Latest from Horse & Hound in Cathrine-landrup-dufour

‘It felt like flying’: Olympic medallists deliver another personal best

Becky Murray — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:37:46 +0000

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle have delivered another personal best, as the world number ones continue to go from strength to strength.

On Sunday (26 April) the Olympic and European medallists won the Hagen CDI4* grand prix special on 83.09%, more than 8% ahead of runners-up Ingrid Klimke and Vayron, who scored 74.92%.

“We unlocked a new level together and it brought tears to my eyes feeling how much we’re just one unit now,” said Cathrine, who also won the CDI4* grand prix with Freestyle on Friday.

“It literally felt like flying in our grand prix special, and with a personal best 83%. I’m left speechless. Humble and thankful for how generous Freestyle is to our little family.”

Cathrine and Freestyle are continuing their brilliant run this spring; their success in Hagen follows a double victory in the Herning CDI5* in March, where they scored a personal best grand prix of 84.17%.

On 1 April Cathrine set a new record when she climbed 24 places to take the number one spot in the dressage rider world rankings – while Freestyle moved up 22 places to top the horse rankings.

Emma Blundell of Mount St John, who co-owns Freestyle with Cathrine and the Zinglersen family, said “what a start to the outdoor show season”.

“I can’t believe in this next chapter of life, at 17 years young, how fit, well and happy she’s looking. Achieving new personal bests and loving her show time more than ever, with her relaxed but ultimate showman style shining through and their partnership and trust in each other strengthening with every outing,” she said.

Emma added that she could not have imagined, when Freestyle missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, that she would “return to this pinnacle again”.

“But after a couple of years’ nurturing I knew she was ready, and all the stars aligned when Cathrine came into the picture,” she said.

“I truly couldn’t have wished for a better partner for Free and I am eternally grateful for the care, love and compassion Cathrine implements throughout her training and management everyday, and the full support team around her, which has opened a whole new level of magic with Free who continues to amaze us in how exceptionally generous she is to all of us.”

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(Image credit: Catarina Hall)

Olympic rider sets new record to take world number one spot

Becky Murray — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:50:18 +0000

Danish Olympic medallist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour has set a new record as she tops the dressage rider world rankings – while her Paris 2024 ride Mount St John Freestyle becomes number one dressage horse.

In the latest FEI dressage world rankings for athletes, published today (1 April), Cathrine has moved from 25th to the number one spot, on 2,099 points. Former number one, Belgium’s Justin Verboomen, is second with 1,929 points.

In the horse rankings, 17-year-old mare Mount St John Freestyle has moved from 22nd to overtake Justin’s European champion Zonink Plus, who is now second.

An FEI spokesperson said Cathrine remains the only Danish athlete ever to reach the top spot, having previously held the position for four consecutive months from February to May 2025.

The spokesperson added that Cathrine’s new position reflects “a period of strong form at the highest level of international dressage”.

“Previously, the largest leap to reach world number one was from fourth to first, achieved by Charlotte Fry in January 2023,” said the FEI spokesperson.

“Laudrup-Dufour has surpassed this record, rising all the way from 25th to the top spot, a rise bolstered by two victories on home soil in March 2026 in Herning, where she won the CDI5 competitions.

These victories were with Mount St John Freestyle; the pair won in Herning last month with a new grand prix best of 84.17% and topped the freestyle on 90.47%.

“I am over the moon about Freestyle’s latest performances. To feel how our partnership has grown the past months has been amazing,” said Cathrine.

“I truly feel like a unit with her now and in Frankfurt and Herning it’s been the best rides of my life. Tests that I’ll never forget, and tests that I would normally expect to have years in between.

“For me this is clearly a sign that Free and I are becoming true soul partners and when we dance together it’s on a higher level. Feeling very thankful for the enormous support from my whole team.”

Germany’s Isabell Werth in third place in the world rankings, Lottie Fry is fourth and Becky Moody fifth. Lottie’s ride Glamourdale is fourth in the horse rankings, behind Isabell’s ride Wendy de Fontaine. Becky’s home-bred Jagerbomb is fifth.

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‘A grand prix I’ll never forget’: medal-winning mare delivers new personal best

Becky Murray — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:03:54 +0000

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle have got their 2026 campaign off to a smashing start by scoring a new grand prix personal best.

Cathrine rode 17-year-old “Freestyle” to a winning 84.17% at the Herning CDI5* on 6 March. Germany’s Isabell Werth and Wendy De Fontaine were runners-up on 81.91%.

Cathrine, who owns the Fidermark daughter with the Zinglersen family and Emma Blundell, said she was “speechless”.

“How was today even possible? Today’s ride with our lovely Mount St John Freestyle is a grand prix I’ll never forget,” she said.

“She was just perfect. As simple as that. For ever grateful for you, Free. Congrats on your personal best.”

Cathrine and Freestyle scored 10s from the judges, including Britain’s Isobel Wessels at E, who awarded the pair 10s for the final canter pirouette and trot transitions.

“Now I finally know how an excellent canter to trot transition looks like,” said Cathrine’s coach Kyra Kyrklund, who added that it was the first time she had ever seen a 10 given for this movement.

The following day Cathrine and Freestyle won the grand prix freestyle, scoring 90.47%.

Cathrine said the mare is “one in a billion”.

“How proud, honoured and lucky we feel to have you in our life. For ever thankful for this weekend with you,” she said.

“[It] feels like this is once in a lifetime. Thanks to everyone in our amazing team.”

Cathrine and Freestyle have impressed since they became a partnership in 2023 and will no doubt have their eyes on this year’s World Championships in Aachen. In 2024 the pair won team and individual silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and double individual silver at the European Championships at Crozet last summer.

Freestyle previously won individual bronze and was part of the British bronze medal-winning team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games with Charlotte Dujardin.

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‘Greatness can emerge from modest beginnings’: European champion’s breeder among those recognised at top awards

Becky Murray — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:11:59 +0000

The breeders of European eventing champion London 52, Olympic dressage medallist Mount St John Freestyle and showjumping star Donatello d’Auge have been celebrated at the Longines World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) awards.

The ceremony, which crowned the breeders of the year in eventing, dressage and showjumping – based on the final WBFSH 2025 rankings – took place on 24 January at Jumping Amsterdam.

WBFSH president Jan Pedersen presented Ocke Riewerts (London 52), Stephan Kurz (Mount St John Freestyle) and Susana Epaillard Garcia Cereceda (Donatello D’Auge) each with an inscribed bronze Brigitte Boss trophy and a Longines timepiece.

This is the second time Ocke, who is based in the North Sea island of Föhr in northern Germany, has received the award for London 52 (Landos x Quinar Z), having won in 2022. London 52 and Laura Collett were crowned European champions at Blenheim last year, and were third at Luhmuhlen CCI5*.

“I never expected that achieving this honour once would be possible – let alone twice,” Ocke.

A WBFSH spokesperson said Ocke’s work “stands out for its depth of tradition and meticulous care”.

“Ocke’s philosophy emphasises the value of repeating proven crosses and breeding horses capable of excelling across all three eventing disciplines – as well as possessing the courage to tackle today’s demanding courses,” said the spokesperson.

“London 52’s story is a reminder that greatness can emerge from modest beginnings; a single foal, bred with care and conviction, who rose to the top of international sport and now carries his breeder’s name among the legends of equestrian sport.”

Mount St John Freestyle (Fidermark x Donnerhall 11), who was previously produced and campaigned by Charlotte Dujardin, had another fantastic year with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, winning individual silver and helping Denmark to team bronze at the European Championships in Crozet. The pair posted three +90% freestyle performances in 2025, including 91.1% at the Frankfurt CDI5* in December.

“Following what Freestyle does, her career achievements, it’s great” said Stephan, who is based in southern Germany.

“There are so many coincidences that happened to come full circle, where everything worked out perfectly.”

Susana, of Haras de La Bosquetterie in Normandy, won the showjumping title for Donatello D’Auge (Jarnac x Hello Pierville) for the second time, having received it in 2023. Donatello is ridden by Susana’s husband Julien, the pair have consistent results at the top level and finished number one in the FEI showjumping combination rankings last year.

“Two years later he is still there, among the best,” said Susana, adding that she is very proud of Donatello’s management.

“Patience is the big secret… let them grow, and once they are doing the sport, then [have] patience not to ask them too much, too often.”

The WBFSH spokesperson said Susan’s second award “stands as a testament to this philosophy and to the enduring legacy of one of modern showjumping’s great athletes”.

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Into orbit: dressage’s new superstar lands second gold medal at the European Championships

Martha Terry — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 13:50:15 +0000

Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus laid on the wow factor to win gold in the European Dressage Championships freestyle medals at Jiva Hill Stables in France. Under cloudless skies, at the foot of the Jura Mountains, this pair danced their way to the top of the podium with 89.96%.

Justin, 38, is a man who lets his performance do the talking and he was almost speechless in trying to describe the enormity of what he had achieved with the horse he found as a two-year-old.

“I can’t believe it at all!” he said. “This second victory is really a surprise for me. I’m so proud of my horse – he’s so young.”

As in the grand prix special, it was a three-way fight for the medals, between Justin, silver medallist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Isabell Werth in bronze, but the placings remained unaltered. Zonik is dressage’s new king.

Justin and the nine-year-old had already made history on their championship debut by winning Belgium’s first gold in the special. But as Cathrine and Isabell had both put plus-88% scores on the board before his turn, this young stallion would need to conjure something extra special. A personal best in a rapidly soaring career was required – and that’s exactly what Zonik produced.

Breathtaking though the test was, it was not flawless, as Zonik broke into canter during his trot half-pass, but the rest was spellbinding.

“I made a big mistake – of course it was my fault,” Justin said. “But I could feel that test by test he is becoming more mature, able to listen to all my very small aids, always attentive to me – that’s his greatest quality.”

European Dressage Championships freestyle: silver and bronze medals

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour had Isabell’s target of 88.05% to hit when she went in, third from the end. She nailed an extremely technical floorplan, climaxing with an impressive walk into canter pirouette, to piaffe and then halt to score 89.82%.

“The choreography is very special, I hand-picked things from old freestyles and felt emotional riding it,” said Cathrine. “It’s really technical, but Freestyle is a horse who can take it.”

There were so many tremendous highlights from this harmonious partnership – their smoothness and frame throughout were exemplary and the way they made such a difficult sequence of exercises look so easy.

In common with several others, the pair made a mistake in the two-time tempi changes, which they were able to repeat but perhaps it made the tiny impact that made the difference in such a tight tussle for gold.

“I thought she was amazing again, she’s been great all week performing three great tests,” said Cathrine, who watched Justin’s test from the mixed zone alongside her trainer Kyra Kyrklund. “I needed that last bit of luck today as it was so damn close!

“So it comes with a little bit of disappointment but this is what the sport is all about, and it has been amazing sport all week at Jiva Hill.”

Bronze for Isabell Werth

Isabell Werth said after the special that she would go for broke in Wendy De Fontaine’s freestyle, and she conjured a massive performance, certainly their most harmonious of the week.

Her piaffe pirouettes were exquisite, but the whole test was immaculate, balanced and powerful. Although Wendy’s previous tests had looked a little short of her Paris brilliance, the pair looked in perfect harmony in this freestyle, Isabell riding for every single mark. Every movement looked more fluent and expressive, and the scores soared accordingly.

Becky Moody finished just outside the medals in fourth with Jagerbomb for Britain on 86.98%.

European Dressage Championships freestyle medals

Gold: Justin Verboomen (BEL), Zonik Plus – 89.96%

Silver: Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN), Mount St John Freestyle – 89.82%

Bronze: Isabell Werth (GER), Wendy De Fontaine – 88.05%

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‘She was on fire’: super-mare propels Denmark onto the podium at European Dressage Championship

Martha Terry — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 16:51:19 +0000

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour led Denmark to win the team bronze medal at the European Dressage Championships with her leading team grand prix test. Germany took gold, Britain silver.

Mount St John Freestyle was among the pre-championships favourites for individual glory, and she proved why she is a force to be reckoned with. Her 80.82% score virtually assured Denmark of the team bronze medal, even with several top horses left to go.

Her result put her comfortably at the top of the leaderboard ahead of eventual fifth Carl Hester at that stage, with Isabell Werth, Lottie Fry and Justin Verboomen still to come. And there she stayed.

“Freestyle was amazing, I could feel she was a bit on fire, which I like,” said Cathrine, who was smiling throughout the test. “I wanted to play with her and show the positive sort of riding I really like to present. I wanted to choose positive body language without thinking about [the other riders], just presenting Freestyle where we are now in our training.

“The goal was to do a clean grand prix for the team, and then to show off my highlights with the most quality. Her performance was fantastic, but I could have been a bit more careful so I will try to improve on that for tomorrow [grand prix special].”

While mistakes have blotted a few of the grand prix tests here, Mount St John Freestyle was spot on. Aside from her stunning movement, she goes in such a balanced and soft rhythm, fully focused on Cathrine’s minute aids. They were duly rewarded with soaring scores, including 10s for passage and the final halt and nines across all seven judges for their general impression.

The 16-year-old mare missed Aachen as she “wasn’t feeling right”, but looked in fabulous physical form here as Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour made some tweaks to her regime ahead of the European Dressage Championships.

“She’s the fittest she’s ever been,” Cathrine said. “It’s been 30ºC training and she’s not had one drop of sweat on her body. She’s 16 but so fit.

“I’ve been comparing [her fitness work] to my running training and trying to make my training a bit longer but light work, sitting on her for an hour but getting ‘soft kilometres’ into her legs.”

The teams that missed out on medals

Belgium came so close to their first championship medal thanks to their newcomer Justin Verboomen, who finished individual third, but Cathrine’s superior performance secured the Danes’ place on the bottom rung of the podium.

Belgium were 3.3% adrift in fourth, with The Netherlands less than 2% behind, boosted by Dinja van Liere’s eyecatching test on the lightly competed Hermes, who were fourth overall.

Justin took some risks with this season’s breakout star, Zonik Plus, to show off his massive power and talent. The stallion showed impressive composure to cope with the buzzy atmosphere in the final stages of this team medal contest and recover from their few small mistakes.

Their highlights – particularly the passage and pirouettes – were truly outstanding, and they earned two 10s, including for the final halt. Were it not for kicking the sideboard in the rein-back and a mistake in the one-times, this could have lifted Belgium above the Danes. Medals are surely on the horizon for this nine-year-old – and that could be in a matter of hours rather than years.

Elimination at the European Dressage Championships

Earlier in this rotation of final team riders, the judge at C, Hans-Christian Matthiesen, rang the bell during Florian Bacher’s test on Fidertraum OLD, and he was eliminated. This was due to be the 16-year-old gelding’s swansong championships.

Florian’s departure means that the Austrian team are eliminated as Victoria Max-Theurer withdrew Abegglen FH NRW before the grand prix competition started.

This was the second elimination of the European Dressage Championships 2025, following Andrew Gould on day one, and there have been two withdrawals.

‘We will give you the most amazing life’: new baby for Olympic medallist and wife

Becky Murray — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:21:08 +0000

World number one dressage rider Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and her wife Rasmine have welcomed a baby daughter.

Rasmine gave birth to Palma at 12.59am on 31 May 2025, “and with that our life changed,” said the couple.

“Unreal that you are our daughter and the one cooking in my belly for the last nine months,” said Rasmine, a showjumper who competes to CSI3* level.

“You gave me the perfect pregnancy. Now we will give you the most amazing life.”

Cathrine and Rasmine met in October 2019 at the Herning CDI-W. Rasmine proposed to Cathrine after the latter won the grand prix title at the Danish national championships in September 2020, and the couple married the following year.

They held a second wedding in December 2023 and last November they announced Rasmine was pregnant with their first child.

“A mini Laudrup-Dufour is cooking in Rasmine’s belly and we are all soooo excited,” they said at the time.

It has been an exciting 12 months for the couple, who run a training and sales yard together. Cathrine and Mount St John Freestyle, owned by Mount St John, Cathrine and Zinglersen, were part of the Danish team that won silver at the Paris Olympics last summer, and the pair have won their last six international starts together, including posting a +91% in the Gothenburg CDI-W freestyle in February.

In March Cathrine topped the FEI world dressage rankings for the first time in her career, and in the updated rankings for June she remains ahead of Lottie Fry by 116 points. Germany’s Isabell Werth is in third.

Last month Cathrine and Freestyle won the grand prix title at the Danish national championships (23-25 May) for the second consecutive year.

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Mount St John Freestyle dances to +91% victory: ‘Proud is an understatement’

Lucy Elder — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:36:06 +0000

Paris Olympic dressage medallists Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle scored a sublime new personal best of 91.14% in Gothenburg to record the highest mark of the World Cup season so far.

The pair’s total – the highest mark horse and rider have ever achieved in their respective careers – included perfect 10s across the board for music and interpretation.

“Freestyle is absolutely wonderful. A true show woman. I feel we are getting more and more comfortable together; she is really starting to trust me,” said Cathrine.

Watch the pair’s +91%-freestyle in the video below

They finished more than 8% of runners-up Maria von Essen and Invoice (82.5%) for Sweden; France’s Corentin Pottier and Gotilas Du Feuillard completed the podium on 81.47%. It was their second wide-margin win of the week, having won Friday’s grand prix by almost 10% on 83.37%.

The 16-year-old mare showed such balance of spring and softness in her body throughout.

The difficulty of the floorplan was outstanding – as was reflected by their jaw-dropping score – and the blended piaffe-canter pirouettes were a particular technical marvel. The Danish duo brought their performance to a close with a canter pirouette, straight into a piaffe pirouette in the opposite direction before halting to cheers from the crowd.

Cathrine is targeting the European Championships (26 to 31 August) at Crozet with the German-bred mare. The partnership will return to France as key medal contenders, following their impressive performance at Paris 2024 where they helped Denmark to team silver at just their third international show together.

