Carl Hester feels confident the future of dressage is in safe hands following the recent election of the FEI dressage committee

MARIBEL ALONSO’S election to the chair of the FEI dressage committee with an overwhelming majority of votes cast by national federations is great news for our sport. A five-star judge, technical delegate and veteran of many championships; trainer, owner, sponsor, rider (although not competitively) and businesswoman, Maribel is a great communicator in all of the four languages she speaks.

I was glad to have the chance to hear her vision. With welfare at the forefront of her manifesto, one of her key aims is to communicate proactively “the benevolence of dressage”.

She said: “I want to serve the sport regardless of difference of opinions and viewpoints. Challenges and opportunities are interconnected and require real teamwork, collaboration and openness to technology and innovation. I will aim for a better communication and transparency, but everyone has to show willingness to engage through principles of trust and cooperation.

“The involvement of riders, trainers, officials, owners, sponsors, breeders, volunteers, grooms, media and organisers to promote the beauty of our discipline is vital. Sustainability, welfare of the horses and an integral vision to pass on the torch to the next generations have to be embraced with even more energy.”

Britain’s own Peter Storr has been elected to serve as judges’ representative on the committee, replacing Andrew Gardner who has given many years of service to the sport, for which we owe him our thanks.

Peter’s background as an international rider and trainer has always informed his judging career, and his main reason for standing for election was that “to get things done you’ve got to get involved, and to put something back into the sport I’ve had a lot out of over the years”.

Peter too is committed to finding the right way for our sport in an open and honest manner. As judges’ rep he’s looking forward to supporting judges and helping the dialogue between riders, judges and all stakeholders with the aim of promoting consistent judging through training, management and bringing up new judges in the right way. He will also be keeping a close eye on how the code of points develops.

It is very encouraging and positive to see such a wealth of experience on the FEI dressage committee, and these two, along with Monica Theodorescu (Germany), Patrik Kittel (Sweden), Beatriz Ferrer-Salat (Spain) and Russian five-star judge Irina Maknami, offer a good spread of nations.

I wish them all the very best and look forward to seeing positive development.

Leaving a legacy

FOLLOWING the tragic loss of the stallion Party Trick, along with Sophie Hulme’s three rides, in a collision while the horses were en route to Blair Horse Trials, the fundraiser set up afterwards has been renamed The Party Trick Legacy. Its aim is to breed a few sons or daughters of the late stallion which might be good enough to get to major championships.

Party Trick’s rider Nick Gauntlett tells me they have been offered the use of some proven world-class mares, and dams of world-class horses, to be put in foal using frozen semen from the horse Nick says was the best he’d ever ridden. The progeny Party Trick has produced so far appear to have inherited his best qualities.

This campaign isn’t just about asking for money, it’s about being part of the next generation of horses and probably different riders at top level, so I thought it worth reminding people about the project [which you can support here if you wish].

Let’s hope something good, extraordinary even, might come of such a terrible accident which could, alarmingly, have happened to any of us.

● What changes would you like to see in dressage? Tell us at hhletters@futurenet.com

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Judges expect to see different things at each level, but these tips to help improve your dressage scores from grand prix rider Bobby Hayler (pictured) and five-star judge Peter Storr at the 2020 British Dressage National Convention are relevant no matter what level you compete at…

8 ways to improve your dressage scores

1. Make the most of your time before you enter the arena

“Don’t forget that before the bell rings, this is still your warm-up time around the arena so don’t feel you have to look perfect straight away,” says Bobby. “Even after the bell goes you still have 45 seconds and time to get ready. Make sure your horse is on the aids, and listening to your seat and legs. You could use transitions, or send the trot or canter forwards to get the horse in front of your leg.”

2. Make a good first impression

“The initial centre line is the first time the judges are taking a good look at you,” points out Bobby. “You want to make sure you ride down the centre line with confidence, thinking, ‘I want a 10’.”

3. Think about telling a story

“During a dressage test you are telling the judge a story, that has a beginning, a middle and an end,” says Bobby. “This is especially the case once you get to medium and advanced medium levels, where you really start going going from one movement straight into another movement. It is very important to have clear suppleness and uniform bend so you can move fluently from one movement to another.”

4. Remember the meaning of ‘halt’

“The perfect halt is not only about being square,” says Peter. “It’s also very important that the horse is obedient and immobile because the halt is also about standing still – if a horse is tense it’s not going to stand still.”

5. Focus on accuracy

“Tests are about preparation, it’s why we ride from one marker to another,” says Bobby. “You’ll lose marks if you don’t ride the line properly, so be careful that you are riding movements to the letter because it will affect the overall score.”

Continued below…

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6. Move on from mistakes

“Try not to over-think about mistakes you’ve already made in a test,” advises Bobby. “You can’t do anything about that movement once it has happened, but you have more movements in front of you where you have the chance to ride for a 10. Focus on those and how to make them better.”

7. Tailor your last-minute training to the level

“It’s usually better if horses are working at home at a higher level than the one they are competing, as then they are more confident and they know the work really well,” says Peter. “But it’s important that in the days just before the test you stop practising higher level movements that aren’t in the test, like flying changes before a medium test for example.”

