Latest from Horse & Hound in Lauratomlinson

‘He lived outside our living room window’: farewell to much-loved stallion following seven-year retirement

Becky Murray — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:42:45 +0000

Top British dressage rider Laura Tomlinson has paid tribute to her much-loved stallion Duval’s Capri Sonne Jr, who has died aged 19 following a happy seven-year retirement at home.

The KWPN Rhodium son competed at international grand prix but his career was cut short in 2019 aged 12, when he was found to have a heart murmur.

“He was still really fit and well, but he stopped competing on the vet’s advice having the heart murmur grade that he did,” Laura told H&H.

“He has had a lovely time living in the field outside our horse, enjoying a very unstressful life, with lots of attention from the kids.”

Capri Sonne was campaigned as a young horse by Dinja van Liere in the Netherlands. He was bought by Laura’s parents, the Bechtolsheimers, in 2015 and Laura produced him from small tour up to grand prix.

“He was as comfy as a sofa and he was my dad’s favourite to ride,” said Laura.

“He was wonderful to train and had a really good brain. I’m not a stallion rider, but you could hack him, travel him with mares, he turned out easily – he was just a really easy horse with an amazing temperament.”

During their four years of competition together, Laura Tomlinson and Capri Sonne contested CDIs in Aachen, Rotterdam, Hagen and Hickstead. In 2019 the pair were posting +70% at grand prix.

“He had some good competitions, but I think there was potential for a lot more,” said Laura.

“He was super talented, but not every horse is made for high level competition. We recognised that and didn’t push it, and he had an amazing life at home with us. He was just as important to us like that as he was a competition horse.”

Laura said Capri Sonne remained “extremely well” until his death in the field a few weeks ago, believed to be related to his heart condition.

“It’s very sad. He lived literally outside our living room window and on the drive, so he’s left a bit of a hole,” she said.

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‘The horses fit around the kids now’: at home with Laura Tomlinson at Cranmore Farm

Oscar Williams — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:15:03 +0000

Despite the precision of the design at Cranmore Farm, the Costwold base of Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson, the atmosphere is far from regimented. Dogs pad around at your heels, children’s ponies intermingle with grand prix horses, and the mood among the team is relaxed and unforced.

As we mic Laura up for some video work in the gallery – lined with framed back issues of Horse & Hound and old winners’ rugs repurposed as cushion covers – her husband Mark Tomlinson, and Laura’s youngest, Tommy, appear on the deck with his pony, Tiso, to say hello.

Family life and the horses don’t run in parallel lanes; they overlap constantly.

“These days, the horses fit around the kids rather than the other way round,” Laura says. “Everything’s a lot less routine than it used to be.”

On a typical day, mornings begin away from the yard. “I do the school run and then come onto the yard at about nine or 9.15.”

Riding happens first, before the rest of the day unfolds around it. “I’ll ride in the morning, and then in the afternoons the horses are still busy – hacking, treadmill, lungeing, turnout. We do a lot of in-hand work in the afternoons now, too.”

Laura Tomlinson, Mark Tomlinson, their son Tommy and Tiso the pony. (Image credit: Joss Ridley Photography)

There’s no rigid weekly plan. “My work changes depending on whether or not I’m building towards something – it’s never the same every week.”

Fitting it all together requires constant recalibration. “You’re always going to drop the ball somewhere – that’s just life – but I’m quite good at being organised within the chaos. I don’t have huge chunks of spare time, so I have to be quite efficient with the time I do have.”

Full Moon II (Fürstenball x Gribaldi) – who’s just completed his first season at grand prix – is the first horse Laura rides. The pair head into the vast outdoor arena to begin with unhurried stretching work before going into 10 minutes of specific work on the canter pirouettes. Watching from the side is former Belgian grand prix rider Carl Cuypers, a familiar and steady presence at Cranmore Farm. His approach to training is deliberately low key.

Laura Tomlinson riding Full Moon II. (Image credit: Joss Ridley Photography)

“Laura already understands the horses very well,” he says. “My job isn’t to change everything – it’s to support what’s there, keep things consistent and make it easier for the horse.”

Looking back, Laura is open about how her perspective on ambition has shifted. “It took me a while to get my head around not having a horse at that very top level,” she admits. “I probably tried to jump-start things a bit early a few times, wanting horses to be something they maybe weren’t ready to be – or were never going to be.”

With four young children and a full life beyond the arena, she’s more realistic now.

“I’m still competitive, but I’m fairer to myself than I used to be. I don’t have the same time or energy that most of my competitors do – and that’s just the reality.”

What hasn’t changed is the satisfaction she finds in producing horses herself. “The satisfaction for me now is doing one that I’ve brought all the way through.”

To read the full six-page Access All Areas feature with Laura Tomlinson, pick up a copy of Horse & Hound magazine, in shops from Thursday 15 January

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‘She’s completely in love’: former British grand prix star welcomes her first foal – six weeks late

Oscar Williams — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:40:25 +0000

Laura Tomlinson’s international dressage grand prix-winning mare Rose Of Bavaria has given birth to her first foal, a colt by Viva Gold.

The as-yet-unnamed foal arrived six weeks overdue and has inherited his dam’s famously long legs.

“He’s very leggy,” Laura said. “He was six weeks late, so we were all getting a bit antsy about it.

“He still looks like Bambi on ice. But he’s very sweet, very friendly and very cute.”

The birth marks an exciting new chapter for 15-year-old Rose Of Bavaria (Bordeaux x Florestan I) – affectionately known at home as Betty – who retired from top-level sport last summer.

Bred in Bavaria by Rainer and Heidi Heuschmann, Rose Of Bavaria first competed at small tour level in Germany under Rudolf Widmann. She joined the Bechtolsheimer stable in 2018 and quickly became one of Laura Tomlinson’s most promising rides.

The pair achieved consistent results on the international grand prix circuit. A break in 2021 and 2022 followed Laura’s maternity leave and Betty’s recovery from joint surgery. They returned to action in 2023, picking up placings internationally and helping Britain to a Nations Cup team podium at Aachen.

Laura Tomlinson with Rose of Bavaria in 2020 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Laura said that, so far, Betty is loving her new role. “She was a bit squeaky at first with the whole breastfeeding situation – I felt her pain – but now she’s completely in love with him,” she said. “She’s very protective and very in love.”

Although the colt was late, his timing could not have been better. Days later, his sire Viva Gold (For Romance x Don Schufro), made a winning debut under Isabell Werth, taking the Louisdor Prize in Hamburg-Klein Flottbek on 76.81%. Isabell also rode Viva Gold’s granddam, the legendary Weihegold OLD.

Laura added that she has high hopes for the new arrival, who joins an impressive line-up of home-breds. These include nine-year-old Full Moon II (Furstenball x Gribaldi), who posted two 70%+ scores at Aachen CDI3* last month, and Forest Hill (Furstenlook x United), winner of the HOYS Dressage Future Elite Championship in October.

Among the younger stars is Thomas Ticino (Total Hope x Carpaccio), who recently won both the national and international five-year-old qualifiers at Addington Premier League with Sarah Rogers in the saddle.

Laura said another of her former grand prix stars, Rosalie B, who retired in 2022, recently produced a foal too – a filly by Furstenlook who arrived before Betty’s although she was due after. “Next to Betty’s new foal, that filly looks like a monster!” Laura joked.

“But given how long Betty’s legs are, I think once he fills out a bit, he’ll catch up. We always seem to breed massive horses – there must be something in the water at my mum’s that makes them all elephant-sized!”

Laura sees Betty and Rosie (Rosa Bavaria) as the next wave in her breeding programme.

“This is a bit of a new generation for us in terms of mother lines,” she said. “The mothers of the home-breds I’m competing now are all getting older, so it’s exciting to start with Betty and Rosie as the foundation for what comes next.”

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AAA with Laura Tomlinson Rose of Bavaria at her yard; Cranmore Farm, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire in the UK, on the 17th March 2020 (Image credit: Laura Tomlinson)

‘She’s such a friend’: top British mare retired and in foal

(Image credit: Laura Tomlinson)

‘I was with them to the very end’: emotional farewell to Olympic medallist and grand prix field mate on the same day aged 30

(Image credit: Laura Tomlinson)

Meet Laura Tomlinson’s latest dressage star, who a top judge says ‘has all the ingredients of something truly special’

(Image credit: Laura Tomlinson)

Olympic champion is expecting a foal: ‘We’re sure she will be a wonderful mummy’

(Image credit: Laura Tomlinson)

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‘He gave me everything’: remembering Mistral Højris, the Olympic medallist who overcame stage fright to help rewrite British dressage history

Oscar Williams — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 08:30:11 +0000

The 2012 London Olympic ride of Laura Tomlinson (nee Bechtolscheimer), Mistral Højris, was put down on 22 March, aged 30 – alongside his stablemate and decorated field companion Andretti H.

Laura and Mistral Højris didn’t just win medals – they helped redefine British dressage. Together, they stood on championship podiums an extraordinary nine times, their crowning moment coming at the London 2012 Olympics, where they claimed team gold alongside Carl Hester (Uthopia) and Charlotte Dujardin (Valegro) as part of British dressage’s most-celebrated championship team ever, and individual bronze in front of an ecstatic home crowd.

But their path to greatness wasn’t easy. “Alf”, as he was known at home, was immensely talented but far from straightforward. In the early days, his fear of crowds and new environments left many doubting whether he could ever handle the pressures of elite sport. Some even labelled him dangerous.

But Laura never gave up on him. Through patience, trust, and years of quiet graft behind the scenes alongside her late father Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer, she transformed that raw, anxious horse into a world-beater – and in doing so, helped change the course of dressage in Britain forever.

“I said goodbye to our career a long time ago,” said Laura in a moving tribute. “Now, I’m grieving Alf, my buddy, not Alf my dressage horse. But he did so much for me, and for dressage.

“And for my dad and me, we were trying to show you could be at the top and ride in the classical way with the horse as a happy athlete. He and a few others here were happy, healthy athletes who could retire at the top and have the wonderful retirement they deserved, and that’s exactly what they did deserve, after all they did for me.”

Take a look back through remarkable Alf’s career in pictures…

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

One of Laura, then 23 years old, and Alf’s first features in Horse & Hound as they prepared for their Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008. In the feature, Laura’s mother, Ursula, recalls the first time she showed Laura a video of Alf: “Laura wasn’t very well at the time, and she was watching it through half-closed eyes when she suddenly said, ‘That’s him – that’s my horse’”.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

A throwback to Laura and Alf’s early competition career, where they claimed team bronze at the young rider Europeans in 2005, alongside teammates Maria Eilberg (Topscore), Henry Boswell (DHI Faederlite) and Holly Burrough (Orvieto).

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

After making their senior debut in 2007, Laura and Alf went on to win four championship team medals and five individual medals, between 2008 and 2012 – marking the start of a new era of British dressage.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Their championship run included a historic silver medal at the 2009 Europeans at Windsor with the highest score a British rider had ever achieved in an international grand prix.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Laura and the then 16-year-old Alf at the 2011 European Championships in Rotterdam, where Britain won their first-ever championship team gold medal, with Laura also taking home individual bronze.

Great Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer riding Mistral Hojris in the Individual Grand Prix Special Team final in the Equestrian Dressage team at Greenwich Park, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday August 7, 2012. See PA story OLYMPICS Equestrian Dressage. Photo credit should read: Steve Parsons/PA Wire. EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Image credit: PA)

Their career highlight was undoubtedly the London 2012 Olympics – Alf’s swansong championship – where they helped Britain win their first-ever team gold medal, as well as an individual bronze. “Alf went into that arena, took a deep breath, and gave me the ride of his career,” Laura said, reflecting on their bronze-medal-winning freestyle.

G5BJK1 Great Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer riding Mistral Hojris competing in the Team and Individual Dressage Grand Prix at Greenwich Park, London. (Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

“He had a huge personality, but he was a little scaredy-cat too,” recalls Tracey Cox, Alf’s groom between 2010 and 2013. “He was a horse you’d go the extra mile for, and I loved doing it. I still cry whenever I hear his Lion King freestyle music.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: Laura Bechtolsheimer of Great Britain riding Mistral Hojris competes in the Dressage Grand Prix on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Greenwich Park on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) (Image credit: Getty Images)

“He was one of the ‘big three’,” recalls Carl Hester, “it’s hard to believe we had him, Uthopia and Valegro on the same team, and I think them winning that gold medal in London is what everyone will remember. His final centre lines were just legendary, with his energy and enthusiasm; he didn’t seem to touch the floor.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

After the Olympics Alf continued to compete, remaining on top-form, sweeping the board at Hagen CDI4* in 2013. But after a small knock kept him out of that summer’s European Championship team, the decision was made to retire him at the top.

Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris headshots (Image credit: TREVOR MEEKS)

An emotional retirement ceremony was held for him that year in front of a packed-out crowd. “I was a little worried about retiring him,” Laura told H&H in 2020. “He was never going to be a schoolmaster and I was the only one who could hack him, and I was pregnant by then. But actually, being fully retired meant he really did switch off, and he took going out really well.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Alf spent his retirement living alongside his long-time stable companion and field companion Andretti H.

“They couldn’t be apart but still bickered like an old married couple,” Laura said. “They both wanted to be centre of attention and right to the end were the same characters as they were when they were on the lorry together and fighting over haynets.

“There was a big part of my life with my dad intertwined with them; it’s been an emotional rollercoaster but I’m just glad I was able to be with them, and they were their usual cheeky, cuddly selves to the end.”

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‘I was with them to the very end’: emotional farewell to Olympic medallist and grand prix field mate on the same day aged 30

Eleanor Jones — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 16:06:07 +0000

Laura Tomlinson has said a heartbroken farewell to her Olympic gold and bronze medallist Mistral Højris and international grand prix winner Andretti H after a long and happy retirement.

Laura’s two former top rides, who had been inseparable for years, went peacefully together on 22 March, both aged 30.

“I spent quite a bit of time with them on Saturday and then was with them both, right to the end,” Laura told H&H. “Rationally, it couldn’t have been better for them, but it was a very tough weekend.”

Laura and Mistral Højris made history for Britain, and helped change the trajectory of dressage in this country. They won four championship team medals and five individual medals, including the team gold, with Carl Hester and Uthopia and Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, and individual bronze in front of a home crowd at the 2012 Olympics.

Their phenomenal success was the result of years of dedication; “Alf” was unpredictable at the start as despite his talent, he suffered from stage fright. Laura previously told H&H people initially thought he was dangerous as he would be frightened and bolt. But Laura worked through his issues until he could show the world how good he was.

Those were the days when, as Laura put it, “Brits got lower marks as they assumed if you were British, you were mediocre at best”. But Laura and Alf started to make their mark. In 2009, they won team silver and individual bronze at the home Europeans, scoring the highest mark a British rider had ever achieved in an international grand prix. The following year, they won a hat-trick of silver medals at the World Equestrian Games (WEG), briefly setting a world record of 82.15% before Edward Gal and Totilas just pipped them.

Alf’s phenomenal performance at London 2012 was his last championship; he retired the following year aged 18, after two more CDI4* wins in Hagen.

“I said goodbye to our career a long time ago,” said Laura. “Now, I’m grieving Alf my buddy, not Alf my dressage horse. But he did so much for me, and for dressage.

“And for my dad and me, we were trying to show you that you could be at the top and ride the horse in a classical way as a happy athlete. He and a few others here were happy, healthy athletes who could retire at the top and have the wonderful retirement they deserved, and that’s exactly what they did deserve, after all they did for me.”

Laura added that London was a “phenomenal” highlight of her career with Alf, as was her WEG grand prix in 2010.

“He gave me so many great rides, so many times scoring over 80% when that wasn’t so common,” she said. “He was so consistent, even though he started inconsistent; I think the journey and struggle to get him to that made it even more special when he became what he did. I put my heart and soul into him; every competition, I’d have my books and revision outside his stable.”

Laura added that “Andy” was always slightly in Alf’s shadow.

“But he won a lot in his own right,” she said. “He’d have been on all the teams Alf was, if Alf hadn’t been my top horse; in London, he was there until after the trot-up, just in case. He was always the back-up but he won a lot of big classes and was a very special horse – and he did a lot of prizegivings as he did a lot of Alf’s too, so he thought he was the out-and-out champion!”

Alf and Andy together in retirement (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Laura said both horses, who were pampered throughout retirement, coming in at night and turned out together all day, were huge characters.

“They couldn’t be apart but still bickered like an old married couple,” she said. “They both wanted to be centre of attention and right to the end were the same characters as they were when they were on the lorry together and fighting over haynets.

‘A powerhouse of dressage’

Carl Hester told H&H he remembers Alf as “one of the original powerhouses of dressage”.

“Having been a slightly wayward young horse, he became a superstar medallist for our team,” he said. “He was one of the ‘big three’; it’s hard to believe we had him, Uthopia and Valegro on the same team, and I think them winning that gold medal in London is what everyone will remember. His final centre lines were just legendary, with his energy and enthusiasm; he didn’t seem to touch the floor. It was great to see that partnership grow and develop into what it did.

“He just loved his job and it was a pleasure to be on a team with him. He became so reliable, you knew if he was on the team, he’d get a good score and the rest of you could relax and enjoy it. That big three; they came together and made history.”

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Meet Laura Tomlinson’s latest dressage star, who a top judge says ‘has all the ingredients of something truly special’

Oscar Williams — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 14:30:16 +0000

Laura Tomlinson’s latest grand prix star, Soegaards Bon Royal (Bon Bravour x De Noir) took her back to the London International Horse Show for the first time in eight years and looks set for a bright future.

“I was so pleased with Bonnie in London – it was a huge milestone for him to get under his belt,” Laura said after the freestyle in which the then 10-year-old gelding scored 73.46% to finish 11th on his World Cup debut.

“It’s his first year at grand prix, and he’d never experienced anything like that atmosphere before so it was a big ask. But he tried so hard, and while he sometimes looked like Bambi on ice, that’s more about strength and confidence, which will come with time.”

Laura has ridden the elegant Danish-bred warmblood since September 2021. Prior to that, he was ridden by Danish rider Camilla Ahlers Pedersen, where his standout result was seventh in the five-year-old consolation final at the 2019 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Ermelo.

Laura and Soegaards Bon Royal debuted together in 2022 at Wellington where they won the advanced medium with an impressive 75.79%. However, the pair only competed once more prior to last year, winning a prix st georges at Prestige Equestrian on 77.35% in February 2023.

“With an injury and my pregnancy during the time I’ve had him, he’s still very inexperienced,” Laura explained “So, we’re still at the moment laying positive foundations for him, but he’s got three correct paces and a lovely outline – always nice and open in the frame, very classical-looking.

“With more strength, he’ll have a lot of potential for piaffe and passage, which can be his weakest parts in the test right now. At home, though you’d never know that – he’s fantastic. It’s just a matter of figuring it all out.”

