Rider Biographies

Elizabeth Power

Country: Ireland

Age: 26

Elizabeth lives in Ireland County Meath but spends the competition season based near Marlborough. She comes from a family of equestrians; her father Con Power was an international show jumper noted for his partnership with Rockbarton with who he won three Aga Khan Cups. His career was prematurely ended when a loose horse galloped into him from behind. He was unconscious for three weeks and never rode a horse again. Her mother Margaret also evented and competed at Badminton, while brother Robert was a leading pony show jumper but changed careers to become a jockey and in 2007 won the Grand National on Silver Birch.

Elizabeth started her competitive career in show jumping, coming up through the ranks on ponies. She represented Ireland at her first European Championships in 1997 on Normans Choice, winning team bronze. Shortly afterwards, she turned her attentions to eventing. In 1998, she again represented Ireland at the European Pony Championships in Le Touquet, with Summerhill Toby Jug and finished fifth, both individually and with the team. The next year she claimed individual and team bronze in Sweden. Juniors followed culminating in a team bronze medal from the 2001 European championships at Walldorf, Germany.

As a Young Rider she won Britain’s Under-21 National Championship at Weston Park.

Elizabeth has forged a successful partnership with Kilpatrick River, a former racehorse who ran 22 times before coming out of training. The pair won its first one-star in 2005 and in 2010 was 11th on their Badminton debut, receiving the HSBC training bursary for the achievement.