8. Know your strengths and weaknesses

“Always read your test sheets and don’t take it negatively if a judge says you need more of this or that – it’s good because you can take it home and work on it with your trainer,” says Bobby. “Sit down and think about what your horse’s highlights are, and what is a bit tricky, and in a test try to pick up the marks on the movements your horse finds easier.”

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Multiple Olympic medallist Carl Hester and top international dressage judge Peter Storr are teaming up to help riders “turn good into amazing” at a Bolesworth masterclass.

The masterclass will be held at 6.40pm on the first evening of the Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show, which takes place in the grounds of Bolesworth Castle in Cheshire from 12 to 16 June.

Titled “80% is the new 70% — through the eyes of the judges”, Carl and Peter will discuss what judges are looking for in a test and how attention to detail and riding for that “little bit extra” can secure more marks.

Their tips and advice will focus on “turning good into amazing” and how to maximise their dressage scores and get that extra 10%, turning a 70% test into an 80%.

“It is fantastic to have Carl back for the dressage demonstration after two hugely successful years,” said show director Nina Barbour.

“With Peter alongside they make a very experienced team and I am sure everyone will go home with some fascinating insight and advice to take them to the next level.”

International dressage will return to Bolesworth for a third consecutive year, held on the Wednesday and Thursday of the show.

Wednesday will play host to the Equitop Myoplast CDI3* grand prix, followed by Carl and Peter’s masterclass and ending with an 80s-themed party in Club Boles.

For more information and tickets, visit www.bolesworthinternational.com

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Carl Hester (pictured above, and below in the prize-giving) has added yet another title to his burgeoning collection, winning the grand prix at the Espayo British Dressage national championships on Gemma Appleton’s Fine Time with 72.89%. He has now won 64 national titles in his illustrious career.

“He’s hilarious – now he really feels like the number one,” said Carl, referring to the fact that the 12-year-old Florestan stallion has played second fiddle to his top string of big tour horses this year.

“I had a lovely ride – he was hot and really excited and I felt a huge surge of power on the final centre line and I couldn’t move or breathe. This is only his first season at grand prix and he’s a developing star. His personality has really come out lately. He’s hilarious.”

Carl will ride him in the grand prix freestyle tomorrow to the music he used at the 2011 European Championships for Uthopia.

Laura Tomlinson’s stable jockey Lara Griffith stood second riding the experienced Andretti H (70.72%). She is fast developing into a competent grand prix rider and her score was only 2.6% below Laura’s 2012 grand prix score.

First to go Nikki Crisp held on to third place with her talented mare Pasoa, scoring 70.47%.

The national champion will be decided tomorrow and goes to the combination with the highest combined result over the two grand prix classes.

Peter Storr rocks at inter I

In the afternoon’s Saracen Horse Feeds intermediate I freestyle, Peter Storr (pictured right) was man of the match riding Fabioso. From mid-draw he set an unassailably high bar of 75.45%.

“I love doing the music classes and he went really well,” enthused Peter, who used music from the Greek popstar Yanni.

He has ridden the Flammengold son for three years after taking the reins over from Paul Hayler.

Despite his win, the supreme rug went to the sweetheart of the winters, Zoe Sleigh. Her second places in both the inter I and the freestyle at the level gave her the edge riding her Furst Piccolo gelding Fantastic Light.

For the full results from all classes, click here.

Don’t miss the full report in this Thursday’s Horse & Hound magazine.

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British dressage star Gambrinus, ridden throughout his career by Peter Storr, died last week aged 15.

“We were sad and very shocked to find that Gambrinus had died peacefully in his sleep on 1 December,” said Peter. “He took me on a fantastic journey through his career, with highs being selected for European Championships, World Games, and twice being national champion in 2000 and 2001.”

Vets are unsure as to the cause of his death, suggesting he may have had a haemorrhage. A post-mortem has not been carried out.

The past few weeks have been tough for Peter, who fractured several ribs on 21 November after being “buried by a very naughty young horse”.

“Having ridden Gambrinus since he was three years old, we had formed a unique bond together,” said Peter. “I feel that I’ve lost my best friend.”

• This news report was first published in Horse & Hound (7 December, ’06)

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Britain’s Peter Storr has retired his 2001 European Championship team dressage ride, Gambrinus, at the age 15.

“He’s done enough,” said Peter. “He’s given his all and I wanted to stop with him before it goes downhill.”

The pair were national champions at almost every level and took back-to-back grand prix titles in 2000 and 2001.

“My fondest memories with him were of our back-to-back wins, which were fantastic,” said Peter. “Going to compete in Moscow with him was another highlight. It was complicated getting there, but once we arrived we were treated like kings. As we rode in the indoor arena a pianist played in the balcony above us.”

Gambrinus will retire to his owner Pinky Heintz’s base in Windsor, where the Hanoverian stallion will be kept as a schoolmaster.

• This was first reported in Horse & Hound (13 July, ’06)