The combination caught the eye early in 2024 with a brace of Premier League wins. He was then placed third at the national championships and made his international debut at Leeuwarden in October.

However, London was a significant step up, and despite a few green mistakes in the grand prix, he managed to impress Stephen Clarke, president of the ground jury.

“That was the first time I’d had the opportunity to judge Laura on this horse,” he said. “It was fascinating to see how consistent his scores were across the panel. We all shared the same impression – we liked him. He’s a beautiful type, very correct in his way of going, and left a fantastic impression overall.

“To me, he’s clearly a horse still in development, but he already has three very nice paces. His training looks solid, and he shows obvious talent for the more challenging exercises. The piaffe, particularly the transitions, could be more established, but that’s something that will come with time.

“What impressed me most was his talent for the pirouettes. Of course, it helps that Laura is the queen of pirouettes – her precision and feel for those movements are exceptional. Overall, I believe this horse has all the ingredients of something truly special.”

For now, the talented gelding is enjoying a “chill winter”, but expect him to continue improving in 2025. The pair could even be an outside contender for a spot at this summer’s European Championships.

“He’s so willing, which makes me feel like when I can piece it all together with a bit more finesse, there’s a lot more to come,” Laura added. “For now, the scores don’t matter, this is just the beginning – but I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with him in the future!”

With national inter I supreme champion Full Moon, and HOYS Dressage Future Elite Champion Forest Hill also waiting in the wings, one thing is for certain – Laura’s stable is brimming with talent, and the future looks incredibly bright for her team.

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‘A truly outstanding line-up’ British Olympic medallists headline London dressage entries

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 20:12:43 +0000

Two of Britain’s 2024 Olympic medal-winning combinations spearhead the dressage entries for this year’s London International Horse Show (18-22 December).

Becky Moody with Jagerbomb and Lottie Fry and Glamourdale, who were on the team that won bronze in Paris, are among the Brits entered for the World Cup legs on the first two days of the show. Also entered are Paris alternates Lewis Carrier with Diego V, and London 2012 team gold and individual bronze medallist Laura Tomlinson, with Soegaards Bon Royal, as well as Richard White with Heroi Do Seixo.

Ireland’s Olympic combination Abi Lyle and Giraldo and Austrian rider Diana Porsche with Dahoud 3, also feature in the international line-up of entries.

“The line-up for the FEI Dressage World Cup presented by Bret Willson Dressage International Ltd and supported by Horse & Hound at London International Horse Show is truly outstanding,” show director Simon Brooks-Ward told H&H.

“We are thrilled to welcome such a high calibre of international riders, including world-class competitors like Britain’s Lottie Fry and Becky Moody, alongside stars from the Netherlands, Spain and beyond. The presence of British talent, riding on the back of their success in Paris, ensures that the dressage competition will be a highlight of the show this year.”

Tickets for the London International Horse Show are on sale online. To book, and for more information about the full show timetable, visit the event website.

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10 training tips that top riders swear by

Aimi Clark — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:50:56 +0000

Even leading names like Laura Tomlinson, Francis Whittington and Katie Jerram-Hunnable look up to people, and key pieces of training advice have helped them win medals and national titles. Here are the tips from the H&H archives that 10 top riders credit with putting them on the road to success.

1. Laura Tomlinson, dressage rider

“The best piece of advice I’ve had is never to say, ‘I can’t’ or ‘The horse won’t’. If you have this in mind it forces you to look around and through a problem, rather than accept it’s not solvable. This is an adaptation of what I’m used to hearing from [German Olympian turned trainer] Klaus Balkenhol — he won’t ever accept you saying you can’t.”

2. Trevor Breen, showjumper

“If at first you don’t succeed — work harder! The more effort you put in, the more you get out. If you take shortcuts in training during the week, it’ll show when you’re competing at the weekend.”

3. Katie Jerram-Hunnable, showing producer

“Never use a gadget as a quick fix. I learnt this from [renowned trainer] Ruth McMullen — I never saw a gadget at her yard. I use a martingale on horses I’m starting for a little extra security, and I may hack the babies in one.”

4. Francis Whittington, eventer

“Just keep it simple in every way. If it’s complicated, it’s probably not right. [Former British World Class Performance showjumping manager] Rob Hoekstra told me this and I keep it in mind all the time.”

5. Gemma Stevens, eventer and showjumper

“My mum used to make me ride come rain or shine. She said that consistency is the key to good training and it is something I have always carried with me. Horses need to have regular training and you need to be consistent in what you are asking them to do.”

6. Anna Ross, dressage rider

“[German Olympic team gold medallist] Ulla Salzgeber once told me that if you keep your hands still, you’ll start using your legs. A wise man at Goresbridge Sales also once advised me, ‘Never get back on for a third time’.”

7. Geoff Billington, showjumper

“[Multi-medalled British showjumper] David Broome told me years ago that you can’t put pressure on top of tension. So you must have a relaxed horse before you can ask any questions of it.”

8. Dan Jocelyn, eventer

“When I first came to the UK in 1995, I stayed with Andrew Nicholson. Walking courses with him was invaluable. He said: ‘Dan, across country you just go between the flags’ and when showjumping, ‘Just leave the poles up’. This was the best advice ever, especially when others were trying to overcomplicate things. I always enjoy walking courses with him.”

9. Andrew Gould, dressage rider

“Don’t let your personal issues or emotions get in the way. This is something I picked up from [top trainer] David Hunt and I realise its importance even more now that I train lots of people. It’s hard if you’ve had a busy, stressful day at work — you want to ride to relax, but sometimes it is easier said than done.”

10. Jessica Mendoza, showjumper

“Don’t try to win every class. My father, Paul, told me this and there are two lessons I have learnt from it. First, if I’m jumping at a three-day show, I need to save the horse for the class that really matters. Second, if you try to win a class by three seconds, you will often have a fence down and lose. So be cool and just do enough.”

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‘My dad would be proud’: Olympic rider takes HOYS title on home-bred future star

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 19:56:22 +0000

Laura Tomlinson’s home-bred eight-year-old Forest Hill showed what his future might have in store as he won the Dressage Future Elite Championship at Horse of the Year Show on 75.83%.

The big bay gelding floated his way across the arena to an upbeat samba-style soundtrack that perfectly suited his relaxed, expressive movement, looking as though he was enjoying every moment.

Judge David Trott praised the fact Forest Hill was beautifully on the beat throughout, and the suppleness of his half-passes, in trot and canter, adding: “It was fabulous… he looks like he’s got a big future.”

Laura hopes so too; she said she chose to bring Forest Hill rather than her other home-bred eight-year-old Full Moon to HOYS as she thought he would be the more relaxed in the big indoor atmosphere here.

“He can just go somewhere and get stuck straight in,” she said. “He wouldn’t have known anything like this before and some horses take a while but luckily he’s one of the rare ones who are switched on but not bothered by what’s going on. He’s lovely to ride; some riders have their hands full and I’ve had plenty of those too but he’s eerily relaxing!”

Laura was particularly pleased with the half-passes and Forest Hill’s relaxed walk work.

“But just in general, the fact he went in and was completely listening, focused on me, was a really good feeling,” she said. “I think Full Moon might get to grand prix earlier but they’re both pretty talented. This guy has a very nice piaffe and off-the-floor changes; other horses might be flashier but the rideability comes through for both of them.”

Laura described the Furstenlook gelding as “very food-orientated”.

“He’s always on a diet!” she said. “But he’s very cuddly; you can lie down and he’ll lay his head in your lap, grunting, or snoring very loudly. He’s very chilled at home and to hack – although he’ll have a few bucks on the canter track – but he’s the model student really.”

Laura said it is special to see the home-breds growing up and starting to show what they can do.

“You think that these horses have only ever known our upbringing so all their shortcomings are ours, but the strengths are too,” she said. “My dad was there when they were born, and I think if he was able to see how far they’ve come, he would be proud.”

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Laura Tomlinson’s latest star steals the show on his freestyle debut at the National Dressage Championships

Oscar Williams — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 19:56:04 +0000

After playing second-best to his stablemate Forest Hill in the inter I yesterday, Laura Tomlinson’s Full Moon II had his turn in the spotlight today, winning his first-ever freestyle in the Saracen Horse Feeds inter I at the 2024 LeMieux National Dressage Championships on 76.48%. With Forest Hill rested, Full Moon was also crowned inter I supreme champion in the process.

“I knew I was only going to have one in it and whichever one I didn’t ride today I was going to use in my demo tomorrow,” Laura explained.

“Yesterday, Forest Hill was brilliant whereas I felt Moony still hadn’t shown his full potential because he’d had a couple of mistakes and was still a bit hot.

“So I thought, Moony’s got the power to go another day while Forest has already proved his point so he can have a break – but it was close between them, I knew they both had a good chance of taking this title if it all went well.”

The pair got off to a fantastic start in their test, scoring eights for their trot half-passes – which carry a coefficient so are double marked – and shoulder-ins.

“It’s taken him three days to properly settle in and let me really ride him, but he felt amazing,” Laura said. “When I was warming him up, the first time I picked up canter he squealed which set me on edge, but as he heard the music coming across from the main arena he started to calm down.

“I was able to then really max him out in the test. His half-passes felt amazing, he’s got such ability to sit in the pirouettes and he got all his changes – which can sometimes be the sticking point when he’s a bit tense.

“It felt like he was on autopilot and I could just enjoy the music and the crowd. He definitely feels like he’s got the power to move up a level – I’m really excited about him.”

Riding to a J-Lo compilation, Laura certainly looked like she was enjoying the occasion as she took one hand from her reins as she came down her last centre line to encourage the crowd to clap louder.

“It’s been a little while for me since I’ve won a national title so it absolutely still gives me a massive buzz,” she added.

“I’ve got so much going on at home with my family, and I think because you’re on a different journey with every horse, each time you have a win – whatever the level – it fills you with excitement.

“And that means as much to me as doing it in a grand prix, because he had that will and ambition to do it with me, and that’s a great feeling to have.”

Laura will compete in the Kudos grand prix freestyle tomorrow with her 10-year-old gelding Soegaards Bon Royal, who finished third in the straight grand prix today on 70.63%.

“He’s never done a freestyle before either so I’m exciting to see how he copes,” Laura said. “He felt really good today, he still needs to build up a bit of strength and balance but I’ll give it my best and see what happens!”

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout the National Dressage Championships, Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘Hopefully they’ll both get to the top’: meet Laura Tomlinson’s future stars who dominated day two of the Nationals

bethany.stone@futurenet.com (Bethany Stone) — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 18:07:09 +0000

Dressage stalwart and Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson clinched a one-two at the 2024 LeMieux National Dressage Championships.

She took the Saracen Horse Feeds inter I gold championship on Forest Hill (Fursten Look x United) with a personal best score of 71.77%, while her other mount, Full Moon II (Furstenball x Gribaldi), had to settle for second place on 71.15%.

Of her winning mount, Laura said she noticed a jump in confidence in comparison to yesterday’s (12 September) prix st georges (PSG) class – where he scored 69.76% to finish fifth.

“I haven’t had the best prep, I think,” she added. “Yesterday, the PSG was kind of our practice run, because I haven’t had a chance to get them out. Normally I would have, but with kids holidays and everything, I haven’t really managed to do a whole heap.

“Forest Hill was a little bit more confident than yesterday, his changes definitely improved. He’s still not his max for sure, but he produced a really nice correct round.”

Laura told H&H she has targeted Forest Hill’s suppleness and athleticism in training and both he and Full Moon II have begun work on “more advanced” movements at home.

“Forest Hill has always been quite correct, but it’s just getting him to become a little bit more athletic, so I’ve got that suppleness at my fingertips in the ring. It’s still a work in progress, but I think today, thankfully for him, Full Moon had a couple of mistakes in the changes, so he got the upper hand.”

National dressage championships: “He’s like a sofa!”

Laura Tomlinson on her PSG runner-up Full Moon II. (Image credit: Kevin Sparrow Photography)

He may have been eclipsed by his stablemate, but Laura will full of praise for second place mount Full Moon II.

“He’s just a little bit cockier than Forest Hill, and really fun to ride – he’s like a sofa!

“Full Moon’s a naturally more supple horse, but he can potentially creep into his back a little bit more in the canter work. It got the better of him today.”

With Soegaards Bon Royal still to go in the grand prix tomorrow (14 September), Laura has developed a real string of upcoming grand prix horses.

“Both Forest Hill and Full Moon are homebreds and have been through our system so it’ll be exciting to see how far they go.

“They both went to the young horse world championships last year, but they haven’t done your typical stay away CDIs so I think that’s the next step.”

When asked to choose which horse she thinks will go further, for Laura it’s “hard to say”.

“Forest Hill’s got a really classical piaffe, and it’s easier to teach him the one-time changes.

“Full Moon’s got that extra bit of go. Yesterday, in the PSG he was super hot. I was thinking, I wish I was riding an inter II or a grand prix even, because I could ride the steep half passes and get my leg on him.

“Temperament wise, Full Moon has that hotness, which is going to help. But then Forest Hill’s sensible side will probably help too.

“So I don’t know – hopefully both of them will get to the top and they can take turns!”

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout the National Dressage Championships, Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘My competitive spirit isn’t going anywhere’: top riders talk motherhood at the 2024 National Dressage Championships

bethany.stone@futurenet.com (Bethany Stone) — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:40:26 +0000

It’s the question put to every high-performance athlete if she decides to have children: “How do you balance motherhood with your career?”

Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists Laura Tomlinson and Natasha Baker share their experiences with H&C+ and an audience in the BD Fan Zone at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships today (Friday 13 September).

Natasha, who became a parent for the first time to baby Josh in 2023, says for her it was “an end to life as I knew it before, but the start of a very beautiful life”.

“Being a mum is full-on, and they need a lot of you,” she continues. “You have to find a new normal. For me, it’s leaning into the support you’ve got. We’re used to being around a big team to be able to compete at the level we do and it’s the same – you’re just having that extra person as part of your team.”

Laura, mum to four, “tag-teams” parenting with her husband and has a supportive community around her.

“I’ve got people in various areas of my life that are great at stepping in, and my kids love it as well,” she says. “On Sunday, for example, my 10-year-old daughter’s got a one-day event, and our head girl is on duty for that.

“It does take a village, but I think the village is what makes it fun. You go through the highs and lows together. If you’re having a bad time, you pick each other up. And if you’re having a great time, then everyone’s celebrating, and it makes it more special.”

From the National Dressage Championships: “It’s taken time to get my head around it”

First-time pregnancy is uncharted territory for anybody. “As an able-bodied person, you don’t know how pregnancy is going to go,” comments Natasha. “You don’t know how childbirth is going to go. You don’t know how coming back is going to go.

“But throw in a disability just for fun, and I had no idea how my body was going to react to carrying a baby or how I would react to having a C-section. Obviously, I do sitting trot without stirrups all the time. So, you know, they cut through all of the layers of my abs getting Josh out. I wasn’t quite sure whether I would be fit enough and strong enough to come back from that so quickly.”

Natasha said her Paralympic selection for 2024 felt “amazing”.

“I just wanted to go out there, do my best and ultimately make him proud, and hopefully in 17 or 18 years, he can look back and say ‘my mum won two bronze medals when I was 16 months old’!”

Laura says balancing her roles as rider and parent has helped her learn to be kinder to herself.

“When you’ve reached a certain level, coming back quite well doesn’t feel good enough, in a way,” she says. “For me, it’s taken a little bit of time to get my head around that.

“Actually, for a little while, I’ve got to change my change my expectations and be a little bit fair on myself as to what I can achieve.”

Laura adds that this has made her more patient, which, she admits, “isn’t my strong point”.

“Once I’m on a horse, I can forget everything”

Both riders stress the importance of “me time” – and both credit horses as a vital source of it.

Laura maximises her effectiveness in the saddle by staying “super organised”.

“I make a very detailed plan of exactly which kid needs to have what with them on which day,” she adds. “Then I can relax, because I know everything’s covered at home.

“I think I’m very good at compartmentalising and sort of switching in and out of gear mentally. Once I’m on a horse, I can very much forget everything. And for that 45 minutes, I can just go into a flow state quite easily.”

Organisation is something Natasha she admits she has had to learn since becoming a parent.

“Laura hit the nail in the head with organisation and planning,” she says. “Leaving for Paris just it was chaos. I think it took me probably about a week to get everything organised. I’m not just packing for me and Lottie [Natasha’s paralympic ride)] any more.

“I wasn’t a very organised person before having Joshua, but you have to learn to be organised. I think that’s probably been the hardest thing.”

“Things have to change, but it doesn’t have to be negative”

Laura says staying at the top is “very much the goal”, “but for example, coming into the championships here, I literally got back from a two-week holiday 10 days ago. That was the only time my husband and I could both go on holiday with the kids.

“It wasn’t ideal preparation. I haven’t had a chance to do a little warm-up show, which was very telling yesterday in my prix st georges!”

Laura has compromises to make, but always keeps the positives in her sights. “Things do have to change, but that doesn’t have to be negative. Like, if you have not such a good day at the office, you go back to your house, and it’s much easier to forget and not dwell on that.”

While Natasha is keen to expand her brood, she still aims to be at the LA Games in 2028 in one capacity or another.

“I’ve still got that drive,” she says. “I’ve still got that competitive spirit, so that’s not going anywhere. I think we’re just going to have to see what life throws at me.

“Either riding or presenting – I will be in LA!”

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the National Dressage Championships, Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘She’s such a friend’: top British mare retired and in foal

Lucy Elder — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 12:42:38 +0000

Laura Tomlinson’s international dressage grand prix-winning mare Rose Of Bavaria has retired from competition and is in foal to exciting young stallion Viva Gold.

The 14-year-old mare, known as Betty, has had soundness issues in the past. Her retirement was first reported by Eurodressage.

Laura told H&H she was keen for her to have a foal while she is feeling sound and well.

“I do miss working with her, because she was probably one of the best and most fun horses to train with that I’ve ever had, and she’s such a friend,” Laura said.

“She goes out with our little Shetland at night – she’s still at my yard in the day at the moment. Soon she will move over to my mum’s to the herd of broodmares, but the moment, she’s still with me.

“I think it’s going to hit home most of all when she actually moves over to my mum’s, as at the moment, I see her every day, and she chats to me every day – she’s a very chatty horse.”

Rose Of Bavaria (by Bordeaux, out of a Florestan mare) was bred by Rainer and Heidi Heuschmann in Bavaria. She competed to small tour in Germany with Rudolf Wildmann, before the Bechtolsheimer family bought her in 2018.

Laura and “Betty” enjoyed top results on the international stage. The mare had 15 months away from competition in 2021/22, while Laura had time out to have her youngest son, Tommy, and Betty required surgery for a joint issue.

They made a winning comeback in November 2022 and scored international placings during the 2023 season, culminating with a team podium finish in the Aachen’s Nations Cup last year.

Viva Gold is by Vivaldi, and a grandson, on his dam’s side, of Isabell Werth’s great medal-winning campaigner Weihegold OLD.

