Clayton Fredericks

Clayton tackling a cross country fence

Australian-born Olympian Clayton Fredericks began his career as a young boy, showing the pony he kept in his parents garage. For ten consecutive years, he claimed the championship title at the prestigious State Show Rider of the Year. He moved on to eventing and immediately clinched the Australian national young rider champion title before he moved to the UK in 1994.

Clayton first rode for Australia at the Open European Championships in France in 1995, but an injury to his horse Bundaberg robbed him of the opportunity to compete in the gold medal-winning team at Atlanta a year later.

After meeting his now wife, Lucinda, Clayton settled in Wiltshire and began the task of building up his reputation on the international competition circuit.

Clayton produced Ben Along Time and two years later the pair claimed the World Cup, putting horse and rider firmly into the international picture.

Winning the inaugural World Cup title in 2005 was a turning point in Clayton's competitive career. He went on to take the titles at Chatsworth, Saumur, the British Open Championship and took the individual silver and team bronze medals home from the World Equestrian Games.

At the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, Clayton kept his cool under pressure to jump a clear show jumping round, securing the team bronze for Australia and an individual silver medal. In 2007, Clayton finished first in Lexington, second in Deauville, sixth in Burghley and fifth in Luhmühlen. Most of 2007 saw Clayton ranked number one on the World stage.

In 2010, Clayton rode The Frog at Badminton and came third with Be My Guest II at Burghley. Aboard Walterstown Don, Clayton won the CCI** at Malmo and with Sydney Rocks won the Open Novice at Gatcombe and was a runner up at Barocca.

Clayton is chair of the Event Riders' Association and a trainer. He regularly travels to Germany and Hong Kong to teach, and was team trainer for the Hong Kong team at the 2002 Asian Games. In his spare time, Clayton can be seen as lead singer of his band, Snatch.