Freestyle, who is owned by Mount St John Equestrian LLP, Laudrup-Dufour and Zinglersen ApS, previously competed on the world stage with Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin. She then spent several years with her owner, Mount St John Equestrian’s Emma Blundell, and stepped away from the sport for breeding, before returning to grand prix with Emma.

Cathrine said that Freestyle made her “so proud”.

“The atmosphere was crazy. Proud is an understatement,” she said. “I’m for ever thankful for my team, and for the enormous effort everyone puts into doing their very best for our horses.

“I’m still pinching myself, and watching this video makes me proud of my princess’s performance.”

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‘We’re so excited’ Olympic rider and wife expecting their first child

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 17:53:50 +0000

Olympic medal-winning dressage rider Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and her wife Rasmine are expecting their first child.

The couple announced today (13 November) that showjumper Rasmine is pregnant, sharing pictures of their ultrasound scan.

“A mini Laudrup-Dufour is cooking in Rasmine’s belly and we are all SOOOO excited,” they said.

Rasmine Laudrup, daughter of former international and Rangers footballer Brian Laudrup, married Cathrine Dufour in 2021; Rasmine proposed straight after Cathrine won at the Danish Grand Prix Championships in 2020. They run a training and sales yard together in Fredensborg, Denmark.

Since the wedding, Cathrine has won a host of medals; she and the Pidgleys’ Vamos Amigos led Denmark to team gold at the home World Championships in 2022, then took double individual silver.

She took the reins of Charlotte Dujardin’s former top ride Mount St John Freestyle last year with the 2024 Olympics in mind and the pair were on the Danish team that won silver in Paris, just 0.12% behind champions Germany. The mare, owned by Mount St John Equestrian and Laudrup-Dufour and Zinglersen, jumped from 52nd to number one in the FEI world dressage horse rankings following two victories in the Herning World Cup leg last month.

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Denmark claims Olympic dressage silver in agonisingly close team final at Paris 2024

Gemma Redrup — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 14:22:19 +0000

Denmark has clocked its best ever result in the contest for the Olympic dressage team medals at Paris 2024. But it came down to the wire with Germany finishing just 0.12% ahead to clinch the gold, while Great Britain took the bronze.

Denmark’s anchorwoman, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, produced a pleasing test with Freestyle with just one mistake in the one-time changes to score 81.21%. Notably this was the best score of the grand prix special and, following a slightly below par performance from reigning Olympic and European champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB, tomorrow’s freestyle for the individual medals promises to be a wide open competition.

“We had three wonderful rides and it was mega fun sport today,” said Cathrine, who added she had the “ride of her dreams” with Freestyle. “I didn’t have to push her anywhere and when she did the first piaffe from walk, I really had to say ‘hey, thank you girl, that was amazing’.

“Being able to ride in the arena just guiding and just patting and saying hey, good girl, that’s really special. She is such a performer and feels so comfortable in the ring, so I’m just really proud.”

Daniel Bachmann Andersen (Vayron) and Nanna Skodborg Merrald (Zepter) were also crucial in helping Denmark secure their landmark Olympic dressage team medal. They scored 75.97% and 78.48% respectively.

Daniel trended at around 81% during his trot work, but tension crept in as he and Vayron, a 13-year-old stallion, moved into canter.

“He’s only been doing grand prix for two years and has never in a stadium like this. So overall I’m happy with his development the way he is,” explained Daniel. “He’s a big boy and he has a lot of charisma but he’s also a bit shy inside.”

Daniel explained why winning a team silver medal is special.

“We’ve known each other since we were small kids and we’ve supported each other and each other’s careers so far. We are the youngest team here and we come in as world champions and we’ve already done so many great things, but we have so much more to come and ahead of us and we are so hungry to do even more”

Nanna, who is reigning individual European silver medallist with Zepter, had a couple of mistakes in both the two-time tempi-changes and a transition between passage and piaffe.

“The mistakes kept me under 80% – that’s how it is and I’m really happy with him and the type of performance we provided,” said Nanna.

Great Britain finished 3.17% behind Denmark to take the final spot on the podium.

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‘I’m super proud’: Freestyle delights in grand prix on Olympic dressage debut

Lucy Elder — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 10:27:34 +0000

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle’s harmonious performance in the Paris Olympics dressage grand prix elevated the pair to the top of their group and secured their spot in the individual final.

This relatively new partnership were the first to break the 80% barrier, with their score of 80.79% also a boost for the Danish team.

Freestyle, owned by Mount St John Equestrian LLP, Laudrup-Dufour and Zinglersen ApS, is such an elegant mare and their test was a picture of lightness and harmony. They were rewarded with consistent marks from the judges, with nines woven through their Olympic dressage grand prix scoresheet and their piaffe and pirouettes particular high points.

“I’m very relieved and super proud,” said Cathrine. “The performance from Freestyle today was wonderful. My plan today was to not push her to do something, but just see what she offered – and what she did today was just something she offered me.”

Cathrine and Freestyle are an exciting fresh pairing in the sport and are strongly tipped to challenge for medals. But there remains an element of the unknown in this pairing of stars. Freestyle was previously competed on the world stage by Charlotte Dujardin, and has since been back with owner Emma Blundell for several years – spending time away from the sport for breeding, before Emma stepped her back up to grand prix.

Paris will be just the third international show together for Cathrine and Freestyle, but their sole freestyle at the Danish National Championships where they won on 86.98% has built expectations.

Both have a wealth of experience in their own rights. This is Cathrine’s third Olympics and she has a weighty medal collection from championships, while 15-year-old Freestyle has world medals and plenty of international wins to her name.

“The main thing has been to really create a proper friendship with her – really seeing if she could allow me in there, which she did quite quickly,” said Cathrine, touching her own heart as she spoke.

“I was quite amazed. Animals are amazing. If you treat them well and show them trust and all that, then suddenly *boop*, you’re in there, and that’s been the main thing.

“Another key word for me has been respectful leadership, because in some way I had to be the leader to show her [the way] in a dressage test. But at the same time, to respect where she’s coming from, because she’s a skilled young lady.”

She added: “Today the goal was not to max it out or anything. It was just to get in there, get a nice feeling for her, and to get a nice feeling for my nerves to be brushed off a little bit.

“I’m really proud of [my teammates] Nanna and Daniel, I was actually crying when Nanna went in yesterday – we’ve been riding together since she was four and I was five [and were] at her mum’s riding school for 15 years. It’s not like we see each other every week, but we’re really close and we trust each other. In this team, I trust those three with everything I have and that’s the best feeling you can ride in with.”

The Olympic dressage grand prix serves as a qualifier for both the team and individual finals, and the slates will be wiped clean ahead of these.

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Mount St John Freestyle – the comeback queen looking for her crowning moment

Oscar Williams — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 17:30:30 +0000

Mount St John Freestyle (Fidermark x Donnerhall II) is Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour’s new top ride and one of the world’s leading dressage horses.

In 2018, she partnered Charlotte Dujardin to two world medals as a nine-year-old. Charlotte described her as “Mrs Valegro” and the combination went on to rack up international wins.

However, Freestyle’s career has also been beset by misfortune.

At one point, it seemed Freestyle’s chance for a crowning moment might have passed. But then in October 2023, Cathrine and her long-time supporters, the Zinglersen family, bought a half-share in the then 14-year-old mare from her owner Emma Blundell.

“From the first time I sat on her, we just clicked,” Cathrine told Horse & Hound. “Her temper and her will to work is just outstanding – it’s so rare to find someone like her.”

Emma added: “We know that she’s destined for greater things. Our absolute dream was always to see her at an Olympics and back at the top of the sport.”

Mount St John Freestyle’s early years

Freestyle was bred by Stephan Kurz in Germany. Emma bought her as a foal at the 2009 Hanoverian Elite Foal Auction.

But it wasn’t her spectacular paces that caught Emma’s eye. “I just wanted a nice character – something easy,” Emma told Horse & Hound in 2018. “I did really like Freestyle, although there was another foal we bid for that got too expensive.

“Freestyle was just nice – correct and without a major weakness, as opposed to being the flashiest foal.”

Uncomplicated and relaxed, Freestyle grew up living out on the Yorkshire hills of Emma’s Mount St John Stud. Emma described her as “curious but fearless” when she began competing with her.

“I grew up showing and was new to dressage so neither of us knew what we were doing. Freestyle’s first show was Keysoe Premier League, doing the four-year-old class. I had no idea what to expect but she won.”

Charlotte Dujardin riding Mount St John Freestyle in the CDI3* grand prix at the Bolesworth International Horse Show in 2018. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Together, Emma and Freestyle went on to finish sixth in the four-year-old class at the national championships. When she turned five, Emma offered the ride to a friend from her showing days – Charlotte Dujardin.

“I realised she was actually very nice and I didn’t have the experience to give her the dressage training she needed,” Emma added. “So I asked Charlotte to have her for a month to see what she thought – and she didn’t come back!”

The new combination rose swiftly through the levels, with Freestyle’s exceptional temperament convincing Charlotte she was a future star.

“I loved her attitude and temperament,” she said. “She’s such an honest horse and tries so hard.”

Freestyle went on to win a national title at a different level every year until her international breakthrough as a nine-year-old in 2018.

“I felt myself tearing up”: Freestyle and Charlotte Dujardin

Charlotte and Freestyle made their grand prix debut at Hartpury College, scoring 81.1%.

Their international show debut followed three weeks later at Nieuw en St. Joosland CDI3* where they won the special (75.15% and the freestyle (81.45%).

More international wins followed at Windsor, Bolesworth and Hartpury. In the build-up to the 2018 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon, the combination had won all of their 14 grand prix outings in emphatic fashion.

Their selection was never in question – although Freestyle remained an unknown at the championship level – and it marked Charlotte’s return to the team following a one-year absence.

Freestyle was last to go for Great Britain in the grand prix. Her 77.76% helped secure a bronze medal for the team. It was a truly significant result as it was the team’s first post-Valegro medal.

Another bronze medal followed in the special, where Freestyle produced a faultless test to score a personal best of 81.49%.

Emma Blundell with Mount St John Freestyle and her foal MSJ Glamourstyle. (Image credit: TANJA_DAVIS)

“On the last centre line, I felt my eyes tearing up, and I was just thinking ‘Don’t stop, keep riding’,” Charlotte told H&H following her test.

Her medals raised hopes that Charlotte and Freestyle could take on Isabell Werth – who was dominant in the period on Bella Rose and Weihegold – in the near future.

However, misfortune hadn’t read the script. The WEG kür was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence. Then the combination was heartbreakingly eliminated from the 2019 European Championships under the blood rule.

Despite a stellar World Cup qualification campaign – which included a personal best score of 89.5% in Amsterdam – a showdown with Isabell at the final in Las Vegas was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Charlotte’s Gio was then selected ahead of Freestyle for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, due to fitness concerns.

A new chapter: Freestyle and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour

In 2022, Freestyle returned to Emma’s Mount St John base for breeding work – which included having a foal (MSJ Glamourstyle) by world champion Glamourdale, born via embryo transfer.

Freestyle made her return to the ring after a two-year hiatus in June 2023, with Emma making her grand prix debut at Northallerton EC scoring 74.13%

“It’s a real treat for me, having owned Freestyle since a foal, watching and supporting her huge success with Charlotte for many years, to now having the chance to ride such a horse myself,” Emma told H&H. “It’s so nice to go full circle and go grand prix with her now – it’s fairytale stuff.”

At the end of that summer, Freestyle moved to Cathrine Dufour’s base in Denmark.

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle hacking at her home in Denmark. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“It all happened very quickly,” Cathrine explains. “I’ve known Emma for quite some time, we’ve always been supporting each other on Instagram.

“I heard she was thinking of doing something with Freestyle, so I arranged to go see her and I knew within minutes that I loved her.”

The combination showed no signs of rustiness as they made their debut a winning one at Kronenberg CDI3*, with 81.20% in the grand prix and 81.40% in the grand prix special.

“It’s funny because, from the second we arrived at the showground, it seemed like she remembered exactly what to do,” said Cathrine.

“From being in the stable, having her door open with me sitting in a chair in front of her box and just chilling around, cuddling, to being almost over ready in the warm-up, she just knows and I’m over the moon with how she felt.

“I had tears rolling down my face because it was like a once-in-a-lifetime feeling.

“I said to Freestyle afterwards, ‘Please, if you have more of these once-in-a-lifetime grands prix up your sleeve, just save them for later.’ I think that she loved showing off her talent once again.”

Cathrine added that although she feels “a lot of pressure” taking on the ride she’s also “humbled” to be taking on the responsibility.

“I’m never going to be able to ride her as Charlotte did, but that was never the purpose. I don’t want to compare what we’re doing now to how she did it. That’s not fair on the horse.

“I have to do it my own way to let the connection Freestyle and I have shine through.”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

‘The more we reward, the more we’re going to get back’: Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour’s top training tips

Oscar Williams — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 18:30:28 +0000

At the 2023 Dressage at Devon (September 28) in the USA, Danish Olympian Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour hosted a masterclass in which she shared her top dressage training tips.

Cathrine worked with a range of horses and riders, across different levels, and we’ve rounded up five exercises you can try below.

Top dressage training tips: improving the weaker canter lead

Cathrine started the evening working with Hope Beerling on the then-six-year-old gelding Marokko, focussing on improving his weaker side in canter.

“On the right, his inside front leg really comes off the ground,” explains Cathrine, “which is nice because for the horse to tuck under, and get the back to lower itself, then you need to open up in front, so that the horse feels that he can put the hindlegs somewhere.”

Marokko was a little lower on the inside front leg on the left leg so Cathrine asked Hope to touch with her schooling whip a little bit in front of the saddle: “when his front leg is in the ground and he’s about to lift it gently tap him on the shoulder.”

“It’s not that you want a huge reaction for several steps, you just want a reaction and for the inside shoulder to come up.

“Every time they do something which is maybe not perfect, but a little bit better than before, then reward them – the more we reward the horses, the more we’re going to get back.

“All horses have one rein that is worse than the other, and this is a good way to develop the canter on the weaker rein.”

Marokko picks Hope’s use of the whip quickly, but Cathrine demonstrates how she would introduce the exercise to a less experienced horse.

She starts by asking Hope to stand on the track along the long side while she takes the whip and very gently touches the inside foreleg, asking Marokko to lift it. When he lifts, Hope rewards him and then allows him to walk on.

“I’m not using the whip in a hard way, I’m just touching him to make him aware of that part of his body. Often people use the whip as an aid to push the horse forward but for me it’s a tool to touch a specific body piece, like the shoulder or the hocks.

“I don’t like to use the whip too much on the bum, because how are you ever going to replicate that with the leg?

“I prefer to keep the whip close to my boot because then I can recreate that aid from my leg and not the whip with time.”

Introducing working canter pirouettes

Cathrine starts by asking Hope to ride large in counter canter. “I want her to keep his neck straight and connect with the outside rein and use the inside leg to adjust the tempo and the rib cage,” Cathrine explains

Every now and then she calls for Hope to give Marokko a pat – “just to make sure she’s not holding him, and to let him know there’s space for him.”

When Cathrine feels Marokko has a good balance, she asks Hope to turn a little bit in from the track towards the middle of the school – but while still imagining she has the fence on the outside.

Towards the centre of the school, Cathrine then asks Hope to collect using her outside leg and turn in a small circle and head back towards the track on the other rein.

“I know the classical way to ride the pirouette is with the inside leg and outside rein, but I find it super hard sometimes when you can’t really use your outside leg because then the horse just flies around to one side,” says Cathrine.

“The reason why I use the track is to be able to use my outside leg, without the horse wobbling to one side.”

Top dressage training tips: changing how you hold the double bridle

With Lauren Sammis and the then eight-year-old mare Heiline’s Oh Land, Cathrine started by asking her to hold the double bridle differently.

“I’m a simple copycat because this is something I’ve learnt from my trainer Kyra Kyrklund,” explains Cathrine.

Lauren holds the bridoon on top of the hand, with the rein entering her fist between the index finger and thumb, and the curb rein beneath the pinkie finger, leaving four fingers between the two reins.

“It’s a nightmare when you go from having your reins in one specific way and then you swap it,” Cathrine sympathetically adds. “But the reason why I do it is because many of us can’t have lessons every day, and because of that we do a lot of the things with the reins on autopilot. Then when you do change something, for example, the way you hold the reins, it makes you aware of which rein you’re pulling and why you’re doing that.

“This way it’s almost like holding a handle. If a horse tends to fall a little bit on the forehand, then I prefer to be clear on the bridoon, and just leave the curb there, until I feel that they come up when I ask with the bridoon. If the horse comes too high then you will feel it because the curb gets tight, which is your sign to touch the curb a little bit. It allows you to be really clear with your hands.”

Introducing the piaffe and passage

Cathrine explains that in the early stages of piaffe training, she likes to go onto a small circle, turning around the forehand and thinking about getting the horse in front of her leg.

“It’s not even about the piaffe yet, or making it fancy, it’s just about getting a reaction from the inside leg,” she adds. “I prefer the horse to be a little bit bent to the outside so I can get the front legs closer to the centre of the circle.”

Taking Lauren through the exercise, Cathrine asks her for a little impulsion from the inside leg: “This is not a piaffe, but we’re looking for her to get a little bit more light-footed, which is all we want in the beginning.”

Fast-forwarding to the next step, Cathrine details how to keep the impulsion in the piaffe past the initial five or six steps.

“Instead of punishing the horse or doing something really sharp in the piaffe when they lose energy, go back to that reaction of just moving the horse away from the inside leg, and then into some smaller steps again.

“In that way, it’s a positive correction, rather than just wanting more. You don’t want to interfere or give the horse a bad experience in the piaffe – you want it to be fun for them.”

