Ian Stark, OBE
(b.1954)
Equestrianism
Ian Stark had no family background in equestrianism but became one of the leading stars in the sport, and arguably Scotland’s greatest eventer.
He won four Olympic silver medals over his career. The first came in 1984 in Los Angeles as part of the Great Britain team that finished second in the three day event. Four years later, he won a further two silver medals, in show jumping and the three day event. In his fifth and final Olympics in 2000, he picked up another silver medal in the team show jumping event.
Outside of his Olympic achievements, Ian won an array of medals, taking gold as part of the British team that won the World Title in 1986, while riding the horse Oxford Blue. Ian collected two silver medals in the 1990 World Championships in Stockholm, and a year later he won two gold medals in the European Championships. He went on to win two more gold medals in the team events in 1997 and 1999.
Having retired from the sport, Ian has gone on to have tremendous success as a coach, with the British Horse Society awarding him an Honorary Fellowship, in recognition of his coaching contributions to the equine industry. Ian was awarded an MBE for his services to equestrianism in 1989. In 2001 he was honoured again with an OBE.
Key achievements
- Four Olympic Silver Medals
- Seven Gold medals in the European Eventing Championships (1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1997 and 1999)
- Winner of the Badminton Horse Trials three times (1986, 1988 and 1999)
- Only person to take the first and second place at Badminton for the same year