Dressage riders star in new TV show

Celebrity dressage trio Carl Hester, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro will star in a new documentary on Horse & Country TV next week (Wednesday 14 May).

Carl and Charlotte: Going Dutch follows the two London 2012 gold medallists as they travel to the Netherlands in search of a new equine superstar.

The show coincides with the KWPN stallion show, features footage of Carl riding a fiery 5-year-old stallion and celebrates Valegro being crowned KWPN horse of the year in front of an adoring crowd.

Carl also treats viewers to an insight into his own breeding programme, introducing home-bred future champions such as Euphoria — who is related to both Valegro and Uthopia.

H&C head of programming Jonathan Rippon said that while Carl and Charlotte became household names after London 2012, horse lovers want to discover the secrets behind their success.

“We know there’s a real appetite for finding out more about the lives and work of the pair,” he said. “Carl proved his credentials as a horse scout by seeing the potential in a young Valegro while in Holland 10 years ago, and bring him over to Britain to train.

“So when we heard he was planning another foray to the Netherlands with Charlotte we knew it would make great TV.”

Carl and Charlotte: Going Dutch will be broadcast on Horse & Country TV (Sky 280) at 9pm on Wednesday 14 May.

http://www.horseandcountry.tv/tv?title=going+dutch

Martha Terry

H&H features editor

Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on dogs of all shapes and sizes. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs, one a street dog from Gambia who was abandoned at three weeks old. Now, her constant companion, whether by her feet at her desk or walking cross-country courses, is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.