Fiona Bigwood


Fiona Bigwood is a British dressage rider and winner of a silver medal in the team dressage event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Bigwood was born on 24 April 1976. By the time she was 10, Bigwood rode Tanya Larrigan's old Grand Prix horse Salute on lease. She soon competed at the 1993 Junior European Championships and the Young Rider European Championships. As a teenager, she trained in Denmark and was educated at Croydon High School.

Career

In 1997, Bigwood became the youngest British rider to be selected for a Senior European Championships. In the same year, she won the British National Elementary title with Afrikka and was shortlisted for the 1998 World Equestrian Games. Afterwards, she competed at the 2010 World Equestrian Games and four European Dressage Championships. In 2014, she suffered a concussion after a fall while riding. As a result of her injury, Bigwood experiences double vision, which means that she wears an eye patch while riding.
Upon returning to competitions, Bigwood earned a silver medal for Great Britain in the team dressage event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, she would later sell her silver medal-winning horse "Atterupgaards Orthilia" to Danish rider Agnete Kirk Thinggaard.

Personal life

She was married with three children; her ex-husband, Anders Dahl, is also a dressage rider.
In 2016, Bigwood and her ex-husband relocated from Bourne Hill House in Horsham in West Sussex to Brantridge Park, where she is in the process of establishing a new world-class equestrian centre.

Notable horses

Mr G de Lully - 1993 Bay Swedish Warmblood Gelding