Carl Hester has been at the top of the dressage world for over three decades, and was a lynchpin of the British team yet again in 2021, adding Olympic team bronze and European Championship team silver to his medal collection. He has had plenty of fantastic equine partners over the years, and has now ridden 10 different horses on senior championship teams for Britain. We take a look back at some of the most memorable of Carl Hester’s top horses…

Rubelit Von Unkenriff

It was Rubelit Von Unkenriff with whom Carl first represented Britain at senior level, aged 23, at the first World Equestrian Games in 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden, while based with the Bechtolsheimers. Carl rode alongside Jennie Loriston-Clarke, Anni MacDonald-Hall and Diana Mason, and the team was fifth, with Carl finishing 18th individually. Rubelit and Carl also competed at the European Championships in Donaueschingen the following year.

Giorgione

Another ride during his invaluable stint with the Bechtolsheimers, Giorgione took Carl to his first Olympics – the Barcelona Games in 1992. At 25, Carl was the youngest British rider ever to compete at an Olympic Games, and the team of Carl, Emile Faurie, Laura Fry and Carol Parsons finished seventh, with Carl and Grundstein I stallion best Brits in 16th. Giorgione also delivered Carl’s first national championship title and repeated the feat in 1992.

Legal Democrat

This tall Dutch-bred gelding was Carl’s ride at the 1997 and 1997 European Championships, finishing 13th at the latter. He also landed the national championship title three times in a row with Carl. Not bad for a horse of unknown breeding who was bought for £2,500 off a boat from the Netherlands by his owner Marcia Kelsey.

Argentine Gullit

Argentine Gullit was Carl’s Sydney Olympics partner in 2000. The Dutch-bred stallion by Ulft was owned by Jenny Green, and went on to take Jenny’s daughter Gemma to international small tour level. He was retired aged 19 in 2007 after a recurring tendon injury, and died in 2019 aged 22.

Escapado

The bay gelding, by Exlibris out of a mare by Ikarus, played a pivotal role in Carl’s international career, finishing 13th at the Athens Olympics in 2004. The pair’s highlight was finishing third in the grand prix special at the 2005 European Dressage Championships in Hagen, Germany, with a score of 74.32%. Shortly after the Europeans in 2005, Peanuts was sold to the Netherlands to be ridden internationally by Hans Peter Minderhoud, before the gelding was retired at the age of 18 and returned to Carl.

Liebling II

The Lorentin I gelding, known as Lenny, competed at international grand prix with five different riders, having been trained to the top level by Britain’s Anna Ross before becoming one of Carl’s top horses. Carl took over the ride from Anna in 2008, winning European silver the following year – his first championship medal. He also won team silver on him at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

Uthopia

One of the heroes of Britain’s euphoric gold medal winning team at the London 2012 Olympics, Uti’s own career highlight arguably came the previous year, when he and Carl scored 82.57% to win the grand prix at the Rotterdam European Championships – including straight 10s for his breathtaking extended trot – helping Britain to the team gold too. The Metall stallion went on to compete very successfully under Charlotte Dujardin, before focusing on his breeding career.

Nip Tuck

From spooky, uncoordinated youngster to one of the best in the world, Nip Tuck’s story will go down in history. Having come into his own when he reached grand prix level, the tall Don Ruto son “Barney” was a stalwart of the British team from 2014 to 2017, winning team silver medals at WEG in 2014, the Aachen Europeans in 2015 and the Rio Olympics in 2016. He also finished third at the World Cup final in 2017 and fourth individually at the Gothenburg Europeans that same year, cementing his position as one of Britain’s most successful grand prix horses.

Hawtins Delicato

In just his first year at grand prix aged 10, Delicato was an integral part of Britain’s team bronze at WEG in 2018 – the nation’s first team medal since Valegro’s retirement. The exquisite Diamond Hit son has grown in confidence under Carl’s skillful riding, producing top 10 individual finishes at the Rotterdam Europeans in 2019, and has continued to succeed under his new rider Fiona Bigwood.

En Vogue

Carl’s current top horse and 2021 double championship medallist, this tall, high-energy Jazz son was trained and competed up to grand prix level by owner Charlotte Dujardin, with Carl taking over the ride in 2020. The pair played a huge role in Britain’s tremendous success at both the Tokyo Olympics and the European Championships, with Carl masterfully bringing out this immensely talented horse’s confidence more and more with each outing. There will be plenty more to come from Carl and Vogue.

