He is a Paralympic equestrian star who turned to comedy. Now Ricky Balshaw has achieved a career milestone after he was signed up by Comedy Store Management.

Chief executive Don Ward said of his company’s new signing: ‘We love Ricky. He’s funny, hard-working and an inspiration to be around. 

‘The combination of his wicked sense of humour and athlete-esque determination will make him a formidable part of the ever-growing Comedy Store Management stable (pun intended).’

Other clients of the agency – based out of the landmark London venue – include stand-ups such as Paul Tonkinson, Mick Ferry and Mike Gunn. 

Balshaw represented Britain in the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, winning the silver medal with Deacons Georgi. Last week, he revealed the horse had died, adding: ‘He lent me his legs and we took on the world’.

After Georgi went into semi-retirement, Balshaw – who   was born with cerebral palsy –  started training a new horse named Bungle. But he was twice thrown his rider off, once dragged with his foot stuck in the stirrup, resulting in a few broken ribs and a smash knee, and the second time  cracking his skull. 

He was thrown from another horse, Lenherr Rocco, in 2011, breaking his back and ruling him out of the London 2012 Paralympics.

After retiring from the sport,  Balshaw became a used-car salesman as well as a comic, where he is described as ‘a quick-witted, slow-walking, fast-rising star.

Here he is on stage at the London Comedy Store: