by David Gavrilovic

Pearson enjoyed many wins on his old horse Blue Circle Boy

Britain's successful Para Dressage team will be hoping to add to their triumphs at this week's World Championships at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire.

Great Britain won seven individual golds at the last Worlds in 2003 and currently hold the European, World and Paralympic team titles.

Among those bringing their experience to the team for the competition, which runs from Friday until Sunday, is six-time Paralympic gold medallist Lee Pearson.

Pearson claimed gold in the individual, freestyle and team events at the Paralympics both in Sydney in 2000 and again in Athens in 2004, and will again be going for a hat-trick of golds to add to his individual and team success in the last World Championships.

But the 33-year-old has been hampered by the retirement of his regular competition horse Blue Circle Boy and will be riding a new horse called Altino for the first time in the competition.

"Altino has enough competition experience to hopefully cope under the pressure, as well as having the right level of confidence," he told BBC Sport.

"I like the horse and along with the selectors I decided he was the right one for me."

GB has won team gold in every event since 1994 so I don't want to be on the team that fails to get that gold Lee Pearson

Born with a condition called arthrogryposis which makes the muscles in the arms and legs grow as scar tissue, Pearson walks with the help of crutches and leg splints and competes in the dressage class for riders with the most severe disabilities - Grade 1.

But Pearson, who made his competitive debut in 1998, has seen standards in the sport rise rapidly

"You have to work very hard now to get on the team. There are lots more people competing now and the strength of the team has improved because of that.

"In the squad now we have a good mixture of youth and experience.

Great Britain will have 10 team members competing in the individual events along with five other Britons who aren't eligible for medals in these championships but are attempting to earn qualification for next years Paralympics.

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As well as his individual challenge, Pearson will team up with Anne Dunham as well as newcomers Michelle Crunkhorn and Simon Laurens in the team competition as they seek to maintain their dominance in the event.

"Britain has won team gold in every event since 1994 so I don't want to be on the team that fails to get that gold and breaks the chain!" Pearson joked.

"There are 15 British riders at the championships and only four are chosen to enter the team event, so I guess that adds a bit of pressure as you don't want to let everybody down.

"If the horse goes well and the judges like the horse that I'm riding hopefully I could get two individual golds as well as the team gold.

"The team is more important than the individual for me, but a gold in the individual on home soil would be very nice."

World Championship squad:
Grade 1a: Sophie Christiansen (Berkshire), Anne Dunham (Wiltshire)
Grade 1b: Ricky Balshaw (Shropshire), Lee Pearson (Staffordshire)
Grade II: Felicity Coulthard (Lancashire), Nicola Tustain (Denbighshire)
Grade III: Debbie Criddle (Somerset), Simon Laurens (Channel Isles)
Grade IV: Michelle Crunkhorn (Nottinghamshire), Denise Shawns (West Lothian)