You might also be interested in:

8 training gems from Carl Hester that could transform your dressage scores

Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin: how the dressage duo work together

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In her exclusive H&H column, Laura pays tribute to her late father, reflects on what lockdown has meant for herself and her horses, and shares her ambitions for 2021...

Just over a month ago, I lost my father to a rare type of blood cancer, and the past few weeks have been most surreal. Lockdown had put our lives on hold, yet such a monumental event still happened during this period and time has not slowed down.

My dad was the most generous man, both with his resources and with his time. He had a vast amount of knowledge on a vast number of subjects and he never stopped educating himself.

He also had a wicked sense of humour and he loved in a way that few people do – with his whole heart. My mother and father had been together since their teens, and anyone who has had the privilege of being near them as a couple will have drawn inspiration from their relationship.

My dad loved as a father, as a grandfather and as a friend, and he was the person who I would call with any problem. To me he was the man who always told me the truth, who supported me in the most all-encompassing way and who made me want to do better and be better.

I cannot begin to describe the feelings of grief that come over me in waves, but I could not start my H&H column without putting down some words for my dad and thanking him for everything that he has given to me through our relationship and through his example.

“I will be on a mission for tokyo”

Lockdown has given us all some time to reflect. The environment has definitely benefited and hopefully, despite the losses we have endured, this pandemic will have taught us all about a few things we can do without or do differently.

Those of us who live on site with our horses have had the luxury of being able to continue to exercise them and this has certainly given me a lot in recent weeks. My horses take me to a very mindful place and they respond so incredibly kindly to our emotional needs.

My horses have had plenty of paddock time too and are enjoying staying fit and supple, but are not being worked at peak performance level. I am trying to maintain them at a level that means I can have them competition-ready within a couple of weeks, but at which I am not causing any wear and tear on their tendons and joints.

They are all progressing really well without the pressure of competition, as we can focus on the basics and on suppleness, which are especially important at a time when osteopaths, physios and massage therapists are not able to come to the yard to do their usual treatments.

My young grand prix horses in particular have had some time to become more established in their work and build strength.

Our horses enjoy plenty of hacking out and I have been appreciating the quiet time with them – away from my three children and the chaos of home-schooling. Saying that, my horses have definitely become more immune to sudden noises and flashes of mayhem in and around the arena!

I’ve tried to keep on top of my fitness, too, but have had to do so in bite-sized circuits as with three kids at home, it’s hard to find large enough chunks of time to do any more.

If the Tokyo Olympic Games can go ahead in 2021, I will be on a mission to be there with one of my wonderful horses. I’m hungry to represent my country again in the sport for which my father and I shared such a passion.

Ref Horse & Hound; 21 May 2020

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The renowned trainer and rider Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer has died, aged 71.

The father of top British dressage rider and Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson, who himself rode on the British team at the 1995 European Championships, passed away on Wednesday (8 April).

“It is with great sadness and profound regret that we say goodbye to our husband, father, grandfather, trainer, mentor and friend,” his family said in a statement.

Dr Bechtolsheimer is survived by his wife Ursula; his children Felix, who is married to Geraldine, Götz, who is married to Alida, Till who is married to Julia and Laura who is married to Mark; and grandchildren Annalisa, Amélie,Wilfred, Lukas and Hanni.

“His deep passion for our sport and his love of all creatures, but horses in particular, were at the heart of his artful horsemanship which touched so many of us and will continue to inspire,” his family said.

An intimate funeral for the family will be held on 11 April in Ascona, Switzerland. Details of a memorial service in Gloucestershire, home to the Bechtolscheimer family home and yard, will be announced later in the year.

“Dr B”, as he is affectionately known within the dressage world, was born in Germany but moved from Mainz to Ampney St Peter, Glos, with his family in 1986 when daughter Laura was a baby. He later switched his nationality to British.

The Bechtolsheimers are well known for having trained and mentored Carl Hester early in his career. Riding the Bechtolsheimers’ Giorgione, an Oldenburg licensed stallion (Grundstein I x Perser xx), Carl became the youngest British rider to ever compete in an Olympics, when he went to the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Dr B later took over the rider on Giorgione, representing Britain at the 1995 European Championships in Mondorf, Luxumberg, riding on the team alongside Jennie Loriston-Clarke, Joanna Jackson and Ferdi Eilberg. He and Giorgione were also selected as team reserves for the Atlanta Olympics the following year.

