Sport & Results
Farewell to Pattie Biden: Rider and Organizer of the Little Gatcombe Horse Trials
Pattie Biden has passed away at the age of 74. According to Horse & Hound, the former event rider organized the Little Gatcombe Horse Trials in England for nearly three decades.
Equidara editorial team · 10 November 2026 · 1 min read
Former event rider and organizer Pattie Biden has passed away at the age of 74. The British equestrian magazine Horse & Hound reported this in an obituary, which also serves as the basis for the following details. Biden competed at Burghley and Badminton. For nearly three decades, she directed the Little Gatcombe Horse Trials at Gatcombe Park.
From the Saddle to Event Organization
Biden grew up in the English county of Hertfordshire and learned to ride alongside her twin sister, Carol. After school, she went for training with Alison Oliver near Windsor. There, she met Princess Anne, the Princess Royal. Both women competed in eventing for many years. Biden's best horse was Little Extra.
With a group of eventing enthusiasts, she began organizing an event at Barnsley Park. When it concluded there, the Princess Royal asked her to move the event to Gatcombe Park.
Two Events at Gatcombe
Biden initially organized one event there. Later, a second event was added. The cross-country courses were designed by the Princess Royal. According to Horse & Hound, both events regularly received more entries than there were starting places.
Her time as an organizer at Gatcombe ended in 2019. Biden was also part of the small group that founded the British Eventing Organisers’ Association, the association for event organizers in Great Britain. She also took on roles as a steward and in regional association work for the British governing body, British Eventing.
Sources
- Farewell to event organiser remembered for her ‘immense contribution’ to the sport (Horse & Hound) (31.10.2026)
Written by Equidara editorial team. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
- Bubby Upton Achieves Personal Best Five-Star Result at Pau — Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time clinched second place at Pau, marking the rider's best five-star performance to date.
- USEA Hall of Fame: Irish Sport Horse Carawich Inducted — Irish gelding Carawich, who won World Championship bronze and Olympic silver with Jim Wofford, has been inducted into the USEA Hall of Fame.
- Pau Horse Trials: Five-Star Cross-Country with Four Water Combinations — Pierre Michelet's cross-country course demands speed and precise lines. Riders will face 31 numbered obstacles over 6,270 meters.
- Young Horse World Championships: Titles for Tara van het Leliehof and ACSI Daisy Dynamite — Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Tara van het Leliehof claimed the seven-year-old title at Le Lion d’Angers. Ann-Catrin Bierlein secured the six-year-old title with ACSI Daisy Dynamite.
Related
- Buy horses — Horses for sale from all over the world, with transport search.
- Auctions — Ongoing auctions and individual lots.
- Selling a horse — Post a listing for free, with transport search for the buyer.