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Laura Tomlinson’s top 5 novice dressage training tips that suit all types of horse

Oscar Williams — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 16:30:16 +0000

At the British Dressage National Convention (25 November), Horse & Hound columnist Laura Tomlinson hosted a masterclass on how to prepare less experienced horses for competition and shared her top novice dressage training tips.

She was joined in the arena by her demo riders, Abbie Newbury on the then five-year-old Seagry Viceroy and Sophie Wallace on the then seven-year-old First Light. We’ve rounded up her top five tips below.

1. The basics matter

“Growing up, riding with my Dad and all through my career so far, I was never allowed to ride a flying change before my simple changes were good enough, or collect a horse until they were truly stepping forward into the hand – even on my grand prix horses I had to always keep the scales of training in mind,” says Laura.

“It’s so important with a horse of any level to keep the basics in mind, and if you spend a bit more time working on this stage of a horse’s training they’re going to give you a much nicer feel, if and when they go up through the levels.

“I like to catch the horse’s attention and make them think a little bit, so they’re having to focus on the rider and they’re less likely to get distracted,” says Laura.

In her session with Abbie, this involved riding a lot of transitions as well as giving and retaking the reins to allow the horse to find his own balance.

“We’re not asking for proper collection at this stage in their career, but balance is separate to collection,” Laura explains. “We can still have a horse nicely in balance with an uphill tendency without being in full collection.”

She was looking for Abbie to be pushing forward with her seat and leg, keeping a positive forward momentum through transitions, while encouraging the horse not to drop with his poll and fall onto the forehand.

“The better their balance at this stage and the more they build the strength to carry themselves, the easier the communication is going to be later on as they learn more movements.”

2. Use your seat, not your hands

Laura asked her demo riders to control the rhythm of their rising trot with their seat rather than their hand. She had both ride an exercise where they did a downwards transition from trot to walk using only their seat, no hands.

The nicer and more subtle the communication can be at this stage, Laura explains, the easier it will be to introduce new movements.

“If we can teach them to listen to our seat to slow down the rhythm rather than our hands, we can later teach the half-halt without pulling back and the frame shortening,” she says. “It’s something that’s worth spending a lot of time on at this stage in training.”

Likewise, she asked her riders to ride serpentines where they steered with their shoulders, not their hands. As they turned right they would bring their right shoulder back, turning their upper body towards the direction of travel, and the same on the left.

“The more our body and seat can do the less our hands have to do and the less we interfere with the horse’s mouth and movement in a negative way.”

3. Make it easy for the horses

With inexperienced horses there are always liable to be hiccups, says Laura.

“It’s important that they learn that they’re never going to be pushed above their limits and that you’re never going to ask something they can’t do.”

At the same time, she wants her riders to challenge their horses enough so that they build strength, coordination, suppleness and ability. But she wants them to do it using clear language.

“If a horse is struggling with something we have to find a new way to ask that question and make it simple for them,” she says. “Always positively reinforce the good work, but don’t reprimand the stuff we don’t want to feel – show them another way instead.”

With Abbie and Sophie, she interspersed a lot of walk breaks on the buckle, which she used as a tool to see whether the horse was relaxed over its back or holding a of tension.

4. Nailing the canter work

Before asking for any of the canter movements that come up in novice tests, Laura first wants to establish a good rhythm and connection: “So it feels like he’s taking your leg into the hand positively and politely.”

“It’s okay to carry a bit of momentum,” she says, “especially if they haven’t got enough strength to carry themselves in a collected canter yet.”

On canter-to-walk transitions, she asks both riders to give with their hands as they go into walk so that they don’t “trap” the hindlegs.

“Every time we have too much pressure in the hand we impact the hind legs,” she explains. “It’s the same as when we ask for canter, give with the inside hand to show that the inside hind leg can come through, this will help keep the transitions uphill.”

Often horses will have one rein where they find simple changes very easy, she adds, but it’s important to make sure everything is symmetrical so she recommends spending longer on the less-good side.

She introduces counter canter slowly, riding loops from the track to the centre line and then back.

“In counter canter, it’s important to sit in balance. On the right lead, keep your weight down the right stirrup, try not to shift too much to the left.”

5. Going from rising to sitting trot

“Something that we often don’t think about as riders is the difference for a horse that goes from being ridden in a long, young-horse frame in rising trot, to going up a level and having us sitting on their backs all the time – that takes time for a horse to get used to,” says Laura.

“We’ve all sat on horses that are super comfortable to sit to, but I’m sure we’ve also had horses that are hard to sit to. I think that is because when we first go sitting the horse gets tense in the back.”

When introducing sitting trot Laura does it incrementally. Here she asks Sophie to ride in a rising trot in a big circle around her, slowly adding in a few strides of sitting trot before returning to rising.

“You don’t want to just plonk yourself into sitting, but lower yourself steadily into it,” she explains. “Over the space of the circle build into the sitting trot, when you feel them start to struggle go rising again. Over time gradually build up the time spent in sitting. Remember, it doesn’t have to happen all at once.”

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‘I knew how much he had to give mentally to be able to do that for me’: Laura Tomlinson on the ride of her life

Eleanor Jones — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 13:00:36 +0000

When everything goes right, when there is total harmony and a horse gives his all – those precious moments are what a partnership is all about. Eleanor Jones finds out about one unforgettable ride...

With a horse like the superb, multiple medal-winning Mistral Hojris (Alf), who did so much for British dressage, there are many tests Laura Tomlinson will always remember – but winning individual bronze at London 2012 is right up there.

“I think the Olympic bronze in London is a standout,” she said. “An Olympic individual medal is probably the most special thing, and the fact it was the freestyle – historically the toughest thing to get right with him – made it extra special as I knew how much he had to give mentally to be able to do that for me.”

Having already helped secure team gold for Britain, Laura and Alf pulled out all the stops to The Lion King music, raising hairs on the backs of necks of a home crowd in Greenwich.

“I think it was that last centre line,” says Laura. “We were passaging, and I’d done everything I needed to do. Coming towards the final halt, you can see I’m welling up because that was the first time I allowed myself to think, ‘Wow. We’ve done it.’

“At that point, you don’t know what marks or placing you’ll get, but the sheer fact he’d given me that performance was enough. The feeling that he’d given me everything he had to give was an emotional moment. He was an old boy by then and that he’d come out on the last day all guns blazing was testament to all the work we’d done together, and my whole team; it’s a big moment for everyone who has been a part of that horse’s journey.”

2D0710M Laura Bechtolsheimer of Britain riding Mistral Hojris gestures after the equestrian Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle at the London 2012 Olympic Games in Greenwich Park August 9, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT EQUESTRIANISM OLYMPICS) (Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

For Alf, it was definitely a journey, as although he had always been a “phenomenally willing horse with a massive heart”, and in possession of a huge amount of talent, he had struggled with big events and atmospheres. So, it took time for him to learn that he could perform as well on a big stage as he did elsewhere.

“When your horse has given you that, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an unaffiliated show or the Olympic Games; it’s about the journey, and that moment with the horse is what we all do it for,” Laura says.

‘He deserved to go out on a high’: top British-bred grand prix horse retires aged 18

Becky Murray — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 15:40:00 +0000

Kristjan, the British-bred international grand prix horse and top ride of Lara Butler, has retired from competition aged 18.

The Polarion gelding was the Bechtolsheimers’ (Ursula and the late Wilfried, parents of Laura Tomlinson) first home-bred, and Lara started competing him in 2012 when he was seven.

“I always really liked Kristjan, and I actually rode him on my trial day for the Bechtolsheimer’s when I went for my job interview in 2010,” Lara told H&H.

“He was very correctly trained, but even now he’s not your typical dressage horse. As a young horse he needed a lot of time to develop his body. He always had a very big character; he very much has that Trakehner side of him and we used to call him our ‘little devil’. He did quite a lot of bucking while we taught him changes, I used to dread those moments when Dr B would say, ‘Right, let’s do some changes’!”

Lara and Kristjan made their international debut at small tour level in 2017 at the Hartpury CDI3, which remains a memorable competition for Lara.

“I managed to beat Charlotte Dujardin on Hawtins Delicato in the [intermediate I] freestyle. I remember coming down to the prizegiving and they said ‘You’ve won’ and I said ‘Don’t be silly!’” said Lara.

“I borrowed old music of Laura’s, which was Jennifer Lopez, and it’s always been in everybody’s head since that that’s my music for him. It was a combination of songs but it was Let’s Get Loud for the start. He has that little swagger about him when he’s coming into the arena, and he loved it, he loved dancing.”

Lara and Kristjan continued to compete at top shows at home and abroad, including the London International, Aachen, Le Mans, and Hagen. In 2018 they won the intermediate II final at the British Dressage national championships, the year they stepped up to grand prix. In 2019 they were reserve national champions to Carl Hester and Nip Tuck.

“Kristjan is quite cheeky, but he’s very trainable and he loves working. He’s a show-off – sometimes not always in the right way – but he just loves to be the centre of attention, so in that respect he was perfect,” said Lara.

“He liked going into the ring and having all eyes on him. The smaller the crowd, the more he was like ‘Yeah, I’m not doing this’. Some of my best rides with him were at Aachen, because he just loved having all the attention on him, he thought that was fabulous.”

Another memorable moment was at the London International in 2021, where they were eighth in the grand prix and fifth in the freestyle.

“In the prizegiving I think I gave everyone quite a scare, we went round then as we went out he launched and everyone gasped, but I stayed on. I think all of my standout memories were of him just being a complete character!,” said Lara.

Lara and Kristjan recorded 43 top-10 placings in their 48 international starts. In September they were fifth in the grand prix at the BD national championships, and third in the freestyle, their final competition together, before Lara announced Kristjan’s retirement.

“He’s 18 and this was his fifth year at grand prix,” said Lara. “He’s helped me develop again as a rider, going from producing an average test to really riding every movement, and I’m so much more in the zone with what I need to do – and that was the main focus with him this year.

“We just thought he’s done a lot for us; he’s British-bred, he’s the Bs’ first home-bred, and he deserved to go out on a high. I said to our trainer Carl (Cuypers) before the nationals, that it should be Kristjan’s last outing, and it was like Kristjan knew. We did the grand prix and he was really good, then in the freestyle I couldn’t stop smiling during one of the last lines because for once we’d nailed our extended canter into piaffe – then I came out in an extended trot and I just looked at Carl and he was smiling. Lydia, who looks after Kristjan at home was there too, and we were all in tears after.”

Kristjan will be a schoolmaster for junior rider Sophie Wallace, who is based with Lara and Laura, over the winter, then enjoy his retirement in the field with Lara’s other former top horse Rubin Al Asad (Rufus), who retired in 2021.

“He’s going to leave a very big gap on the yard because we don’t really have anyone else with that amount of character,” said Lara.

“But I’m sure he’ll torment me and the others as we go hacking round the fields, and come running over with Rufus to set off whoever I’m riding.”

Lara said it feels “a bit like an end of an era” with both Rufus and Kristjan now retired.

“When Rufus retired I had Kristjan to focus on,” she said. “This very much feels like I’m starting a new era. I’ve got my newer horse, Amiek C who I brought out at grand prix earlier in the year, but he’s recovering from a bone bruise at the moment. I’ve also got a couple of five-year-olds and I’ll still help Laura with her string.

“It feels a little strange, but in a way it’s quite nice because it’s giving me a moment to reflect on the last few years. I feel like I can start again a little bit. I’ve got a young son, who’s just started school, so I can maybe have a little break from shows until next year and spend a bit more family time as well.”

Trio of British gold medallists make up top-class team for Aachen Nations Cup

Polly Bryan — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:22:21 +0000

Three Olympic medallists are among the hugely exciting quartet that will make up the British team for the CHIO Aachen dressage Nations Cup this month.

Charlotte Dujardin will return to compete at the prestigious German venue for the first time since 2019, riding her World Dressage Championships team medallist Imhotep. The pair will head to Germany fresh from their double win at Wellington CDI3* last week, where they broke the 80% barrier in the grand prix and the grand pix special for the first time.

Charlotte will be joined on the British team at CHIO Aachen by the world champion and current world number two, Lottie Fry, who will ride her Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Everdale. Lottie and the 14-year-old Lord Leatherdale stallion Everdale were Britain’s top scorers at last year’s CHIO Aachen, finishing in the top 10 in every test and helping Britain to team sixth.

Laura Tomlinson will also make her return to Aachen, this time riding her top mare, DSP Rose Of Bavaria. The pair made a successful return to international competition following a lengthy period of time off for the 13-year-old Bordeaux daughter, and they are campaigning towards team selection for the European Dressage Championships this September.

Completing the team of four is Annabella Pidgley who, at just 18, became the youngest rider to compete on a British dressage Nations Cup team, at the Compiegne CDIO5* in May. Annabella brings forward her mother Sarah’s Vamos Amigos, the 11-year-old Vitalis gelding who won team gold for Denmark at last year’s World Dressage Championships under Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.

Since taking over the ride on Vamos last autumn, Annabella has built up a string of solid results at international grand prix, as well as under-25 level.

“To ride in the arena in Aachen is one thing but to ride alongside Charlotte Dujardin, Lottie Fry and Laura Tomlinson on a team is such an honour to me,” said Annabella, who will also take her nine-year-old mare Espe to compete in the young rider classes at Aachen.

Lottie, Laura and Charlotte will also have second rides at Aachen: Lottie will campaign her up-and-coming grand prix gelding Lars Van De Hoenderheide in the CDI4, joined by Laura on Fallatijn. Charlotte has chosen Aachen as the location for Times Kismet’s overseas debut – Charlotte and the the eight-year-old Ampere mare will compete in the CDI1 small tour classes.

Aachen CHIO takes place from 23 June and runs until 2 July.

Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin – plus other Olympians – headline stellar entry list for Wellington international

Polly Bryan — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:40:10 +0000

Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester are just two of the big names among the entries for Wellington CDI3* next week (8-11 June). There are 21 British riders entered for this international, now in its third year and occupying a key spot in the dressage calendar and selection process for the European Dressage Championships in September.

Charlotte will ride her 2022 team horse, the 10-year-old Everdale son Imhotep, in the pair’s second international competition since Charlotte gave birth to her daughter Isabella in March. She is now aiming “Pete” for the Europeans, which will take place in Riesenbeck, Germany.

Carl will bring forward both his grand prix rides, his Olympic medallist En Vogue, for whom this will be a first international since March 2022, and his newer ride Fame, who won the grand prix and special at Hickstead CDI3* in May.

Carl is campaigning both horses towards selection for the European Dressage Championships, and told H&H recently that he “wouldn’t mind which he took” to the Europeans, if selected.

“It would be a shame to leave the other one at home as they both deserve it,” he said.

Wellington CDI3* entries: Olympians and up-and-comers

Other top names among the Wellington CDI3* entries include Fame’s owner and previous rider Fiona Bigwood, who will compete the 12-year-old Dante Weltino son Daytona Platinum.

Completing the collection of four Olympians heading to Wellington is Laura Tomlinson, who is entered on the 13-year-old Bordeaux mare DSP Rose Of Bavaria and the 13-year-old Vivaldi son Fallatijn.

Gareth Hughes is set to ride his top mare, the 17-year-old Classic Briolinca, who played a key role in helping secure Britain’s silver medal at last year’s World Dressage Championships. The pair were second behind Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep at Windsor CDI4* last month.

Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca at Windsor CDI4* 2023 (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Alongside the more experienced combinations all gunning to impress the team selectors will be an exciting array of up-and-coming grand prix riders, and younger horses who are still new to top level. Look out for Alex Harrison, making his first international appearance in almost two years riding the 12-year-old mare MSJ Top Secret at her first CDI.

Becky Moody and Jagerbomb will also be in action; Becky and the hugely promising nine-year-old gelding won the grand prix freestyle on their CDI3* debut at Hickstead in May.

Annabella Pidgley is also due to ride her mother Sarah’s Vamos Amigos, the 10-year-old Vitalis son who won team gold and individual silver at the 2022 World Championships with Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour, then went to the Pidgleys for Annabella to take over the ride this year. The pair won the grand prix freestyle on their international debut together in March this year, and scored top-10 placings as part of the British Nations Cup team at Compiegne CDIO5* in May.

Wellington CDI3* will get under way with the grand prix on Friday, 9 June, followed by the grand prix special and the freestyle on Saturday, 10 June.

A Carl Hester double bill, top horses’ comebacks and fresh faces stepping up: here’s what to expect from Hickstead CDI

Polly Bryan — Wed, 10 May 2023 15:32:45 +0000

International dressage makes its return to Hickstead this week, with Carl Hester among the top riders heading to West Sussex. The I.C.E Horseboxes All England Dressage Festival encompasses international dressage, international para dressage and national level Premier League dressage. That’s a lot of dressage – but we bring you the most exciting combinations to look out for and the highlights that could emerge.

1. Carl Hester with TWO top grand prix horses

Get set for a Carl Hester double act as he takes to the Hickstead dressage arena with not one but two hopefuls for this year’s European Dressage Championships. Very excitingly, we’re set to to see the return of En Vogue – Carl’s Tokyo Olympics and 2021 Europeans medallist – who has been out of the limelight since being withdrawn from this very show in 2022. Carl has been building the Jazz gelding up slowly towards his return and he is head of the line-up for the Premier League grand prix.

Carl’s slot among the CDI grand prix line-up has been reserved for Fame, the hugely exciting 13-year-old Bordeaux stallion Carl has already enjoyed international success with this year. Fame is proving himself to be a bit of star – earlier this month he and Carl recorded a plus-79% grand prix win at Wellington. What could they achieve at Hickstead?

Carl Hester and En Vogue riding the freestyle at the 2021 European Dressage Championships. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

2. Top British horse makes international comeback

Hickstead will mark the return of Laura Tomlinson’s top horse, DSP Rose Of Bavaria, to international competition. The pair competed last November for the first time in over a year, but this is their first international since the mare’s lengthy spell away from the limelight. Olympic gold medallist Laura thinks the world of “Betty” and if they’re on form at Hickstead they could be top contenders for the Europeans team later this year.

3. Small tour superstar steps up

Becky Moody and Jagerbomb swept the board at small tour, with the Dante Weltino son proving to be one of the most exciting horses in the UK in 2022 – not bad for a horse Becky almost sold as a youngster because she wasn’t sure he had what it takes to be a star. This year, it’s time for him to step up to the big time – he already made a successful debut at grand prix level this spring, but this will be his international grand prix debut.

Becky Moody and Jagerbomb in action at Hartpury CDI3* 2022 (Image credit: KEVIN SPARROW)

4. An Olympic event horse in his new career

The uber eagle-eyed might have spotted a familiar name on the start lists for the junior international classes – Don Geniro. The two-time Olympic event horse – who went to both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 with China’s Alex Hua Tian – made his international dressage debut last month with British junior rider Isabella Caldwell. Now they’re heading to Hickstead.

