Simon Laurens is a British equestrian

Equestrianism

Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

 who competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

2008 Summer Paralympics

The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....

, held in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, China.

He started riding at the age of eight and competed in gymkhana

Gymkhana

Gymkhana is a typical Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the Hindi-Urdu word for "racket court," is an Indian term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held...

 and show jumping

Show jumping

Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...

 with his palomino

Palomino

Palomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" base coat...

 Champagne, before taking up dreassage whilst working with Gemma Green for nine years at her yard in Jersey. Laurens was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...

 in 2004. Within two years he began competing for the Great Britain para dressage

Dressage

Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...

 team. He won the National Grade III Disabled Dressage title in 2006 and 2007 and also won both team and individual freestyle golds at the 2007 World Para Championships.

Selected to compete at his first Paralympic Games in 2008, Laurens entered the individual freestyle test grade III

Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Paralympics consisted of eleven dressage events. The competitions were held in the Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Centre from 7 September to 11 September.-Classfication:...

 and was part of the Great Britain

Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Great Britain sent a delegation of around 400, of which 212 were athletes, to compete in eighteen sports at the Games...

 quartet for the overall team championship. Competing on his horse 'Ocean Diamond' he won the silver medal in the individual event behind Hannelore Brenner of Germany

Germany at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Germany competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.German competitors took part in table tennis and sailing events, among others.-Medallists:- Archery:5 competitors:MenWomen- Athletics:42 competitors:Men...

. In the team open Laurens, with teammates Lee Pearson

Lee Pearson

David Lee Pearson, CBE is a nine-times paralympic games gold medallist having represented British para-equestrianism in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. He also has six world-championship and three European titles...

, Anne Dunham

Anne Dunham (equestrian)

Anne Patricia Dunham MBE is a British equestrian who has competed in the Paralympic Games.-Early life and disability:...

 and Sophie Christiansen

Sophie Christiansen

Sophie Margaret Christiansen MBE is a British equestrian who has twice competed in the Paralympic Games.Christiansen was born two months prematurely with cerebral palsy and suffered from other health problems including jaundice, blood poisoning, a heart attack and a collapsed lung...

 won the gold medal. This meant that Great Britain has won a gold medal in that event at four consecutive Games. Following his success in Beijing he was named the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 South West Disabled Sports Personality of the year for 2008.

In 2009 Laurens won three medals at the European Championships held in Kristiansand

Kristiansand

-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...

, Norway, and was one six people whose efforts were recognised with the award of a medal of honour for "activities connected with international endeavour in relation to equestrian sport". Later that year he was named Disability Sports Personality of the Year at the Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

Media Sports Awards.

He announced his retirement from international para-equestrian dressage in January 2011, citing "personal and financial reasons" for his decision.