Ricky Balshaw

Ricky Balshaw is a British stand-up comedian and former elite para-equestrian athlete. Top Secret Comedy Club+4Wikipedia+4ingeniousfools.co.uk+4 Born with cerebral palsy, he began horse riding as part of his physiotherapy at the age of four. 

By age fourteen he was invited to join the British Paralympic dressage team, becoming the youngest person to be inducted into the senior team at that time. 

As an athlete, Balshaw competed at top level: he won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in dressage. Wikipedia+1 He later added further international medals at the World and European Championships before retiring from competitive sport. 

After his equestrian career, Ricky turned to stand-up comedy. His stage persona is described as “quick-witted, slow-walking, fast-rising”, embracing a dark-humoured, self-deprecating style while refusing sympathy. 

In 2021 he reached the semi-final of the BBC New Comedy Award and was awarded Best New Act at the Midlands Comedy Awards. The Comedy Crate

In June 2023 he achieved a milestone by signing with Comedy Store Management Ltd, the agency behind many notable UK comics.