5. Recent national champions back in action

Want to catch some of the headliners from the recent Winter Dressage Championships? Hickstead will be a great place to see some of the horses who made our hearts sing at Hartpury, such as Dannie Morgan’s double champion Fever Tree, Sadie Smith and the delightful Swanmore Dantina and Davy Harvey on Hawtins Rossana just to name a few.

Dannie Morgan and Fever Tree at the Winter Dressage Championships 2023 (Image credit: KEVIN SPARROW)

6. Licensed stallions on show

If you’re keeping your eye out for the perfect match for your mare, it’s ideal if you can see stallions standing in Britain out and about competing. Not only do you get a chance to see their skills, but observing them at a show can give you an idea of their temperament and how they cope with atmosphere – all key considerations for choosing a stallion.

Stallions in action at Hickstead include Blue Hors Viconte, the six-year-old Vivaldi son competing in the age classes with Beth Bainbridge, Timolin, the 12-year-old Totilas son competing at grand prix with Lizzie Murray, Ketcher B, an eight-year-old by Negro in action at PSG with Jezz Palmer, and MFS Cayden HH, a 13-year-old Contender son ridden by Davy Harvey at PSG.

7. A Tokyo gold medallist in action

Big names among the para dressage contenders for the Hickstead CPEDI, happening alongside the CDI and Premier League, include Sophie Wells on Don Cara M. This pair were members of the British gold medal-winning Paralympic team out in Tokyo in 2021, with fellow Tokyo medallists Georgia Wilson and Sakura also competing.

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Carl Hester (GBR) riding En Vogue during the Grand Prix Freestyle - Individual Competition of the Dressage European Championship held at Hagen A.T.W near Osnabrück in Germany between the 7-12th September 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Carl Hester’s Olympic horse ready for return to competition after more than a year out

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Carl Hester ( GBR) riding En Vogue during the Grand Prix Special - Team Final for the Olympic Dressage Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Equestrian Park in Setagaya-ku in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Carl Hester’s comeback on En Vogue, the death of a show star, and other things the horse world is talking about

BECKY MOODY - JAGERBOMB (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘He could be epic’: prolific gelding scores hat-trick for Britain on international debut

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

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Exciting dressage line-up announced for Royal Windsor – with notable absentees

Polly Bryan — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 11:57:04 +0000

World silver medallists Gareth Hughes and Richard Davison are among the top dressage riders who have been announced as part of the line-up for the Defender CDI4* at Royal Windsor Horse Show next month (10-11 May). This is the first time international dressage has featured at Royal Windsor since 2019, and it is the highest-level dressage show to be held on British soil in 2023.

Gareth is set to bring his top mare, the 17-year-old Classic Briolinca, with whom he was a member of the silver-medal winning British team at the 2022 World Dressage Championships in Herning, Denmark, also finishing fifth individually in the freestyle.

Gareth’s 2022 teammate Richard Davison is also Windsor-bound, with his championship horse, the 17-year-old Lingh gelding Bubblingh.

Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson will join the field with the 13-year-old Vivaldi son Fallatijn, fresh from scoring a personal best in the freestyle at Hagen CDI4*, Germany, last week. Emile Faurie will also be in action at Windsor, aboard his London International Horse Show ride Bellevue, while Louise Bell will bring forward the experienced Into The Blue, Hayley Watson-Greaves will ride the evergreen Rubins Nite and Dan Watson will pilot Butterfly IV.

Making his Windsor debut will be up-and-coming British grand prix rider Lewis Carrier, who will ride his long-term partner and youth championship horse Diego.

Windsor dressage: notable absentees

For the first time in the history of international dressage competition at Royal Windsor, neither Carl Hester nor Charlotte Dujardin will feature in the line-up.

Charlotte, who rode Erlentanz to victory the last time Windsor hosted a CDI, in 2019, recently welcomed her first child, a daughter, and is enjoying a period away from competing. Meanwhile, twice Windsor winner Carl has opted to campaign his new grand prix ride, Fame, at the Hickstead CDI3* later the same week instead, and told H&H that he is allowing a little more time to bring his top horse, Olympic and European medallist En Vogue, back up to peak fitness.

“Vogue will start his international campaign at Wellington CDI in June,” he said.

Riders representing Ireland, China and Germany will complete the Royal Windsor dressage line-up for 2023. British-based Irish team rider Abi Lyle will make her Windsor debut aboard 12-year-old Farrell, with Kevin Acres (Ganesh) and Anne-Marie Rawlins (Etoile) in action for Ireland too.

Sarah Rao will ride Alfranco for China and Germany’s Kathleen Kröncke will present San Royal 3.

The grand prix takes place on Wednesday, 10 May, with a limited audience, and the grand prix freestyle will be on Thursday, 11 May.

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale claim five-star win with ‘best ever performance together’

Polly Bryan — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 17:07:38 +0000

World champions Lottie Fry and Glamourdale have kicked off their 2023 outdoor season with a double win at the Fontainebleau CDI5*, France.

Lottie and Glamourdale claimed the top spot in the Fontainebleau grand prix with 79.94%, just dropping below the 80% mark after a mistake in the two-time changes, for which Lottie blamed herself. But they went on to post 89.36% for an emphatic win in the grand prix freestyle – finishing over 7% ahead of their closest rival, Germany’s Dorothee Schneider and First Romance 2.

Video credit: ©ChevalTV

Their enormous freestyle score was not quite the highest mark they have ever received for the awe-inspiring “Best of British” freestyle routine, which won them individual gold at the 2022 World Dressage Championships, but Lottie said this might have been their “best ever performance together”.

“Glamourdale was really fresh and enthusiastic and I have to admit I was really aiming to put in one of our best performances today,” said Lottie. “And I think that’s what happened. I had a great feeling – he was really positive today, he enjoyed every second of out routine to the full.

“Everything went according to plan, with no mistakes. I think I’ve just experienced our best ever performance together. I don’t think he could have done much better than he did.”

The pair are each world number one in the respective horse and rider FEI rankings.

This means Lottie and Van Olst Horses’ 12-year-old Lord Leatherdale x Negro stallion maintain their unbeaten streak since the World Dressage Championships, with this year’s European Dressage Championships in Riesenbeck, Germany, firmly within their sights.

Elsewhere in Europe, other Brits were on good form over the weekend.

Laura Tomlinson and Fallatijn finished 11th in the grand prix at Hagen CDI4*, Germany, going on to come ninth in the freestyle with the 13-year-old Vivaldi gelding’s highest international score to date, 75.42%. The pair scored highly for their passage and half-pass, as well as their one-handed finish up the centre line.

Meanwhile, over in Belgium, British para team hopefuls were in action at Waregem CPEDI3*. Grade I rider Gabriella Blake was the best British rider, collecting two thirds and a fourth on the 14-year-old grey gelding Strong Beau.

‘We’re on the front line’: the role commentators have to play in horse sport’s future

Becky Murray — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 16:28:34 +0000

Commentators play a key role in how horse sport comes across to the general public – and the language used needs to reflect this, stakeholders agree.

As the horse world continues to look at what can be done to improve public acceptance of equestrian sport, it has been discussed that everyone has a part to play.

“In a way, we’re on the front line and we’re part of the sport that is going to be exposed to people who don’t understand it – for example, the people flicking through the television during the Olympics,” he said.

“I’ve worked as a professional commentator for more than 20 years, so this may be one of the reasons, but when I’ve been working at major events, nobody talked to me or my colleagues about ‘these are the current issues around our sport’. But at the Winter Olympics, for example, certain sport federations will give briefings about their sport – not from a social licence view, but because they want to give the broadcasters the best opportunity to understand and explain it to a new audience.”

Mr Kyle added that more consideration needs to be given to the language used in commentary.

“A horse might stop at a wall in a showjumping competition or be a bit overwhelmed and we, without thinking about it, might say the horse just ‘got a bit frightened’. We understand what we mean by that, but if you have never watched horse sport and you’re hearing these horses are being frightened – it doesn’t sound good,” he said.

“Across six hours of competition, it’s of course impossible to never not say something, but it’s just being conscious and maybe trying to tidy it up as soon as possible.”

Mr Kyle said events such as Badminton and Burghley have excellent production teams, but he believes it would be useful for those governing our sports to produce standard guidelines for broadcasters on how the sport is presented and spoken about.

“To an extent, it’s great we’re allowed to be journalists and report on what we see independently, which has been good for the sport, but we have to focus on the realities of where our sport sits to the wider audience, and the concerns they might have,” he said.

“I think this is important particularly for less experienced broadcasters – for example, for riders who might join us in commentary, it would be useful if there was a framework they are briefed on so they understand what they’re trying to do and the language they’re using.”

Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson told H&H she agreed that the use of language at events such as the Olympics is important.

“We usually have a very equestrian person commentating, which makes sense because they have to know and understand the details. However, I think often they don’t really get briefed that well and they sort of talk as if they’re talking to other equestrian enthusiasts. Of course they are partly, but at the same time it’s so important that they get briefed that they’re also talking to the people who don’t normally watch equestrian sport,” she said.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H there is a “collective responsibility” when it comes to retaining public acceptance of horse sport.

“This very much includes equestrian commentators, who play a key role in how horse sport and the horse-human partnership is put across to viewers,” he said.

“The language commentators use needs to reflect current understanding of horse welfare and avoid hackneyed statements that are now simply out of date. One example is how riders use the whip; saying a rider ‘hit’ a horse or ‘gave it a whack’ is going to jar with a growing proportion of the public. Knowing what matters to the horse, explaining why a rider is using a particular aid and emphasising the part the horse played in a sporting success will go a long way towards reflecting the realities and true wonder of the relationship between horse and rider.”

An FEI spokesman told H&H no “specific” guidelines for commentators exist in writing, but emphasised that commentators are selected on knowledge and experience, and “not left on the job without guidance and assistance”.

At all FEI events where broadcast is available, broadcast production briefings take place before competition. These cover the TV running order, including “key focus areas and horse welfare elements”, and the FEI broadcast manual, which has “broadcast philosophy guidelines”. These advise on what to do during falls, for example showing the horse walking away after a non-serious fall, and not showing horse or rider down after a bad fall.

Top British grand prix horse returns after over a year out – with a personal best score

Polly Bryan — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 13:05:44 +0000

Laura Tomlinson’s top horse, DSP Rose Of Bavaria, has made a stunning return to the arena after 15 months away from competition.

Laura and “Betty” last competed at Donaueschingen CDI in Germany in August 2021, where they won the grand prix and special with Laura six months pregnant with her fourth child, Tommy. The pair made their comeback earlier this week at Hartpury, Glos, where they were awarded 81.52% for a grand prix test – the highest mark the pair have achieved together.

“It’s been a while – it feels a very long time because I took some time out to have Tommy and then just as Betty was coming back into work she needed to have surgery because of a joint issue behind,” Laura told H&H. “The surgery was very scary for me as she is such a big horse, but she was an angel. We have rehabbed her very slowly this year, and just built her up bit by bit.

“It’s thanks to a lot of effort from my very diligent home team that she is back and she feels great. The trip to Hartpury was really just to see how she was – I knew she wasn’t at full match fitness so I planned to ride her quite low key, but she is such a professional that she went in and did a great job. On the last centre line I wondered if she was maybe tiring a bit, but then I saw on the video her legs were still half a metre off the floor in passage. It definitely put a smile on my face to have her out again.”

Laura’s plan now is to target the 12-year-old Bordeaux x Florestan I mare towards team selection for the Europeans in 2023, and ultimately, towards the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Laura last rode on the British team at the London Games in 2012 where she and Mistral Højris won team gold and individual bronze. She and Betty were shortlisted for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as well as the European championships the same year. Laura was also shortlisted for the world championships in 2022 with her second grand prix horse Fallatijn.

“It’s been a journey, and anyone in horses will know what it’s like. You have phases where you feel invincible and then other times where you just think, ‘Why?’” said Laura.

Although she doesn’t expect to gain a spot to ride at the London International Horse Show next month with Betty, Laura will aim for an early international next year, and focus on smaller national shows in the meantime.

“Betty is looking better than ever,” she confirmed. “We are having her checked out every step of the way by the team vet, Andre Buthe, and have been very much led by the facts. For now, I’m just really enjoying training her again.”

Double bridle debate continues – as FEI dressage committee has its say

Becky Murray — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 18:03:52 +0000

The FEI dressage committee is “in favour” of keeping the double bridle compulsory at the top levels of international grand prix – as the debate continues.

The FEI independent ethics and wellbeing commission’s recommendation to make double bridles optional in grand prix dressage – and spurs optional in any FEI discipline – came to light when the International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC) and International Dressage Trainers Club (IDTC) published a letter strongly opposing the proposal (news, 6 Oct).

The letter, which has since been removed from the groups’ websites, raised points including their opinion that opposition to the double bridle stems from a “lack of understanding“ of how and why it is used, that double bridles and spurs used properly allow riders to give defined aids, and that making them optional would have “no positive impact on horse welfare”. In response, the FEI said the proposal was part of an ongoing consultation process – and an interim report will be presented at next month’s general assembly.

The matter has continued to be a talking point and in an update on 14 October, the FEI gave H&H further information on how the recommendation arose. The FEI spokesman said the ethics and wellbeing commission met in August and agreed to submit six recommendations on “technical/sport aspects, and research and education” to the FEI. The technical/sport recommendations were shared with the technical committees, and on 20 September the dressage committee discussed the proposals, during which it was highlighted that under the current rules, double bridles are optional up to CDI2* level – but mandatory at CDI3* and upwards.

“This change, introduced in 2019, reflects a progression in the level of skills of the athlete and training of the horse from low and medium level to the highest level of performance,” said the spokesman.

“The dressage committee is in favour of maintaining the double bridle compulsory at grand prix level.”

The spokesman added that a final report was presented to the FEI board, and on 14 October the recommendations were submitted to the national federations and stakeholders, ahead of discussion at the general assembly.

As the debate continues, H&H sought opinions on the proposal from stakeholders.

Last week IDTC president David Hunt wrote to H&H (letters, 13 October) after the organisation “heard some of the reaction” to the IDRC and IDTC letter. He said the organisations’ opposition to the proposal was based on the “optional” aspect, and said it was put forward as “advancing horse welfare” – but if something is deemed harmful he believes it should be banned. He added that “welfare and sport issues must not be confused”.

He then told H&H making the double bridle optional is a “slippery slope”.

“Riding in a double bridle and spurs is traditional, but it is also a very skilful thing. What concerns me is if they try to dumb everything down; you allow more people perhaps to compete, but you’re dumbing down the the level of competition,” he said.

“‘Welfare’ is being used as an escape because it catches people’s attention. If [the ethics and wellbeing commission] think a double bridle is a welfare issue, then we shouldn’t be using it.”

Mr Hunt, who said he was not aware the letter had been taken down, added that the sport is “rigorous in its protection of horses”.

“We have stewards in place and we are very restrictive in the bits we are allowed to use, unlike other sports where they have a massive variety. Our horses are looked after to such a high degree, and I struggle to find why they keep picking on dressage,” he said.

“If we start allowing things to creep in then we’re dulling the whole brilliance of the sport. That’s what makes it so beautiful, because horses are in self-carriage and they’re not supporting and leaning on the bit, which they can do in a snaffle.

“We are constantly making sure that we have welfare as our main objective. We are open to and seek people’s opinions – but I don’t want our sport dragged down by a small majority of people who think that the horse should only be out in the field grazing.”

Irish dressage rider Dane Rawlins, who is on the IDTC board, agreed with Mr Hunt that it is a “sport issue, not a welfare issue”.

“The epitome of riding international grand prix is to produce a horse to the highest standards with the classical tack. My grand prix horse goes better in a snaffle than a double, it’s harder to ride in a double sometimes, but it’s not a welfare issue,” he said.

“Part of the achievement of international dressage is to do things correctly and well with your horse. The perception that putting a double bridle on is some barbaric way of overcontrolling a horse is misguided.”

The Dutch national federation is in agreement with making double bridles optional – and put this suggestion to the FEI during the periodic rules revision this year. At the time the FEI dressage committee responded that double bridles should remain at CDI3* and above, “as this is the highest levels of competition”.

“The welfare of the horse is our number one priority. Therefore we put forward several proposals in this year’s rules revision that underline this,” Irish Boelhouwer, the federation’s high performance manager told H&H.

“There is no valid reason to keep the double bridle mandatory. If a rider thinks his or her horse would perform better in a snaffle, why not let them? Everybody can keep riding with the double bridle if they think it works best. The jury still looks at all the same markers regardless of their bridle. We’ve given the riders in the Netherlands this option in the last 15 years and there has been absolutely no problems, the same goes for use of spurs. It’s disappointing that these suggestions are dismissed without any substantial arguments”.

Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson told H&H she felt it is not a “black and white” issue.

“You can respond on so many levels; there’s the welfare side, the sport side, and the traditional side,” she said. “There are horses who are more comfortable in a snaffle bridle, not because of what the rider is doing, but because of the way their mouths are shaped. I definitely have horses who I prefer to ride in a snaffle.

“I don’t know whether I think it should or shouldn’t be optional, but I think there should be a healthy debate and we should come up with the reasons for and against.”

World and European medallist Michael Eilberg told H&H the argument comes down to horse and rider preference.

“People who have horses that are happy in a double will be happy to keep the rule, and people who have horses they wish they could ride in a snaffle would like the rule to change,” he said.

“I’ve had it myself where a horse doesn’t like the double and doesn’t give such an easy ride, and the riding might not be as good, so the options do lend themselves I think possibly to better riding if the double was optional – but I agree with David Hunt that this is a sport issue, not a welfare issue.”

British team dressage rider Richard Davison told H&H it is a “shame” that the work of the ethics and wellbeing commission had this “unfortunate start”.

“This clearly shows that the FEI needs to take its stakeholders with them on any policy move, and we need to collaborate. For me, the issue has been a lack of collaboration and communication with stakeholders before the recommendations were presented to the FEI,” he said.

“We need to work together with the commission because the point of the commission is not only to decide on issues of wellbeing, but is to protect the use of horses in sport – which are very commendable aims.”

Mr Davison added that the double bridle being optional at grand prix level is “nothing new” – it is optional at national level in a number of countries including the UK.

“We all know some horses will find one bit in their mouth more comfortable than two – that’s why you’ll see many top riders training up-and-coming horses in snaffles or doubles and they interchange them, so I don’t really feel it’s necessary to start going down rabbit holes of what doubles and snaffles do and don’t do,” he said.

“The principle of the double bridle being optional is already embedded in FEI rules, all that they’re talking about is extending that to CDI3* and upwards.”

British entries revealed for 2022 dressage World Championships

Polly Bryan — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 12:42:40 +0000

The British entries for the dressage World Championships have been announced.

British Equestrian and the British Dressage selectors have revealed the eight horse and rider combinations on the list of nominated entries, from which the team of four that will compete in Herning, Denmark (5-14 August) will be chosen.

