humid, at first and then we had a typhoon a couple of days ago. We got grounded to the hotel for most of the day as it was a force 8 storm. There were high winds and driving rain so the horses stayed in their stables as well. Since then we have had some heavy rain and some breaks in the weather. The temperature and humidity is expected to rise once the rain has passed, which is likely to make it uncomfortably sticky.

Lucky Star is loving the VIP attention he is getting — the horses are all being treated like kings! He has settled in fine and is eating and drinking well. He has lost a little bit of weight, but not so much that it is a concern. We have been training at night under the floodlights, which are incredibly bright. I rode him at 10pm yesterday and he felt as bright as a button. Now we are here I am really looking forward to the big day arriving!

There is so much to talk about, but I’d better stop now and concentrate on the job in hand!

Jane

Stay in touch with all the Olympic news as it happens on HorseandHound.co.uk and don’t miss H&H’s full report from the Olympic eventing in Hong Kong — on sale Friday 15 August.

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Last Friday, after I wrote last, I went to a press conference for the British team. We did interviews with different TV and local radio stations and the press association, so that should things go well, then the media will have enough information.

Then we all changed into the official uniform that we would wear if we were going to the opening ceremony — which sadly we can’t — and had a visit from the Duchess of Cornwall. She came and spoke to nearly everybody about the horses, the journey and expectations. It was really nice to have the interest of somebody like the Duchess of Cornwall — it made me realise something big was about to happen. It was a good feeling, and wonderful that she took time out of her busy schedule to meet us.

Not being able to go to the opening ceremony is a shame, especially for the riders who’ve not been to one before. Laura [Bechtolsheimer] was saying how she would have loved to have been a part of it. When I was there at Atlanta in 1996 it was one of the proudest moments of my life. It’s an amazing feeling, with everybody watching it feels like you’re looking back at the world. But it’s not feasible to get to Beijing, and we will have alternative opening ceremony parties in Hong Kong, so it will still feel like we are very much a part of something big.

We went to a lovely send off dinner on Friday evening hosted by the Bechtolsheimers. The dressage and event riders were there, all the owners and many more people associated with the sport. It was a splendid evening with a meal fit for a king, and a nice feeling of team spirit for the send off.

Last weekend I did some training with Lucky Star in quarantine and went home to sort a few last things out and ride the other horses. On Sunday evening we worked with our own trainers, so Ulla (Salzgeber) came over. The idea was to set the horses up with a serious training session before we flew to Hong Kong.

On Monday we all rode through the grand prix as if in competition, with Stephen Clarke judging us, as if it was the real thing. Ferdi [Eilberg, team trainer] decided it was necessary to have some atmosphere, so they brought in music and a video camera, that also meant we could go through our test with the trainers afterwards.

Apparently there are going to be models of plastic horses in Hong Kong around the arena, so we reconstructed this too. Lucky Star was fine with the yellow horse with red spots, but was not impressed to have the bonus of a life sized black and white plastic cow also watching him.

It had the desired effect of making us think about these things that might be out there. You never know what could make your horse look and you have to ride differently to keep their attention and get them back on your side. Lucky Star was nervous through the test because of them and I had to get him to listen to me. Thankfully however, he did end up performing it well.

I picked up my new Patey top hat this week, which is beautiful. Ulla has been going on since the day she met me that I really needed a smarter hat, and I’m chuffed with it. With that and our new Mears tailcoats I’ve got no excuse. We’re very lucky to have such generous sponsors.

I was meant to back to the heat chamber we’ve been using to get used to the extreme humidity, but I was given a message to say it had broken down on Sunday evening — we seem to have burnt it out! I can’t say any of us were too disappointed!

On Tuesday lunchtime the grooms travelling out ahead of us to be ready for the horses’ arrival, got all their kit moved out of quarantine and headed for Heathrow. They would have had the chance to have a little rest and get the stables ready.

The horses flew at five on Wednesday morning, with everything going according to plan. I got a message from team captain Richard Davison to say they were safely in the air and all was well. They had a 15hr flight with an hour stop off in Dubai.

I can’t believe we’re actually going now. Speak to you next from Hong Kong!