On introducing the passage, Cathrine asks Lauren to start in a rising trot, to avoid being too heavy in the seat, and to keep the whip close to her spur.

She asks for a little at a time, compressing the energy into some passage steps before riding out in a more forward trot – “to make her a little bit electric for the transition to the passage.”

“Again instead of doing too many corrections in the piaffe and passage – which should be fun – I just go back into the trot, give them a break, refresh and get some energy back.”

“I don’t want the rider to do too much with the whip either, it’s more like playing with the way you approach it with the leg.”

Relaxing a tense horse

With eventing star Boyd Martin and Commando 3, Cathrine works through how to relax a tense, fit horse in a new environment.

“These eventing horses come in on a different level of energy, so sometimes it can be quite hard to relax the horse in a ring like this,” says Cathrine. “What I prefer to do with a tense horse is to think about the neck, if the neck goes up, you feel like the adrenaline is pumping.”

Cathrine asks Boyd to allow the neck to drop and ride some short walk to halt transitions around the outside of the arena.

“This outline is of course not perfect for a show, and I know it’s always a bit risky showing a not-so-perfect outline, but it’s the real deal, we have to put the horses round to build up back musculature and to make them stronger – it’s way too hard for them to stand in the perfect position all the time.”

Cathrine then asks Boyd to ride some simple, walk-trot transitions, almost “lazily”.

“It’s harder than it looks, transitions,” Cathrine adds, “you want to start in a new ring with transitions, something simple to build up the confidence of the horse.”

“It’s a simple thing, but sometimes I feel with the hot horses that you end up going up, down, up, down really quickly. Go slower up and down, so he listens to you and you’re not just following his quick rhythm.

“If I have a horse that continues to go quicker and quicker and doesn’t really listen to transitions or me slowing my rise then I go on a circle and stand up for two steps and then sit for one.

“It’s really awkward but it makes the horse aware of what you’re doing and gets their focus back on the rider.”

World team gold medallists named on Olympic longlist

Becky Murray — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:00:54 +0000

The reigning world team gold medallists are among the riders named on the Danish dressage longlist for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Danish federation Dansk Ride Forbund’s (DRF) selectors have named the eight riders who will be in contention for a place at the Games, taking place at the Palace of Versailles. The equestrian events run from 27 July to 6 August, with the first day of dressage on 30 July.

The eight riders on the Danish dressage longlist for Paris 2024 are:

Daniel Bachmann Andersen
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour
Carina Cassøe Krüth
Nanna Skodborg Merrald
Nadja Aaboe Sloth
Anna Zibrandtsen
Lone Bang Zindorff

All the riders except Nadja Aaboe Sloth have championship experience. Most recently Daniel and Marshall-Bell, Carina and Heiline’s Danciera, Catherine and Vamos Amigos and Nanna and Blue Hors Zack won gold at the World Dressage Championships at Herning in 2022, where Tokyo Olympic individual bronze medallist Cathrine also won two individual silvers.

Last year in Riesenbeck, Germany, Daniel and Vayron, Carina and Heiline’s Danciera, and Nanna and Blue Horse Zepter – alongside Andreas Helgstrand and Jovian – retained the Danish squad’s 2021 European team bronze. Nanna also claimed individual silver in the grand prix special.

DRF has yet to name which horses will be in the running for Paris, but among the hopefuls is Mount St John Freestyle – a former double world medal-winning ride of Charlotte Dujardin, owned by Mount St John Stud – who joined Cathrine’s string in October when her long-term supporters the Zinglersen bought a half-share. The pair enjoyed a super start to their new partnership, with two +81% scores for victory in their first international outing in December. Cathrine’s Tokyo Olympic individual bronze medallist Bohemian was sold to the US for Endel Ots as a Paris potential ride, and Vamos Amigos returned to his owners the Pidgley family.

A DRF spokesman said that for riders to be selected for Paris they must participate in one or more observation events, including at Herning, Hagen, and Compiegne, plus the Danish championships and Nation Cup events. The final team selection will be announced immediately after Aachen in July.

“The final selection is based, among other things, on results, fitness and the health of the team members according to the sport plan’s selection criteria,” said the spokesman.

Mount St John Freestyle makes winning international debut with new rider

Becky Murray — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:02:42 +0000

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle have made a winning international debut together.

Cathrine and Freestyle enjoyed a glowing start to their new partnership when they topped the Kronenberg CDI3* grand prix with a score of 81.20% on 1 December, and the following day won the grand prix special on 81.40%.

“Freestyle you’re one in a billion, I’m speechless,” said Cathrine.

The competition is the 14-year-old world bronze medal-winning mare’s first international since the Wellington CDI3* in May 2021, where she competed under Charlotte Dujardin to win the grand prix freestyle. Freestyle was not fit to compete at the Tokyo Olympics that year, and returned to Emma Blundell’s Mount St John Stud in 2022 to rejoin the stud’s breeding programme.

Cathrine and Freestyle’s victory in the grand prix special was by a margin of nearly 10%, with the judges scoring them a number of 10s for their passage and piaffe work throughout. Lottie Fry and Especial were second on 71.89%.

“Freestyle did it again. I am really lost for words,” said Cathrine.

“Yesterday (1 December) she delivered a mega performance and it humbles me to feel how she allows me to ride her in the ring; +81% again, simply incredibly well trained her whole life by Charlotte and Emma.”

Cathrine thanked everyone for the “huge support” she had at the weekend, and said Freestyle will now enjoy some downtime in the field.

“A special thanks to the Zinglersen family and Emma Blundell for making this fairytale a reality,” she said. “To my amazing groom Ida Trecihler, coaches Kyra Kyrklund and Nathalie Sayn, wife Rasmine, and my amazing home team.”

Emma added that the Mount St John team are “besotted” with Freestyle.

“We couldn’t be happier to see the queen loving being out performing again,” she said.

Charlotte Dujardin’s ‘one in a billion’ ride moves to new partner ahead of Paris 2024

Lucy Elder — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 13:34:20 +0000

Mount St John Freestyle, the mare who Charlotte Dujardin partnered to two world medals and countless international wins, has joined top Danish rider Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour as a Paris 2024 prospect.

A half-share in the 14-year-old has been bought by the joint company Cathrine has with her long-term supporters the Zinglersen family.

Cathrine, who led the Danish team to world gold in 2022, said the first minute she sat on the mare, “we clicked”.

“To me, it is a dream come true,” she said. “She is definitely a one in a billion horse, and thanks to Charlotte Dujardin and Emma Blundell’s amazing training, it has been a pleasure to take over the reins of her.”

Mount St John Freestyle was part of the bronze medal-winning British side at the 2018 World Equestrian Games with Charlotte, also taking home individual bronze. Their major achievements include a freestyle personal best of +89% – at Amsterdam in January 2020 – and winning the World Cup leg at Olympia 2019, among many other international victories.

Cathrine is one of the sport’s leading riders. She made her senior championship debut at the Rio Olympics aboard her prolific youth medal-winner Atterupgaards Cassidy, with the pair impressing with a triple medal-winning performance at the 2017 Europeans the following year. Since then, Cathrine has bagged numerous individual and team medals at European and World Championships, and finished just shy of the podium at the Tokyo Games.

Cassidy officially retired from competition in a ceremony at last year’s worlds in Herning, and Cathrine’s recent championship rides, Galleria’s Bohemian and Vamos Amigos, are now with new riders.

This makes the addition of Mount St John Freestyle to her string significant news with less than a year to go to the Olympics.

“To me she is the female version of Cassidy: a heart of gold, unbelievable work ethic and outstanding quality,” said Cathrine.

“This is an incredible opportunity and I am grateful that Family Zinglersen want to support me in the sport at this level through our joint company.”

The Fidermark daughter was the first dressage foal Mount St John Equestrian bought, and co-owner Emma Blundell said she is their “horse of a lifetime”.“We could not be happier to have found the ultimate match in Cathrine, who was the first to try her, and in a very short time they already make an incredible partnership. We wish them all the luck in the world for their future together and are excited to be joining their journey,” said Emma.

Emma recalled the “amazing memories” of Freestyle winning individual bronze as a nine-year-old with Charlotte at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, and said they were “devastated” when the mare missed the Tokyo Olympics as she was “off games”.

“It’s been amazing to have her back home at Mount St John for the last couple of years to breed by embryo transfer, while enjoying her company and her also teaching me the grand prix,” said Emma, who scored +74% on her grand prix debut with the mare in June.

“However we know that she’s destined for greater things, and our absolute dream was always to see her at an Olympics and back at the top of the sport.”

‘An era is over’: world number two loses second top ride as medal-winner sold to South Korean rider

Polly Bryan — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 17:15:52 +0000

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour has bid farewell to Bohemian, her Tokyo Olympics ride and European Championship individual silver medallist.

Cathrine’s long-time supporters, the Zinglersen family, have sold the 13-year-old Westfalian gelding to South Korea’s Dong Seon Kim.

“An era is over and it’s with a bleeding heart that our lovely Bohemian is leaving his long-time home with me,” said Cathrine.

“Staying on top of dressage sport takes A LOT and sometimes it means that one horse has to go,” explained the world number two. “In very close corporation with family Zinglersen we decided that now was the right time and together we will invest in new youngsters so that we hopefully can chase more dreams and produce more one-in-a-million horses like Bohemian.”

As a six-year-old, the liver chestnut Bordeaux son was eighth in the final at the World Breeding Championships in Ermelo, under Katrine Kraglund, before Cathrine took over the ride in 2017. She and Bohemian went on to become one of the best dressage combinations in the world; the spicy gelding became her number one horse by the time of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The pair finished fourth as part of the Danish team, and also took individual fourth. Seven weeks later their medal dreams came true, as they won team bronze at the European Championships in Hagen, plus individual bronze in the grand prix special, and silver in the freestyle with over 88% for their emotive Les Misérables routine.

Cathrine and Bohemian swept the board during the summer of 2022, with a double win at Herning CDI5* – with over 90% in the freestyle – and a double win at the Aachen CDI4* in July. Despite this success, Cathrine opted to take the Pidgley family’s Vamos Amigos to the World Dressage Championships in August, where they took team gold and double individual silver behind Britain’s Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.

Bohemian’s last outing with Cathrine was at the Stockholm CDI5* in November 2022, where he knocked himself and was withdrawn from the freestyle.

“Bohemian has been an absolute dream to work with throughout the past many years and I almost can’t believe what we have achieved together. From a young horse to an Olympic horse, European medallist, 90% barrier-breaking dream horse,” said Cathrine.

Vamos Amigos moved to the UK in September 2022 to be ridden by Annabella Pidgley, and Bohemian’s departure means that Cathrine is now without a top championship horse in her stables, having lost her two top rides within five months.

But she has several up-and-coming future stars, including the eight-year-old Swedish warmblood Vividus, with whom she made an international small tour debut in late 202, and who has now reached grand prix level at home.

Cathrine described Vidivus as “brave, bright and always ready for whatever you offer him”, adding that she felt “happy to the bottom of my heart” that she and her wife Rasmine own him along with the Zinglersen family.

World Dressage Championships gold medal-winning horse moves to new rider

Polly Bryan — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:46:28 +0000

Vamos Amigos, the horse who helped Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour to team gold and double individual silver at this summer’s World Dressage Championships has relocated to Britain.

The 10-year-old gelding (by Vitalis out of a Blue Hors Hotline mare) has returned to his owners, the Pidgley family, for 17-year-old British rider Annabella Pidgley to take over the ride.

“I’m delighted to say that Vamos Amigos has now joined our stable to begin the next chapter in his career,” said Annabella, who has trained with Cathrine for several years. “This horse has already had an impressive career, under the invaluable training and guidance of Cathrine Dufour and I can’t thank her enough for supporting this next move for him and to have the opportunity to ride a horse like this.

“He is such a special horse and I’m really looking forward to getting to know him more under Cathrine’s experienced eye. Welcome home Vamos; so many are so excited you’re here and thank you Cathrine for all that you do. I’m so grateful to you.”

A photo posted by on

Cathrine trained Vamos up to top level, and has enjoyed a hugely successful grand prix career with him to date. The pair finished second in the World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany, in April this year and followed it with a hat-trick of wins at CHIO Aachen in July. That result prompted Cathrine to choose to ride Vamos on the Danish team at the World Dressage Championships in August, where the pair topped the grand prix and led the side to team gold ahead of Great Britain in silver. Cathrine and Vamos went on to take silver in both the grand prix special and freestyle, behind Britain’s Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.

“Vamos has been an absolute pleasure to train, taking us all the way to becoming world team champions in Herning,” said Cathrine. “While he will be very much missed in our stable, I am really looking forward to training them both, as they begin this new journey.

“I’m also so happy that I’ll be able to see him regularly and know he will thrive in his new home. Thank you for everything Vamos; you’ve given me the most fantastic experiences that I’ll never ever forget. Love you endless little man.”

Vamos joins the double Olympic bronze medallist Gio as part of Annabella’s growing string, as well as the nine-year-old Escolar x Dimaggio mare Espe, who also spent several years with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour before returning to the Pidgleys earlier this year, and Annabella’s 2021 junior Europeans double silver medallist Sultan Des Paluds.

The junior rider has had a hugely successful year, winning individual silver and bronze at the junior Europeans with Espe in July, and becoming inter II national champion with Gio in September.

Yet another gold for Britain and some incredibly exciting prospects – 8 stories to read from the World Dressage Championships today

Gemma Redrup — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 22:55:48 +0000

What an incredible evening! Britain has yet another new world champion in Lottie Fry, as she and Glamourdale topped the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships results in the freestyle.

Here’s a rundown of all the action from Herning on the final day of World Dressage Championships action…

Lottie and Glamourdale scored 90.65% to win the gold.

Read what Lottie said straight after her incredible test with the remarkable Glamourdale

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour took the silver with Vamos Amigos.

Read what Cathrine said about riding in front of the home crowd

Britain’s Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca scored a personal best to finish a very creditable fifth.

Read what an emotional Gareth had to say after his test

Charlotte Dujardin finished 10th for Britain on Imhotep in a promising performance for the future.

Find out why Charlotte is excited for the future on Imhotep

Sweden’s Patrick Kittel never fails to impress and this evening was no different.

Read about what Patrik had to say on his top 10 finish aboard Touchdown

The Netherlands’ Emmelie Scholtens got the freestyle underway on a very exciting nine-year-old stallion.

Emmelie talks about why she is looking forward to the future with this promising son of Apache

Judy Harvey, chief of selectors for the British dressage team, and a top judge and international grand prix rider, reflects on the British team’s performance and unexpected silver medal in the World Dressage Championships results.

Find out what Judy had to say on the team’s performance

And finally, top British grand prix dressage rider and trainer Anna Ross on championships of all levels, and why grooms deserve better

Read about Anna’s thoughts on this year’s World Dressage Championships

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(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

A star is born – Britain’s Lottie Fry claims freestyle World Dressage Championships gold

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‘He is going to be a superstar’: Charlotte Dujardin eyes bright future for rising star following impressive World Dressage Championships freestyle performance

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘I just love her’: British rider rockets into Herning freestyle lead with a personal best

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

‘I thrive under this kind of pressure’: Danish rider dances to freestyle silver to delight of home World Championships crowd

Lucy Elder — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 22:46:25 +0000

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos danced their way to another silver medal to a standing ovation from a home crowd in Herning. The pair’s moving freestyle was rewarded with a +89% score in the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships results – earning the pair their third medal of the week.

Cathrine and the 10-year-old Vitalis gelding, who she co-owns with Sarah Pidgley, entered to the haunting sounds of the Les Misérables soundtrack.

Vamos Amigos has stepped up through each performance this week. Buoyed by the home crowd, the pair delivered a sensational test heaving with 10s. Cathrine’s interpretation of the music made for pure theatre – using vocals to accentuate this horse’s strengths.

The final passage and piaffe to the sound of Do You Hear the People Sing was alchemy – music, sport, the crowd and this exceptional bond between horse and rider the magic ingredients.

“I’m pretty sure there was fire on the floor right before I went in as he was so hot today!” said Cathrine, adding she is “super happy” with Vamos.

“He is the third horse within four years that I’ve taken an individual medal with. I’m very proud of my team. You always go for gold, of course, but it’s just an honour to be here with these two girls [on the podium].”

She added: “I really thrive under this kind of pressure, it just makes me better. This championship has been good for Denmark and our sport.”

As the pair’s test ended, the crowd held its breath to see if she had done enough to edge ahead of Britain’s Lottie Fry and Glamourdale. Cathrine and Vamos Amigos scored 88.38% in the freestyle results table at Aachen, on their last outing ahead of these World Dressage Championships, and given their stand-out performance in Herning, it looked as if it was going to be close.

Their score of 89.41% set a new personal best for the Danish pair, who were part of the gold medal-winning team at the weekend, slotting them just behind Lottie and into second place. This was their third medal of the championships, having won individual silver on Monday (8 August).

As well as three stellar medal-winning performances, Herning has also been a poignant week for Cathrine, with the official retirement of her “heart horse” Atterupgaards Cassidy, who helped to launch her career.

“It’s been a full-on week. I knew that when we won the gold it would be hard to beat, and the experience with Cassidy was very emotional,” she said.

“To finish with a third medal… like Lottie says, it’s still sinking in. I’m super proud of everyone who has been a part of this, it is the most amazing show I have ever been at.”

What time do Lottie Fry and the other Brits ride in tonight’s freestyle at the World Dressage Championships?

Polly Bryan — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 06:41:56 +0000

The Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships times have been released for the grand prix freestyle, from which the second set of individual medals will be awarded.

