Olivia Oakeley's Fractures Arm; Five-Time British Youth Team Rider Plans CDI Return

Dressage

Great Britain

Former British youth team and international dressage rider Olivia Oakeley has fractured her arm in a horse accident. The five-time British youth team remember plans to make a come back to the international arena after a five-year hiatus.

Leading British Youth Rider

The 27-year old Oakeley was Britain's leading junior/young rider between 2010 and 2014. Aboard Donna Summer (by Dimaggio) she competed at the 2010 and 2011 European Junior Riders Championships and at the 2012, 2013 and 2014 European Young Riders Championships, finishing 6th in the freestyle in Arezzo in 2014.

In 2015 Oakeley made the transition to Under 25 Grand Prix level with Donna Summer. She had also obtained the ride on Anne and Steve Keen's Hanoverian gelding Don Carissimo (by Don Crusader) in 2014. The bay gelding was previously competed by Matt Hicks at advanced level.

Olivia and Donna Summer competed in their first Intermediaire II at the CDN Addington in January 2015 and two months later competed him in the Under 25 division at the CDI Addington. Don Carissimo she showed once internationally at small tour level at the CDIO Hickstead in July 2015. This was Olivia's last international competition in her career so far.

Reality of the Sport

While successful youth riders are expected to make a flawless transition into the senior divisions and stay at the top of their game internationally, the reality of the sport is much different.

"It’s definitely not so easy," Olivia told Eurodressage. "My parents don’t own a yard or big house with lots of horses, so you just have to start again with a young horse, but I love the training so I’m not complaining at it, it’s just hard work making the money to do it!"

Oakeley was member of the 2014-2016 British World Class Development Programme, but after deciding to lease Donna Summer to young riders Ottilia Bardsley and Ellie McCarthy and losing the ride on Don Carisimo, she was out of horse power to stay in the support programme and international spotlight.

After doing her A-levels in biology, chemistry and psychology at Hartpury Collage, Olivia chose a career in horses. She had to start from scratch with young horses and needed to gain an income by riding for clients and training students.

"Once I’d leased Donna summer and had a skiing injury to my knee five years ago, so Don Cassimo went to Gareth Hughes, I only had enough money to buy some young horses," Oakeley told Eurodressage. "I tore my MCL so Don Carissimo went to Gareth’s for the eight weeks I was off. Then he ended up staying."

CDI Come Back

Olivia schooling Full House (by Florencio)

The horse stock she bought five years ago have now matured into FEI level candidates, given her perspective on a return to the CDI arena.

"The oldest is now 8 and doing well in her training and I ride a super 9-year old owned by Caroline Bell, so I’m hoping to get back into an international arena later in the year," said Olivia. "It will be lovely to see everyone again (at international shows) and (my parents)can’t wait, they’ve really missed it as much as me."

The two stars she has set her hopes on are the 2014 born Rock Diva (by Rock Forever x Sandro) and the 2012 born Hanoverian gelding Full House (by Florencio x Falkland), bred at Hof Brüning in Germany.

Accident

For Olivia the year 2021 started off on the wrong foot. In January she battled a COVID infection and a few days ago she fractured her arm in a horse accident.

"I was leading a young horse who got very upset about something, I didn’t want to let go but didn’t manage to get out the way of her hind legs and she got my lower arm," said Olivia.

Her arm is in a cast and needs at least six weeks to heal.