Ricky Balshaw, was born on 10 November 1986 and is a British para equestrian rider who represented Britain in the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, winning the silver medal with Deacons Georgi.
22 Facts About Ricky Balshaw
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Ricky Balshaw started riding at Brockton Court Riding for the Disabled Association Group.
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At the age of 10, Ricky Balshaw was the seventh person in Europe to be selected for a state-of-the-art operation on his spinal cord.
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Ricky Balshaw made his debut in 2002 and in the following year he was a member of the British team.
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When Ricky Balshaw turned 14 he was put on the World Class programme and was sent all over the world competing and training to gain experience.
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Ricky Balshaw was under a great deal of stress at that point, not only finding out that he was to replace a very close friend who could attend because of health reasons, but being given less than three weeks to prepare.
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Ricky Balshaw describes that moment as one of the most bittersweet moments, he has experienced.
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Ricky Balshaw was in the Grade ii category, his first big opportunity, and narrowly missed a bronze medal.
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The grade boundaries were changed and Ricky Balshaw became a Grade 1b rider.
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In 2008, the Ricky Balshaw was part of the British Para Dressage team at the Beijing Paralympics.
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Shortly after returning from Beijing, Ricky Balshaw put Giorgi into semi-retirement and started training a new horse named "Bungle".
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The horse was an ex-show jumping horse and threw Ricky Balshaw again, cracking his skull.
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Ricky Balshaw made the WEG FEI World Equestrian Games selection in 2010, and yet again was ranked Silver.
14.
Towards the end of 2011, Ricky Balshaw was thrown from his horse and broke his back.
15.
Ricky Balshaw telephoned an ambulance and when the crew arrived at the yard, they were astonished that he had moved.
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Ricky Balshaw returned to training but because of the broken back he was not selected for the London Paralympics 2012 games.
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Ricky Balshaw resumed training with his latest horse, LJT Engaarrds Solitaire.
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Ricky Balshaw had intended to pursue qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but did not participate, deciding to retire from the sport after a series of further injuries.
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Ricky Balshaw has changed career, now performing as a stand up comedian.
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Ricky Balshaw appeared in the Wolverhampton heat of the 2021 New Comedy awards from the BBC and reached the semi-final stage.
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Ricky Balshaw is represented by the Comedy Store Management Ltd and can be found performing all over the UK.
22.
Ricky Balshaw won "Best New Act" in the 2021 Midlands Comedy Awards.