In alphabetical order by surname, the combinations are:

Richard Davison with 16-year-old gelding Bubblingh

Owner: Richard Davison and Gwendolyn Sontheim

Breeder: Richard Davison (GBR)

Breeding: by Lingh, out of Ballaseyr Royale/Matajo by Picandt

Charlotte Dujardin with nine-year-old gelding Imhotep

Owner: Carl Hester and Coral Ingham

Breeder: Tineke Huizing (NED)

Breeding: by Everdale, out of Della D’Ottie, by Vivaldi

Lottie Fry with 13-year-old stallion Everdale

Owner: Van Olst Horses

Breeder: Piet Kluytmans (NED)

Breeding: by Lord Leatherdale, out of Aliska K, by Negro

Lottie Fry with 11-year-old stallion Glamourdale

Owner: Van Olst Horses

Breeder: Joop Rodenburg (NED)

Breeding: by Lord Leatherdale, out of Thuja, by Negro

Gareth Hughes with 16-year-old mare Classic Briolinca

Owner: Gareth Hughes, his wife Rebecca and daughter Ruby, and Julia Hornig

Breeder: Febr van der Steen (NED)

Breeding: by Trento B, out of Trolinca, by Royal Dance

Gareth Hughes with 12-year-old gelding Sintano Van Hof Olympia

Owner: Gareth Hughes and Judy Firmston-Williams

Breeder: Iris and Henk Poettgens (NED)

Breeding: by Sandro Hit, out of P.Siltana Van Hof Olympia, by Silvano

Susan Pape with 13-year-old stallion Harmony’s Eclectisch

Owner: Susan Pape and Harmony Amateur Sports Foundation

Breeder: Fam Andeweg (NED)

Breeding: by Zenon, out of Tiranja, by Olivi

Laura Tomlinson with 12-year-old gelding Fallatijn

Owner: Laura Tomlinson and her mother Ursula Bechtolsheimer

Breeder: J.G. Damen (NED)

Breeding: by Vivaldi, out of Utraginia Van Kairos, by Cabochon

As part of the dressage World Championships British entries, two reserve combinations have also been named as follows (in alphabetical order):

Lara Butler with 17-year-old gelding Kristjan

Owner: Laura Tomlinson and her mother Ursula Bechtolsheimer

Breeder: Ursula Bechtolsheimer (GBR)

Breeding: by Polarion, out of Kardinale, by Napoleon Quatre

Lottie Fry with 14-year-old gelding Dark Legend

Owner: Lottie Fry and Van Olst Horses

Breeder: Fam Nobus de Potter (NED)

Breeding: by Zucchero, out of Zoe, by Tango

The names of the grooms for each horse will be included in the final squad announcement.

One notable omission from the list of British nominated entries is Carl Hester, who will be absent from a British championship team for the first time since 2008. Carl lacks a fit, qualified ride following an injury sustained by his Tokyo Olympic horse En Vogue earlier this year, and a lack of qualification opportunities with other rides.

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.

Laura Tomlinson: ‘We must not rely on quick fixes’

Laura Tomlinson — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 11:03:51 +0000

Laura Tomlinson on staying mentally healthy via horses and her thoughts on the latest FEI proposals

MY horses enjoyed a lovely October holiday with lots of hacking and paddock time while I counted down to the birth of baby Tommy on 8 November. During that stage of pregnancy where my organs were being frequently rearranged by boisterous kicks, my number one horse, Betty, went from loving nuzzling to little nips at my bump.

I completely understood her sentiment; I was ready too, wanting to get on with the impending birth, sleepless nights and feeling like an oddly shaped dairy cow in order to get to the other side and reconnect with the “old me” – the one who was not in demand 24/7 and had control of her own schedule.

I know how lucky I am to have my horses just a few steps away from my kitchen, so that I can keep a small part of “me” alive when many new mothers struggle with their sense of self. Finding a way to make the new self and the old self meet in the middle is so important for the mental health for any new mother.

Whether chasing a career or not, the pressures can be overwhelming and I wish any impending or new mothers out there all the best in their journey. Enjoy it, but look after yourself as well as your baby.

Reaping rewards

FROM two-legged to four-legged home-breds, I have to say we couldn’t be prouder.

My mother, who is in charge of that side of things in our set-up, has grown a few inches in pride over the past couple of months. Sarah Rogers won the novice gold national championship on our five-year-old Full Moon, and also won the inter I at the Keysoe CDI with Viva Lotta. There, Lara Butler also won the grand prix and special on Kristjan, another home-bred of ours, having already come ninth and helped the British team finish third at Aachen

this summer.

This was then followed up with Sarah coming first and second at the NEXGEN young horse finals in Hickstead with Full Moon and Forest Hill. What a fantastic team effort it has been, and lovely for me to follow while I have been out of the saddle.

It is so fulfilling to have home-bred horses that are produced with patience and low pressure. I know my late father Wilfried would be proud of their development.

It is also invaluable to have the opportunity to compete young horses at good shows in this country. Venues like Hickstead, with its big showground, give the horses a taste of a bigger stage in an inviting setting. The High Profile and Premier League shows also give the perfect preparation and stepping stones for our horses to develop mentally as well as physically.

The word “imitating” says it all

THE FEI has proposed some rule changes ahead of the General Assembly this month, including forbidding “any type of white substance around the horse’s mouth to imitate foaming”.

I agree with this; the very word “imitating” says it all. We need FEI permission to use a false tail, we are not allowed to stuff a horse’s ears, we are not allowed to cover cuts, scars or colour unfortunate markings, such as a crooked stripe down the nose, so why pretend that your horse is salivating nicely?

I think giving a juicy apple or a sugar lump, then having the appropriate bit and a soft contact is all you can do. Some horses naturally salivate more than others, but if the overall picture is soft, then there is no need to mask anything.

We must be careful that our sport doesn’t drift too far from the founding principles of correct training by allowing quick fixes and cheat methods. It must be the same rule for all; some horses will be trickier than others, of course, but that is the riders’ job to try to improve with skill.

● What do you think about the FEI rule proposals? Tell us at hhletters@futurenet.com

This exclusive column is also available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 11 November

‘Our family is now complete’: Laura Tomlinson welcomes fourth child

Becky Murray — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 20:03:41 +0000

Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson and her husband, international polo player Mark, have welcomed a new baby boy.

Tommy George Tomlinson was born yesterday (8 November) and is the couple’s fourth child. He joins siblings Annalisa, seven, four-year-old Wilfred and two-year-old Hanni.

“We are completely in love with little Tommy. Our family is now complete,” said Laura.

The Olympic gold and bronze medallist joked that the couple’s new arrival is “the first of her gang to look completely Tomlinson”.

“Finally Mark got one that looks like him,” she said.

We are completely in love with little Tommy .. our family is now complete ❤️Posted by Laura Bechtolsheimer Dressage on Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Laura, who was named as a non-travelling reserve for the Tokyo Olympics and long-listed for the European Championships with her current top horse, 11-year-old mare DSP Rose of Bavaria (Betty), announced she was pregnant in July.

“Being the fourth of four children I know the joys of being a team and we are so happy to give this to our children,” she said at the time.

Laura has enjoyed a brilliant year in the saddle, winning the grand prix on 74.1% and the special on 77.2% with Betty at the Donaueschingen in CDI3in August. The pair were also second in the grand prix and the special at the Herzlake CDI3 in June. Laura also has another exciting grand prix horse, the 11-year-old Vivaldi son Fallatijn, who scored 71% for third in the Deauville CDI3* grand prix in July.

In the past Laura has spoken about being a mother and a competitive rider.

“I want to show my girls that you can have it all — that you can be a very present mum and be at the top of your game at the same time. It might take a little bit longer and it might be pretty exhausting at times, but it’s still doable,” she said.

Eight British combinations longlisted for the European Dressage Championships

Polly Bryan — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 12:01:55 +0000

British Equestrian and the British Dressage selectors have put forward eight pairs as longlisted entries for the FEI European Dressage Championships, in Hagen, Germany, on 7-12 September.

The squad of four combinations, plus reserves, will be announced on or around 20 August.

Those longlisted, in alphabetical order, are:

Fiona Bigwood with Penny Bigwood’s and her own Hawtins Delicato
Charlotte Dujardin with Renai Hart, Carl Hester’s and her own Gio
Emile Faurie with Theodora Livanos’ and his own Dono Di Maggio OLD
Lottie Fry with Van Olst Horses’ and her own Dark Legend and Everdale
Carl Hester with Sandra Biddlecombe, Charlotte Dujardin, Lady Anne Evans’ and his own En Vogue
Gareth Hughes with Judy Firmston-Williams’ and his own Sintano Van Hof Olympia
Laura Tomlinson with Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s and her own DSP Rose of Bavaria

Two reserve combinations have also been named:

Richard Davison with Gwendolyn Meyer’s and his own Bubblingh
Susan Pape with Harmony Sporthorses’ and her own Harmony’s Eclectisch

British Under-25 Dressage European Championship entries

The Under-25 European Dressage Championships will also be held in Hagen over the same week, and six British combinations have been longlisted, with the squad of three or four pairs, plus reserves, announced on or around 20 August.

Lucy Amy with Richard Amy’s Rudy
Lewis Carrier with his own Diego V
Dylan Deutrom with Matt Hicks and Sarah Warry’s Sunlit Uplands
Alex Harrison with his own Diamond Hill
Alicia Lee with her own Bonita 466
Ellie McCarthy with Spencer McCarthy’s GB Londero V Worrenberg

All selection decisions are subject to the athletes and horses maintaining fitness and performance.

‘I know the joys of being a team’: British Olympic medallist reveals her pregnancy

Polly Bryan — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 13:11:05 +0000

Top British grand prix dressage rider Laura Tomlinson has announced that she is pregnant with her fourth child.

Laura and her husband Mark, an international polo player for England, are “nervously and excitedly” expecting the baby this autumn.

Olympic gold and bronze medallist Laura was named as a reserve for the Tokyo Olympics with her current top horse Rose Of Bavaria (Betty), and has not ruled out campaigning for selection for the European Dressage Championships in September.

“With regards to the Euros, it’s a little too early to say if I will still be competing then, but I plan to continue to ride and compete for as long as I feel comfortable and my doctor is happy,” Laura said.

“I will certainly be looking to be ready to campaign next season with my sights on the World Championships, as I have two great horses at the moment who are just coming into their prime,” she added, referring to the 11-year-old Bordeaux mare Betty, and the 11-year-old Vivaldi son Fallatijn, whom she also competes at top level. Laura is set to ride both horses at the CDI3* in Deauville, France, this weekend.

Continues below…

Laura Tomlinson and daughter Annalisa (Image credit: www.sarahfarnsworth.co.uk)

Laura Tomlinson: ‘I want to show my girls that you can be a very present mum and be at the top of your game at the same time’

Laura reveals how she juggles being a mother and competing at the top of her sport

(Image credit: www.sarahfarnsworth.co.uk)

Legends of the sport: Mistral Højris — ‘Competing was something he was always doing for me — he had to learn to be a showman’ H&H Plus

(Image credit: www.sarahfarnsworth.co.uk)

Laura and Mark, who married in 2013 and are based in Gloucestershire, already have three children: six-year-old Annalisa, four-year-old Wilfred and two-year-old Hanni.

“Being the fourth of four children I know the joys of being a team and we are so happy to give this to our children. I feel very lucky to have the support around me that makes it possible for me to be the type of mother I want to be and still compete at top level,” said Laura.

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.

Laura Tomlinson: ‘Logistics are threatening our dreams’ H&H Plus

Laura Tomlinson — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 08:00:29 +0000

Laura Tomlinson discusses a timely call-up, and being inspired by family

I thought that I would be talking about having had a frustrating end to my short-lived 2021 campaign.

My top horse, DSP Rose Of Bavaria (Betty), was late to get out competing after a six-month gap, then I went to Compiègne and had two cautious and fairly average rides. There, I was still feeling the fact that we had not been in the ring for so long, and I was taking a moment to trust that all was well with her after she hadn’t been right.

I was ready for my second show before Olympic team selection in Le Mans last week, and excited to show that Betty and I are back to last year’s consistent form.

But then the Delta variant hit hard, and both France and Germany shut their borders to UK travellers, initially without elite athlete exemptions.

I felt deflated but decided that it was out of my hands and I would focus on competing at Vale View Premier League as a good practice run. I just hoped I could get out again internationally in time for European Championships selection.

Then I got the last-minute call that Germany had made exemptions for elite athletes. We had to get our travel paperwork sorted, entries in through the FEI system and PCR tests done in time, but it meant I have been able to ride at another CDI, in Herzlake, before the selectors choose the Olympic team from their longlist.

My head was spinning all day as we prepared, and I geared up for a very different type of competition.

I can safely say that trying to prepare for or plan anything in elite sport at the moment is challenging. There must be many athletes from different sports who have had their dreams snatched away this year, purely due to logistics.

However, I remind myself that these are first world problems. At these times, I am so grateful for my family and the invaluable perspective that they help provide.

Wife, mother and athlete

HAVING read Pammy Hutton’s recent column, I was left questioning myself and comparing the competitor I am now with the one I was pre-children in 2012. My relationship is with the same person, but we now have three children, and without a doubt it has made “coming back” tricky. However, I am no less competitive or ambitious.

I spend my life juggling, which means my ability to delegate and to allow others to help has grown.

That the double Olympic champion rower Helen Glover has made it back on the

British Olympic team this year after having three children is beyond inspiring. She is doing it for mums all over, and for her children. I know how she feels.

As a parent, you’re not only doing it for yourself, but also to make all those tough times worth it, and to show your daughters that, as women, it is possible to have it all.

I don’t know yet if I am too late to get on a championship team this year, but I am excited about the horses I have.

Let’s not forget there are the World Championships next year, and the Paris Olympics in just three years. My gosh, I will be doing just as Pammy says: working my behind off to get there without losing who I am as a wife or a mother, but instead allowing those sides of me to bring inspiration, grit, support and a whole lot of love to my armoury.

This exclusive column can also be read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale date 24 June 2021

Nine named as Britain’s nominated dressage entries for Tokyo Olympics

Polly Bryan — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:47:42 +0000

The nine combinations who have been submitted to the FEI as the British Olympic dressage entries have been announced.

British Equestrian and the British Dressage selectors have confirmed that the following pairs will be put forward to the FEI as nominated entries for the Tokyo Games. The four combinations who will travel to Tokyo – a team of three plus an alternate – will be chosen from this list, and will be announced, along with reserves, on 28 June.

Fiona Bigwood with her own and Penny Bigwood’s 13-year-old gelding Hawtins Delicato, groom Heidi Troniseck
Richard Davison with his own 15-year-old gelding Bubblingh, groom Heidi Troniseck
Charlotte Dujardin with Emma and Jill Blundell and Carl Hester’s 12-year-old mare Mount St John Freestyle, groom Alan Davies
Emile Faurie with Theodroa Livanos and his own 14-year-old gelding Dono Di Maggio, groom Victoria Richards
Charlotte (Lottie) Fry with Van Olst Horses and her own 12-year-old stallion Everdale, groom Steven Caley
Carl Hester with Sandra Biddlecombe, Charlotte Dujardin, Lady Anne Evans and his own 12-year-old gelding En Vogue, groom Lucy Scudamore
Gareth Hughes withJudy Firmston-Williams and his own 11-year-old gelding Sintano Van Hof Olympia, groom Steph Hughes
Susan Pape with Harmony Sporthorses and her own 12-year-old stallion Harmony’s Eclectisch, groom Greta Heemsoth
Laura Tomlinson with Ursula Bechtolsheimer and her own 11-year-old mare DSP Rose Of Bavaria, groom Bea Snudden-Burnham

In addition to the nine British Olympic dressage entries, three nominated reserve entries have also been named:

Charlotte Dujardin with Renai Hart, Carl Hester and her own 10-year-old Gio (direct reserve)
Charlotte (Lottie) Fry with Van Olst Horses and her own 13-year-old gelding Dark Legend (direct reserve)
Gareth Hughes with Claudine Kroll, Jessica Kroll, Martin Kroll and his own 12-year-old stallion KK Dominant (non-direct reserve)

Continued below…

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Only those who appear on this list may be put forward for selection for the Tokyo Games

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British Equestrian adds that “selection decisions are subject to the athlete and horse maintaining fitness and performance, and this list may be amended at any point up to 21 June 2021.”

Nominated entries for the para dressage squad for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, to be held in August, will be published on or around 18 June.

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 out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

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.

Best of the rest

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.

Laura Tomlinson: ‘What happened was totally unnecessary’ H&H Plus

Laura Tomlinson — Wed, 26 May 2021 08:00:26 +0000

Laura Tomlinson on paperwork headaches and a late start to the season

SINCE last writing my column, I have travelled to two international competitions with my up-and-coming grand prix horse Fallatjin. The first was in Belgium at the end of April, the second here in the UK. The latter was, of course, far easier, so thank you to all involved in putting on the CDI3* at Wellington earlier this month.

For our trip to Belgium, we had decided to offer Emile Faurie’s horses a lift on the lorry as I only had the one horse travelling. To cut a long story short, my horse arrived in Belgium after over 17 hours of travelling (instead of the intended 11), while Emile’s were left in Calais.

Luckily “Finn” arrived at the show still in very good nick, despite having gone from having travelling buddies to then suddenly being on his own, and dealing with an abnormally long journey – thank you to my very diligent groom.

Gareth Hughes had smugly left ahead of us and, on arrival, he jokingly said to me, “That’s one way to get rid of the competition.” Very true Gareth!

Poor Emile, whose paperwork was all correct, was forced to miss out on his first CDI of the season, and also had the headache of having to have his horses picked up from Calais while my horse was also made to wait for seven hours.

This was all because the border control staff in Folkestone pulled out the wrong paper from Emile’s horses’ carnets, and the French on the other side would not accept anything, no matter what was sent electronically.

I know a lot has been said on this matter already, but I must say that for the sake of the horses and the poor grooms travelling with them, I do hope that these border issues are resolved soon.

There was nothing resembling “horse welfare” in the way our horses were dealt with in Calais, especially considering all of them still had a long way to travel, whether to Belgium or back home.

They were the right horses with the correct paperwork, and what happened was totally unnecessary. But it was great that Emile went on to have a very good show at Wellington.

Spectacular – with a side of over-enthusiasm

FINN has benefited from some great experiences in the ring, though he will need a few more before settling fully and being relaxed enough to show his full potential.

A few comments from the judges on my sheet from Wellington read “over exaggerated”, which I took to mean “spectacular” – just with a portion too much enthusiasm! Finn does feel remarkably like a young, bouncy Mistral Højris, my Olympic medallist, and I am very excited about him.

In the meantime, I am also delighted that I will finally start my campaign for this year with my top horse, Rose Of Bavaria. Unfortunately, she has had some major delays; just as we started to come out of lockdown we decided to give the horses EHV vaccines, due to the equine herpes outbreak in Europe, but “Betty” was not well after the second.