Jane

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I’m writing this from quarantine at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. The atmosphere here is like a camp; everyone’s getting on very well and people are friendly and easy to talk to — it’s like one big family.

With Maria Eilberg [travelling reserve] and Anna [Ross-Davies] here, as well as Laura [Bechtolsheimer] and Emma [Hindle] it is a great opportunity for everyone to bond as we are going to be spending a lot of time together. It’s unusual having a whole team of girls, and things are bound to get difficult nearer the competition, so we’ll need to help each other out.

I had a strange Saturday last weekend. A lady came up the drive a week ago to drop off a pamphlet about the opening of a new pavilion in the village. Then she said to me, ‘we were wondering if you might be prepared to come and open it for us’. I was totally shocked and asked why on earth they’d want me to do it, and she replied ‘you’re the most famous person in the village’. Well that really made me laugh.

So I went along to open the pavilion and gave a little speech about how we’d be giving it our all in Hong Kong. I’m totally convinced that nobody who was there is any the wiser as to who I am now than they were before! But it made me and Aram [Jane’s husband] chuckle.

On Sunday I was meant to pack for quarantine but Ulla [Salzgeber] came over and gave me four lessons in the afternoon, including one on Lucky Star, and I couldn’t face any more than that in the day.

Ulla agreed that bringing Lucky Star home from Germany and backing off him for a few weeks had really freshened him up. It was a confidence boost for me to have that training and to be reminded of things I need to concentrate on right before going into quarantine.

On Tuesday we came to quarantine. I met team farrier Hayden Price early outside the gates as I wanted to get Lucky Star shod at this stage in case something awful happened. The horses were bloodtested and had nasal swabs for equine influenza before going in — we got the results within 15 minutes. Once in quarantine team vet John McEwan checked everything had been disinfected properly. Even our yard coats had to be thoroughly cleaned — everyone’s trying to uphold every rule.

The lorry was inspected and must now stay here until the horses have been in the air on their way to Hong Kong for four hours! We have a “cross over room” in between the yard and the outside world. We walk through disinfectant and change into different clothes and shoes that are only kept that side of barrier. We have to sign in and out, too. Everything must be totally by the book.

Jenny Ellis is our fabulous stable manager and is monitoring all the horses’ temperatures, how much they’re drinking and doing hydration level checks. They’re being weighed too with all this information going onto a daily chart. It means we’ll know what is normal for the horse so we can spot any problems on the flight or in Hong Kong.

On Thursday night we all trained the horses late in the evening so they get used to working out of their routine in Hong Kong. But the biggest education we’ve had so far is going into the heat chamber. All the riders, grooms, and some support staff have been in, and there’s exercise equipment in there if you’re feeling noble.

The conditions in there are very realistic, with the room about the size of a bathroom. I’ve never seen so many people sweat; there’s no being dignified about it. We go in for 40 to 45 minutes, but within five minutes we’re soaked. You could wring your clothes out by the end.

We’re experiencing conditions that are as bad as it could be, it might not be so bad, but at least we’re prepared for what the worst will feel like. I’m going in with a top hat on next week to see how much sweat is going to run into my eyes during the length of a test — if we can’t see, that’s going to be a problem.

We’re going to have to take several changes of clothes and then warmer layers as going from that into the air-con is going to feel very cold. I’m going to warn my parents to bring clothes that will absorb moisture as well as being light — the humidity really is phenomenally oppressive.

Next time you hear from me will be Wednesday before I head to the airport for our flights to Hong Kong. Until then, Jane

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Last week was all about planning and getting ahead. Faced by the prospect of being away from home for a month, I really want to get everything organised so that I can focus while we’re away in quarantine and in Hong Kong. The thought of leaving a farm, a yard, staff, dogs, the house and garden for a whole month – well, it feels like a very long time.

We live on a working farm, most of which we rent out, but I like to oversee everything from checking fencing to making sure we’re not at the end of the farmer’s rota to making hay if we do get this promised heat wave next week. I like to be involved on the yard when I am home. Whether this is sorting out washing, packing or feeding, it is amazing where the time goes!

