Biography

British Olympic rider Tom McEwen (31) competed here last year gaining his seventh completion of the event when 12^th with CHF Cooliser one of his two entries this year. Tom, the current Olympic individual silver and British team gold medallist, also rides his Olympic partner Toledo De Kerser with who he was also a member of the British team at the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni (12^th).

Tom who was 3^rd in 2022 BE rider ranking and is currently 11^th in the World FEI rider ranking (16/03/22), is based near Tetbury in Gloucestershire.

He is a former Under-25 national champion and has represented GB at Pony, Junior, Young Rider and senior level. In 2007 Tom was a member of the British Pony team winning team gold at the Pony European Championships with Dick Taytoe. In 2010 he was a member of the British Young Rider team that won team gold at the European Championships in Pardubice (14th – Major Sweep) and at the end of the 2010 season he was awarded the Edy Goldman Trophy, for the Under-21 rider with the most BE points, as well as the Horse Trials Support Group Young Rider Training Bursary.

In 2011 he won another Young Rider European team gold at the Championships at Blair Castle (4th – Private Rudolph). In the September of that year he made an impressive four-star debut at Burghley with Dry Old Party winning the best ‘first-timer’ award and at the end of the season retained the Edy Goldman trophy. In 2012 with Diesel Tom won the two-star at Houghton and in 2013 the pair won the U-25 Championships at Bramham. They were subsequently selected for the British Squad for the European Championships (Tom’s first senior championship) in Malmo but Diesel was eliminated at the first horse inspection.

In 2013 Tom made his Badminton debut with Dry Old Party. The pair finished in 19^th place and won the prizes for the ‘best placed British rider aged under-25’ and the ‘best newcomer’. The following year he was the youngest rider to have qualified two horses for Badminton (Dry Old Party and Diesel).

Tom enjoys rugby and racing and has recently taken up golf.

Tom comes from an equestrian family. His Mother Ali was a showjumper and Father Bobby, a senior veterinarian, is an associate at Rossdales in Lambourn and has worked at Badminton horse trials for over 30 years. His Uncle, John McEwen (MBE), also a senior veterinarian was Vice President of the F.E.I. for eight-years and is currently Chairman of F.E.I. Veterinary Committee. Tom’s sister, Ella also formerly competed and rode for the British Pony Team in 2007 and 2008.

CHF Cooliser owned by Vicky Bates and David Myers is a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare. Bred in Ireland by Raymond Carroll she is by Womanizer out of a mare by Ramiro B. She was acquired by Tom as a three-year-old. In 2021 she was 2^nd at Pau 5* her first at the level and in 2022 completed Badminton and Burghley. She is described by Tom as a ‘very busy little mare, that loves people and is fascinated by crowds’.

Toledo de Kerser owned by Jane Inns, Alison McEwen and Fred and Penny Barker is a 16-year-old Selle Francais gelding with an impeccable jumping pedigree. He is by the leading showjumping sire Diamant de Semilly out of a mare by the influential sire Papillon Rouge. He was produced as a five-year-old by Sammi Mcleod and Tom took the ride in 2013. In 2014 the pair was second in their first international CCI* and later that year second in the CCI2* in the World Young Horse Championships. Toledo completed his first four-star at Pau in 2016 – three years later the pair won the French event. He partnered Tom to team gold and individual silver at the 2020 (2021) Olympic Games.