From 2006 to 2007 Dr B served on the Board of British Dressage as a director, stepping down so he could dedicate more of his time to training daughter Laura and travelling with her to shows. He trained Laura and the family-owned Mistral Hojris to win team gold and individual bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, and has continued to play a major role in Laura’s training and career since, as well as that of Lara Butler, who was selected as reserve for the British team in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with the Bechtolsheimers’ Rubin Al Asad.

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Dressage rider Laura Tomlinson has added an exciting young horse to her string (pictured).

Dolcevende O (Dotty) is a bay 6-year-old mare by the Lord Sinclair son Lord Loxley out of a mare by Jazz. She was imported a month ago from the Netherlands by the Bechtolsheimers and has settled in well at their Gloucestershire base.

“I tried her a couple of times and loved her active hindleg and responsiveness to the way I work,” Laura told H&H.

“She has 3 beautiful paces and the rest is up to us to teach her!”

As Laura is due to give birth to her first child — a daughter — in a month’s time, her stable jockey Lara Griffith, herself now a successful grand prix rider, will train the mare her until Laura starts riding again.

“Lara will work on the basics to build up some muscle until I’m back in the saddle and can get stuck in,” said Laura.

Laura is best know for her relationship with the magnificent Mistral Hojris (Alf) and her upcoming stars Unique VIII and Polar Bear — all of whom are at least 17.2hh.

“Dotty is smaller — about 16.2hh — and finer than my usual rides,” she added.

Nine dressage coaches were inducted into the Coaching Hall of Fame on 20 November.

The coaches — all of whom instructed London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games gold medallists — received medals from Minister for sport and tourism Hugh Robertson at the UK Coaching Awards 2012 at the Lancaster Hotel, London.

The coaches were:

Michel Assouline (the UK para-equestrian dressage squad coach)

Klaus Balkenhol (who trains Laura Bechtolsheimer)

Dr Wilfred Bechtolsheimer (trainer of his daughter Laura)

Emile Faurie (who trains Natasha Baker — pictured)

Sacha Hamilton (Natasha Baker)

Carl Hester (Charlotte Dujardin)

Clive Milkins (Sophie Christiansen)

Nina Venables (Debbie Criddle)

Angela Weiss (Sophie Wells)

Mr Robertson said: “Congratulations to all those coaches who helped deliver victory for our British athletes at the London 2012 Games. It is entirely fitting that we should recognise their efforts and achievements by enrolling them into the Coaching Hall of Fame.”

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Giorgione- Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer’s former grand prix horse – has been put down just shy of his 31st birthday after a severe attack of colic.

The horse took 25-year-old Carl Hester to his first Olympics – where they ranked 16th individually and posted the highest British score.

Dr Bechtolsheimer, who discovered the horse at small tour in Germany as an eight-year-old, said: “We will miss this wonderful horse, friend and partner, to whom we owe so much.

“He was the first horse I trained to grand prix and our first horse to compete at an Olympic Games.”

The Bechtolsheimers’ proud moment came in 1992 when the 11-year-old “Gino”, an Oldenburg licensed stallion (Grundstein I/Perser xx) and Carl competed at Barcelona.

The previous year Giorgione delivered Carl’s first national championship title and repeated the feat in 1992.

In 1994, “Dr B” took the ride back, representing Britain at the 1995 European Championships and standing reserve for the Atlanta Olympics a year later.

“As a little girl, Laura just loved to sit on him piaffing, maybe that’s where her feel and love for dressage started,” added Dr Bechtolsheimer.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (19 January 2012)

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Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer has stepped down as a director of British Dressage to spend more time training his daughter, Laura.

Laura’s in-house trainer of four years, Markus Gribbe, left the Bechtolsheimers for pastures new on 12 March.

“I was very much looking forward to getting involved in supporting the board and giving input from an international competitor’s point of view,” said former rider Dr Bechtolsheimer, who was co-opted onto the British Dressage board last June based on his knowledge and experience on international dressage.

“Since Markus has left, I have stepped in to help Laura with her training again and that takes up most of my free time.”

Dr Bechtolsheimer will remain director of British Dressage until the organisation’s AGM on 6 June. Once a new chairman is elected, decisions will be taken on a future president.

BD chief executive David Holmes commented: “We are very grateful for the time and energy Dr Bechtolsheimer has contributed over the past year, his presence will be missed but we understand his need to help Laura.”

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