Devon County Show is delighted to announce that Para-Equestrian rider, Ed Chanin, will perform dressage displays on his chestnut, Frankie, on each day of Devon County Show 2024.
Ed, who is right-side paraplegic, changed his riding discipline from national hunt to dressage when he eventually got back on a horse two years after a life changing accident.
Ed said: “Horses have always been part of my life. I started riding from the age of 2 and by the time I was nine, I already had the title of showjumping champion at Hickstead under my belt. I grew up with my father breaking in and training horses to race in point-to-points, so it was a natural progression for me to take up the sport when I was 16. I left school and went to work in a National Hunt racing yard in Minehead. From there I had my first winner in a National Hunt amateur riders hurdle race at Exeter on a horse called Gunther McBride.
On the 19th December 2001, aged 18, my National Hunt career was brought to an abrupt end. I suffered a near fatal fall when jump schooling at the trainer’s yard, I had a serious head injury and was unconscious with a broken back. I was resuscitated twice and placed on life support for several weeks. Six months later, after being in five different hospitals, I was given the green light to go home. I was paralysed down my right-hand side, I then spent the best part of two years having physiotherapy to help me walk and talk again fighting hard all the way to get my life back.
The turning point for me in the recovery process was when my mum took me to Riding for the Disabled and I got back on a horse. She remembers so well that it was the first time she’d seen my face really beaming since the accident. And then they bought me my first dressage horse, Shergar.”
Shergar was the first in a string of dressage horses who Ed has trained and taken to compete at countless events across the country. He has won more than he can remember, taking part in both para as well as able bodied dressage competitions.
In 2009 Ed met his wife Marie – an old school chum. They now have two children, Grace and Isla and both have their own ponies and Ed says his happiest moments are when is out hacking with them around the Devon countryside.
Ed loves to perform and is devoted to bringing on his latest horse, Frankie, who is four years old and stands at 17.2 hands. ‘He’s a gentle giant and is so eager to learn. He’s really coming along and I’m so excited to bring him to the show to perform in a non-competitive environment where we can both relax and enjoy the moment.’
Lisa Moore, Devon County Show Manager said: “It’s fantastic to have Ed and Frankie at the show. This year, it’s all about making the show more accessible and inclusive for everyone, and this also includes our performance artists. Ed is not only one of the finest dressage riders in the country, but he’s also such an incredibly positive person. Of course, we want him to demonstrate his incredible skills in horsemanship, but we are also keen for him to show our County Show audience, that whatever life decides to throw at you, anything is possible”.
To find out more about Devon County Show and to book tickets, visit www.devoncountyshow.co.uk.