9th April 2010
The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) presented Tim Stockdale with the BEF Medal of Honour during the afternoon performance of the British Open Show Jumping Championships on Thursday 8th April.
The BEF Medal of Honour is primarily an award designed to recognise activities connected with international endeavour in relation to equestrian sport, it is awarded for outstanding services to the British Equestrian Federation or one of its member bodies - in this case British Showjumping.
The medal, which has been recognising the achievement of individuals in the equestrian community since 1949, can be in recognition of riding prowess or other support of the British international effort. Tim is eligible for this award in both of these areas; not only has he been a consistent and patriotic member of the British Show Jumping Team for many years, he has put an enormous amount back into the sport in other areas.
He first represented Great Britain in 1988 and has since represented his country on 47 occasions. This includes Nations Cup teams, the World Equestrian Games in 2002, the Olympic Games in 2008 and the European Championships in 2009.
Tim has also focused a huge amount of time and energy on raising the profile of Showjumping in Britain. He was instrumental in training celebrities to show jump on the successful Sport Relief TV show 'only fools on horses' in 2006 and he chaired the British Showjumping marketing and commercial committee from 2005 - 2007. He remains a respected and motivated board member and continues to ride at the highest level.
"This medal of honour is a fitting tribute to the outstanding contribution Tim has made so far to Showjumping in this country," comments Andrew Finding, Chief Executive of the British Equestrian Federation. "The BEF medal of honour is our way of saying thank you to those who make the equestrian industry in this country the success that it is. We rely on the commitment and dedication of individuals like Tim and we offer our congratulations to Tim on his award."