The top 15 riders from the grand prix special are eligible to ride the freestyle, and all three British riders who were in action on Monday have gone through – including newly-crowned individual world champion Lottie Fry. Here’s when you can catch the Brits in action in the freestyle:

Gareth Hughes on Classic Briolinca: 9pm local time (8pm BST)
Charlotte Dujardin on Imhotep: 10pm local time on Sunday (9pm BST)
Lottie Fry on Glamourdale: 10.30pm local time on Sunday (9.30pm BST)

When do the other medal favourites ride?

We can look forward to seeing 15 incredible combinations in action in this freestyle class, but the riders you really must not miss include:

Germany’s Isabell Werth on DSP Quantaz: 10.10pm local time (9.10pm BST)
Germany’s Benjamin Werndl on Famoso OLD: 10.20pm local time (9.20pm BST)
The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere on Hermes: 10.40pm local time (9.40pm BST)
Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Vamos Amigos: 10.50pm local time (9.50pm BST)

When does the World Dressage Championships freestyle begin and end?

The first rider into the ring to ride their freestyle routine will be the Netherlands’ Emmelie Scholtens riding Indian Rock, due to begin their test at 8pm local time. Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour will close the class with Vamos Amigos, riding at 10.50pm local time as she bids to improve on her individual silver medal from Monday.

Where can I find the full list of World Dressage Championships times?

Check out the full starting order for the freestyle:

Grand prix freestyle times [PDF download]

‘She’s done it!’: How Britain’s Lottie Fry was crowned world champion with Glamourdale in Herning

Polly Bryan — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 18:49:23 +0000

Britain’s Lottie Fry rode the test of her life to be crowned world champion in Herning, topping the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships results in the grand prix special.

Lottie and the phenomenal 11-stallion stallion Glamourdale scored 82.5% to move ahead of the home favourite, Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, and claim the gold medal for Britain. Their score was over 1.5% higher than their previous best in this test, as they rose to the occasion in formidable fashion and scored a plethora of nines and 10s, particularly in the canter work.

This is the first time Britain has had an individual gold medallist at any championship since Valegro won gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with Charlotte Dujardin.

“This is an incredible feeling, I have no words right now and I’m probably going to burst into tears at any minute; it’s just unreal,” said Lottie, moments after it was confirmed that she was the new world champion with Van Olst Horses’ fabulous black stallion.

Hopes have been high for Glamourdale eve since he won the seven-year-old title at the World Breeding Championships in 2018, under Lottie. He has been produced steadily through to the top level since, and this week he has truly come of age.

This horse’s canter is something to behold – with the crowd letting out loud gasps of appreciation at various points during the canter tour. But it wasn’t just the canter that earned them the top marks from the seven judges: Lottie and Glamourdale banked a 10 right from the off for their foot perfect entry and square halt. The two-time changes – so huge and scopey they barely fit on the diagonal line – received five 10s; the extended canter earned six 10s.

The pirouettes slightly let the pair down in the grand prix, but Lottie said she hoped she could fix them by the special, and fix them she did, earning eights and even a nine for them today as Glamourdale kept much better balance in both.

On their final centre line, the crowd, who had just about managed to restrain themselves at the end of the pair’s grand prix, could hold back no longer and burst into applause. But this pair are not ones to be fazed – Glamourdale loves the atmosphere, producing even more lift in his last bout of passage, before executing a perfect halt – banking himself a further pair of 10s to help edge them further up the leaderboard.

“To get 82.5% at world champs is what dreams are made of,” said Lottie. “He was incredible, he went in there and just did everything I could ask.

“Everything was better – I didn’t believe it could be better but it was. The changes were bigger than yesterday, the pirouettes were better than yesterday, the piaffes were better than yesterday and he was just so ready for it today. The feeling he gives when he goes in the arena is like no other; he is such a massive showman and he takes me with him in that.

“That extended canter and those changes – it’s just the best feeling in the world when he’s doing that.”

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour had to settle for silver, after scoring 81.32% with the 10-year-old Vamos Amigos, owned by the British Pidgey family, with the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere and Hermes scooping bronze with 79.4%.

The 2018 world champion, Isabell Werth, was the final rider into the arena, following Lottie, but couldn’t quite get onto the podium, finishing fourth with DSP Quantaz on 79.07%. Her compatriot Benjamin Werndl was fifth, with Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin sixth on Imhotep after scoring 77.52%. In fact, all three Brits in the special finished in the top seven in the World Dressage Championships results, with Gareth Hughes seventh on Classic Briolinca.

‘A dream come true’: Danish duo secure second World Dressage Championship medal on home soil

Lucy Elder — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 18:39:33 +0000

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos upped their game even further after spearheading the Danish side to team gold to seal individual silver in the grand prix special results at the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships.

Cathrine and the 10-year-old Vitalis gelding, who she co-owns with Sarah Pidgley, were rewarded with a huge new personal best of 81.32% by the judges to take individual silver.

“I think my horse was even better today than yesterday – like his tempis, super today,” said Cathrine. “I am so pleased with Vamos and it is nothing short of amazing to take a medal here on Danish soil, it is a dream come true!”

Their performance was undeniably exceptional – Vamos Amigos’ showing his athleticism as he powered across the arena in the evening sun to the dramatic backing music of O Fortuna. But it wasn’t perfect. And the fact horse and riders are not machines is the very essence of what makes equestrian sport unique.

The pair had a couple of costly mistakes in the first line of two-time changes. Cathrine didn’t panic, coming round the corner and filing 15 spot-on one-time changes, with a smile on her face – perhaps in part that was relief and in part the delight of riding this horse to a +81% score in front of a home crowd, who gave the pair a standing ovation after their final halt.

Crown Princess Mary was again among the audience, as she was last night, to see Denmark win its second dressage medal of the championships. Gold was won by Britain’s Lottie Fry and Glamourdale on 82.51%, with the Dutch combination of Dinja van Liere and Hermes taking bronze on a score of 79.41% in the World Dressage Championships results.

Find out when the Brits will ride for individual medals in today’s World Dressage Championships grand prix special

Polly Bryan — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 10:02:07 +0000

The World Dressage Championships times have been released for today’s grand prix special, the first of the individual competitions following an exhilarating team contest.

The top 30 riders from the grand prix qualify for the grand prix special, with three of the British riders who won team silver in Herning yesterday going forward to compete for individual medals. The top 15 combinations from the special will go through to the grand prix freestyle on Wednesday, 10 August, although only three from each nation may contest the freestyle.

The Brits will ride the special at the following times:

Gareth Hughes on Classic Briolinca: 5.20pm local time (4.20pm BST)
Charlotte Dujardin on Imhotep: 7pm local time on Sunday (6pm BST)
Lottie Fry on Glamourdale: 7.30pm local time on Sunday (6.30pm BST)

What time do the other medal contenders ride the special?

Don’t miss these combinations, who could all finish near the top of the grand prix special leaderboard:

The USA’s Adrienne Lyle on Salvino: 4pm local time (3pm BST)
Sweden’s Patrik Kittel on Touchdown: 5.30pm local time (4.30pm BST)
The USA’s Steffen Peters on Suppenkasper: 5.40pm local time (4.40pm BST)
Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersen on Marshall-Bell: 6pm local time (5pm BST)
Germany’s Frederic Wandres on Duke Of Britain FRH: 6.30pm local time (5.30pm BST)
Denmark’s Carina Cassøe Krüth on Heiline’s Danciera: 6.40pm local time (5.40pm BST)
The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere on Hermes: 7.18pm local time (6.18pm BST)
Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Vamos Amigos: 7.20pm local time (6.20pm BST)
Germany’s Isabell Werth on DSP Quantaz: 7.40pm local time (6.40pm BST)

When does the World Dressage Championships grand prix start and finish?

The first rider into the arena for the grand prix special in Herning is José Antomio Garcia Mena riding Divina Royal for Spain, and they go at 1.30pm (12.30pm BST). The reigning world champion in the special, Isabell Werth, will be the final rider to compete tonight, on DSP Quantaz, and she will begin her ride at 7.40pm local time.

Check out the full list of World Dressage Championships times:

Grand prix special times [PDF download]

‘The right side of chaotic and brilliant’: Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour spearheads Danish charge to world team gold on home soil

Lucy Elder — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 18:50:12 +0000

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos scored a magnificent personal best in front of a home crowd to seal team gold for Denmark at the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships.

The duo entered the arena with a target of 80.636% to equal the British team’s leading mark of 234.223.

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, was among the ground watching on as the combination produced a grand prix-topping mark of 81.86% in the World Dressage Championships results. As the score flashed up, Cathrine clutched her head with the realisation dawning at what she and the 10-year-old gelding had achieved.

“I’m head over heels,” said Cathrine, who co-owns Vamos Amigos with Sarah Pidgley. “My biggest highlight was the fact that I managed to ride on the limit and stay on the right side of chaotic and brilliant.”

“I’m really used to this pressure because I’ve been doing championships since I was 11 years old. But of course, there’s pressure,” she said.

“I could hear the two ladies on the ground [Cathrine’s team-mates] They were really quiet and I was like, ‘Hey, ladies, we can do this’. I’m really good with that pressure. And it sounds weird, but it sort of just brings me even closer into the zone. Luckily today it just went super.

“He [Vamos Amigos] was on fire today, and I even stopped my entrance because I was like ‘Vamos, relax, I’m here. You have to touch the ground just once in a while. So we will turn around, and then we go’.

“It was fantastic. This is a world championship we were riding with the team, so it’s about taking calculated risks, but today, it went good.”

Winning gold – Denmark’s first team victory at a world championships – in front of a home crowd was a moment beyond words.

“It means a lot. It meant a lot just being in there,” she said. “The other day when we did the arena familiarisation, I felt so proud riding in there with [my teammates] Daniel, Nana, and Carina, because they are fantastic three riders, and they are my colleagues. That was really a moment to remember for me here.”

She shared her thanks to the supportive home crowd – “they rocked that arena” – and to another very special horse, Attherupgaards Cassidy, for his part in her achievement.

The 19-year-old gelding is in Herning this week for his official retirement ceremony and Cathrine said she owes him “everything”.

“I was actually quite nervous this morning,” she said. “Then I had a ride on Cassidy and I realised, ‘Okay, this is why I’m so good riding with the pressure’, because he was like, ‘come on, Mummy, now I’m saving the situation for you’. I had a fantastic journey down at the stable, and I was almost crying because it just made me realise that it’s because of him.

“He filled my rucksack with confidence and the belief that of course I can do it.”

It’s SILVER for Britain at World Dressage Championships, as Denmark clinch gold on home soil

Polly Bryan — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 18:46:37 +0000

Great Britain have won team silver in the World Dressage Championships results, behind home team Denmark, who beat the Brits to the gold medal by just 1.2 points. The 2018 world champions Germany have claimed bronze, 3.43 points behind the British team.

It was nail-biting stuff as the final rotation of top riders took to the Stuttari Ask stadium in Herning, Denmark, and it was Britain’s Lottie Fry who really laid the pressure on the last few, with a sensational test on the 11-year-old championship first-timer Glamourdale, owned by Van Olst Horses. Lottie and Glammy wowed crowds and judges alike to score a personal best of 80.84%, charging to the top of the leaderboard and making Britain the team to beat – 10 years to the day the Britain won gold at the London Olympics in 2012.

“From the second we left the warm-up Glamourdale heard the crowd and he was just ready for it,” said Lottie, adding that her success still hadn’t really sunk in.

But it was Denmark’s darling, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, who was always destined to be the protagonist of this championship, and she duly delivered, producing her own personal best score with the 10-year-old Vamos Amigos, who is owned by the British Pidgley family. The pair were foot perfect for 81.86%, securing the gold medal for Denmark – the country’s first ever dressage team gold.

Cathrine explained that ever since Denmark won the bid to host these World Dressage Championships, the team’s aim has been victory here.

“It means a lot just being in there, and I feel so proud to have Daniel, Nanna [Merrald Rasmussen] and Carina [Cassøe Krüth]as my colleagues. the feeling of being in a team that cool, is very nice,” she said.

The Danish team were the favourites going into the competition, and they lived up to the hype – their strength as a quartet is such that their discard score was Daniel Bachmann Andersen’s super 76.58% on Marshall-Bell.

Britain came to Herning with a lot less certainty surrounding their fortunes, with three horses who were competing on a championship team for the first time. Richard Davison and Bubblingh having got the ball rolling on day one, and Gareth Hughes raising British hopes with a very good grand prix on Classic Briolinca, despite having Covid, but there was a lot of pressure on Charlotte Dujardin and the very green nine-year-old Imhotep, who has completed just three grands prix in his life.

Luckily, Charlotte thrives on pressure, busting out a chunky 77.4%, before Lottie proved just what a cool customer she is as well.

With Cathrine and Lottie’s scores soaring to the top of the World Dressage Championships results, only Germany’s Frederic Wandres and the British-bred Duke Of Britain FRH had a realistic chance of disrupting the top two podium positions. He gave it a great shot on his senior team debut, with the 15-year-old Dimaggio gelding shining in the piaffe-passage, and although his 76.66% wasn’t enough to displace the British team, it was enough to secure Germany a very well-earned bronze.

“To come into the arena as the last German rider was something special,” said Frederic. “I never had that before. And to reach the bronze medal is like a dream come true for me, since I was a small kid.”

Just missing the medals was Sweden, who finished fourth in the World Dressage Championships results. They have however secured qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics, along with the top three teams, plus the Netherlands in fifth and the USA in sixth.

Top rider’s ‘heart horse’ to retire in special ceremony at World Championships

Lucy Elder — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 18:02:33 +0000

Top dressage rider Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour will retire her career-launching “heart horse” Atterupgaards Cassidy in front of a home crowd in a ceremony at the dressage World Championships.

Cathrine, 30, partnered the 19-year-old gelding to 11 youth European medals, and they made their senior championship debut at the Rio Olympics – less than a year after stepping up to international grand prix.

The pair scored their first senior medals for Denmark – two individual bronze and a team silver – at the 2017 Europeans.

“Cassidy” will officially retire in a special ceremony at the FEI World Championships in Herning after the prize-giving for the grand prix special on 8 August.

“It’s going to be very emotional for me, and I cannot quite understand that it will be my last ride with Cassidy in front of an enthusiastic audience – which he loves,” said Cathrine, who describes Cassidy her “horse of the heart”.

“I hope he gets the farewell he very much deserves.”

It will be the final time fans can see him in the dressage arena before he retires “fit and sound” to enjoy his senior years at home in the field and his usual stable at Cathrine and Rasmine Laudrup-Dufour’s Fredensborg base.

Cathrine and Cassidy won back-to-back young rider European titles in 2012 and 2013, which sit alongside their plethora of bronze and silver youth medals.

The pair enjoyed success in the under-25 ranks and stepped up to senior grand prix in autumn 2015. Less than a year later, they were on the plane to Rio, where they finished 13th individually.

Their breakthrough moment at senior championship level came at the 2017 Europeans, going home with three medals. They were among the favourites to reach the podium at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, but had to withdraw before travelling to the games after Cassidy sustained an injury in the field.

They returned to competition in 2019, scoring major wins at Herning and Aachen CDI4*s plus an individual bronze in the grand prix special at the European Championships in Rotterdam.

The Caprimond son, who is out of a Donnerhall II mare, bows out of the sport following countless top-level wins and an international personal best of 89.45%, which he achieved in the CDI5* freestyle at Stockholm in 2019.

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Denmark eyes historic gold as home side revealed for dressage World Championships

Polly Bryan — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 10:21:24 +0000

The Danish team for the dressage World Championships next month has been announced.

Following Denmark’s historic Nations Cup victory at CHIO Aachen last week, the home side will start in Herning as one of the favourites to win gold. The Danish team for the dressage World Championships, as selected by Anne-Mette Binder and Wolfram Wittig, is as follows:

Carina Cassøe Krüth with 11-year-old mare Heiline’s Danciera

Owner: Poul Thøgersen

Breeder: Stald Heiline (DEN)

Breeding: by Fürstenball OLD, out of Danceline TS, by Ne Diro

Daniel Bachmann Andersen with 10-year-old gelding Marshall-Bell

Owner: Nicola Ahorner

Breeder: Tina Christoffersen and Nicolai Jepsen (DEN)

Breeding: by Blue Hors Don Romantic, out of Medini-Bell, by Michellino

Nanna Merrald with 18-year-old stallion Blue Hors Zack

Owner: Blue Hors

Breeder: B. Wilschut (NED)

Breeding: by Rousseau, out of Orona, by Jazz

Cathrine Dufour with 12-year-old gelding Bohemian

Owner: Abildgaard Equestrian

Breeder: Heinrich Langewellpott (GER)

Breeding: by Bordeaux, our of Sunshine, by Samarant

Cathrine Dufour with 10-year-old gelding Vamos AmigosOwner: Cathrine Dufour and Sarah PidgleyBreeder: Reesink Pferde (NED)Breeding: by Vitalis, out of Hotshot, by Blue Hors Hotline

It will be decided later in July whether Cathrine will ride her individual European silver medallist Bohemian, or the less experienced but hugely exciting Vamos Amigos, with whom she finished second in the World Cup Final in April, and also scored a hat-trick at CHIO Aachen.

Three combinations have been named as reserves: Andreas Helgstrand with Jovian and Queenparks Wendy, and Lone Banf Larsen with Thranegardens Rostov.

While Germany have dominated team dressage podiums for much of the last decade, the 2022 World Championships offers a very real opportunity for Denmark to win its first ever dressage team gold. With the reigning Olympic and European champion, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, out of action this summer as she prepares for the birth of her second child, and with Isabell Werth’s top mares, Weihegold OLD and Bella Rose, now retired, the German side is somewhat depleted going into World Championships.

Meanwhile, all four of the Danish riders named for the home side are currently amongst the top 16 in the world rankings, with Cathrine and Carina both in the top five. The same quartet of riders recently showed their hand by triumphing in the Nations Cup contest at CHIO Aachen, the first time since 2010 that Germany has not taken the title.

