Former Olympic rider convicted of drink-driving offence

Italian former eventer Andrea Verdina has been banned from driving for 12 months following a drink driving offence.

Police stopped the 41-year-old Italian, who runs a sport horse yard near Taynton in Gloucestershire, on 30 July on the A40 between Cheltenham and Longlevens.

A breathalyser test showed he had with 51 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of his breath. The legal limit for driving is 35 microgrammes.

He pleaded guilty to the offence at Cheltenham Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay a £300 fine, £85 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge on top of his ban.

The former eventer, who won European team bronze in 2001 and rode at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, told the court: “I am really sorry for what I have done.

“I went to a hunt ball and planned to share a taxi back, but my girlfriend was ill so I drove her home.”

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