It’s been frustrating watching everyone else finally getting out and about, while I have had to be patient (not my strong point). But finally we are fit and will be travelling out to Compiègne in France this week, hopefully with a smoother journey than we had to Belgium. Emile is travelling to Compiègne too, but we will try our luck separately this time.

You can also read this report in the 27 May issue of Horse & Hound magazine.

Laura Tomlinson: ‘We owe much to our female trailblazers’ H&H Plus

Laura Tomlinson — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 14:00:28 +0000

Laura Tomlinson reflects on the life of Prince Philip, and gender equality

FIRSTLY I would like to add my heartfelt condolences to the royal family, and pay a small tribute of my own to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. What a life he led and what a legacy he has left behind, in the equestrian community and other spheres.

As a keen sportsman and equestrian himself, he excelled on the polo field and later in carriage driving, which he helped turn into a competitive discipline in itself.

As president of the FEI he helped create the World Equestrian Games (WEG), and I can vouch for what a phenomenal event the WEG is to be a part of. He also devised the Prince Philip Cup games. Mounted games is a discipline I never took part in as a child, but I have always watched it with complete awe.

My mother-in-law, Claire Tomlinson, was a great competitor in the Prince Philip Cup, and she was adamant that the skills she learnt from doing mounted games gave her the edge on the polo field later in life. Indeed, she became the highest-rated female polo player to date, with a five-goal handicap, and paved the way for more female sporting legends to come.

FEMALE SUCCESS

I FEEL that female success in sport is a particularly timely topic, as we have recently seen a woman crowned winner of the famous Grand National for the first time. Rachael Blackmore made history at Aintree earlier this month, having already had a hugely successful season. I admit the tears rolled down my face as I watched her post-race interviews.

In an era of much debate around equal pay and opportunity for women, I am proud of the equestrian community and the fact that horse sport is one of the few sports in which men and women compete directly against each other on equal terms.

We still have some way to go in many other aspects of sporting and workplace equality, but I must say, sometimes it’s nice to look back and be proud of where we have come from, and what has been achieved by some of these trailblazing women.

I enjoyed a recent feature in H&H’s Legends series on High And Mighty, who put Sheila Willcox on the map. Sheila was one of the first ladies to win Badminton Horse Trials, and did so three years in a row in the late 1950s.

I remember her telling me a story, when I was a little girl, of her being asked to give up her top ride for one of the male team riders of the time to compete at the Olympics, because eventing at the Olympics was for men only back then.

As a child, I remember being outraged at the idea of being asked to give my pony to someone else just because I was a girl.

Having grown up as the younger sister of three boys, I was always determined to be able to do everything they could do and more, but now as a mother I realise what a privilege it is to be alive in an era when I can take for granted the fact that I can compete my horses and measure myself against the best, both male and female.

I can choose to be a mother and have a career, to be ambitious and not be condemned for it. Stories like Rachael Blackmore’s make me feel lucky and proud and motivated.

I am sure Prince Philip would have been utterly thrilled to witness such an occasion, too.

●What childhood experiences helped shape you as a rider? Who are your female equestrian role models? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com

This report can also be read in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 29 April

Laura Tomlinson: ‘Ring rustiness is a reality for us all’ H&H Plus

Laura Tomlinson — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 08:00:58 +0000

Laura Tomlinson on preparing mentally for the restart of competitions

WITH the amount of coverage the topics of Brexit and coronavirus have had recently, and their impact on competing, I want to focus my column on getting back to competition from a more practical standpoint. Those readers who have had children will understand a little more about coming back from a competition break, though of course, in very different circumstances to those in which we now find ourselves.

This time, for most people we are not talking about a physical comeback, but more of a mental comeback for both riders and horses. It is easy to underestimate how our horses might feel when they are first brought back out again after a long break from competing.

I know from my own experiences after having children how easy it is to assume that once fit and in training, you are good to go but, actually, it’s hard to make up for lack of competition practice. “Ring rustiness” is a reality for any competitor at any level. So how best to mitigate this lack of recent arena experience that we are all suffering from?

For me, a big part of test preparation is visualisation. I “ride” through my test in my head every evening as I go to bed – meaning I have “ridden” the test on each horse far more times than I could in reality. And I don’t just mean reciting the movements in order so I don’t go wrong; I “ride” every corner and the preparation for every movement as though I were in the arena on that particular horse.

I also practise the whole test or parts of the test more when preparing to compete, so I know what to expect from my horse in different sections. For example, where does he need more support or better preparation?

Create a routine

THE better prepared we are, the more confident we can be. Get yourself back into planning a competition routine, and work out what you need to have with you for both yourself and your horse. A last-minute panic trying to find show kit that has been buried in the back of a cupboard for the past six months does not make for a relaxing competition morning.

Try to fuel yourself as cleverly as you might fuel your horse in a sensible time frame according to your test and warm-up time. Remember that a horse who may have been nice and settled the last time you competed might take a little more time at the first couple of shows after a long break, so bear that in mind with your feeding regime both prior to, and on the day of, competition.

I often recommend a good gut balancer and antacid for horses on days of travel and competition to help avoid the danger of developing ulcers. I find that feeding hay up to half an hour before you get on can be a great way of keeping a horse and their stomach settled, but of course, not all horses are relaxed enough to eat when they get somewhere new and exciting, which is why an antacid can be a good idea in some cases.

For the love of horses

IT is an exciting prospect to be so close to competing again, but I know many riders will be feeling stressed and nervous as well, and their horses will be feeding off that too.

It is so important to remember that we do this for the journey and the love of our animals and that it is a privilege to be able to compete with such a powerful partner.

So get yourself as well prepared as possible, then just try to have fun and maintain a large dose of humour – I guarantee that even if the first few shows go belly-up, you will not be the only one!

This exclusive column is also available to read in this Thursday’s H&H magazine (1 April, 2021)

Laura Tomlinson: Will foreign competitors return to the UK? H&H Plus

Laura Tomlinson — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 12:00:03 +0000

Laura Tomlinson on Brexit problems and whether Tokyo should go ahead

With Brexit now a reality, travelling horses to compete in Europe has become an expensive, severe pain, with ridiculous hoops to be jumped through. British Equestrian has estimated that travel costs have increased by 220 to 320% depending on whether you use the Eurotunnel or the ferry.

The journey time to Europe is also hard to plan at the moment as it depends how quickly one gets through the multiple checks. One has to plan far ahead as horses’ bloods need checking in advance and the paperwork needed seems to require a diploma in itself. There have also been issues with taking feed and bedding abroad if the relevant paperwork was not provided.

I cannot see how riders from other European countries will be enticed to make the hop over the Channel to the UK nowadays; it was hard enough to lure them over to compete here before Brexit. There are so many wonderful competitions in Europe that the extra time, cost and effort required just wouldn’t be worth it for them.

With the March CDI3* at Keysoe sadly cancelled, I have little choice but to go over to Europe if I want to stand a chance of impressing the selectors in time for team selection this year. We have now received some provisional dates for exiting the various stages of lockdown in the UK, but as we learnt last year, we never know when the next lockdown is around the corner, so it seems we must make hay while the sun is shining. It is, however, quite an undertaking, and I must admit I still have no idea what Brexit is meant to have brought us – but don’t worry, I won’t reopen that debate!

A no-win situation

While the Brexit dilemma and lockdown is making competing internationally and at home hard right now, it is difficult to imagine how the Olympic Games can be set to go full steam ahead this July.

Of course, for Japan, it is a no-win situation. They have everything ready and have spent a fortune on what was meant to be the most incredible Games, but they also have a city of people in Tokyo, who understandably do not want to be overrun by foreigners in the midst of a global pandemic.

I don’t think vaccinations will or can be made compulsory for the Games, because many countries are unlikely to have covered their vulnerable population by then, and one certainly cannot justify Olympic athletes jumping the queue. Can an Olympic Games really be justified in these times? Conversely, is the Olympics exactly what we need at the moment? Hindsight would be a wonderful thing.

If the Games do go ahead, it will have to be on a much smaller scale, with less entourage and personnel, no live spectators, many masks and a lot of hand sanitiser.

Empty stadiums will be a strange anti-climax for many athletes, although I’m sure anyone competing for their country in Tokyo will be trying to focus on how lucky they are, rather than what’s missing.

The lack of atmosphere would help some and hinder others, but these times are testing everyone’s resilience and adaptability, so why should it be any different for athletes?

On a more positive note, here at home my team and I have decided not to wait and

to put on our own “in-house” competition, with horses across all levels. We will have good prizes and even a “booby prize” for the most entertaining “mishap”! We will plait up and wear our competition gear, and I’m certain that my husband Mark and our three children will provide plenty of “atmosphere”.

Also published in H&H 4 March 2021

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How to stop your horse rushing — and other training gems from Laura Tomlinson

Polly Bryan — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 16:24:48 +0000

Who better to look to for training tips than Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson? From helping prevent your horse rushing to building a stronger bond, we share some of her invaluable training advice…

Laura Tomlinson training tips

How can I establish a better bond with my horse?

“Be sympathetic and supportive when your horse is nervous or stressed and listen to him,” says Laura. “Trust is built when a horse knows you won’t ask more of them than they can give, but you enable them to be able to give more by training them well. Encourage good outcomes with praise, and treat bad outcomes with thought, not reprimand.

“Gain positive experiences with your horse by having fun outside of your training: ground work, hacking, going for a canter or gallop, or polework.”

How do I make a horse quicker to my aids?

“Be quick yourself,” advises Laura. “Use a quick half-halt, quick release, with quick legs, not a dull, constant press that the horse can lean against or become numb to. Quick fire transitions also help your horse think faster and start to become more responsve.”

How can I prevent my horse rushing?

“Ride squares – keep bringing your horse back in each corner with a little inside bend and hold the horse to slow down. As you come out of the corner give with your hands, and repeat in the next corner. Your horse should start to wait and listen, and you can give more in between as you know your next corner is coming,” says Laura.

“Teach your horse to listen to your seat and keep your leg on so he is genuinely through and engaged.”

What can I do to improve my horse’s medium work?

“Ride out of a corner collected, compress some energy and then on the long side gradually release it, while ‘lifting’ the horse in front and pushing your shoulders away from your hands to create space for the withers to come up,” says Laura. “Push your horse into a strong, steady contact to give him balance while allowing the neck to take a couple of inches of length.

“Just go for 15-20m at first, then re-balance and go again. Aim for quality of steps, not quantity, and build up how long you and your horse can hold a bigger extension without running and losing balance.”

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Laura Tomlinson: ‘I want to show my girls that you can be a very present mum and be at the top of your game at the same time’

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How can I improve my seat to appear more still in the saddle?

“This comes from the movement being absorbed by your body, so you are moving with the horse and therefore look still and in harmony,” explains Laura. “Your hips and pelvis absorb the movement of your horse’s back and your hands absorb the movement in front.

“Don’t focus on sitting like a statue as this can make you rigid and tense. Think about going with the flow and absorbing the movement of the horse so it’s comfortable for you and for him.”

What is the best way to help my horse relax when he is very fresh?

“Stick to a system; horses like routine as it makes them feel secure,” advises Laura first of all. “Find ways to get your horse’s attention in a positive way, so there is less time for spooking or being silly, such as a bit of lateral work or transitions – things that help to relax the back so the tension and silliness doesn’t become a vicious cycle.

“Make sure you still ride forwards; fresh horses tend to get worse if they feel held back.”

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.

Laura Tomlinson: ‘I want to show my girls that you can be a very present mum and be at the top of your game at the same time’

Gemma Redrup — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 12:24:22 +0000

Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson isn’t only continuing to compete at grand prix level, almost nine years after the 2012 London Olympic Games, but she is also now a mum of three young children.

While speaking to H&H dressage editor Polly Bryan in this week’s episode of the Horse & Hound Podcast, Laura reveals how she juggles being a mother and competing at the top of her sport.

“Three is definitely too many children,” Laura jokes. “No, it’s really fun and it brings other things to my life that I wouldn’t change for anything. For sure there are times when having children makes re-establishing my career more challenging, but that’s something I’ve chosen and it’s something I have to live with.”

Laura then explains how she is trying to set an example to her two daughters too.

“I want to show my girls that you can have it all — that you can be a very present mum and be at the top of your game at the same time. It might take a little bit longer and it might be pretty exhausting at times, but it’s still do-able.”

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When it comes to switching her attentions between children and her riding career, Laura says that she is “lucky”.

“I’ve always been someone who can compartmentalise quite well,” she explains. “So I can be mid-maths homeschooling one second and the next, I’ll whizz down to the yard, put my boots and hat on, get on my horse and I’ll be in the zone for that.

“Riding horses is almost like a meditative thing for me — it’s a moment to myself and my moment where I can zone out from everything else that is going on and just focus on what I’m doing on that particular horse. It’s a break from the other part of my life and vice versa — it works, because it has to!”

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The Horse & Hound Podcast 34: Laura Tomlinson | Anxiety in horses | News round-up

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 06:45:18 +0000

In our 34th weekly episode of the first series of The Horse & Hound Podcast, British Olympic medal-winning dressage rider Laura Tomlinson talks to H&H dressage editor Polly Bryan, where they discuss how she manages to juggle family life with being an elite sportswoman, among other topics. Moving on to the week’s top news stories, our news team join our host Pippa to discuss Brexit, rare breeds that are in danger and pony deaths on the New Forest’s roads. We also welcome back equine trainer Jason Webb, who talks about anxiety in horses and suggests, if your horse is feeling worried, why that might be the case. We hope you will find it useful.

Episode 34 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, our popular audio service available exclusively every Thursday morning for our H&H Plus subscribers, is now live.

Each episode is available for all H&H fans to listen to 24hrs after its early release to our H&H Plus members. Search for “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your preferred podcast app and click subscribe to be notified about each new episode. This will allow more listeners to make The Horse & Hound Podcast an essential part of their week on Friday morning.

View all episodes of The Horse & Hound Podcast

In episode 34, British Olympic medal-winning dressage rider Laura Tomlinson talks to H&H dressage editor Polly Bryan about juggling family life with being a top sportswoman, among other topics.

“I think it’s too easy to focus on the life you might have had before you had kids, but I think you have to focus on finding strategies and on the things you can do, rather than on what you can no longer do once you’ve had children” – Laura Tomlinson on how she powers on mentally, even though she has three children to think about too

H&H podcast host Pippa Roome is joined by H&H news editor Eleanor Jones and news writer Becky Murray to discuss Brexit, rare breeds that are in danger and pony deaths on the New Forest’s roads.

“Drivers need to think of the 40mph speed limit as a limit and not a target” – Becky Murray on horse deaths on New Forest roads

In this week’s advice section we hear from horse trainer Jason Webb, who specialises in starting your horses and retraining those with problems. Jason talks about anxiety in horses and suggests, if your horse is feeling worried, why that might be the case.

“Horses can become anxious through contact, so if you’re holding onto your horse too tightly, they will feel claustrophobic and trapped” – Jason Webb

We hope you will enjoy our latest episode and would love to hear your feedback, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com

H&H Plus podcast: episode 34

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DSP Rose Of Bavaria — meet Laura Tomlinson’s ‘future podium and workaholic’ grand prix ride H&H Plus

Polly Bryan — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Laura Tomlinson’s stunning mare turned plenty of heads at the 2020 National Grand Prix Championships. Polly Bryan hears more about her

Need to know

DSP Rose Of Bavaria

Age: 11

Breeding: Bordeaux x Florestan I

Studbook: DSP (BAVAR)

Breeders: Rainer and Heidi Heuschmann

Rider: Laura Tomlinson

Owners: rider and Ursula Bechtolsheimer

Greatest achievements: winner, grand prix special at Le Mans CDI3* February 2020; fourth with 75.46% in the grand prix, fifth with 79.95% in freestyle at National Grand Prix Championships, December 2020

Rider Laura Tomlinson

“‘Betty’ is a real one-person horse, but we understand each other – with her I have something I didn’t think I would have again with a horse after Alf [Laura’s Olympic gold medallist Mistral Højris]. She is a workaholic, so she has to trust her rider as she puts 110% into everything every day. And if you were to take advantage of this, it wouldn’t go well – you have to know when to back off with her, as she never will.

“Her collected work is phenomenal and it probably looks even more impressive because of her size – she is 1.80m [nearly 18hh]. She has a great piaffe and pirouettes, but her biggest strength is that she doesn’t make mistakes. We were at a test riding event recently and a tractor went off with a huge bang next door just as we were riding our extended trot down the long side in the grand prix special, but she didn’t react. She is very sensitive, though – I ride her in tiny spurs and almost never carry a whip.

“The only thing that has held her back slightly is that she can be a little difficult in the mouth – you don’t notice it on top, but when she gets tense she can look a little messy in the contact and it disturbs the picture. But as this improves, I think her scores will be limitless – I’d say she’s a podium horse.

“It’s a work in progress and to be honest, if her mouth was perfect, it would almost be too easy – I’d feel like we were cheating!”

Groom Bea Snudden Burnham

“Betty is pretty easy to work with; she is sensitive, but not overly mare-ish. And she is incredibly clever — she is always two thoughts in front of you. At competitions, she is a dream to do — so polite and willing, and dead cuddly, too.

“In the ring, she is unreal to watch as she is so powerful and athletic, so you don’t think ‘Wow, look at her legs.’ You think, ‘Wow, look at her whole body.’

“She does have a real phobia of water, though, and hates walking through it. If we are out hacking and there is a puddle half a mile away, Betty knows about it! But when she goes into the arena, she is so focused and doesn’t bat an eyelid.

“We went to a World Class training day at Hartpury in 2020 and it was such a wet day that Laura was pouring inches of water out of her boots afterwards, but Betty still gave it everything in the ring. She will do anything for Laura.”

Judge Stephen Clarke

“I judged Rose Of Bavaria athe the National Grand Prix Championships in December, and I think this mare is such a wonderful horse, I really do.

“She has so much power and athleticism and there is nothing she can’t do when it comes to the grand prix work. She has plenty of ability for all the exercises, especially the pirouettes.

“She has a lot of enthusiasm, and it is this enthusiasm to go that sometimes brings her a little bit against the rider’s hand, which does produce some contact issues that draws the eye. But Laura is well aware of this and it is a work in progress.

“To me, once the horse’s balance and self-carriage becomes more established, there’ll be some high scores waiting in the wings for her.

“It’s exciting and I wish them good luck.”

Ref: 21 January 2021

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Laura Tomlinson — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 15:00:49 +0000

Laura Tomlinson discusses positive January goal-setting amid the gloom

Happy new year first and foremost, although with the Covid-19 pandemic dragging on and, with us now back in lockdown, the first week of the year has lost a little of its usual magic. Certainly, the prospect of “dry January”, “Veganuary” or “sugar free” January are all looking rather bleak and uninspiring amid another lockdown.