I’ve been riding the other horses as much as I can, giving them some intensive training so that Amber, who helps me, can keep them ticking them over while we’re gone. I want to make everything as easy as possible for the girls — with the time difference it’s not going to be easy to stay in touch, though if there’s an emergency they know I’ll want to know. I don’t like things sugar-coated!

Sunday is normally the horse’s day off so, although I’m not a great writer of lists, I started to plan what would need to be washed and packed for both quarantine and Hong Kong. There’s a lot to think about; the weather here isn’t great at the moment so they are in rugs, but Hong Kong will be hot and who knows what it will be like in Gloucestershire next week. The flight itself is 13hrs and the plane will be cold, but you don’t want them to get too hot as they’ll become uncomfortable and that’s when germs spread.

I need to get new equipment for quarantine too as the regulations for cleanliness are very strict. I think we need to be responsible with things, like getting new sponges for example. If you take an old sponge from the lorry into quarantine who knows what germs you could be taking in.

The team physiotherapist has been down to Wiltshire to check Lucky Star over. She had only seen him once, at CDIO Rotterdam, and wanted the chance to see him relaxed at home so that she knows what is normal for the horse and therefore has the best chance of catching anything out of the ordinary. She checked him all over and we’re both happy with how he is so we’re hoping there will be very little to do other than keeping him comfortable. She was pleased he’d lost weight and is very fit.

Lucky Star’s stable diet is oats. In Germany he had good quality crushed oats, but I’ve been struggling to find those here — they’re bruised or rolled most of the time. Because he’s a fussy eater, and may well lose more weight on the way to Hong Kong, I need to know he will eat what we’re feeding him once we get out there. Having opened all the bags at our local feed store I’m happy I’ve found something that will work for him.

My evenings have all been taken up with correspondence; I feel it’s so important to respond to everyone individually, and I’m no computer expert but getting much better on my emails now! I’ve had messages from all over the place, which has been a wonderful surprise. I had one from a lady in Denmark, who knew all about Lucky Star’s breeding and told me all about his dam line; another from a groom in Ireland who’s looking after a horse we sold years ago; and another lovely letter from Domini Morgan, who now lives in Spain — she wrote to say she was trying to find someone with Sky so she would be sure she could tune in to watch us at the Games. It gives me a really positive feeling to have so many people wishing us luck for Hong Kong.

Jane

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What a week it’s been! Since last Saturday — when I rode my horses, did the house work, and spent a couple of hours grafting on my now famous garden — it has been non-stop.

On Sunday team vet John McEwan came by on his way back from Aachen, Germany. All the Olympic horses are having two injections against a strain of Japanese flu between two and four weeks before they fly. John agreed that Lucky Star’s diet is going well and explained what else needs to happen before we fly, including a Coggins test once the horses are in quarantine. He checked Lucky Star over generally and especially his passport to see that everything is in order.

On Monday I had to hop in the lorry to take a horse of Aram’s [Jane’s husband] to Newmarket. He’d had suspensory problems and spent nine months off and nine months walking so I wanted specialist Sue Dyson to give him the all clear. Driving back on the M25 we went through some awful thunderstorms. Three accidents happened right in front of us. It’s unnerving how crazily people drive here in those conditions. In Germany everybody slows right down, but here they carry on regardless. It’s dicing with death and when you’ve got a horse on board it can be very frightening.

After that ordeal I was bandaging a horse at home when a lady from UK Sport popped her head over the stabledoor and said: “Hi Jane, I’m here to dope test you.” It’s not a nice procedure but something every athlete now has to be prepared to do. We’re all made very aware of what medications are permitted; I’m suffering any headaches with a glass of water now! It’s the same with the horses. The girls are being extra vigilant as even things like citronella in flyspray and Sudocreme aren’t acceptable.

On Tuesday I went to a clothes fitting with my friend and groom for the games Rachel to pick up our Team GB kit from the NEC Birmingham. Rachel worked for me for six years, including at Atlanta 1996, and is coming as my groom to Hong Kong. She’s the most calming, stable influence. If she says the horse is OK, I trust her — she’s invaluable.

We had personal dressers at the NEC and it was a very professional operation. We came away with a lot of very smart clothes, a new set of luggage, and they even gave us a Panasonic video camcorder, which really is special and I’ll be videoing everything in Hong Kong.

