Carl Hester is a very busy man at the moment. As well as flying all over the world to host masterclasses and teach clinics, he is also stepping in to take over riding several of Charlotte Dujardin’s horses, while she is pregnant with her first child, who is expected in the new year.
“Charlotte is still riding, but she is beginning to get more heavily pregnant, and she’s not riding to the point that she was – there is no sitting trot for her anymore!” reveals Carl on episode 129 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, this week supported by NAF – Five Star for the Best Performance Worldwide.
“I got off a flight from Australia and my first job when I got back home through the door was to go and get back on a few horses,” he adds. “There’s an awful lot to do – I’m very busy.”
But all the extra work and riding will be worth it – Carl is very excited about the upcoming grand prix horses currently on the yard, and there are three in particular he hopes will make their grand prix debut between now and 2024.
“We’re looking at having five grand prix horses ready for the next Olympic Games, and we have some very exciting ones starting grand prix next spring,” Carl says.
Carl Hester: ‘En Vogue is really good’
Carl Hester counts En Vogue, his 2021 Olympic horse, and Imhotep, Charlotte Dujardin’s 2022 team horse, amongst those five – the former having been withdrawn from 2022 team contention in May after suffering from a minor injury. But Vogue is now “really good” and back in work, according to Carl, who will give the 13-year-old Jazz son an easy winter of hacking and stretching before campaigning him for next year’s European Championships come the spring.
“Vogue isn’t an indoor championship horse, so there is no point campaigning him for the World Cup this winter,” says Carl. “I won’t need him until about April, so I’m going to take the time to bring him back and we are working very much on the other horses.”
One of those other horses is Hawtins San Floriana, the 10-year-old San Amour mare with whom Charlotte scored a double win at advanced medium and prix st georges (PSG) at Hartpury Premier League in July.
“She is super talented, and related to Hawtins Delicato [Carl’s 2018 World Equestrian Games medallist]. She has the same sort of talent as he has and the same brilliant work ethic,” says Carl. “She’ll hopefully be starting her grand prix career.”
Hawtins San Floriana and Charlotte Dujardin at Hartpury Premier League 2022
There is also eight-year-old Alive And Kicking, winner of the 2022 young horse PSG final at Hartpury, and runner-up in the PSG at the nationals in September.
“I’m riding her at the moment and I get on with her very well. We’re hoping she’ll start around March with her first grand prix,” says Carl.
Charlotte Dujardin and Alive And Kicking win the 2022 Elite Stallions young horse PSG final
“And then there’s the brilliant Times Kismet,” he adds, referring to the seven-year-old Ampere daughter, the current national advanced medium champion. “She is quite young, but she is like riding the most wonderful sofa in the world; I absolutely adore her. She is a winner through and though and her talent for grand prix is just exceptional, so she’s very exciting.
Charlotte Dujardin and Time Kismet at the Winter Dressage Championships 2022.
“It’s a very exciting time for that group, with the moment of truth coming up: how they’ll be in the ring at that level,” continues Carl. “It’s a lot of riding for me to take on, after all these horses don’t just take 15 minutes – as up and coming grand prix horses I have to get them really though and soft and forward, they have to learn the movements, and they have to gain more competition experience in the ring as well.”
To hear Carl Hester chatting more about En Vogue, what he’s up to this winter, and his goals for the next few years, tune in to episode 129 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, this week supported by NAF – Five Star for the Best Performance Worldwide.
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