I spent Christmas and new year without any of my Bechtolsheimer family for the first time ever. It was very strange, although I did have the chance to enjoy being at home with my husband and our children, with everything being just about us. I have never really been at home but not ridden any horses, so that felt strange, too, but it was also quite nice just to reboot.

I must thank LeMieux, Hartpury and British Dressage for putting on very successful national championships for grand prix riders just before Christmas, and Horse & Country TV for live-streaming it. Although it was rather difficult timing-wise for me as a mother of three to focus on riding at a championship just a couple of days before Christmas, it was hugely appreciated.

The feeling among many of us there – chatting from a two-metre distance behind face masks – was, wouldn’t it be fantastic if this was to become an annual event? It would be wonderful to have a chance for all the elite British riders to compete for this title each year, rather than just those who didn’t go to that year’s international championship.

I also bid farewell to my top hat with my last ride at Hartpury. It feels strange that I will now only ever compete in a hard hat. The traditional side of me does feel a little sad that I will not have the choice to wear a top hat at grand prix level on horses I believe are safe to ride in one. But in the spirit of moving with the times, it is a picture we are all going to have to get used to.

Plans A, B and C

As I write this column, I have started riding again, but just giving each horse a leg-stretch rather than training properly. I always find that after a short period of not training, I get back to the point where I think a lot about what I want to do and not do when I start again.

Which habits can I break with a fresh start and which habits do I want to consolidate? How am I going to approach another season of uncertainty, not only due to Covid but also Brexit? It’s finally here and travelling horses abroad for the first time in 2021 will be a little nerve-racking, as we see whether things really will continue smoothly or not.

I won’t be travelling abroad for any competitions until February at the earliest, but with all the current uncertainty it is important to make contingency plans and create a plan A, B and C for this year.

Regardless of the level at which we ride, we like to know what we are aiming for and then what we need to do to get there. This knowledge is not a luxury afforded to us in the current climate, so we need to find different types of goals and choose a few variable paths with different outcomes that can be considered an achievement, even if our initial “goal A” is not an option this year.

It is easy to feel frustrated that we are heading into a second year of this, but I would say that it is more productive to accept the things we cannot change and try to manage those that we can control.

Battling the elements

I have once again felt blessed over the past week to have my indoor school during this frosty weather. For those who are battling with the elements on top of everything else, be safe and remember to adapt feeds according to the amount of exercise your horse is getting – and be careful getting back on board when exercise has been limited. Even here where the horses have still been doing a bit over the holiday period, they are all feeling very fresh and keen to show some airs above the ground.

My advice for January 2021 is to be kind to yourself and don’t expect too much from yourself too quickly. Set sensible goals that don’t end up making you feel more disappointed.

It’s OK to tread water for a bit – that in itself, in these times, should actually be considered an achievement.

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Legends of the sport: Mistral Højris — ‘Competing was something he was always doing for me — he had to learn to be a showman’ H&H Plus

Polly Bryan — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 15:00:48 +0000

Naturally blessed with athleticism and presence, the striking Michellino gelding overcame stage fright with the help of Laura Tomlinson to join the top flight and take his place in British dressage history. Polly Bryan charts his story

When a 19-year-old Laura Bechtolsheimer (now Tomlinson) first sat on an imposing nine-year-old chestnut gelding in Denmark, she instantly knew he was special. What she couldn’t have known, back then, was the impact that Mistral Højris would have, not just on her own career, but on British dressage as a whole.

The sport has seen remarkable transformation over the past 12 years, its British riders rising from middle ranking also-rans to the very best in the world. The great Valegro is widely credited as the catalyst for this success, but in fact it was Laura and Mistral Højris – known as Alf – who played a major part in setting the wheels in motion.

Between 2008 and 2012, Laura and Alf won four championship team medals and five individual medals, their greatest triumph coming at the London Olympics as they helped Britain to a euphoric gold, then went on to claim individual bronze with a scintillating freestyle. But despite Alf’s early promise, there were plenty of moments during the first few years of his and Laura’s partnership when many wondered whether Alf would ever come up with the goods.

“Alf was a real live wire, a bit of a loose cannon,” says Laura, adding that she feels her youth and naivety at the time actually helped her develop a bond with the Michellino gelding.

“I think that had I known more or been a better rider back then it may not have played to his favour. During the first year we had him, my dad [the late Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer] received a few calls from people asking why he would buy his daughter such a dangerous horse. It was true that Alf bolted frequently in those days, and once fell over on the drive with me, but he was misunderstood, not malicious.

“The problem was that he lost his head if he got a fright, and then scared himself with his reaction. We got him through that by not trying to stop him when he bolted, so he didn’t get another fright on top of the first one. I’d pat him and just try to slow him down gradually.”

The pair made their senior international debut in 2007, and despite Alf’s difficulties, proved themselves as ones to watch on the grand prix circuit, finishing that year as runners-up behind Anky van Grunsven and Salinero at Olympia.

The following year they were selected alongside Emma Hindle and Jane Gregory for the Beijing Olympics, where the British team finished fifth. However, it was a disappointing individual result for Laura when Alf “had an absolute meltdown” when he saw himself on the giant screen.

But by 2009, Alf’s mishaps had been largely confined to prize-givings as the big gelding gradually learnt to cope with the crowds and noise that were inevitable at big shows, and take confidence from his rider.

A string of impressive results around Europe saw them selected for the European Championships on home soil at Windsor, alongside Carl Hester, Emma Hindle and Maria Eilberg, and it was there that the pair made history. With Alf, 24-year-old Laura, the youngest member of the team, led Britain to silver with the highest mark a British rider had ever achieved in an international grand prix.

A day later they returned to the arena to scoop individual bronze. Suddenly, a British rider was sharing podiums with the likes of Edward Gal and Adelinde Cornelissen, and so a new era of British dressage was born.

“2009 was when Alf went from being the most volatile horse around to one of the most consistent,” remembers Laura. “It was also when we started to break through the barrier to the higher marks, which had taken a long time, and a lot of good rides.

We were considered good ‘for a Brit’, and we had to plug away for a long time to get the really good marks. But all the while Alf was becoming a team ‘banker’, which no one would have thought!”

As the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Kentucky approached, the dressage world had succumbed to Totilas fever, as the Dutch stallion continued to dominate. But, with chunky scores now coming thick and fast, Alf and Laura were constantly snapping at the heels of Totilas and Edward Gal.

Three top class tests in Kentucky landed them a trio of silver medals, with their personal best of 82.51% in the grand prix, just 1.5% off Totilas’ score.

“Pivotal to Britain’s result was Laura Bechtolsheimer on her own and her parents’ 15-year-old Michellino gelding Mistral Højris,” wrote Horse & Hound’s then dressage editor Sarah Jenkins. “Riding an expressive yet relaxed test, she delivered a personal best of 82.51% – a test that surpassed expectations and caused euphoria in the British camp. Chef d’equipe Richard Waygood said: ‘We are all hugely proud of Laura making history here’.”

Laura herself recalls: “Kentucky was a really awesome week for us. After our grand prix I was a WEG record holder for a few minutes – and then Totilas went in.

“Alf and I were always number two in the rankings, first behind Totilas, then Valegro, but it was all about the journey with Alf. We got kicked out of so many prize-givings and warm-ups earlier in our career, so being able to take a hand off the reins in a prize-giving was almost as big a moment as winning a medal for me.

“When Alf did a really fantastic performance it meant so much because I knew how hard he found it. He always loved being the star at home and he enjoyed his work, but he would have happily done it without the crowds and the noise it brought. Competing was something he was always doing for me; the work and the athleticism came naturally to him, but he had to learn to be a showman.”

What Alf may have lacked in bravery, he more than made up for in ability, and willingness. He had no real technical weaknesses, and his ability to sit and execute breathtaking piaffe, passage and pirouettes was widely admired. The fact that he is large and striking, only added to his spectacle.

“He has freakishly good athleticism and was a real powerhouse,” agrees Laura. “He always wanted to work; my dad used to say that if he was a dog he would always be wagging his tail with enthusiasm. Even at the London Olympics in 2012, aged 17, he was full of energy, shaking his head and wanting to get

on with it.”

London 2012, Alf’s final championship, certainly had a fairytale air about it – and the images of Laura punching the air as the tears rolled down her face at the end of their bronze-medal winning freestyle became iconic. Alf and Laura had produced slightly below-par grand prix and special performances – they still finished seventh and fifth respectively, but with scores below their plus-80% best – and Laura had lost hope of a podium spot in the freestyle, which was not typically Alf’s forte in the days before noise-reducing ear bonnets.

“I said to my dad on the last day in London that although I was of course very happy to have won the team gold, I was a little disappointed from a personal point of view that we hadn’t done our best tests – they were not our tidiest and Alf had got a little distracted. I thought that there was no chance we could get up into the top three in the freestyle. But Dad told me that there was still all to play for, that we had nothing to lose.

“And Alf went into that arena, took a deep breath, and gave me the ride of his career. I was very emotional at the final halt, because he had let me in and nailed what he could do, and that was what mattered the most to me.”

It’s never easy making the decision to retire a top horse, especially one on such form at the age of 18 as Alf was in 2013 – sweeping the board at Hagen CDI4* with double victory.

But after a slight injury forced Laura to pull out of the European Championships in Denmark, the decision was made to let him bow out at the top, with an emotional retirement ceremony at Olympia that year.

“I was a bit worried about retiring him,” admits Laura. “He was never going to be a schoolmaster and I was the only one who would hack him, and I was pregnant by then. But actually, being fully retired meant he really did switch off, and he took to going out really well.

“He’s still out in the field with Andretti [Laura’s other former international ride], and they have a happy, grumpy relationship. He’s still the same wonderful character.”

“I feel as though he trained me”

“There was something so special about Alf, whom I nicknamed Squidge,” says Tracy Cox, Mistral Højris’s groom from 2010 to 2013. “I feel as though he trained me – he made me a better groom. It took me a little while to get to know him and for him to trust me, but he is a horse you would go the extra mile for; I always did and I loved doing it.

“He had a huge personality, but was a little scaredy-cat too, and was known for his fear of prize-givings. He was a fabulous horse to travel with, but sometimes he wouldn’t eat at shows – he tended to internalise his fear, and we had to become chefs to work out what he might like to eat. But he started to come out of himself more after the 2010 WEG and that was wonderful.

“I’ve never seen a horse who loved his people so much. He never used to stand with his head over the stable door, but preferred to stay back – he liked his quiet time. But whenever Dr B or Laura came onto the yard you’d see his nose just creep over the door, and that was so telling. I’ve never forgotten that.

“To watch his progress in the sport was just amazing, and I still cry whenever I hear his Lion King freestyle music. What he did for British dressage was very special.”

Carl Hester on Mistral Højris

“Mistral Højris did for British dressage what Valegro then came on the scene and continued to do. He and Laura got to the stage where, as their team-mate, you could rely on them bringing in a big score. To achieve a team medal you have to have three great horses, and Alf, Uthopia and Valegro were three of the very best horses in the world – how lucky we were to have them all on a team at the same time. Each brought something unique and brilliant to the team.

“Alf was such an exciting horse to watch – he had size, power, presence and the ability to make the most difficult movements in dressage look easy. His piaffe and passage in particular had the wow factor.

“His era was a very exciting time.”

Medals timeline

2009 European Championships, Windsor – team silver, individual bronze

2010 World Equestrian Games, Kentucky – team silver, double individual silver

2011 European Championships, Rotterdam – team gold, individual bronze

2012 Olympic Games, London – team gold, individual bronze

Ref: Horse & Hound; 24 December 2020

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‘She’s a podium horse’: meet Laura Tomlinson’s latest grand prix ride

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Charlotte Dujardin crowned British national champion for 2020 H&H Plus

Polly Bryan — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 17:26:24 +0000

The judges at Hartpury were treated to top-class dressage as the riders competed for the title of 2020 British national champion – with Charlotte claiming the top two places on the podium

Charlotte Dujardin produced two outstanding performances on Emma Blundell’s Mount St John Freestyle at the LeMieux National Grand Prix Championships this week, to take the title of British national champion for 2020.

Charlotte, who last won this title in 2015 on Barolo, kicked off her campaign in style with a plus-83% grand prix test on the 11-year-old Fidermark mare, on Monday evening (21 December). A day later, she pulled off a stunning freestyle to earn 90.2% – the combination’s highest score to date and Charlotte’s first plus-90% score since Valegro. A total of 173.24 across her two tests was enough to secure the national champion title.

Their test was wonderful to watch, with highlights coming thick and fast, set to a Frozen inspired soundtrack by Tom Hunt. Had there been an audience at this behind-closed-doors event, Freestyle’s huge extensions and 19 punchy one-time changes up the centre line would surely have drawn gasps. Their performance was not totally flawless however, with the powerful mare losing a touch of balance at times.

“I watched my grand prix test back from yesterday and I thought I had ridden it slightly on the safe side,” Charlotte told H&H. “So today I wanted to up it and go for a bit more.

However, Charlotte admitted that she was short on match practice: “I haven’t ridden that freestyle since Amsterdam CDIW at the start of this year [where they scored 89.5%]. Because I had just done Pumpkin’s music I actually started in the wrong place for Freestyle’s so I was behind the music, and the whole time I was trying to catch up. That’ll teach me for not practising it,” she said.

Charlotte lands reserve national champion too

Charlotte was also runner-up in both tests and the overall competition riding her own and Renai Hart’s nine-year-old Apache gelding Gio, known at home as Pumpkin. They received 79.1% for their grand prix and followed it up with a massive personal best of 88.05% in the freestyle, at what was only Pumpkin’s third official competition at grand prix level, and the second time he has ever performed a grand prix freestyle.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The compact 16hh gelding had held his breath slightly in the somewhat eerie atmosphere of the grand prix, but looked more relaxed in his freestyle, set to Valegro’s old music. His half-passes and collected work are real highlights, with his bouncy passage looking as though it could go on forever.

“He was like a different horse to ride today,” said Charlotte. “He was phenomenal. He is always looking at something, but he has a heart of gold and he tries so hard. He’s only nine years old, so to go in there and deliver tests like that – I’m over the moon.”

Carl Hester completed the podium, finishing third in both tests with the Charlotte Dujardin-owned En Vogue. Carl took over the reins earlier this year and has spent 2020 getting to know the hot 11-year-old Jazz son. Here, they posted their best scores to date: 77.1% in the grand prix and 86.47% in the freestyle. It was the first time Carl has ridden a grand prix freestyle on this horse, and he used Uthopia’s programme from the 2011 Europeans.

“En Vogue is an absolute powerhouse; he has medals written all over him. When I’m riding him, it all feels like 10s in my head and horses don’t feel like that very often,” Carl, whose idea this show was, told H&H.

“It’s a godsend that we had something to cheer up the mood this close to Christmas. It’s the first show we have had this year with a good bit of pressure. Thank you to Lemieux, British Dressage and Hartpury,” he said.

Sonnar Murray-Brown moved up a place after finishing fifth in the grand prix, to take freestyle fourth and fourth in the overall championship riding Erlentanz. The pair absolutely smashed their personal best to score a whopping 83.57%. The 13-year-old Latimer gelding, who competed very successfully under Charlotte Dujardin in 2019 while Sonnar recovered from a broken leg, was on top form here, performing every movement to a very high standard.

Laura Tomlinson was another whose horse was making their grand prix freestyle debut here. Laura and the 10-year-old Rose Of Bavaria finished fourth in the grand prix with over 75%, and followed it up with a fabulous freestyle – their first together – which scored just a fraction under 80%.

Don’t miss 31 December issue of H&H for a full report from the LeMieux National Grand Prix Championships, plus an exclusive column from Carl Hester.

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.

Charlotte Dujardin makes strong opening bid for national championship title H&H Plus

Polly Bryan — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 20:02:45 +0000

Find out who the main contenders are for the 2020 national grand prix championship title, after an exciting opening day of competition at Hartpury

Charlotte Dujardin claimed a decisive grand prix victory on day one of the LeMieux National Grand Prix Championship at Hartpury today (21 December).

Charlotte and Emma Blundell’s Mount St John Freestyle shot to the top of the leaderboard with 83.04% for their stuning grand prix, only narrowly falling short of their all-time personal best, 83.29%, which they achieved at Keysoe in October this year.

The 11-year-old Fidermark mare, winner of double bronze at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, looked strong and secure in her work, producing her trademark dramatic extensions alongside beautifully forward changes, punchy passage work and tiny pirouettes.

Charlotte is known for her ability to ride world-beating pirouettes, bending her horses around her inside leg like few riders can, and they were definitely a highlight here.

“This year has been fantastic for Freestyle in that I have been able to really train her and get her out to training shows without any pressure,” said Charlotte. “Nothing fazes her now – she really delivers and does the job. It’s very exciting for next year.”

Tomorrow, Charlotte will ride the freestyle programme that earned her almost 90% at last year’s Olympia, in a bid to secure her second national championship, having last won the title in 2015 on Barolo. The champion will be decided from a combination of scores from the grand prix and the freetstyle.

Double shot at national title

Charlotte also claimed second place this evening with her exciting up-and-coming ride Gio. The compact little chestnut gelding is still only nine, but produced some super work, with highlights including marvellous half-passes and clockwork passage. His greenness showed through in parts, with some slight rhythm issues in one piaffe, and some over exuberance in his one-tempi changes, but it was nonetheless a masterful performance that earned 79.1%.

“That was probably the grand prix that he has made the most mistakes in, but despite that I’m really pleased because he has never been in an arena like this before, and it was only his second indoor show,” said Charlotte.

“He has a heart of gold, and he definitely has the cute factor – he always has a smile on his face. This show is great preparation for next year; at the moment it is all about giving him a nice time and getting him confident.”

Carl Hester completed the top three with Charlotte Dujardin’s En Vogue, on his highest score with this horse to date – 77.1%. The 10-time national champion produced a super round with the hot Jazz gelding, who showed off his fantastic scope and athleticism, as well as his ability to sit, with just a couple of blips.

“I had a slightly dodgy left pirouette and a miscommunication on the last centre line, but the good bits felt mega,” Carl, who took over the reins on Vogue in April this year, told H&H. “It’s all a learning curve and I’m looking forward to the freestyle tomorrow.”

In fourth was fellow Olympian Laura Tomlinson riding the mare she hopes will help her return to a championship team, Rose Of Bavaria. Laura and 10-year-old “Betty” were awarded 75.46% for their super round. This very tall mare is supremely elegant, and scopey, but still relatively inexperienced and Laura gave her a lovely confidence-building ride here.

“She’s making really nice progess and is very cool to ride,” said Laura, whose freestyle tomorrow will be the first she has done on Betty. “If anything she was more concentrated than me today – it’s tough being a mum of three doing a competition of this level three days before Christmas! It’s all about fine-tuning our commmunication in the ring now.”