The British team has not yet been announced for Herning, though the British nominated entries have been revealed. Germany is also still to reveal which four riders will be in action at the championships. The deadline for definite entries for the championships is 25 July.

Lottie Fry leads the Brits at Aachen, as podium favourites emerge ahead of World Championships

Polly Bryan — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 12:16:01 +0000

Lottie Fry finished best of the Brits in the CHIO Aachen 2022 dressage results, from which Denmark emerged as favourites for home gold at the dressage World Championships this summer.

Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour dominated both the CDIO5* and CDI4* with her two rides, the British-owned 10-year-old Vamos Amigos in the former and her European silver medallist Bohemian in the latter, while the Brits put in solid performances.

Lottie has the luxury of three potential rides for the worlds and at Aachen her Olympic and European medallist Everdale threw his hat decisively into the ring ahead of selection. The pair finished a fabulous fourth in the grand prix with 76.5%, and although their scores dipped to 73.68% for ninth in the special, they came back strongly to achieve 82.65% for seventh in a hugely competitive freestyle, where just 1.5% covered second to seventh places.

“The special was going really well and was probably one of his best tests right up until the final centre line, where you have to go into the shadows and he had a spook and some mistakes with that,” said Lottie. “It cost us about 3% probably, but I’m still really pleased with Everdale. He is so much more relaxed in the big atmospheres now; he’s really grown up.”

“The freestyle felt really amazing, and he was just incredible,” she added. “It was so nice to be riding in front of a really packed audience – the crowd at Aachen is unlike anywhere else in the world.”

After a busy early campaign with her top grand prix horses, Everdale, Glamourdale and Dark Legend, as well as her upcoming stars – including Inclusive, 11th in the CDI4* at Aachen – Lottie will now focus on training at home ahead of selection for the worlds this month.

Laura Tomlinson, Lara Butler and Susan Pape joined Lottie on the British Nations Cup team, finishing sixth.

Laura’s hot 12-year-old Vivaldi stallion Fallatijn faced his biggest challenge yet in the huge Aachen atmosphere, but he improved on a rather tense, distracted grand prix to score a fraction under 71% with a much more focused ride in the special.

“I really believe when he learns to take a breath and stay relaxed when away from the other horses he will be mega,” said Laura. “Being first to go [in the special] meant we were not in front of the big crowd, which helped ‘Finn’ too.”

Lara also improved her scores over the two tests with the Bechtolsheimer family’s home-bred Polarion gelding Kristjan, scoring 69.7% in the grand prix and 70.1% in the special.

Germany-based Susan rode the Zenon stallion Harmony’s Eclectisch to 69.15% in the grand prix and 68% in the special.

CHIO Aachen 2022 dressage results: Denmark dominate

Denmark won the Aachen Nations Cup for the first time, relegating home side Germany to second, and cementing them as one of the favourites to win team gold at the dressage World Championships in Herning this August.

The Danish line-up of Carina Cassøe Krüth (Heiline’s Danciera), Daniel Bachmann Andersen (Marshall-Bell) and Nanna Skodberg Merrald (Atterupgaards Orthilia) alongside their top performer Cathrine Dufour (Vamos Amigos), are the same quartet who will form the home team in Herning, and they proved unstoppable throughout the competition at Aachen.

Riding the Pidgley family’s 10-year-old Vamos Amigos (by Vitalis out of a Blue Hors Hotline mare), Cathrine achieved a CDIO5* hat-trick, leading the grand prix on 81.54%, the special on 80.06% and the freestyle on 88. 38% – personal best scores for this incredibly talented gelding in each respective test.

“I’m super proud of [Vamos Amigos],” said Cathrine. “I might have had five minutes too much warm-up [in the special], so I had little less power compared to the grand prix, when he was super, super electric. He’s 10 years old and is doing a super job.”

The German team, comprising Isabell Werth (DSP Quantaz), Benjamin Werndl (Famoso OLD), Ingrid Klimke (Franziskus 15) and Frederic Wandres (Duke Of Britain FRH), finished second after Isabell was eliminated in the grand prix special.

Sweden finished third, ahead of the Netherlands in fourth, Spain in fifth and Britain in sixth. The USA took seventh, with Australia eighth.

Disappointment for Lottie Fry as she copes brilliantly with tricky ride at the World Cup Final

Polly Bryan — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 21:51:57 +0000

There was heartbreak for Britain’s Lottie Fry in tonight’s FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany. Her grand prix freestyle with Dark Legend did not go as planned, and they finished well down the order with an uncharacteristically low score of 67.55%.

With the stands packed with noisy crowds in the Leipziger Messe and the hospitality areas by the side of the ring bustling, it proved a very tricky environment for the hot Zucchero son, who put in a big spook just seconds before entering the arena. He proceeded to take fright on the first centre line of their toe-tapping “Let me take you dancing” routine, and Lottie said she had to improvise her floorplan to try to avoid the entire H corner of the arena that was making Darky afraid.

The 26-year-old produced a masterclass of clever, sympathetic riding coaxing a very tense Darky through their routine, and showing plenty of flashes of brilliance between the spooks.

“It was a shame it was today that he got scared, but I’m just glad that he could carry on and we got some confidence back and we could finish the test,” said Lottie, who finished eighth in the short grand prix on Thursday, the opening day of the Dressage World Cup Final.

“I had to change my floorplan to avoid the corner. But we managed to get everything in and I was really proud of how we managed to carry on,” she added. “When you’re in that atmosphere, you don’t have time to think about if it’s good or not – you have just got to do it.”

It was an unfortunate end to the winter season for Lottie and Darky, who have been racking up the plus-80% scores over recent months, with their best to date being the 83.68% they posted in Aachen in September.

“It’s a shame that happened here, but I think we can get the confidence back and hopefully be out this season back in shape,” said Lottie.

Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl claimed the title after a brilliant ride on her Olympic champion, TSF Dalera BB, while it was an emotional night for Isabell Werth as she performed her last test on the 17-year-old Weihegold OLD.

‘She leaves her heart in there for us’: Jessica von Bredow-Werndl claims World Cup title on last major outing before baby break

Polly Bryan — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 20:48:49 +0000

Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl claimed an emphatic victory at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany, tonight (9 April). The reigning Olympic and European gold medallist added another championship win to her remarkable tally with TSF Dalera BB with a huge score of 90.84%.

“Dalera was just amazing, as always, but today it was very, very special,” said an emotional Jessica, who also won Thursday’s short grand prix with the 14-year-old Easy Game mare.

“It’s difficult to find the right words to describe Dalera; she leaves her heart in there for me, for us,” added Jessica, referring to her second child who is due to be born in August. “This is something you can’t ask for and what she offers is so special.”

This is Jessica’s last competition with Dalera before taking a baby break this summer, and admitted it was “a little sad as Dalera is in such good shape”.

“We will use the summer to have a vacation and to keep on doing conditioning training and cantering in the forest – everything we both love, and I already can’t wait to come back.”

The pair’s score this evening was slightly lower than their personal best of 91.73%, that they achieved at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021, but Jessica said their test tonight “felt better than in Tokyo”.

“The feeling she gave me was probably the best ever,” she added, and certainly their test sheet was littered with nines and 10s, mostly for the piaffe-passage and the pirouettes. This elegant mare shows such incredible willingness to work, and such impressive ability to sit and use her body while remaining beautifully relaxed that she and Jessica are simply a joy to watch.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB en route to their plus-90% World Cup Final win (Image credit: Icon Sport via Getty Images)

Taking the runner-up spot was Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour, competing at her first World Cup Final. Cathrine scored 86.16% with the 10-year-old Vamos Amigos, the British-owned Vitalis son who is destined one day to become the ride of British junior champion Annabella Pidgley.

“He is only 10 and this was only the second time he has performed with a full crowd. I’m really proud of him and I think he did a super performance today,” said Cathrine.

Germany’s Isabell Werth was not quite able to hang on to the World Cup title for a fourth final in a row, but instead filled third position. It was an emotional night for Isabell, as she made her final trip into a dressage arena with the brilliant mare Weihegold OLD, who is now to be retired, aged 17.

“To retire Weihe and for her to finish at this level with such an atmosphere, it’s a great day, and to receive a standing ovation – that is what I wished for to honour her at her last competition,” said Isabell, who admitted she felt very emotional on the last centre line, when the crowds rose to show their appreciation for this stellar combination.

Danish riders filled out the top five, with Carina Cassøe Krüth producing a stunning performance with Heiline’s Danciera for 84.97% and fourth, while Nanna Skodberg Merrald was fifth with Atterupgaards Orthilia, the former British team horse under Fiona Bigwood.

The night did not go quite to plan for Britain’s Lottie Fry, who displayed masterful riding aboard Dark Legend, but finished in 17th after a tricky ride.

What time will Britain’s Lottie Fry and the other top contenders ride in the Dressage World Cup Final tonight?

Polly Bryan — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 13:44:47 +0000

The much-anticipated FEI Dressage World Cup Final takes place this evening (9 April) in Leipzig, Germany, and whether you are lucky enough to be there in person, or if you will be watching from home, you’ll need to know what time the top riders will be in action.

All 17 riders who took part in Thursday evening’s short grand prix will ride again tonight, with the results from that class determining the starting order for the grand prix freestyle, from which the Dressage World Cup Final winner will be decided.

Britain’s Lottie Fry, who finished eighth in the grand prix with Dark Legend will be the eighth rider into the Leipzig arena tonight, riding at 8.20pm (7.20pm BST). This is Lottie’s first World Cup Final, and even qualifying came as something of a surprise to her.

Thursday night’s winner, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB, is undoubtedly the favourite to win this year’s title, having already wowed the crowds with her plus-84% grand prix win. She will be the last rider into the arena at 10pm (9pm BST) to fight for what would be her first World Cup title, having finished third on three previous occasions with Unee BB.

Before Jessica though, come her main rivals; she will be preceded into the arena by Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour, who finished second in the grand prix with over 80% on the very exciting 10-year-old Vivaldi gelding Vamos Amigos. Cathrine will begin her test at 9.50pm (8.50pm BST).

All eyes will be on Germany’s Isabell Werth tonight as well, when she goes at 9.20pm (8.20pm BST). Not only is she the defending champion, having won the World Cup title in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but this will be her brilliant black mare Weihegold OLD’s final trip into a dressage arena. The 17-year-old will be retired after tonight’s competition, and is set to become a broodmare.

Check out the full list of starters for the Dressage World Cup Final [PDF download].

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on flying form in opening round of the Dressage World Cup Final

Polly Bryan — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 21:13:45 +0000

The FEI Dressage World Cup Final kicked off this evening in Leipzig, Germany (7 April) with the reigning Olympic and European champion waltzing her way to the top of the leaderboard in the short grand prix. Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl rode the delightful 15-year-old mare TSF Dalera BB to a score of 84.79% to score a resounding victory in the first round of competition.

All seven judges had Jessica firmly in the lead with the Easy Game daughter, with whom she won five gold medals in 2021. Her scores this evening ranged from 83.29% up to 86.84% for her virtually flawless round.

“Dalera makes it very easy for me to enjoy it, although I don’t really think about how much I enjoy it during the test as I am always very focused.

“It’s difficult to find the words to describe Dalera – she still feels like she’s improving, it’s incredible, and she is always giving 100%,” said Jessica, for whom this is the last major competition before she takes a break to have her second child, due in August.

“I’m just so happy to be able to ride, as I am pregnant, now in the fifth month, but I feel super fit and so does Dalera. From a sport point of view, it’s a little bit sad that this is the last big competition before a break,” she said, adding that she will work at producing a new freestyle for Dalera during her pregnancy break.

This Dressage World Cup Final was always set to be a showdown between the two leading ladies of German dressage, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Isabell Werth, defending champion and winner of the past three consecutive finals with Weihegold OLD. But Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour established herself as a serious contender for a podium position with a second-place finish tonight riding the young and relatively inexperienced Vamos Amigos, a 10-year-old Vivaldi son who is owned by Britain’s Sarah Pidgley and is one day destined for a partnership with 17-year-old British junior rider Annabella Pidgley.

Cathrine said the gelding was “on fire from the beginning” and admitted she was willing the excited Leipzig crowd not to clap as she entered the arena.

“He is super powerful but also always on the edge,” she said. “I was sitting on the handbrake all the way though; I’m not even riding him 50% at the moment. It’s all just a matter of keeping him calm and giving him confidence.

“At some point he will for sure go to Annabella, but for now he is a handful, and she has Gio to get to know now and also Espe, one of the younger horses I had at my yard,” added Cathrine, who trains Annabella. “For now she needs slightly more experienced horses to get started in grand prix.”

Cathrine’s impressive round pipped defending World Cup champion Isabell Werth into third with Weihegold OLD, the 17-year-old Don Schufro mare who is set to be retired after the Dressage World Cup Final. Isabell scored 79.76% with a slick round.

“It felt very good, and I’m really pleased and proud of Weihe as it was her last grand prix,” said Isabell.

Britain’s Lottie Fry finished in eighth on her World Cup debut after a test which included lots of highlights but also a costly mistake.

Battle of the titans: who will win this year’s Dressage World Cup Final?

Polly Bryan — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 07:32:52 +0000

Who will win this year’s FEI Dressage World Cup Final? It’s a question many are asking as the equestrian world gears up for the first World Cup Final since 2019, taking place from 6 to 10 April in Leipzig, Germany.

A world-class field will line up for the dressage final, but all eyes will be on the two favourites for the title, both of whom are competing on home soil: defending champion Isabell Werth, who will ride her World Cup winner from the past three finals, Weihegold OLD, and the reigning Olympic and European champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who will bring her top horse, TSF Dalera BB. So, which of these two German superstars is most likely to win this year’s Dressage World Cup Final?

Isabell is, of course, the most decorated dressage rider of all time, and will be as hungry as ever to claim her fifth World Cup title, and what would be her fourth with this talented Don Schufro mare. This year’s final will be especially poignant for Isabell – it is set to be 17-year-old Weihegold OLD’s last competitive appearance before she is retired. And if they did come away with the spoils, they would also make yet more history together, as the first combination to win the title on four consecutive occasions.

The World Cup result is decided solely on the grand prix freestyle, and Isabell is known for her stirring freestyle routines, eye-watering levels of difficulty in her floorplans and her pinpoint accuracy, which will stand her in good stead in Leipzig. Although Weihegold and Isabell uncharacteristically finished off the podium in the freestyle at the 2021 European Championships, they have broken the 90% barrier together a whopping six times. However, they have not done so in more than two years, since January 2020. Their best-ever freestyle score is 90.98%, achieved at the Europeans in August 2017.

Jessica and the 15-year-old Easy Game mare Dalera, on the other hand, will arrive in Leipzig off the back of a dream season, when they scooped both team and individual gold medals at both the Tokyo Olympics and the European Championships. Dalera is unquestionably in the prime of her life – she and Jessica have remained unbeaten since before the Tokyo Olympics, and posted 90.55% to win their final World Cup qualifier, at s’Hertogenbosch, less than a month ago.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

“I don’t want to hide Dalera away just for the outdoor season,” Jessica told H&H earlier in 2022. “She wouldn’t like that, and I always think that I get better when I compete, and she loves it, so we should do it.”

This is their first World Cup Final as a combination, although Jessica has finished third on three previous occasions, and seventh on another, riding Unee BB. She will be hungry for World Cup glory, and also knows it is likely her only shot at a major championship in 2022 – Jessica is currently pregnant with her second child due in August, ruling her out of the dressage World Championships.

Jessica and Dalera have scored over 90% on five occasions internationally, with an all-time best score of 91.7% at the Olympics last July. In fact, the last time they posted under 90% in a grand prix freestyle was in January 2021.

Of the two top German challengers, Jessica appears to be the most likely candidate to capture the World Cup title, but never underestimate Isabell Werth, who will be fighting hard to maintain her dominance, and to finish her great mare’s stellar career on a high.

Dressage World Cup Final 2022: best of the rest

Even dressage can be unpredictable, and the field for this year’s final is littered with talented combinations who could shake things up. One of those is Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour, riding at her first World Cup Final. Cathrine will not bring her European individual silver medallist from 2021, Bohemian, with whom she exceeded the 90% marker for the first time on their last outing, at Herning CDI5* in mid-March, but instead has campaigned the younger, relatively inexperienced Vamos Amigos at the World Cup circuit.

Make no mistake, though, this Vitalis son, who is owned by Britain’s Sarah Pidgley, may only be 10 years old with just a handful of international shows under his belt, but he could definitely make a splash in Leipzig. The pair scored almost 87% to finish second to Jessica von Bredow-Werndl at their last qualifier, in Neumünster in February, and could be extremely competitive here.

In fact, the entire Danish contingent could prove a threat. Three of the combinations who won team bronze at the Europeans will be in action in Leipzig – expect both Carina Cassøe Krüth (Heiline’s Danciera) and Nanna Skodberg Merrald (Atterupgaards Orthilia) to put in strong bids for the podium.

Britain’s sole representative, Lottie Fry, is another in with a realistic shot at a top-three finish in Leipzig. She will ride Dark Legend, after qualifying for the final somewhat unexpectedly, and this 14-year-old Zucchero is another horse in the form of life right now. The pair posted an all-time best score as a combination at Aachen CDIO5* in 2021, of 83.68%, and they also scored 82.33% at their last show, the World Cup qualifier at s’Hertogenbosch.

“Dark Legend has been going better than ever,” Lottie told H&H. “It’s always incredible to compete alongside the best riders in the world and we’re ready to do our best.”

One rider carries British dressage hopes on World Cup Final debut

Polly Bryan — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 10:10:48 +0000

Lottie Fry will be the sole British rider competing at this week’s FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany. This will be the first World Cup Final held since 2019, as it was called off owing to coronavirus in 2020 and the EHV outbreak in 2021.

