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‘The moment my bum hit the saddle, I knew’: is this Charlotte Dujardin’s next Olympic star?
With a licence to thrill and a brain to match, Secret Agent is Charlotte’s great hope for LA28. His rider, groom and judge reveal what makes him special
A buzz has been building around Charlotte Dujardin and Secret Agent for a while now.
The seven-year-old stallion – known at home, fittingly, as James – first turned heads when Charlotte rode him as a four-year-old at the British Dressage National Convention. The following year he scored a massive 97.2% in a national five-year-old class.
Sightings in the competition ring have been few and far between since, but the talk in the meantime has only helped his legend grow.
Now, after finishing second in the seven-year-old final at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Verden this summer, the secret is well and truly out.
Judge Richard Baldwin compares the excitement around him to the stir caused by Woodlander Farouche, Michael Eilberg’s record-breaking, two-time young horse world champion and one of the great “what ifs” of British dressage.
Charlotte, meanwhile, already has her sights set on the biggest stage of all.
So how did he catch Charlotte’s eye, and what makes him a future team star?
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“I knew I had to try to buy him”
“I discovered James when he was just two years old,” Charlotte says. “I was sent a video of him on the lunge, and instantly, I knew he was a horse for me. He had so much presence, elasticity and a natural ability to move through his body. I remember getting real butterflies. I knew I had to try to buy him.
“I first sat on him when he was three and the moment my bum hit the saddle, I knew he was something special. He had so much natural ability, but just as importantly, he had a lovely character.”
That character has made him a joy in the arena at home.
“He’s a wonderful horse to train. He’s incredibly clever; you can teach him something one day and he’ll understand it by the next.
“He has an incredible work ethic, loves his job and really enjoys working with me as his rider. He is a horse who wants to learn and that makes training him such a pleasure.”
Secret Agent at Verden
For all her championship medals, Charlotte had never ridden at the World Breeding Championships before this summer.
“It was one of the best experiences of my career,” she says. “It was a real privilege to ride such a special horse in such an incredible atmosphere. He won the first round and went on to become reserve champion on the second day.
“He’s my horse for the future and my dream for him is the LA 2028 Olympics. I genuinely believe he has the ability to go all the way and compete for a medal. He is an incredibly special horse and I feel very lucky to be on this journey with him.”
Greatest achievements: 2024, 97.2% national five-year-old class; 2026, winter medium gold champion, debut advanced medium win at Hickstead Premier League with more than 80%, second in the seven-year-old final at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Verden
Secret Agent behind the scenes
Groom Phoenix Lewis sees a different side of James every day.
“James is such a pleasure to work with. He always tries his best and has the sweetest, cheekiest personality. He loves attention and affection – and we always make sure he gets plenty!
“He’s definitely matured over the past year. The more he’s been out competing and seeing the world, the more he’s developed and grown in confidence.”
Like Charlotte, Phoenix was struck by him from the start.
“I remember the first time I saw him; he was cantering around the outdoor arena and I was mesmerised. He still has that effect on me now.
“The winter championships are my favourite memory together so far. Spending the whole weekend with him and seeing him win there was so special.
“I get really nervous watching him compete! Knowing how hard he and Charlotte both work behind the scenes makes me want everything to go well and I am always so proud of them both.”
The judge’s view
Judge Richard Baldwin has had James in front of him since the horse’s early competition days. He says the horse’s ability goes deeper than flashy paces.
“I first judged Secret Agent when he was about five, and the thing that sets him apart is his athleticism. He’s so gymnastic – his whole body moves and works. Everything is loose and supple – every joint, every muscle. He’s like a bouncy rubber ball and because of that he looks like he finds everything easy.
“His canter stood out to me straight away, although his other two gaits are super as well. Even then, you could see from the natural way he uses his hindleg that the adjustability would come as he got older.
“Normally, horses with big, impressive gaits struggle with adjustability, because they just get bigger and bigger. He finds it easy to collect for a pirouette and then do a big extended canter. That’s what impressed me when I judged him at the selection trial before the World Championships.
“The other lovely thing is that he doesn’t get tense or upset. He can be really athletic and expressive, but he stays relaxed and listening to the aids. In young horse classes you often see big movers and think, ‘I don’t know whether I’d want to ride that.’ He looks a pleasure to ride and he has the athleticism too.
“He certainly has the mental and physical ability to go all the way.”
Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
