Ian Stark OBE
Ian Stark has enjoyed enormous success in the world of eventing.
- 4 Olympic Silvers
- 1 team gold, 1 team silver and 1 individual silver at World Championships
- 1 individual Gold, 1 individual silver and 1 individual bronze – plus 6 team golds – at European Championships
- Team gold and individual bronze in Poland at the 1986 alternative World Champs
- Three Badminton wins and the (as yet) unequalled record of being the only rider to ever become 1st and 2nd in the same year in 1988
An abundance of three day event wins – too numerous to recall but with Bramham being a particular favourite and lucky place!
All in all Ian has ridden 18 horses to 4 star level, supported throughout his career by some truly wonderful owners and sponsors. Ian retired from teams in 2000 and then (allegedly!) retired fully in 2007.
Ian’s eventing career diversified and from 2001 to 2012 he was a selector of the British team and in 2004 he trained the Brazilian team for the Athens Olympics. In 2007 Ian became is BBC commentator and can be heard.
In 2005 Ian started cross country course designing at Chatsworth, encouraged by Mike Etherington Smith and The Duchess of Devonshire. This was the start of his new career in eventing and he now designs throughout Britain, Ireland and the USA.
In 2015 he designed his first Championship track for the European Championships at, Blair Castle in Scotland. Ian now designs up to five-star level, with his biggest UK events being Chatsworth CCI**** and Bramham CCI****/CIC****.
Ian has designed at 4 star level in Ireland, most notably at Tattersalls, and across the USA, including Richland Park in Michigan, Rebecca Farm in Montana and Galway Downs in California and was excited to design his first 5 star event at Fair Hill, in Maryland USA in October 2021.
Ian also rode in Point-to-Points for 12 years, he rode a handful of point-to-point winners but his race riding ended following a fall at Cheltenham in 1993 which ended in hospital.
Ian will freely admit that race riding was not his forte, but he has trained several successful horses. For the last sixteen years Ian has been an Honorary Steward for the British Horseracing Authority and also sits on the
BHA Judicial Panel.
Ian Barratt
Ian is a Partner in the international law firm Kirkland & Ellis, a role which sees him representing a number of the world’s leading private equity firms.
Outside of work, Ian spends his time following his daughters in their equestrian activities. His eldest daughter is very active on the British Eventing circuit while his youngest daughter competes her horse in RDA competitions nationally.