Lottie will ride Dark Legend at what will be the Olympic medallist’s first World Cup Final. The 14-year-old Zucchero x Tango gelding was her British team partner at the 2019 European Dressage Championships, as well as her under-25 European gold medallist in 2018.

“I’m really excited to be going to my first World Cup Final,” Lottie told H&H. “It was actually a little unexpected but Dark Legend has been going better than ever and we managed to qualify at the last minute. It’s always incredible to compete alongside the best riders in the world and we’re ready to do our best.”

Lottie finished in 10th position in the Western European league, following her second-place finish at the London Horse Show in December, and fourth-place finish at s’Hertogenbosch this month.

Just nine riders from the Western European League may qualify for the final, but with a maximum of three riders allowed from one country, Lottie clinched a slot above Germany’s Frederic Wandres, who lost out owing to a late qualification rule change by the FEI, despite the fact he finished fourth in the standings. The current rules allowed his compatriot Helen Langehananberg to take the third German spot behind top-ranked Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and defending champion Isabell Werth, who is automatically allocated a place at the following year’s final.

Jessica will bring forward her Olympic and European champion, the 15-year-old mare TSF Dalera BB (Easy Game x Handryk), for a crack at winning her first World Cup title. Jessica is no stranger to World Cup Finals, having finished third on three occasions, and seventh on another with her former top horse Unee BB. She and Dalera are on top form, having remained unbeaten in international competition since before the Tokyo Olympics, and will likely start the competition as favourites to win.

The World Cup Final looks set to be Jessica’s only major championship in 2022 – she is almost five months pregnant with her second baby, who is due in August, meaning she will miss the dressage World Championships this summer.

Jessica’s main rival will be Isabell Werth, for whom this will be her 19th World Cup Final. She won the last three consecutive finals with the now 17-year-old Don Schufro x Sandro Hit mare Weihegold OLD, and will be riding the mare again at this year’s event.

Also among the starters is European silver medallist Cathrine Dufour, riding for Denmark, another at her first World Cup Final. Catherine will ride the 10-year-old Vamos Amigos, a Vitalis son owned by Britain’s Sarah Pidgley.

Two USA riders will be in action: Anna Buffini (FRH Davinia La Douce) and Ashley Holzer (Havanna 145), with a total of 13 nations represented in total.

All 18 riders will first contest the short grand prix on Thursday 7 April, with all those who achieve 60% going forward to the grand prix freestyle on Saturday 9 April. The winner of the freestyle will be crowned the World Cup champion for 2022.

High emotions and an elimination: today’s key stories from the European Dressage Championships

Gemma Redrup — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 16:49:45 +0000

The final day of competition is complete at the senior European Dressage Championships at Hagen, in Germany, and the freestyle proved to be a real thriller with moments that moved the crowd and brought goosebumps to those watching on as some of the world’s best competed for a place on the podium.

European Dressage Championships: day four news and results

Olympic champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB rounded off their perfect week of competition, adding a third gold medal to their 2021 Europeans tally.

Discover why Jessica said her test today was “the best feeling” she has ever had

Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Gio, gave it everything they had to secure a medal

Find out what Charlotte had to say following her test with ‘Pumpkin’

Britain’s Lottie Fry, scored yet another personal best with Everdale to some fantastic contemporary music

Read what Lottie had to say about her impressive test

Carl Hester put on a masterful display of riding with En Vogue, who was particularly fresh today

Discover why Carl described their performance today as a “good learning curve”

Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour put her Tokyo demons firmly behind her with Bohemian to claim a place on the podium

Hear what Cathrine had to say about her test and why she described her situation as “unreal”

There was drama towards the start of the freestyle class when one combination were eliminated

Discover why this pair were not permitted to complete their test

Unfortunately, the podium did not feature Germany’s Isabell Werth for the first time in six years

Find out more about how the freestyle competition unfolded

Plus, find out who H&H’s rider of the day is – her story might surprise you

Discover more about a young British rider who has taken a slightly unconventional route to dressage

‘This feels unreal’: European silver medallist achieves career-best result to put Olympic demons to bed

Polly Bryan — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 16:14:07 +0000

For Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour winning two individual medals at the European Dressage Championships helped soothe the sting of finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this summer. Cathrine and Bohemian followed up their bronze in the special on Thursday (9 September) with silver in the freestyle. This was the best individual result of the 29-year-old’s career so far, having won bronze in 2017 and 2019 on Atterupgaards Cassidy.

Here at the European Dressage Championships with the 11-year-old Bordeaux gelding Bohemian, Cathrine Dufour wowed audiences and judges alike with her gorgeous routine set to music from Les Misérables, which features dramatic vocals to accompany her pirouettes, and was rewarded with a massive score of 88.44%.

The only mistake was an error behind as they moved directly from two-time changes to one-times, and the pair scored especially highly for their piaffe-passage work and lovely pirouettes. They finished behind Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who topped the podium, and just snuck ahead of Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin, who took bronze.

“This feels a bit unreal,” said Cathrine. “My overall feeling was of not having to push too far with Bohemian, which I felt I had to in Tokyo. In the special here and especially today I almost didn’t have to do anything; I could sit up there and just ask really politely. He allowed me to add in a bit more pressure than on Thursday, and I’m so proud and happy.

“He has developed since Wednesday [the grand prix]. We learned something new together and that is just what this sport is all about. Today was really really tough sport,” she said.

“He is super cool in the ring and the more audience the better as he’s really brave,” said Cathrine of Bohemian, adding how wonderful it was to ride in front of packed stands again after the Tokyo Olympics being held without spectators. “It’s always just a matter of whether we’re on the same team, but today he was fantastic.”

Cathrine has partnered “Bobi” since he was a five-year-old and credited his owners at Abildgaard Equestrian for their support.

“It is fantastic to have owners like that in the sport,” she said.

Hat-trick for Germany’s golden girl as Charlotte Dujardin scoops individual freestyle bronze; no medal for Isabell Werth

Polly Bryan — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 14:31:11 +0000

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has completed a golden hat-trick to top the freestyle podium at the European Dressage Championships, with Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin repeating her Tokyo result to claim a fabulous bronze. Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour slotted into the silver medal position — the best individual result of her career.

However, for the first time in six years, Germany’s Isabell Werth will not feature on an individual championship podium, finishing fourth with Weihegold OLD after a couple of mistakes capped her score to 84.89%.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the stunning 14-year-old Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB danced their way through a delightful routine to their La La Land music, scoring 91.02% with every judge having the partnership decisively in the lead. Having won freestyle bronze at the last European Dressage Championships in 2019, they have gone from strength to strength in the years since and are now the reigning Olympic and European champions.

“I’m so grateful to have such a wonderful mare with me and I couldn’t have asked for more. She is wonderful,” said Jessica, who has now won five gold medals in the space of six weeks.

Cathrine and the 11-year-old Bordeaux gelding Bohemian also produced a polished test to their dramatic, emotive Les Misérables soundtrack, scoring 88.43% to improve on their individual bronze medal from the grand prix special.

Charlotte Dujardin and Gio during the freestyle at the 2021 Europeans in Hagen (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Charlotte and the diminutive 10-year-old Apache son Gio rode a stunning round to their Tokyo music, which suits this bouncy gelding down to the ground. Charlotte rode for every mark, and it was just an unfortunate mistake in their second batch of one-time changes, on their joker line, that likely cost them the silver medal. It is testament to the quality of the rest of their test that even with a major mistake they came away with 87.45%, just 1% less than their Tokyo score.

“He tried his heart out and I couldn’t have asked for much more. I made a mistake in the last set of ones on the centre line, but he tried incredibly hard and it was more of a rider error – I waited for the music, then thought, ‘Oh no I’m not ready’, and I got in a kind of muddle. But apart from that it was super, so I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Charlotte.

Britain’s Lottie Fry rode another super test to secure yet another personal best of 84.72% to finish fifth, just 0.7% behind Isabell Werth. This is Lottie’s third personal best from three tests at the Europeans with the fantastic Lord Leatherdale stallion Everdale.

Carl Hester did not have the easiest ride on the sensitive En Vogue, who was quite affected by the atmosphere at Hagen. They posted 78.37% to finish 13th.

Career bests and giving it everything you’ve got: today’s key stories from the European Dressage Championships

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 23:21:39 +0000

The third day of competition is complete at the European Dressage Championships at Hagen, in Germany, and the first of the individual medals have been awarded following the thrilling grand prix special, which saw some of the world’s biggest names fight it out for a place on the podium.

European Dressage Championships: day three news and results

Olympic champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB stunned a packed out crowd to deliver an incredible test

Discover why Jessica said this occasion was completely different to the Olympics and how her mare reacted to it

Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Gio, left nothing in the arena during their eye-catching performance

Find out what Charlotte had to say following her test with ‘Pumpkin’

Britain’s bright young talent, Lottie Fry, scored yet another personal best with Everdale

Find out what Lottie had to say about her impressive test

Britain’s Carl Hester rocketed to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway point with En Vogue

Discover why Carl was delighted with their performance

Gareth Hughes has a very exciting prospect in the form of Silvano Van Hof Olympia and they displayed some incredibly smart work

Hear what Gareth had to say about his test and how his horse coped in a situation that ‘he has never been in before”

Isabell Werth broke the news today that her Tokyo mount, Bella Rose, underwent emergency surgery last night

Find out more about the operation this fantastic mare underwent

‘The best feeling he’s ever given me’: Lottie Fry delivers another personal best for top five finish at European Dressage Championships

Polly Bryan — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 22:00:37 +0000

Lottie Fry claimed the best individual championship finish of her career so far when finishing fifth in this evening’s grand prix special at the European Dressage Championships in Hagen.

She rode her own and the Van Olsts’ Lord Leatherdale x Negro stallion Everdale to a huge score of 78.15% – bettering their personal best in this test, which they achieved earlier this year. This was also a second personal best of the European Dressage Championships for Lottie Fry, who also achieved a personal best in the grand prix on Tuesday (7 September).

Lottie found herself sandwiched between her teammates, with Charlotte Dujardin and Gio finishing fourth, and Carl Hester taking sixth place on En Vogue.

“That was the best feeling Everdale’s ever given me in a test,” exclaimed Lottie afterwards. “He was so concentrated and he just gave me this massive canter. The changes were only just fitting in the arena – they were huge. He gave everything he had in there and it was a really cool feeling.”

Lottie was visibly riding for every mark possible throughout her test – exactly what was needed in such exceptionally strong company.

“I think when you go in after Cathrine Dufour and before Jessica von Bredow-Werndl you have to make sure you’re standing your ground,” laughed Lottie, who said she was also particularly pleased with Everdale’s half-passes, extended trots and his final centre line.

“He loves a crowd too as he is a real show-off. It was quite exciting when we first went in and the whole arena was cheering Cathrine before us. He got excited but as soon as I went down the centre line he was concentrating and ready to do his job.”

European Dressage Championships: who won the medals?

It was Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her Olympic gold medallist TSF Dalera BB who topped the podium, with the defending European champion Isabell Werth settling for silver – especially impressive when Isabell’s mind had been elsewhere with her top horse Bella Rose having just had colic surgery.

But she was partnering her hugely 16-year-old experienced mare Weihegold OLD, a triple European gold medallist in 2017 and multiple World Cup champion.

“I knew I had to fight to take all the risks I could take,” said Isabell. “Weihe is so experienced in this business – more in the freestyle than in the special, but this was really one of her best specials.

“I was really pleased with the extensions today and especially the piaffe-passage and the last centre line I think was amazing. And there were no big mistakes,” she added.

Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour added individual bronze to her team bronze from yesterday. This is Cathrine”s fourth individual European medal, but her first on this horse, the 11-year-old Bordeaux son Bohemian.

The pair finished fourth individually at the Olympics after mixed performances in Tokyo, but the chestnut gelding was back on top form here.

“I tried to take the pressure off Bohemian and just play with him in there; in Tokyo I felt I almost had to push too much,” said Cathrine. “He was really playing along together and it was a fantastic feeling. We found a good balance today and he was way more comfortable in there than in Tokyo.”

‘I’m absolutely delighted and I can’t ask for much more’: Charlotte Dujardin and Gio give it their all in European Dressage grand prix special

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 21:56:39 +0000

Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and the small but mighty Gio left nothing in the arena during their grand prix special test at the European Dressage Championships in Hagen, Germany this evening (9 September).

Riding her own, Renai Hart and Carl Hester’s 10-year-old Apache gelding, known as ‘Pumpkin’ at home, Charlotte scored 79.78%, which ultimately left them just shy of a podium finish in fourth.

“I’m absolutely over the moon with Pumpkin – I think I nearly pretty much had a clear round in there,” Charlotte said afterwards. “That’s only the third grand prix special he has done, so I’m just absolutely delighted and I can’t ask for much more – he’s still a young, inexperienced horse.”

Charlotte and Gio had no real mistakes, pulling in the biggest marks for the bouncy passage, huge reaching half-passes and super pirouettes. They were 1.12% shy of a bronze medal – that went to Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour and Bohemian, who were fourth behind Charlotte in Tokyo.

“I think with time, Pumpkin’s movement will get bigger and he does just need more time to strengthen up,” Charlotte explained. “He’s got better and better at every show, so that’s all I can ask for, and like I say, he went in, tried and did his best and that’s enough for me.”

There was a real atmosphere in the arena this evening at the European Dressage Championships, with most tests being performed under floodlights and in front of a sell-out crowd.

“Pumpkin’s just brilliant – he’s done hardly any shows under floodlights, and then there were all of the spectators, with plenty watching the warm-up too, so I’m really, really happy,” Charlotte said.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl dazzles to claim individual European gold, with agonising finish for Charlotte Dujardin

Polly Bryan — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 21:06:34 +0000

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl added individual European Dressage Championships grand prix special gold to her Olympic gold with an amazing performance aboard her delightful mare TSF Dalera BB. The pair stormed into the lead from final draw with 84.27% to take a decisive victory in Hagen, Germany.

Jessica’s compatriot Isabell Werth took the silver with Weihegold OLD, scoring 81.7% for their faultless round.

“Compared to the atmosphere in Tokyo, today was totally different – there were many, many spectators, and we are not used to it anymore,” said Jessica. “I realised when we entered the arena that Dalera became even bigger – she pricked her ears and she was excited – she loves to show off.

“She was really excited when I did the extensions in the trot – I really tried not to move because otherwise it could have put her out of balance, because she was so on fire. But it’s a great feeling, especially after the Olympics that she’s still fit and so energetic.”

As in Tokyo, Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour and Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin battled for the bronze medal, but in a reversal of the Olympic result, it was Cathrine who edged her way onto the podium, posting 81.08%, less than 0.7% behind Isabell. Charlotte and the 10-year-old Apache son Gio finished fourth after a super test for 79.79%.

It may be the toughest position in which to finish, but Charlotte knew she could not have done more.

“I’m absolutely over the moon with ‘Pumpkin’,” said Charlotte. “I pretty much nearly had a clear round, so for him I’m absolutely delighted. I can’t ask for much more – he’s still a young, inexperienced horse.”

In fact, Brits filled the three spots just below the podium, with Lottie Fry producing yet another personal best aboard the flamboyant stallion Everdale to sit fifth with 78.15%. She snuck ahead of Carl Hester, who slotted into sixth with En Vogue after a brilliant round for 77.31%.

Gareth Hughes ended up 15th with Sintano Van Hof Olympia after achieving 73.72%, but although it is 15 riders who qualify for Saturday’s freestyle, only three riders per nation may go forward, meaning Gareth looks set to miss out.

More to follow…

Who could win individual medals at the European Dressage Championships – and when do the Brits ride?

Polly Bryan — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 20:04:07 +0000

The start list for the European Dressage Championships grand prix special has been released, with all four British riders having qualified to compete for individual honours tomorrow (Thursday 9 September). The top 30 combinations from the grand prix have progressed to ride the grand prix special, which will decide the first of two sets of individual medals at the European Dressage Championships. Here are the European Dressage Championships start times for the grand prix special…

European Dressage Championships start times: when will the Brits ride the grand prix special?

The class begins at 5pm (4pm BST), with all four Brits – who won silver in the team competition – appearing in the second half of the draw.

Gareth Hughes and his own and Judy Firmston Williams’ Sintano Van Hof Olympia: 7.50pm (6.50pm BST)
Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin, Sandra Biddlecombe, Lady Anne Evans and his own En Vogue: 8.10pm (7.10pm BST)
Charlotte Dujardin and Renai Hart, Carl Hester and her own Gio: 10pm (9pm BST)
Lottie Fry and her own and Van Olst Horses’ Everdale: 10.20pm (9.20pm BST)

When do the other medal contenders compete?

The favourite for individual gold is Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who carried Germany to team gold with her Olympic champion TSF Dalera BB, winning the grand prix with 84.099%. They will be the final combination to ride the grand prix special at 10.30pm (9.30pm BST).

Germany’s Isabell Werth is the reigning European champion, having won triple gold in 2019 and 2017, the latter with her ride here in Hagen, Weihegold OLD. They posted 79.86% to finish second in the grand prix, ahead of Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Gio by just 0.03%. Isabell and Weihegold will ride the special at 9.50pm (8.50pm BST).

Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour scored 79.72% in the grand prix, despite an expensive mistake with her talented gelding Bohemian. They will be in serious contention for individual medals here and will ride the special at 10.10pm (9.10pm BST).

Don’t miss a second of the action out in Hagen – find out how to watch the European Dressage Championships.

Check out the full list of European Dressage Championships start times

It’s tight at the top as Denmark sets the target for the team medals at the European Dressage Championships

Polly Bryan — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 12:05:16 +0000

The European Dressage Championships team medals will be decided this afternoon, and the competition is reaching a thrilling conclusion, with Denmark threatening Britain’s grip on the silver medal.

