Georgia Wilson
The four-time Paralympic medallist who started riding to help her Cerebral Palsy, celebrates Paris success.
Written for Cymru Women’s Sport by Alex Bousfield
“Just give it a go and chuck yourself in. That is how you find out if you like something or not, if you give it a try.”
British Equestrian / Jon Stroud Media
Georgia Wilson is a four-time paralympic medallist, winning two bronze medals at Tokyo and silver and bronze at Paris. The equestrian says these are her biggest achievements and something she had dreamed of since she was a little girl. But she says: “I wouldn’t be without horses so even if I hadn’t gone to the championships, I would still be doing what I am doing today.”
Georgia, based in Abergele started riding at the age of two on her little Shetland pony, Diana. “I was brought up with horses since a tiny dot,” she says. Georgia rode at the Riding for the Disabled Association and Pony Club. “The physio said to my mum it would help me with my cerebral palsy,” she says. “I was treated like an able-bodied kid. I was just shoved on a horse,” she adds.
Georgia carried on into Para Dressage and approached each stage with a sense of calm. “People see me as quite laid back. I go into a competition just taking it day by day,” she says. Georgia competed at her first international at the age of just 14. “I was going with all the big names who had been to the Paralympics. It was incredible,” she says.
“I wouldn’t be without horses so even if I hadn’t gone to the championships, I would still be doing what I am doing today.”
Her first Paralympic call up was not the smoothest of rides, as she was set to be a travelling reserve and was called up on the holding camp after another athlete withdrew with an injury. “It was a bit of a shock, but I was excited. I look back and it probably helped because I didn’t have that build up that I was going. I just got chucked in at the deep end,” she says. Georgia came away from Tokyo 2020 with a bronze medal in the individual championship test and also the individual freestyle test.
Georgia then competed three years later at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, but it wasn’t always a given that she would be selected. “It was quite a hard year. At the start of the year my scores didn’t go to plan, and they weren’t amazing. For half of the year, I actually thought I wasn’t going to go,” she says. This took the pressure off Georgia, and she performed much better in the last selection trials. “It was nice going this time, being selected and not being a reserve. It was my own place,” she adds. Georgia walked away from Paris with a bronze in the individual championship test and an upgraded silver in the individual freestyle test.
Georgia says that her riding journey has not been without its ups and downs. She has experienced horse injuries, but she sees these as all par for the course of elite equestrian sport. She says it is also a mental challenge to keep going and the pressure is always on because she has been to every major championship since 2019. “The more you do, the more you add pressure onto yourself, and you want to do more and more,” she says. The results and seeing improvements are what keeps her motivated. The team behind her is also crucial to keeping her going. Georgia’s family and her fiancé, Alex, are her biggest supporters. She also has the support of her trainer, who she has been coached by since 2023.
“It was nice going this time, being selected and not being a reserve. It was my own place.”
Georgia’s yard has a total of 13 horses, which includes her sisters’ horses too. She also works at home looking after the holiday cottages and caravan site that her family own. “Horses is a lifestyle more than just a sport. It is an everyday thing, and I couldn’t not have horses in my life,” she says.
Georgia plans to keep riding and “inspiring people” by competing. She has previously done demonstrations with Pony Club and the RDA to try to help younger riders. Her advice to aspiring riders is: “Just give it a go and chuck yourself in. That is how you find out if you like something or not, if you give it a try.”