Wednesday I caught up on some teaching including with my pupil Alex Hu Tian, who is representing Hong Kong in the Olympic eventing competition. I took him to task as I hadn’t seen him for a few weeks. He was in a sweat by the time we finished, but I’m determined he’ll look very competent riding down that centre line. He’s a great, confident rider and I hope to be able to help him when we’re out there, too.

I’ve never had any problems with my teeth but we all had compulsory dental checks this week, which I passed. Of course the next day my tooth cracked! So on Thursday I took myself back to the dentist to have that fixed, and in the afternoon Lucky Star had his teeth done too.

I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to get back into normal routine now. Let’s hope next week is a bit less frantic.

Jane

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What was your first… job?

Working on a farm in Wales as a placement before going to agricultural college. I spent the summer milking cows, driving tractors and looking after the ponies. The cows and tractors put me off college and I opted to go into horses instead.

What was your first… horse?

When I was 12 my godmother bought me a dun Connemara-cross which she bought for £175. He was called Timolin and I kept him anywhere I could, doing him before and after school. When I was 16 we won the junior section at the Pony Club eventing championships.

When did you first… choose dressage?

I was originally passionate about eventing but during that first farm job one of the horses was consigned to the flat through injury and I learnt that horses could have a life doing dressage. (The late) Janet Poulden who taught our riding club suggested me as a guinea pig for the National Dressage Convention with David Hunt and I was hooked. For the next two years I travelled for lessons with him before becoming his working pupil at 23.

Who was your first… dressage horse?

Bertie Wooster, a 16.1hh Irish draught-cross who was bought as a hunter for the owners of the farm in Wales. He was very green but I hunted him and did flatwork. When I left I persuaded his owner to do a swap — she had my car and I had the horse!

Who was your first… hero rider?

My first trainer, David Hunt. At the time David was having international success with Maple Zenith, whom I looked after and adored. I particularly remember him scoring a 10 for one-time changes at Le Touquet which I thought was just amazing.

What was your first… team?

The 1994 World Equestrian Games in the Hague with Cupido in our first season of grand prix. His owner Susie Cumin gave me the ride after he towed her through the advanced medium championships at Goodwood.

When did you first… do piaffe?

With Maple Zenith while we were hacking out in Windsor Great Park and he saw a four-in-hand — although at the time I didn’t realise what was happening. I experienced all the grand prix movements hacking him out as the park was pretty scary with carriages or polo grooms cantering eight horses at a time and he would automatically go into piaffe or flying changes.

When did you last… go to Hong Kong?

In December 2006 for my wedding to Aram, who is from Hong Kong and competes internationally for the province. Going back will be an amazing chance to see many of our wedding guests.

When did you last… jump a fence?

In March, doing grids with the young horses. Lucky Star will jump — but not seriously — while we are out hacking out. I still have a secret desire to compete in a one day event and might turn up — in disguise — one day. When Lusty retires I have promised him he can go hunting.

When did you last… cook Sunday lunch?

It happens very rarely as Sunday is my day for gardening and cleaning. I enjoy growing vegetables but get carried away and can forget to cook supper, never mind lunch.

When did you first… win a grand prix?

With Bertie Wooster at Windsor in 1990. We won the trophy presented to the best horse in his first season of grand prix – although I think he might have been the only one to count.

When did you last… get eliminated?

On my pony Timolin when he jumped the wrong side of a flag at a Pony Club horse trials when I was about 14. I couldn’t stop him and he jumped the bigger senior fence and I was gutted that having jumped the bigger fence he was disqualified.

When did you last… wear a dress?

At my wedding. Dresses and I are not natural mates — I am much happier in tails. After four hours shopping in Bath, I settled for a green dress.

When did you last… go on holiday?

Our belated honeymoon earlier this year when we went to Mauritius. It was only the second holiday that Aram and I have taken in the 20 years we have been together.

When did you last… score a 10?

Over 10 years ago with Cupido in a freestyle class at West Wilts EC. Stephen Clarke gave us 10 for a pirouette.

When did you last… muck out?