Denmark have returned to the top of the leaderboard with a superb test from their leading lady Cathrine Dufour, riding the 11-year-old Bordeaux gelding Bohemian, with whom she finished fourth both in the team and individually at the Tokyo Olympics in July.

Cathrine and the fiery chestnut gelding kept their cool in the rising temperatures in Hagen, Germany, to produce 79.72% to sit fractionally behind Germany’s Isabell Werth at the top of the leaderboard. The majority of their test was fantastic, but a miscommunication in the first pirouette proved expensive, with scores dropping to threes for that movement, before jumping up to eights for the second pirouette.

“It might have been the best warm-up I’ve ever had, and he felt really, really fantastic in there,” said Cathrine. “It was almost hotter than in Tokyo because of the burning sun, but he felt really super, in particular the piaffe-passage tour.

“In the canter pirouette left I think he wanted to turn a tiny bit too much and then I corrected him maybe too much and he reacted. He’s a hot horse and reacts really quickly and sharply. But we had a nice second pirouette, so overall I’m really happy. Of course, I’m annoyed we had a big mistake, but we have to try something new every time we get into the ring because we also want to develop – if we only ever do the same, we will only get the same. We have to try to push ourselves, and the margins are tight.

“And it’s super cool that we have three riders over 75%,” she added on Denmark’s performance as a team. “I can’t remember when that last happened for Denmark. It’s huge for the sport.”

With all four Danish riders having now completed their tests, the team has a final score of 231.165, giving the other nations in contention – Germany, Britain and Sweden – a big target to reach in order to win European Dressage Championships team medals. The Netherlands are currently sitting in silver, with all four of their riders having gone, but they are 10 points below Denmark so look unlikely to hang on to a podium position.

It means Britain’s final combination, Olympic bronze medallists Charlotte Dujardin and Gio, must score at least 78.65% to catch Denmark. Germany’s final pair, Olympic champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB, must score 76.32% to go ahead of the Danes.

Jessica will ride at 2.15pm (1.15pm BST), while Charlotte will enter the arena at 2.33pm (1.33pm BST).

‘I had nothing to lose’: Cathrine Dufour eyes up the podium with daring test in grand prix freestyle

Martha Terry — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 11:37:34 +0000

Cathrine Dufour conjured a stunning freestyle to put herself right into medal contention in the freestyle at the Tokyo Olympic dressage. She scored 87.507% riding the chestnut gelding Bohemian to take the lead with five to go – though the final contenders featured all of the favourites for the gold medal.

Cathrine, competing at her second Olympics, rode a technically brave test, with the music changing even within the pace to match the chestnut’s fabulous expression.

“He felt really amazing in the ring, and on the edge to a little bit dangerous, but I’d made up my mind to do that today,” she said. “I was super excited to show off my freestyle tonight – it’s like a masterpiece.”

They scored a whopping 93.086% for the artistic mark and 81.929% for the technical. Cathrine had been disappointed with her grand prix special the previous night, which she felt lacked “joy”, and so she decided to “go for it” this evening.

“I thought I have nothing to lose, I’d go in there, right on the edge,” she said. “It might break, it might stay good – and we succeeded.”

Finishing with a flourish

Bohemian entered the ring glistening with sweat, as is typical of him here in Tokyo, but while some of their rivals had been a bit flat this evening, Bohemian was full of energy. He was soft and athletic throughout and showed lovely transitions, with his piaffe pirouette being a highlight. Cathrine had hinted that there was more to come after the grand prix, where they qualified top of the group for this showdown – and so it proved.

The “beating of the drums” in Les Miserables’ When You Hear the People Sing matched Bohemian’s rhythmic piaffe to round off the test with a flourish. Cathrine pumped the air with a huge smile, signalling her delight with her 11-year-old ride.

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Tokyo Olympics dressage day one highlights: huge personal bests and orange tailcoats

Polly Bryan — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 16:40:13 +0000

The first day of the Tokyo Olympics grand prix dressage was crammed full of exciting highlights. Here are the five things you need to know about today...

On day one of the Tokyo Olympics dressage, Britain’s 25-year-old Lottie Fry made her Olympic debut, 29 years after her late mother Laura Fry rode at the Barcelona Games. And what a debut it was – she and Everdale pulled out a corker of a test for more than 77%, which is a personal best for them in the grand prix.

Find out what Lottie had to say about her test, and what it felt like to ride down the centre line at her first Games

Carl Hester also rode a brilliant test for Britain, and was thrilled with how his ride, the hot, nervy Jazz son En Vogue – who is owned by Charlotte Dujardin – coped in the huge Tokyo stadium. He scored 75.12%, with just a couple of unfortunate mistakes bringing his mark down.

Hear from Carl about his test, the score he was aiming for – and the reason behind the blips

Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl showed everyone why she is one of the hot favourites for individual gold at these Olympics, absolutely knocking it out of the park with a grand prix more than 2% than her previous best in this test.

We chat to Jessica about her performance aboard TSF Dalera, and how she deals with the pressure that comes such high expectations of her

Edward Gal from the Netherlands caught the eye in more than one way today. He was one of the day’s highest scorers aboard the Totilas son Total US, and also showed off the Dutch riders’ new championship attire – snazzy orange tailcoats (pictured above).

Find out how the judge scored this extravagant young stallion, and what qualities he shares with his famous sire

The only USA rider in action on day one of the grand prix was Sabine Schut-Kery, and she made everyone sit up with a stunning grand prix on Sanceo that earned her a score 3% higher than her previous best. We were so impressed we named her H&H’s Tokyo rider of the day.

Hear Sabine’s fascinating story about her life before she become one of the USA’s top dressage riders

It’s now 1.30am here in Tokyo, so it’s definitely time for bed, but we can’t wait to bring you more exciting action from the second day of grand prix dressage action tomorrow. The first in our new series of daily Tokyo podcasts will be available for you to enjoy shortly, but I’m signing off and leaving that in the capable hands of our team back in the UK. See you on the other side!

Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour posts highest score so far in Olympic dressage grand prix

Martha Terry — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 12:01:14 +0000

CATHRINE DUFOUR scored the highest mark of the Tokyo Olympic dressage grand prix competition so far to head group two. The Dane posted 81.056% riding the 11-year-old Bordeaux gelding Bohemian. Although it wasn’t quite a personal best, Cathrine called it “a clever round”.

“He felt super, the perfect amount of ‘lit-up’ today but also listening,” she said. “I wanted to have a smooth, clear round but I was also playing a bit with where to push and where to hold back, as it was important for me to give him a really great feeling in the ring.”

This is the 29-year-old rider’s second Olympic appearance. Although Bohemian is renowned to be spooky, the pair are ranked six in the world and tipped as potential medal-winners. Bohemian arrived at the arena with his chestnut coat lathered in sweat, but kept his temperament in check for a superb performance.

“Even though there’s no audience, you get fooled because there is a vibe in there and you can really feel that it’s ‘now’.”

Cathrine has left plenty in hand to be able to push Bohemian more at the sharp end of the competition.

“Of course today counts, but we have two more rides to go, so I’m saving just a little bit,” she said. “It’s about giving him and me confidence in the ring today. I can do more and he can do more, and he’s never afraid. He always attacks the job.

“In my eyes, he’s one of the best horses in the world.”

“Total US’s first really big test”

Edward Gal laid down a marker for the future with his nine-year-old Totilas son Total US, scored 78.649% to take second in this group. The Dutch rider was impressed by the young stallion’s maturity.

“It was the first really big test for him in an arena like this and I felt the tension in the warm-up, and I’m sure he felt it in me,” said Edward. “But he’s so young and so talented, and I can feel that he’s much more confident now than in the first [grand prix] competition he did [in the spring].

Total US is showing all the signs of being as brilliant as his sire.

“I feel so much comparison with Totilas,” Edward said. “It’s the same feeling when you put your leg on, and the same reaction.

“Totilas was more confident at this age; Total US is a little bit shy. But I can feel his confidence growing. Now, I can ride him a bit more. It will take a couple more years to get everything sorted but I think he’s really, really good.”

“He is a bit like a bomb”

Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat took third spot riding Elegance, her national champion, on a score of 72.096%. She was ruing a couple of mistakes in her second pirouette.

“Those mistakes were quite expensive,” she said. “But I’m very happy with the horse. I’m quite nervous these days and that was very nice.”

Beatriz described Elegance as “a very strong horse, very hot”.

“He has a lot of power – he’s a little bit like a bomb, so that’s not always easy to manage,” she said. “But today I’m very happy and proud.”

This was the second of six “heats” to qualify for Tuesday’s grand prix special for the team medals and Wednesday’s grand prix freestyle for individual medals. This group featured nine riders, after Austria’s Victoria Max-Theurer had to withdraw Abegglen NRW due to a tooth abscess.

Cathrine and Edward qualify automatically as the top two from the group, and the six next best scores from across the groups will also go through. Britain’s Lottie Fry topped group one with 77.096% on Everdale.

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Who will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics grand prix freestyle? H&H’s dressage editor makes her predictions…

Polly Bryan — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 04:39:08 +0000

The Tokyo Olympics dressage competition gets underway today (24 July), with the grand prix, which runs over two days. At these Olympics, the grand prix serves two separate purposes: it acts as a team qualifier for the grand prix special on Tuesday (27 July), with the top eight teams going on to compete for the team medals, and it also determines who will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics grand prix freestyle, which determines the individual medals on Wednesday (28 July).

Only 18 combinations will progress through from the grand prix to the freestyle. The 60 starters (15 teams of three plus 15 individuals) will ride in six groups of 10, with riders distributed across these groups according to world ranking. The 18 that will progress to the freestyle comprise the top two pairs in each of the six groups, plus the six next best across all the groups.

As we have discussed in our Olympics previews, this Games is especially unpredictable for many reasons. But H&H dressage editor Polly Bryan has analysed the start list, and had a go at predicting which combinations will make up the 18 that will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics grand prix freestyle. Let’s see what she thinks…

Group One

Joao Victor Marcari Oliva (BRA) – Escorial

Nanna Skodberg Merrald (DEN) – Zack

Dong Seon Kim (KOR) – Belstaff

Kazuki Sado (JPN) – Ludwig Der Sonnenkoenig 2

Mary Hanna (AUS) – Calanta

Inna Logutenkova (UKR) – Fleraro

Yvonne Losos de Muniz (DOM) – Aquamarijn

Lottie Fry (GBR) – Everdale

Therese Nilshagen (SWE) – Dante Weltino

This is a strong group to kick off proceedings at the Tokyo Olympics dressage. The Swedish pair Therese Nilshagen and Dante Weltino are the best-ranked pair, in 18th, hence their position at the end of the group, but it is Britain’s Lottie Fry and Everdale, ranked 36th, whose grand prix scores have been consistently higher over the past couple of seasons. I would expect Lottie to lead this group and secure her spot in the freestyle. If Therese and Dante Weltino can find their best form, I would expect them to go through too, but it could be a close call between them and the Danish pair Nanna Skodberg Merrald, who have posted consistent mid-70s grand prix scores in the short time they’ve been together. Don’t rule out Yvonne Losos de Muniz, and Mary Hanna, either.

Britain’s Lottie Fry with Everdale (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Group Two

Edward Gal (NED) – Total US

Beatriz Ferrer-Salat (ESP) – Elegance

Dina Ellermann (EST) – Donna Anna

Francesco Zaza (ITA) – Wispering Romance

Maria Caetano (POR) – Fenix De Tineo

Chris von Martels (CAN) – Eclips

Inessa Merkulova (ROC) – Mister X

Antonia Ramel (SWE) – Brother De Jeu

Cathrine Dufour (DEN) – Bohemian

This is a fascinating group. In theory, Cathrine Dufour should walk it – she and Bohemian achieved plus-83% several times in 2020, and 80% on their last outing, and are ranked number six in the world. But Edward Gal’s Total US, while too new to this level to have made much headway up the world rankings as of yet, has scored in the high 70s in each of their three international grands prix so far. I think Cathrine and Edward will book tickets to the freestyle, but Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, Sweden’s Antonia Ramel and Austria’s Victoria Max-Theurer are likely to be in strong contention for one of the six “lucky loser” places.

Group Three

Jose Antonio Garcia Mena (ESP) – Sorento 15

Carl Hester (GBR) – En Vogue

Larissa Pauluis (BEL) – Flambeau

Aleksandra Maksakova (ROC) – Bojengels

Alexandre Ayache (FRA) – Zo What

Rodrigo Torres (POR) – Fogoso

Sabine Schut-Kery (USA) – Sanceo

Henri Ruoste (FIN) – Kontestro DB

Hans Peter Minderhoud (NED) – Dream Boy

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER) – TSF Dalera

This is going to be a hugely exciting group to finish things up on the first day of grand prix, and Britain’s Carl Hester will face hot competition. Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, ranked second in the world, is one of the favourites for individual gold and I would expect her to easily finish in the top two today, based on recent scores – her last three grands prix have all earned over 81%. If Carl and En Vogue can match their best international grand prix score – 77.5% in May – I think they will also go through. But the USA’s Sabine Schut-Kery, Finland’s Henri Ruoste and the Netherlands’ Hans-Peter Minderhoud all have the form to muscle their way into the top two. Whoever finishes third will likely end up as one of six extra qualifiers.

Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl with TSF Dalera (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Group Four

Severo Jurado Lopez (ESP) – Fendi T

Christian Schumach (AUT) – TE Quiero SF

Caroline Chew (SGP) – Tribiani

Tatyana Kosterina (ROC) – Diavolessa

Heike Holstein (IRE) – Sambuca

Laurence Roos (BEL) – Fil Rouge

Lindsay Kellock (CAN) – Sebastien

Simone Pearce (AUS) – Destano

Carina Cassøe Kruth (DEN) – Heiline’s Danciera

Adrienne Lyle (USA) – Salvino

Based on their recent form, I expect this group to come down to a battle between the USA’s top ranked rider, Adrienne Lyle, and Denmark’s Carina Cassøe Kruth, both of whom have several very strong grand prix scores on their recent record. My money would go on Adrienne to edge it with Salvino – they are the only members of this group to have scored 80% at grand prix, and she achieved that as recently as April this year. Australia’s Simone Pearce and Destano could also be in the mix, but I think Ireland’s sole dressage representative Heike Holstein would have to better her best by a significant margin with the lovely home-bred mare Sambuca to move forward to the freestyle here.

Group Five

Marlies van Baalen (NED) – Go Legend

Shingo Hayashi (JPN) – Scolari 4

Martha Fernanda del Valle Quirarte (MEX) – Beduino Lam

Domien Michels (BEL) – Intermezzo Van Het Meerda

Kelly Layne (AUS) – Samhitas

Estelle Wettstein (SUI) – West Side Story OLD

Nicolas Ehlinger Wagner (LUX) – Quater Back Junior FRH

Morgan Barbançon (FRA) – Sir Donnerhall II OLD

Juliette Ramel (SWE) – Buriel KH

Dorothee Schneider (GER) – Showtime FRH

On paper, Germany’s Dorothee Schneider should walk this group with the lovely showtime FRH, with whom she could well win an individual medal. They haven’t competed very much since the 2019 Europeans, where they won two individual silver medals, but they produced an 81.52% grand prix on their last outing in June. Juliette Ramel and Buriel could well end up being Sweden’s leading combination after the withdrawal of Patrik Kittel, and I am confident that they will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics grand prix freestyle. But whether that is as one of the top two, or as a “lucky loser”, may well be up to France’s Morgan Barbançon, whose grand prix scores with Sir Donnerhall II are remarkably consistent, hovering very close to the 72% mark.

Group Six

Virginia Yarur (CHI) – Ronaldo

Yessin Rahmouni (MAR) – All At Once

Hiroyuki Kitahara (JPN) – Huracan

Maxime Collard (FRA) – Cupido PB

Charlotte Dujardin (GBR) – Gio

Florian Bacher (AUT) – Fidertraum

Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu (CAN) – All In

Joao Miguel Torrao (POR) – Equador

Steffen Peters (USA) – Suppenkasper

Isabell Werth (GER) – Bella Rose 2

And so to the final, and arguably most interesting group, of the six to close out the grand prix competition here at the Tokyo Olympics. I think that a couple of the six additional qualifying combinations will come from this group. World number one Isabell Werth will bring the action to a suitable climax, but all eyes will be on defending Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin. She may only be ranked 109th with Gio, but this is reflective of their lack of international outings, not of their ability, and I would fully expect Charlotte to give Isabell a run for her money. My feeling is, though, that the sprightly little Gio will improve as the competition goes on, so while Charlotte will certainly not be sitting quietly in this test, I think we’ll see a higher score from them in the special. The USA’s Steffen Peters and Portugal’s main man Joao Torrao will have to improve on their best scores so far to make the top two, but a high-70s mark is within reach for them both, so I expect to see them in the top 18 as well.

Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Gio (Image credit: creditUnknown)

So, who will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics grand prix freestyle?

After crunching the numbers for each of the six groups, here are the 18 combinations I would expect to make it through to the grand prix freestyle, and to compete for an individual Olympic medal:

Lottie Fry (GBR) – Everdale

Therese Nilshagen (SWE) – Dante Weltino

Nanna Skodberg Merrald (DEN) – Zack

Edward Gal (NED) – Total US

Antonia Ramel (SWE) – Brother De Jeu

Cathrine Dufour (DEN) – Bohemian

Carl Hester (GBR) – En Vogue

Henri Ruoste (FIN) – Kontestro DB

Hans Peter Minderhoud (NED) – Dream Boy

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER) – TSF Dalera

Carina Cassøe Kruth (DEN) – Heiline’s Danciera

Adrienne Lyle (USA) – Salvino

Juliette Ramel (SWE) – Buriel KH

Dorothee Schneider (GER) – Showtime FRH

Charlotte Dujardin (GBR) – Gio

Joao Miguel Torrao (POR) – Equador

Steffen Peters (USA) – Suppenkasper

Isabell Werth (GER) – Bella Rose 2

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Elite Brits to make crucial bids for Olympic selection at Compiègne CDIO5* this weekend

Polly Bryan — Thu, 27 May 2021 15:24:41 +0000

British Olympic team contenders will be in action at the first five-star dressage show of the year in Europe, which kicks off tomorrow at Compiègne, France. It will serve as the final outing for some of Britain’s top combinations ahead of Olympic team selection next month.

