Dressage Spanish Sunshine Tour – week one

British riders have excelled during the first week of competition on the Spanish Sunshine Tour, with Carl Hester and Nicky Barrett scooping a multitude of wins.

Hester clocked up five wins on his two horses at Vejer de la Frontera (28 February – 4 March 2007), winning the the intermediaire II (70.78%), grand prix (69.667%) and grand prix special (71%) with new ride and team hope Lecantos. Hester also won two owners class junior team tests on board Sarah Tyler-Evans’ T.Movistar. Meanwhile Barrett won two prix st georges as well as an intermediaire I in the small tour with Faberge 50.

Hester has been riding the 11-year-old Lecantos for just four months and is very excited about the future. Lecantos is owned by Irish dressage and event rider Sasha Stewart, who is one of Hester’s pupils.

“Lecantos gives me the same feeling as my previous top horse Escapado,” Hester said. “He has all the qualities you need to make a great horse; he’s really special. We brought him here to decide whether he is good enough and ready to try for the British team this year and this weekend has proved he is a 70% horse.”

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