About a month ago when I went as groom to Aram when he was competing at a National Show in Germany. It was very hot and my dishevelled look complete with bucket and sponges got a few funny looks from those used to seeing me on a horse. But I enjoy that side of horses and can still plait in 15 minutes.

This feature was first published in Horse & Hound

Read Jane Gregory’s Olympic diary

British Olympic dressage team member Jane Gregory is more familiar under her maiden name of Bredin, as she was known when representing Britain at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 on Suzie Cumine’s Cupido.

At that time Jane had a yard with Suzie, but following Atlanta Jane and her partner Aram Gregory decided to set up their own stables in Wiltshire. In 2001, they finally found a farm which they spent years building up from scratch. Jane and Aram both had various horses to bring on, including her Olympic ride, Lucky Star, known as Lusty.

“I’d never had horses at home before, it was an exciting time for me and a big turning point,” says Jane.

Having been training intensively in Holland with Sjef Jannsen and Anky van Grunsven this was no longer feasible with a yard to build and run at home.

“I didn’t want to stop training with Sjef,” recalls Jane. “But I couldn’t commute to train there on the scale I had on the build up to Atlanta.”

Jane met Lucky Star as a four-year-old when he came to her yard for breaking and schooling with a client of Jane’s Tony Oliver. After the gelding was backed, Tony asked Jane to ride him so she was better placed to train the pair.

“Tony loved the horse but Lusty sometimes gave him an insecure feeling that he didn’t like, so I negotiated to buy the horse for £12,000, which was money my grandfather had left me in his will.”

She described Lusty as very trainable, his only fault being that he can be difficult to get on.

“He’s always been cold-backed,” she explains. “I never get on without thinking be careful, even though 99% of the time he’s fine and won’t buck at all.”

“He was a little bit sensitive as a young horse. He wasn’t without the odd question mark about whether he wanted to do something.”

Lusty made up for bucking Jane off occasionally when she got on, by learning everything very quickly and always being forward thinking. He was well placed all the way up through the grades, finishing second in the prix st george young horse championships and impressing on his international small tour debut at Le Touquet, France in 2001.

“After that it was a big jump to grand prix,” admits Jane. “But I always believed in him, he’s always on my side and isn’t spooky, though he’ll have good and bad days like any other horse.”

After Sjef, Jane trained for a while with Conrad Schumacher. In order to get more regular help with all the horses, she then trained for several years with friend and top British rider Emile Faurie.

“Emile was fantastic and we got a lot out of our training,” says Jane. “It was only when my husband Aram [whom Jane married in 2006 after 20 years], bought a horse from [German Olympic medallist] Ulla Salzgeber and went there to train that I thought ‘I’m missing out’ and could go and do the same. Ulla was so easy to deal with, you don’t always think top riders will be like that, or even pick up the phone, but she was so friendly.”

Jane took three horses out to train in Germany for two weeks last year, but she and Lusty ended up staying and going on to win national grand prix in Germany, scoring 70% in top company. Team selectors could not ignore the pair after that.

Jane’s career highlights

1994: Represented Britain at the World Equestrian Games with Cupido

1995: Team 3rd at the Nations Cup at Aachen CDIO with Cupido

1996: Competed at the Atlanta Olympics with Cupido

2008: Won the grand prix and grand prix special at Munich CDI with Lucky Star.

2008: Won the grand prix freestyle at the Mariakalnok CDI

Read Jane Gregory’s Olympic diary

Who is Jane Gregory?

Welcome to my first Olympic diary. Training in Germany with Olympic medallist Ulla Salzgeber over the past year has been an unbelievable experience. It’s been tough at times to leave the people and animals at home in Wiltshire, and commute to our flat in Germany, but it’s also been amazing.

When I arrived at Ulla’s I thought she’d look at Lucky Star (Lusty), and see this short-legged, overweight rather boring grand prix horse. Instead, she and international rider Frank Freund both said ‘this is a really fun horse’, and I’ve loved every day there.

Since the team was announced last Wednesday it’s been manic. I went in for a radio show on Thursday morning, and on Friday I had a new top hat fitted. But the majority of this week has been taken up moving our lives back from Germany to Wiltshire so Lusty would have plenty of time to recover from the journey before the mammoth trip to Hong Kong next month.