As well as elite British riders, several Olympic team and medal contenders from other countries will be among those contesting the CDIO5* Nations Cup leg – the first of three in 2021 (the others are at Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in July and Aachen, Germany, in September) – and the CDI3* competition, which runs alongside.

The CDI3* grand prix will take place on Friday, 28 May, with the special and freestyle the following day, while the Nations Cup competition begins with the grand prix on Saturday and concludes with the special and freestyle on Sunday. Britain are the defending champions of the Compiègne Nations Cup leg, having won it in 2019 with Carl Hester, Richard Davison, Lottie Fry and Gareth Hughes. The show did not go ahead in 2020.

A live stream is available; meanwhile, we round up the best Brits and most exciting combinations to watch…

Britain’s Nations Cup team

Lottie Fry – Dark Legend (13yo gelding, Zucchero x Tango)

A member of the 2019 winning British team here, Lottie brings forward her 2018 under-25 European champion and 2019 British senior Europeans team horse, Dark Legend (pictured, above). This tall, elegant gelding is one of two horses with whom Lottie has already made a strong bid for a place on the Tokyo Olympic team, and a good performance here could help cement this. In 2019, Lottie was the rookie of the British team at this Nations Cup; now she returns as the rider who could lead this trio to victory in Compiègne.

Emile Faurie – Dono Di Maggio (14yo gelding, Dimaggio x Santander H)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

This British-bred gelding is in the form of his life, and Emile will certainly have his eye on a place on another championship team – the pair were members of the British quartet that brought home team bronze from the World Equestrian Games in 2018. They missed their chance to compete in Belgium at the end of April, but enjoyed a super show at Wellington with plus-75% in the special. Compiègne could see their scores climb higher.

Louise Bell – Into The Blue (15yo gelding, Ublesco x Calvaro Z)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

This lovable pair of former working hunter champions are always crowd favourites, but that’s not all they bring to the table. This will be their fourth time on a Nations Cup team, and having enjoyed a positive run at Wellington earlier this month to help blow away the lockdown cobwebs, finishing third in the freestyle, expect to see them put in a solid showing here.

Remaining British contingent in the CDI3*

Fiona Bigwood – Hawtins Delicato (13yo gelding, Diamond Hit x Regazzoni)

Olympic silver medallist Fiona made a successful international debut with Carl Hester’s former world medallist at Wellington in mid-May, and this will be the first time this new combination have ventured onto foreign soil to show the world what they can do. They make a good partnership and, while still getting to know each other, are capable of some very useful, and eye-catching, scores here.

Lottie Fry – Everdale (12yo stallion, Lord Leatherdale x Negro)

After 15 months away from competition, this striking stallion burst back on to the international scene this spring, and most recently scored a plus-77% grand prix special win in Exloo, the Netherlands. He is up against his more experienced stablemate Dark Legend in the fight for a place on the Olympic team, but arguably has more potential to access the very highest scores. Compiègne will be an important test for these British Olympic team contenders.

Laura Tomlinson – Rose Of Bavaria (11yo mare, Bordeaux x Florestan I)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Laura and “Betty’s” 2021 Olympic selection campaign was delayed in getting off the ground, after the mare suffered a reaction to an EHV vaccine earlier in the year. Happily, she is back to fitness and ready to throw her hat in the ring for an Olympic team place. They have had limited international outings so far, and haven’t crossed the Channel since last September, but you wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish among the leaders here.

Richard Davison – Bubblingh (15yo gelding, Lingh x Picandt)

Four-time Olympian Richard has exercised impressive patience in developing this talented, but quirky home-bred “Bubbles”. They had a quiet 2020, returning to the international arena for the first time since March last year at Wellington CDI3*, where they performed strongly in the grand prix, but withdrew from the special. It will be interesting to see the impression they can make here.

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Cathrine Dufour DEN – Bohemian (11yo gelding, Bordeaux x Samarant)

Her multi-medalled Atterupgaards Cassidy made have just landed a fifth Danish national title for Cathrine, but it is this young superstar who will likely spearhead the Danish team in Tokyo. This will be his first international outing of 2021, but as he has already exceeded 82% in the special, and 88% in the freestyle – twice – you can expect impressive things, and quite possibly a victory, from him in the five-star tour here.

Patrik Kittel SWE – Well Done De La Roche CMF (13yo mare, Furstentraum x Walt Disney)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Adding to the strong Scandinavian representation here is Patrik on his European team bronze medallist, who is expected to be his Tokyo contender. This will be an especially important appearance for the pair, who were eliminated on their first outing since last July, at Mariakalnok in Hungary, after traces of blood were spotted in the mare’s mouth. They have a good track record at Compiègne, having finished second in the five-star special in 2019 behind Britain’s Gareth Hughes.

Continued below…

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Andreas Helgstrand DEN – Fiontini (11yo mare, Fassbinder x Romanov)

Until late last year, it had been more than four years since world and Olympic medallist Andreas had competed internationally at grand prix level, instead concentrating on his rapidly expanding sales and breeding business. However, since taking over the ride on this talented mare from former Helgstrand head rider Severo Jurado Lopez, he has enjoyed a string of good results that could put him in contention for a position on the Danish Olympic team this summer. Another strong showing here in the CDI3* would boost those chances.

Hans Peter Minderhoud NED – Glock’s Zonik (13yo stallion, Blue Hors Zack x Romanov)

This will be Hans Peter’s first competition aboard his partner Edward Gal’s European medallist Zonik, having announced earlier this week that he would be taking over the ride on this imposing stallion. With Edward concentrating on younger grand prix rides, Zonik hasn’t competed since January 2020, where he scored over 85% to finish third in the freestyle at Amsterdam. It will be fascinating to see what Hans Peter can bring out of him in the CDI3* in Compiègne.

All seven US horses originally entered at Compiegne – three in the CDIO5* and four in the young rider section – have been withdrawn due to “adverse results” among the the horses’ EHV-1 test results, conducted before their departure.

In a statement, US Equestrian said: “In accordance with the FEI Return to Competition protocols, all U.S. horses were tested for EHV-1 prior to departure from their layover base to the competition venue. A limited number of PCR tests returned with adverse results. Horses within the US contingent have not shown any symptoms or clinical signs of the virus, are not febrile, and are all vaccinated. Out of an abundance of precaution, the team has decided to withdraw. US Equestrian is working directly with the FEI to determine appropriate next steps and an acceptable timeline for a return to competition based on the outlined protocols.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Britain’s best dressage riders in action at Hagen CDI4*: how to follow and who to watch

Polly Bryan — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 13:41:50 +0000

Four top British riders will be in action at the Horses & Dreams CDI4* show in Hagen, Germany, over the next few days. As one of the first major international dressage shows to go ahead in Europe since the latest coronavirus lockdown and equine herpes virus wreaked havoc on the calendar, Hagen is set to be an exciting showdown as a stellar line-up of riders ramp up their efforts for Olympic selection. We bring you some of the most exciting combinations to keep your eyes out for over the next few days. A live stream is available via ClipMyHorse.

British riders in Hagen

Charlotte Dujardin – Mount St John Freestyle (12yo mare, Fidermark x Donnerhall)

This will be Charlotte’s first time competing abroad since January 2020. She and Emma Blundell’s Freestyle, her double world bronze medallist, are on top form having made the most of the past year to fine-tune their training, and delighting dressage fans in December as they were crowned national champions with over 90% in the freestyle.

With Freestyle likely to be Charlotte’s top choice for Tokyo this summer, it makes sense that she will run in the grand prix on Friday, at 1.21pm BST, which acts as a qualifier for the special on Saturday. Competition on German soil will be fierce, but expect Charlotte and Freestyle to give the big guns a run for their money.

Charlotte Dujardin – Gio (10yo gelding, Apache x Tango)

Hagen is Gio’s first foreign show, but the gelding has shown such talent since he stepped up to grand prix level at the start of last year that he is sure to make an impact here. The chestnut gelding was a little starstruck when competing at the National Grand Prix Championships at Hartpury in December – although he still scored 88% in the freestyle to finish second – so this trip will be important for getting him used to performing on the big stage.

Charlotte will ride Gio in the grand prix at 2.41pm BST on Thursday, which is a qualifier for the freestyle on Saturday.

A photo posted by on

Carl Hester – En Vogue (12yo gelding, Jazz x Contango)

Hagen is the first foreign show Carl has competed at since the European Championships in August 2019, and the first overseas trip for En Vogue, who is owned by Charlotte Dujardin. Carl will also be aiming to complete his qualification for the Tokyo Olympics here, although he will have a second chance to do so on home soil next month at the Wellington CDI in Hampshire. Carl reports that Vogue is feeling “gorgeous” to ride at the moment – it will be exciting to see what this combination can produce here.

Carl and Vogue will compete in the grand prix qualifier for the special on Friday, riding at 9.50am BST, with the special taking place on Saturday.

A photo posted by on

Sonnar Murray-Brown – Erlentanz (14yo gelding, Latimer x EH Benz)

This exciting combination made a super start to the 2020 season in France and Belgium, and following high scores and good placings at the Keysoe CDI in the autumn, they will be aiming for more success here. Sonnar and Erlentanz will be hoping to thrust themselves firmly under the Tokyo selectors’ eyes with a strong performance at this highly competitive show.

They will run in Thursday’s grand prix for freestyle at 4.22pm BST.

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Lottie Fry – Everdale (12yo stallion, Lord Leatherdale x Negro)

Lottie and the striking black stallion Everdale haven’t competed internationally since Amsterdam in January 2020, so it will be exciting to see the progress they are sure to have made over the past year. The pair delighted British crowds by finishing a fantastic third at Olympia in December 2019, and are in contention for one of the three coveted places on the team for Tokyo this summer.

Lottie will pilot Everdale in Thursday’s grand prix at 5.16pm BST.

Lottie Fry – Glamourdale (10yo stallion, Lord Leatherdale x Negro)

All eyes will be on Lottie and this stunning stallion: the full brother to Everdale, Glamourdale was crowned seven-year-old world champion in 2018, and is now making his international grand prix debut. His enormous canter is always a highlight and this pair are sure to turn plenty of heads in very strong company.

Lottie has opted to run Glamourdale in Friday’s grand prix qualifier for the special, which suggests that this young stallion is set to be a firm contender for Tokyo selection. They will perform at 8.54am BST.

Others to watch

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl GER – TSF Dalera BB (14yo mare, Easy Game x Handryk) & Ferdinand BB (12yo gelding, Florencio I x Lanciano)

Jessica is one of the hottest riders on the European circuit at present and will be fighting for victory here with her European team gold and individual bronze medallist Dalera BB. The combination finished top of the Western European League for the second season in a row and are on flying form. Jessica also brings forward the less experienced Ferdinand, competing at just his second international at this level. She will ride both horses in the grand prix for special on Friday. at 1.12pm BST.

Isabell Werth GER – DSP Quantaz (11yo gelding, Quarterback x Hohenstein 4) & Emilio 107 (15yo gelding, Ehrenpreis x Cacir AA)

World number one Isabell will be in action, but not aboard her star mares Bella Rose or Weihegold. Instead she brings the experienced Emilio, who boasts more than 40 international wins at grand prix level, and the lesser known DSP Quantaz, who was a double winner at this venue last autumn, and also at the Salzburg CDI3* in January this year. Isabell will ride in the grand prix for special on Friday at 1.03pm BST.

Juan Matute Guimon ESP – Quantico (15yo gelding, Fighting Fit x Constant)

This show is a huge deal for Juan, being his first international appearance since he made an astounding recovery from a brain bleed in 2020. Quantico is his under-25 bronze medallist and World Equestrian Games 2018 team ride, whom he will be aiming for the Tokyo Olympics as part of his incredible comeback. The pair will be in action in the grand prix for special on Friday at 11.49am BST.

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Cathrine Dufour DEN – Vamos Amigos (9yo gelding, by Vitalis)

The other individual bronze medallist at the 2019 Europeans, Cathrine has opted to bring her rising star to Hagen. Vamos Amigos, who is owned by Britain’s Sarah Pidgley, will be competing at just his second international but looks set to have a very bright future indeed. He and Cathrine will be in action on Friday in the special tour at 9.59am BST.

Nanna Skodberg Merrald DEN – Atterupgaards Orthilia (16yo mare, Gribaldi x Donnerschlag) & Blue Hors Zack (17yo stallion, Rousseau x Jazz)

Nanna’s name might not be the most recognisable to some British dressage fans, but she is in Hagen riding two horses who are very famous indeed. Atterupgaards Orthilia is the talented mare whom Fiona Bigwood partnered at the Rio Olympics in 2016 to help Britain win team silver, while the prolific stallion Blue Hors Zack is the former championship ride of Daniel Bachmann Anderson, who is also in action here riding Carso’ni and Marshall-Bell. While Zack competes in the freestyle tour, Orthilia will compete in the grand prix for special on Friday at 9.41am.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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“It all happened very quickly,” Cathrine explains. “I’ve known Emma for quite some time, we’ve always been supporting each other on Instagram.

“I heard she was thinking of doing something with Freestyle, so I arranged to go see her and I knew within minutes that I loved her.”

The combination showed no signs of rustiness as they made their debut a winning one at Kronenberg CDI3*, with 81.20% in the grand prix and 81.40% in the grand prix special.

“It’s funny because, from the second we arrived at the showground, it seemed like she remembered exactly what to do,” said Cathrine.

“From being in the stable, having her door open with me sitting in a chair in front of her box and just chilling around, cuddling, to being almost over ready in the warm-up, she just knows and I’m over the moon with how she felt.

“I had tears rolling down my face because it was like a once-in-a-lifetime feeling.

“I said to Freestyle afterwards, ‘Please, if you have more of these once-in-a-lifetime grands prix up your sleeve, just save them for later.’ I think that she loved showing off her talent once again.”

Cathrine added that although she feels “a lot of pressure” taking on the ride she’s also “humbled” to be taking on the responsibility.

“I’m never going to be able to ride her as Charlotte did, but that was never the purpose. I don’t want to compare what we’re doing now to how she did it. That’s not fair on the horse.

“I have to do it my own way to let the connection Freestyle and I have shine through.”

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Relaxing a tense horse

“These eventing horses come in on a different level of energy, so sometimes it can be quite hard to relax the horse in a ring like this,” says Cathrine. “What I prefer to do with a tense horse is to think about the neck, if the neck goes up, you feel like the adrenaline is pumping.”

Cathrine asks Boyd to allow the neck to drop and ride some short walk to halt transitions around the outside of the arena.

Cathrine then asks Boyd to ride some simple, walk-trot transitions, almost “lazily”.

“It’s harder than it looks, transitions,” Cathrine adds, “you want to start in a new ring with transitions, something simple to build up the confidence of the horse.”

“It’s a simple thing, but sometimes I feel with the hot horses that you end up going up, down, up, down really quickly. Go slower up and down, so he listens to you and you’re not just following his quick rhythm.

“If I have a horse that continues to go quicker and quicker and doesn’t really listen to transitions or me slowing my rise then I go on a circle and stand up for two steps and then sit for one.

“It’s really awkward but it makes the horse aware of what you’re doing and gets their focus back on the rider.”

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A DRF spokesman said that for riders to be selected for Paris they must participate in one or more observation events, including at Herning, Hagen, and Compiegne, plus the Danish championships and Nation Cup events. The final team selection will be announced immediately after Aachen in July.

“The final selection is based, among other things, on results, fitness and the health of the team members according to the sport plan’s selection criteria,” said the spokesman.

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“Freestyle you’re one in a billion, I’m speechless,” said Cathrine.

Cathrine and Freestyle’s victory in the grand prix special was by a margin of nearly 10%, with the judges scoring them a number of 10s for their passage and piaffe work throughout. Lottie Fry and Especial were second on 71.89%.

“Freestyle did it again. I am really lost for words,” said Cathrine.

“Yesterday (1 December) she delivered a mega performance and it humbles me to feel how she allows me to ride her in the ring; +81% again, simply incredibly well trained her whole life by Charlotte and Emma.”

Cathrine thanked everyone for the “huge support” she had at the weekend, and said Freestyle will now enjoy some downtime in the field.

“A special thanks to the Zinglersen family and Emma Blundell for making this fairytale a reality,” she said. “To my amazing groom Ida Trecihler, coaches Kyra Kyrklund and Nathalie Sayn, wife Rasmine, and my amazing home team.”

Emma added that the Mount St John team are “besotted” with Freestyle.

“We couldn’t be happier to see the queen loving being out performing again,” she said.

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Cathrine, who led the Danish team to world gold in 2022, said the first minute she sat on the mare, “we clicked”.

“To me, it is a dream come true,” she said. “She is definitely a one in a billion horse, and thanks to Charlotte Dujardin and Emma Blundell’s amazing training, it has been a pleasure to take over the reins of her.”

This makes the addition of Mount St John Freestyle to her string significant news with less than a year to go to the Olympics.

“To me she is the female version of Cassidy: a heart of gold, unbelievable work ethic and outstanding quality,” said Cathrine.

“This is an incredible opportunity and I am grateful that Family Zinglersen want to support me in the sport at this level through our joint company.”

Emma recalled the “amazing memories” of Freestyle winning individual bronze as a nine-year-old with Charlotte at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, and said they were “devastated” when the mare missed the Tokyo Olympics as she was “off games”.