After winning Britain's first Olympic gold medal in the discipline, the 28-year-old went on to become the country's first athlete to hold the number one spot of the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings.

This year brought yet more success for Dujardin, as she rode to her first individual continental dressage titles when she won the Spécial and freestyle golds at the European Championships in Herning, as well as securing team dressage bronze alongside Carl Hester, Michael Eilberg and Gareth Hughes at the competition in the Danish city.

Dujardin was presented with her award at the FEI Awards Gala 2013 in Montreux today alongside four other equestrian heroes receiving honours.

Among these was fellow London 2012 Olympian Reed Kessler of the United States, who was given the Longines Rising Star Award after becoming the youngest rider in show jumping history to ever compete at the Games at the age of 18.

Princess Haya (centre) with FEI Award winners (left to right) Carmen Thiemann, Reed Kessler, Joann Formosa,Charlotte Dujardin and National Army School of Uruguay director Colonel Nuñez


The Against All Odds award went to Australia's Joann Formosa, who won mixed dressage gold at the London 2102 Paralympics.

After starting her dressage and jumping career in 1980, she suffered central nervous system injuries in an accident in 1987.

She went on to join a Riding for the Disabled Association centre only to be involved in a second accident that left her with limited leg movement.

However, she continued riding, made her national team debut at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games and joined Australia's national high performance squad in 2009.

Then in 2011 she finished first in the Grade 1B category of the national championship and secured triple gold at the Oceania Championships, before realising her Paralympic dreams the following year when she was also named Equestrian Australia's International Athlete of the Year.

Princess Haya thanked all of the winning athletes "for sharing the grace, elegance and beauty of equestrian sport with a global audience".

"Since competing at the Games, they have continued to confirm their talent and inspire a future generation of equestrians," she added.

Reed Kessler became the youngest rider in show jumping history to ever compete at the Olympics when she appeared at London 2012 aged 18


Meanwhile, the 2013 Best Groom Award went to Germany's Carmen Thiemann, yard manager for double Olympic eventing gold medallist Ingrid Klimke, who says it is Thiemann's great competence that allows her to focus on her own work with the horses.

Described as "the very soul of the stable", Thiemann previously worked at the stables of multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medal winner Reiner Klimke for eight years.

Speaking at the Awards Gala, FEI President Princess Haya said Thiemann is "a real credit to her profession and an inspiration to her peers".

The Development Award went to the National Army Riding School of Uruguay, "Grito de Asencio", which organises more than 20 national and international jumping, dressage, Para-equestrian dressage, eventing and vaulting competitions annually, as well as competitions within Special Olympics programmes.

It also works on social integration programmes for underprivileged teenagers and their families and is the only institution to grant national riding instructor qualifications.

In addition, it offers its resources and facilities to students with psychological, cognitive and physical disabilities free of charge thanks to its affiliation to the National Centre for Equestrian Development and Rehabilitation.

At the Awards Gala, Princess Haya spoke of the "extraordinary breadth and scope of its activities" and said the efforts the school had put into developing equestrian sport were "exemplary".

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