Just behind Laura in fifth was Sonnar Murray-Brown, riding his own 13-year-old Latimer gelding Erlentanz, posting 74.86%. It’s testament to this pair’s talent and the high quality of this horse’s work that they came close to their personal best of 75.5% even with a couple of mistakes, and they are still very much in contention ahead of tomorrow’s freestyle.

Don’t miss 31 December issue of H&H for a full report from the LeMieux National Grand Prix Championships, plus an exclusive column from Carl Hester.

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.

‘She’s a podium horse’: meet Laura Tomlinson’s latest grand prix ride

Polly Bryan — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 12:24:04 +0000

Laura Tomlinson’s current top ride is the 10-year-old mare Rose Of Bavaria, whom Laura is hoping to campaign for British team selection in 2021.

Rose Of Bavaria, known as Betty, was bred in Bavaria by Rainer and Heidi Heuschmann, and is by Bordeaux out of the Florestan mare Rhapsodie. She was competed up to small tour level in Germany by Rudolf Widmann, and the Bechtolsheimer family purchased her in 2018.

“She found the movements pretty easy when she came but she was very lacking the basics and the strength to do with it. But she is coming along very nicely, especially for such a big horse,” said H&H columnist Laura, adding that Betty is around 17.3hh. “I really believe in her; I’d say she is a podium horse.”

Laura competed Betty a couple of times locally in Gloucestershire during 2019, and the pair made their international grand prix debut at Oldenburg CDI4*, Germany, in November 2019. There, they scored plus-70% in both the grand prix and the grand prix special, with top five placings.

The partnership landed their first international win in February 2020, scoring plus-74% to top the grand prix special at the Le Mans CDI3* in France. The pair made two trips to compete in Germany during the summer of 2020, culminating in two plus-74% top 10 finishes at Hagen CDI4* in September.

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Olympic gold medallist Laura is gunning for a return to the British team, and hopes Rose Of Bavaria is the horse who will help her achieve her goal in 2021. The last time Laura rode on a championship team was at the 2012 London Olympics where she and Mistral Hojris helped Britain win team gold and also took individual bronze.

Don’t miss the 24 December issue of Horse & Hound for a full feature charting the memorable career of Laura Tomlinson’s former top horse Mistral Hojris.

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.

‘A wonder horse who changed dressage’: top riders’ tributes to Totilas

Polly Bryan — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:09:51 +0000

Tributes have poured in from across the equestrian community following the death of global dressage star Totilas, at the age of 20.

The Gribaldi son had enormous success under Edward Gal in 2009 and 2010, breaking world records and winning numerous gold medals.

Sharing podiums with Edward and “Toto” on several occasions was Britain’s Laura Tomlinson and Mistral Hojris (Alf), silver medallists at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in 2010 where Totilas scooped a trio of gold medals.

“I was number two to Edward and Totilas for quite a long time – Alf and I even held the WEG grand prix record for about five minutes in Kentucky, until Totilas entered the arena,” said Laura.

“Totilas was a wonder horse who changed the world of dressage. There was so much hype around him, and enormous interest in our sport from other disciplines and from outside the equestrian world too. It was a really fun, exciting time to be at the top of the sport.

“I had a really fun rivalry with Edward, who was a great sport, and the rest of the Dutch team – when they won team gold in 2010 my mum bought them all limoncello, and when we won gold a year later at the Europeans in Rotterdam, the Dutch team had already organised a round of limoncello for us in return,” Laura told H&H.

“The partnership and the silhouette of Edward and Toto became iconic, something those of us lucky enough to see them live will never forget.”

Carl Hester was also a member of the British dressage team who competed against Totilas throughout the horse’s time at the top of the sport.

“How privileged I feel to have seen him live,” Carl told H&H. “And how much we all owe him for his incredible presence and his ability to bring a new audience to the dressage world.”

Charlotte Dujardin, who took over the mantle at the very top of the sport with Valegro in the years following Totilas’ reign, said: “Totilas, you were a dominant horse of our time and will always be remembered. My thoughts and condolences to all that have been involved with this sweet horse and to those who, like myself, are very sad to hear of his passing.”

Many other British riders have shared their favourite memories of Totilas, including para dressage world champion Sophie Wells, who was a sheet collector at the European Championships in 2009, where Totilas became the first horse to ever break the 90% barrier.

Continues below…

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‘My love for you lasts for ever’: Edward Gal pays tribute to wonder horse Totilas

“You honored me with your trust. You were my friend. I will miss you until we meet again”

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Totilas dies aged 20: dressage world mourns loss of global superstar

“We will miss you so much and never forget you”

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“I’m unbelievably grateful to have seen Totilas in the flesh many times, but to have collected his sheets at the Europeans in Windsor in 2009 when I was 19 years old is a clear highlight,” said Sophie. “RIP special boy, you changed dressage.”

The FEI has also paid tribute, posting: “Thank you for the records broken, memories made and the history your hoofbeats created. An out-and-out legend that inspired fans around the world, Totilas will for ever be remembered as one of the greats who changed the sport. Fly high, Toto.”

Don’t miss the current issue of Horse & Hound for a full feature charting the life and career of Totilas, on sale now.

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 brightest stars line up for Christmas championship showdown

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 13:18:45 +0000

Olympia and Liverpool may not be running this year but dressage fans can still get their festive fix this month.

The riders and horses due to take part in the LeMieux National Grand Prix Championships (21-22 December) at Hartpury have been announced. The line-up of Britain’s best riders features six previous national champions as well as partnerships aiming for team places and rising stars of the future.

“The final countdown is on to an extraordinary conclusion to what has been an extraordinary year,” said a British Dressage spokesman.

“The championships will be a celebration for us all to bring a difficult and challenging year to an end, as 30 of Britain’s best combinations battle it out for the coveted LeMieux national champion accolade. We’re really excited to unwrap an early present for you… the rider list!”

Riders and horses in alphabetical order:

Lucy Amy with her own Rudy (bay, gelding, 16.2hh, 11yrs)
Nikki Barker with her own and Viv Gleave’s Durable (bay, stallion, 17.2hh, 12yrs, s. Spielberg)
Nicola Buchanan with her own Half Moon Dark Magic (black, gelding, 17.1hh, 11yrs, s. Dimaggio)
Lara Butler with Ursula Bechtolsheimer and Laura Tomlinson’s Rubin Al Asad (bay, gelding, 17.1hh, 18yrs, Rubin Royal x Wanderbursch II)
Lewis Carrier with his own Diego V (dark bay, gelding, 16.2hh, 12yrs, s. Spielberg)
Kate Cowell with Audrey Lawrence and Christine Richards’ Samba Dancer (chestnut, gelding, 16.1hh, 14yrs, s. Samba Hit II)
Steph Croxford with her own Mr Benn II (black, gelding, 16.1hh, 11yrs)
Liz Dieguits with her own Saskia Hit (bay, mare, 16.3hh, 15yrs, Sandro Hit x Akzent I)
Charlotte Dujardin with Emma Blundell’s Mount St John Freestyle (bay, mare, 16.2hh, 11yrs, Fidermark x Donnerhall) and her own Gio (chestnut, gelding, 16hh, 9ys, Apache x Tango)
Emile Faurie with Theodora Livanos’ Dono di Maggio (chestnut, gelding, 16.2hh, 13yrs, Dimaggio x Santander H)
Paul Friday with Christine Trendell’s Winston Bond (bay, gelding, 16.2hh, 17yrs, s. OOSeven)
Dan Greenwood with Julie Leighton’s Chevalier O (bay, gelding, 16.3hh, 13yrs, Lord Letherdale x Negro)
Alexander Harrison with his own Diamond Hill (chestnut, gelding, 15.2hh, 9yrs, s. Don Diamond)
Carl Hester with Charlotte Dujardin’s En Vogue (dark bay, gelding, 17hh, 11yrs, s. Jazz)
Megan Ingham with Coral Ingham’s Wanadoo (chestnut, gelding, 16.2hh, 19yrs, Wolkenstein II x Cavalier)
Nathalie Kayal with her own DHI Homerun (bay, gelding, 16.2hh, 15yrs, Hochadel x Mooiman)
Lisa Marriott with her own Valucio (bay, gelding, 16hh, 11yrs, s. Va-vite)
Becky Moody with her own and Julie Lockey’s Carinsio (black, gelding, 16.3hh, 13yrs, Painted Black X Beaujolais) and her own Famke PF (bay, gelding, 16.2hh, 10yrs)
Sonnar Murray-Brown with his own Erlentanz (dark brown, gelding, 16.2hh, 13yrs, s. Latimer)
Alice Oppenheimer with Sarah Oppenheimer’s Headmore Davina (chestnut, mare, 16.3hh, 10yrs, Dimaggio x Rubinstein) and Headmore Dirubinio (chestnut, gelding, 17hh, 11yrs, Dimaggio x Rubinstein)
Keith Robertson with his own Boheme Af Sulstead (chestnut, gelding, 17hh, 16yrs, s. Bernstein)
Sadie Smith with her own Keystone Dynamite (chestnut, gelding, 16hh, 13yrs, Dimaggio x Escudo)
Laura Tomlinson with Ursula Bechtolsheimer and her own DSP Rose of Bavaria (black, mare, 16.3hh, 10yrs, Bordeaux x Florestan I)
Hayley Watson-Greaves with her own WG Rubins Night (black, gelding, 16.3hh, 16yrs, Rubin Royal x Limbo)
Amy Woodhead with Emma Blundell’s Mount St John Kom Fairytale (chestnut, mare, 16.2hh, 14yrs, Furst Heinrich x Weltmeyer)
Two more combinations will be announced in the near future.

“The scene is set for this festive extravaganza, and the atmospheric Hartpury international arena will feature Christmas decorations aplenty – but sadly no spectators, as the event will be taking place behind closed doors in accordance with our elite sport protocols,” the BD spokesman said, adding that all the action will be live-streamed free on Horse & Country.”

The Lemieux grand prix takes place on Monday, 21 December from noon, and fans will be able to compare their scores to the experts’ thanks to the Spectator Judging app.

The 15 highest-scoring combinations will take part in the Horse Health freestyle the next day. Coverage starts at 10.45am and the first horse will be in just after 11am. The combination with the highest combined score from the two tests will be named national champion.

Continues below…

(Image credit: PDG-Event Photography)

Dust off your legwarmers: Disco Dressage has arrived

“I think there’s an opportunity for the industry, to offer coaching that’s vibrant and dynamic, and helps people enjoy their

(Image credit: PDG-Event Photography)

Carl Hester wins 10th national champion title: ‘double figures on Nip Tuck is the icing on the cake’

‘He deserves his national title, he’s never had one before and he deserved that for what he has done for

(Image credit: PDG-Event Photography)

“Can Carl secure his 11th title, will it be win number four for Laura, a third crown for Emile or will Charlotte get her name on the role of honour for a second time?” said the spokesman. “Will it be a repeat performance for Hayley Watson-Greaves or Lara Butler? Or maybe a completely new name will find a place in the history books in this unique year. Watch with us for two days of world-class dressage performances to find out!”

LeMieux is also offering prizes worth £1,000 to spectators, in a competition to predict the winning percentage score in the freestyle.

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.

6 times top dressage riders have done things you might not expect

Polly Bryan — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 08:24:16 +0000

The sport of dressage often comes with certain stereotypes, but outside the pristine white boards of the arena, there are plenty of dressage riders getting up to antics you might not expect...

1. An Olympic gold medallist goes hedge-hopping

A break from dressage…Posted by Laura Bechtolsheimer Dressage on Monday, November 30, 2020

Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson has been known to swap the dressage arena for a spot of hedge-hopping recently aboard her trusty hunter Dan. And, perhaps unsurprisingly given that she is married to England polo player Mark Tomlinson, Laura also enjoyed indulging in some polo over the summer, explaining that a change of scene helped her remember what a blessing it is simply to spend time with horses in any capacity.

2. A different type of horsepower

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Gareth Hughes is not quite your typical dressage rider in many ways, having grown up in Australia and having a passion for reining, and this year he tapped into his wild side again by introducing a new ride – this time in the shape of a Harley Davidson motorbike!

3. Combining eventing with dressage – literally

New Challenge ?Alice Oppenheimer Sara-Jane Lanning Nathalie Kayal Kirsty MephamPosted by Dannie Morgan on Sunday, November 4, 2018

Dannie Morgan juggles eventing with grand prix dressage, so it was inevitable that sooner or later he would combine the two sports. Dannie famously began a trend among dressage riders of attempting a line of tempi-changes into a fence, and also took it a step further himself, with this impressive canter zig-zag into a skinny.

4. Swapping the arena for the hunting field

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Dressage legend and five-time Olympian Carl Hester enjoyed a change of scenery when he spent a day out trail-hunting with the Heythrop last year, and wrote about it afterwards in H&H. Although he admitted it had been 10 years since he last left the ground, Carl said his day out with hounds was “totally exhilarating”.

5. Dressage rider to jockey

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Dressage rider and trainer Ali Dane took on a huge challenge in 2017 when she took part in the Champions Willberry Charity Race at Cheltenham. Ali swapped her Pikeur breeches and dressage saddle for racing colours and short stirrups and after only 60 days of training finished the 1 mile 5 furlong race well riding Miss Inga Sock.

6. Taking on a marathon

Posted by Alice Oppenheimer Dressage on Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Several well-known riders have added the impressive achievement of running a marathon to their sporting CVs, with a fair few dressage riders among them, such as Andrew Gould, Judy Reynolds and Olivia Oakeley. Grand prix rider Alice Oppenheimer (pictured during a training race) is set to run the postponed London Marathon in October 2021, raising money for Brooke.

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.

Laura Tomlinson: we must continue to make do H&H Plus

Laura Tomlinson — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 12:00:45 +0000

Laura Tomlinson on pulling herself together, taking time out for hedge-hopping, a spot of polo and reasons to be excited for the last remaining weeks of 2020

As I write this piece, I am already starting to have to pull myself together and not let the dreary November weather and the shorter days have a negative effect on my mood. Luckily, there are some great events coming up that really are something to look forward to.

The “TRT Live Worldwide” is taking place on 28 November and it is a chance for the whole equestrian community to come together and enjoy a hugely educational and wildly entertaining show, via Zoom.

Tristan Tucker and his team are aiming to break the world record for the number of people being live together on Zoom, so this really is a big opportunity for equine enthusiasts from all disciplines and abilities to be part of something virtually, yet in an interactive way with questions being answered live.

I personally love it when different experts from opposite ends of the equestrian world get together and share their knowledge and experiences, as we can learn so much from one another. It is easy to become embedded in one’s own little world and what we do with our horses, and to forget that there are so many more perspectives.

Spicing it up

I have been lucky enough recently to have a non-dressage horse, Dan, who I can take for a gallop and enjoy jumping around the hedges on the farm. Towards the end of the summer, I was also playing a little bit of non-competitive polo with my sister-in-law, just for fun.

It feels so great to remind myself, amid all the work I do with my dressage horses and juggling my three children, that simply taking a moment to enjoy horses in any capacity is such a blessing. This is something that we should be aiming to share with as many people as we can, making the joy of riding ever more accessible.

Despite all the fun I have been having outside my usual discipline, I am also really enjoying having an aim that is actually in the near future.

On the 21 to 22 December, Hartpury College is hosting the LeMieux Grand Prix National Championships, and it is so nice to be working towards something real after everything that has happened this year.

I have not yet competed in a grand prix freestyle with my 10-year-old mare, Rose Of Bavaria, but I cannot wait to do so. I may have been a little gung-ho in my choreography and made the degree of difficulty in my floorplan quite a challenge, but “Betty” is the kind of horse who always wants to perform.

It is a real shame that this event will be behind closed doors, but we are so lucky to be able to compete at all. Hopefully, plenty of people will be able to watch it online and while it certainly won’t have the atmosphere of a normal championship, something is much better than nothing.

In the same vein, the team behind Olympia Horse Show are also doing their best to create entertainment and bring us a festive, pre-Christmas feeling, albeit online. In these strange times, we must continue to make do and keep being inventive.

● Have you tried something different with horses this year? What did you learn? Share your experiences at hhletters@futurenet.com

Ref: Horse & Hound; 26 November 2020

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(Image credit: creditUnknown)

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“Something that we often don’t think about as riders is the difference for a horse that goes from being ridden in a long, young-horse frame in rising trot, to going up a level and having us sitting on their backs all the time – that takes time for a horse to get used to,” says Laura.

“We’ve all sat on horses that are super comfortable to sit to, but I’m sure we’ve also had horses that are hard to sit to. I think that is because when we first go sitting the horse gets tense in the back.”

When introducing sitting trot Laura does it incrementally. Here she asks Sophie to ride in a rising trot in a big circle around her, slowly adding in a few strides of sitting trot before returning to rising.

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“I think it was that last centre line,” says Laura. “We were passaging, and I’d done everything I needed to do. Coming towards the final halt, you can see I’m welling up because that was the first time I allowed myself to think, ‘Wow. We’ve done it.’

“When your horse has given you that, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an unaffiliated show or the Olympic Games; it’s about the journey, and that moment with the horse is what we all do it for,” Laura says.

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“I always really liked Kristjan, and I actually rode him on my trial day for the Bechtolsheimer’s when I went for my job interview in 2010,” Lara told H&H.

Lara and Kristjan made their international debut at small tour level in 2017 at the Hartpury CDI3, which remains a memorable competition for Lara.

“I managed to beat Charlotte Dujardin on Hawtins Delicato in the [intermediate I] freestyle. I remember coming down to the prizegiving and they said ‘You’ve won’ and I said ‘Don’t be silly!’” said Lara.

“Kristjan is quite cheeky, but he’s very trainable and he loves working. He’s a show-off – sometimes not always in the right way – but he just loves to be the centre of attention, so in that respect he was perfect,” said Lara.

“He liked going into the ring and having all eyes on him. The smaller the crowd, the more he was like ‘Yeah, I’m not doing this’. Some of my best rides with him were at Aachen, because he just loved having all the attention on him, he thought that was fabulous.”

Another memorable moment was at the London International in 2021, where they were eighth in the grand prix and fifth in the freestyle.

“In the prizegiving I think I gave everyone quite a scare, we went round then as we went out he launched and everyone gasped, but I stayed on. I think all of my standout memories were of him just being a complete character!,” said Lara.

Lara and Kristjan recorded 43 top-10 placings in their 48 international starts. In September they were fifth in the grand prix at the BD national championships, and third in the freestyle, their final competition together, before Lara announced Kristjan’s retirement.

“He’s 18 and this was his fifth year at grand prix,” said Lara. “He’s helped me develop again as a rider, going from producing an average test to really riding every movement, and I’m so much more in the zone with what I need to do – and that was the main focus with him this year.

“He’s going to leave a very big gap on the yard because we don’t really have anyone else with that amount of character,” said Lara.

“But I’m sure he’ll torment me and the others as we go hacking round the fields, and come running over with Rufus to set off whoever I’m riding.”

Lara said it feels “a bit like an end of an era” with both Rufus and Kristjan now retired.

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