Jane Kidd Passed Away

Dressage

Great Britain

British dressage personality Jane Kidd passed away on 21 August 2025 following a period of illness. She was 82 years old.

Jane was one of the brightest minds behind British Dressage and her contribution has been immense.

Horsey Family

Jame came from a familuy of horseman and journalists with her grandfather being Lord Beaverbrook. She graduated with an honours degree in Economics and Politics from Bristol University.

Jane's love of horses began with her mother. “My mother was passionate. She couldn't ride any longer as she hurt her back and so she gave Johnny, my brother and myself every assistance," Jane explained in 2024.

Jane originally started out in showjumping, competing internationally as a member of the British Junior and Adult British Show Jumping Team. She twice competed at the European Junior Show Jumping Championships and won two team gold medals.

Her love and passion for dressage came about following her breaking her back and having a five-year break from serious riding. After initially going back into show jumping Jane was “eventually persuaded” to take up dressage with an ex-showjumper and gradually climbed up the levels to compete internationally.

Despite reaching this level, Jane reflected on how her injury impacted her ridden career, “My crushed vertebrae meant I was crooked,” describing how she felt, “I never got the best out of them. I loved riding, but I gradually transferred into training and judging,”

In some ways echoing the example of her mother continuing her passion by supporting Jane’s early ridden career, Jane’s passion for dressage remained but evolved into something different and shifted to a much more widespread involvement in the sport, which would reach and assist many riders.

Educator

As well as training some of the more experienced Grand Prix athletes, she particularly enjoyed working with young riders, having become chairman of the Under 21s and trained a Pony Club team, including Tom McEwen, that won the PC Championships. Jane explained how, she loved training young riders because of, “their energy and the fact they might be very talented. Many showed enthusiasm as well as an open mind and innocence about the sport that was such you can really put a lot into them.”

She was a dedicated coach who inspired countless riders from Pony Club to the international stage.

Author

Jane’s passion for education was unparalleled. She authored numerous books, including "Horsemanship in Europe", "Dressage Essentials", "Practical Dressage", "A Festival of Dressage", "The Dressage Judges Viewpoint', "A Young Person's Guide to Dressage", "To Be a Dressage Rider" and "Goodwood Dressage Champions."

Speaking about her passion for writing on dressage, she explained how she was initially inspired by what she’d seen in Europe, “When I took up dressage, I knew that we had to look to the continental approach and training; that ours was not successful in international competition. One of my first major books was about travelling around Europe to all the various schools and trainers, collecting ideas and why they were good, and what they did”.

Jane served as Editor of the BD Magazine from 1995 till 2010, and was instrumental in introducing the Scales of Training to the British audience.

Judge

One of the many books Jane Kidd authored

She was a List 1 and international dressage judge and, for instance, officiated at the 2002 European Junior Riders Championships and 2009 European Junior / Young Riders Championships

She was a senior selector in 2010 and became the first Chair of the BD Test Committee and played a key role in British Dressage’s success on the international stage as a Senior Selector for many years. Her breadth of knowledge and vision made her one of the sport’s true architects.

She was the vice chairman of the British Horse Foundation and instrumental in the setting up of the British Horse Database.

Linda Whetstone Memorial Trophy

In 2024 she became the recipient of the the Linda Whetstone Memorial Trophy. She said at the time, "it was a very happy shock. That magnificent trophy has been a real boost for me, thank you.” Jane then adds with a slight laugh “I hoped that the photographers were there. One of them might have taken a picture of me with my mouth wide open with surprise.”

Kidd "dedicated (her) lives to dressage and (a) played pivotal role in shaping its growth and success in the UK, leaving a lasting legacy that will endure forever," British Dressage posted.

Jane lived at her family's Maple Stud in Surrey