The journey back to England takes two days and I had to pack everything we had out there into the lorry, including all our winter clothes and rugs. It was like moving house and there wasn’t an inch of the horse box that wasn’t crammed with our possessions. We got back at nine last night and Lusty dragged me off the lorry towards some grass, so he seems happy to be home.

I’ll be spending the next few days trying to get my life back in England, unpacking and getting back into a routine. I’ll try and catch up on my gardening too. We’ve got a huge garden that’s hardly been touched for four months; I’m manic about it, I’ll get out there attacking the weeds and return looking like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards! There’s a lot of paperwork to do for Hong Kong too, and normal life doesn’t stop just because it’s the Olympics.

I decided at the beginning of this year the other horses would have to take a back seat — they are for the future, whereas Lusty is for now. He’s 16, so if I don’t do it now we never will, so I’m giving it everything I’ve got. That said, I never imagined an Olympic appearance might be possible, I just wanted to ride internationally.

It was something I’d hoped to do with my husband Aram, but sadly his new horse (Lascar) arrived with travel fever. It was desperately bad and he nearly died. He lost 200lbs and lived on a drip at Liphook Equine Hospital for a week. He’s a lovely horse and it was a gruelling few weeks. Since he came back to health Aram has had some good rides, but he didn’t get a chance to earn the second qualifying score he needed. Now they’re planning for the future and Aram will still be there to support me in Hong Kong.

For me and Lusty to be selected is like a fairytale. When I won a national grand prix in Munich I though if I can keep this up we could be on the short list, but I still thought without a question of a doubt that Carl [Hester] would be on the team.

Richard Davison asked me to go to the nations cup at Rotterdam in June and Ulla said just ride a safe test, don’t try and be clever. So I rode an over-safe safe test, which really wasn’t very clever! I wasn’t disappointed though, because I wasn’t thinking of getting on the team and I think that attitude has actually helped me get here. If you want something too much you can crash and burn. Even when Lecantos [Carl Hester’s ride] was withdrawn, selection still wasn’t guaranteed. Anna [Ross Davies] is very good with Liebling, she’s had some tough rides this year but is capable of better scores than us, it just depends what happens on the day.

Now that we’ve been selected though, I’m not going to let anyone down. I’m going to be more focussed and committed than ever. I’m just an ordinary rider; I came from the North Cornwall Pony Club and I am still that person who just loves their sport, but I would love to be good enough on the day.

I didn’t enjoy my last Olympics in Atlanta. I had a tough time as my horse wasn’t well and I came away feeling more than disappointed with my own performance, and as a team we were fairly low in spirits. This year couldn’t be more different, we’re a positive team and Laura [Bechtolsheimer] and Emma [Hindle] have fabulous horses. As for my test, Ulla keeps saying it’s just a piece of sand, but I’ll be giving that grand prix everything.

Who is Jane Gregory?

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The British Olympic Association (BOA) has selected Laura Bechtolsheimer (pictured right), Emma Hindle and Jane Gregory (nee Bredin) to represent Britain in dressage at the Hong Kong Olympics this August.

Laura will contest her first Olympics riding her own and her father Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer’s Mistral Hojris.

The pair are Britain’s highest-scoring combination, having broken the international grand prix record at Olympia World Cup qualifier last December.

Laura said: “Our whole season has been focused on selection but to have it confirmed still feels surreal, it hasn’t sunk in.

Mistral Hojris is very special and I feel privileged to have a horse like him to take to my first Olympics.”

Team stalwart Emma Hindle partners her own stallion Lancet, with whom she was best of the British at the World Equestrian Games 2006 in Aachen.

Jane Gregory rides her partner Aram’s 16-year-old Lucky Star, whom she has had from a four-year-old. Jane returned to top international competition in the past two years, having last ridden at a major championship on Cupido at Atlanta 1996.

“I am in a state of shock,” she said of her selection. “My goal this year has been to improve my riding and my training. We’ve been enjoying our international success so much and never dared to hope we would be in contention for an Olympic team position.”

Richard Davison, British Team Captain said: “These riders have shown extremely good and consistent results throughout the season and I am confident we have a competitive team.”

The federation is yet to announce Britain’s travelling reserve.

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