Lee Pearson

“You know that the world is a better place when people can come up to a severely disabled person and say: 'Well done. You are an inspiration.'”

“Before taking up dressage, I'd distanced myself from the Paralympics because I hadn't wanted to be defined by my disability. Then when I grew up and got an office job, things started to change. I'm actually allergic to horses, but I'm even more allergic to paperwork!”

“I just love the development of horses, getting into their brains, making them more athletic and powerful, responsive, and I'm rubbish at everything else.”

“If you try singling me out to my mother, she'll be down your throat. She has three sons, and she's equally proud of us all.”

“I've thought about adopting, but I'm a bit paranoid that because I'm gay and disabled I'd be put straight off the list. My mother thinks that I would jump the queue because they like minorities adopting. I have great genes, though, and I would like to pass them on.”

“When I pull my white Range Rover into disabled parking bays, the abuse that I get until I actually get out on my crutches is phenomenal, because people presume that you couldn't possibly be disabled and reverse a white Range Rover into that parking space.”

“I'm not really into the fame thing. I've met so many celebrities now, and everybody's just the same. I'm a bit of a family bird.”

“Whether I'm riding a horse or driving a car, I'm feeling them, judging what they're doing, trying to work out what I can take them up to.”

“I don't just love riding; I love horses. I was in the field at my yard watching them gallop around and play the other day. That's what keeps me going, and sometimes it has to be something more than just winning.”

“I understand when people think dressage is boring. But while your standard horse is like driving a Fiesta, our horses are like driving Formula One cars. I can't breathe without the horse reacting. You are training another being to become really responsive and athletic and powerful.”