It’s been a sad few months for the international officiating community, with the deaths of Bob Ellis, Jacques van Daele and Stephen Clarke – all three lifelong servants of the sport, and all three officials at the London Olympics.

Bob’s team used to build the dressage arena for me in the early years of the London International and Jacques, the FEI’s dressage steward general, judged there too. It was always reassuring to have him on the panel.

Stephen and I first met as teenagers, competing at local shows. He went into judging to find out if the system could be improved from within rather than moaned about from the outside.

Nearly 50 years ago, international judging looked nothing like it does today. Consensus barely existed and where it did, it was usually as a small circle of judges had officiated together often enough to compare notes.

Riding style still varied by nation – a judge schooled in the French tradition prized lightness, one from the mid-European school would place more importance on accuracy and obedience – and judging reflected that split. Riding has harmonised a great deal since and judging with it, though enough discrepancies remain worldwide that consensus can’t be taken for granted.

A great leader from the back

Stephen’s judging combined obvious personal qualities – empathy, humility, integrity, self-reflection – with real clarity of method. He worked movement by movement, comparing what he saw against what the rules required, then gave his score. He never dwelt on the mark just given, nor guessed what might come next. He stayed in the moment, indifferent to how his total might compare with anyone else’s.

He also had extraordinary leadership qualities, which followed the same quiet pattern – he led from the back and pushed others into the light rather than himself. It’s little surprise his fellow judges made him president of the International Dressage Officials Club, or that the FEI made him their judge general.

He’d already helped produce the FEI’s first judging guidelines, a handbook that still serves as the sport’s definitive reference. But he recognised that dressage had outgrown what that handbook envisaged 20 years earlier, and no one pushed harder to recruit and cater for new judges entering our sport.

In 2018, the FEI mandated its dressage committee to produce a code of points to make scoring more transparent. Stephen, working with fellow consultees, put at least three years of work into helping create it, burning the midnight oil, distilling the judges’ handbook’s 250 pages into summary sheets setting out which “observables” take priority for each movement, and how to score them 0–10.

It has sat on a shelf in Lausanne ever since, while the ongoing lack of scoring consensus takes its toll on the integrity of the sport. The FEI could honour Stephen’s hard work properly by finally bringing his code of points into effect – not as tribute alone, but because it’s what the federation asked for and what the sport still needs.

It’s a tough call

Congratulations to Mette Dahl on her individual bronze medal at last weekend’s young rider Europeans, and commiserations to Annabella Pidgley who just missed out on a medal.

The selection meeting to settle our World Championship dressage team is looming and is going to be a tough call. Lottie Fry, Becky Moody and Carl Hester are certainties and, notwithstanding Germany’s strength and home advantage, are capable of securing team gold for us.

The fourth slot has gone to the wire, with Fiona Bigwood and Charlotte Dujardin being separated by a whisker due to Charlotte’s test-riding masterclass at Hartpury CDI3*. On my own rough sums Fiona edges it, and her five-star result nudges it further her way.

But there will always be information concerning specific criteria that those of us on the outside are rightly never party to. An independent observer and chair ensures that the decision is made in accordance with British Dressage’s selection policy. I have been on both sides of these procedures. I feel for the selectors, but more so for Fiona and Charlotte.

Good luck to everyone in contention and also to our junior and children-on-horses teams battling it out for European medals as we go to press.

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Tributes have been paid to “one of the greatest gifts the sport of dressage has ever received”, after five-star international judge Stephen Clarke died at the age of 73.

Stephen, whose life was entwined with horses from an early age, was one of the world’s most respected dressage judges, serving at the Olympics, European and World Championships and World Cup Finals. He was president of the International Dressage Officials Club (IDOC), the FEI judge general and member of the FEI dressage committee, and a Fellow of the British Horse Society.

“It is with profound sadness, and yet with an equally profound sense of gratitude, that we share the news of the passing of our dear friend, colleague and former IDOC president, Stephen Clarke,” the IDOC said in a tribute.

“Stephen was, quite simply, one of the greatest gifts the sport of dressage has ever received. His passing leaves a stillness in our world that will take a long time to fill – and yet, if we listen carefully, we can still hear his voice: warm, measured, often wonderfully witty, and always pointing us toward what is right and good in this sport we all love.”

Stephen was born into a non-horsey family in north Wales. The farm next door had ponies and the deal was, if he could stay on long enough, he could take them to shows. He grew up with the Flint and Denbigh branch of the Pony Club, where, he has told H&H, it was drummed into everyone that any mistakes were always the rider’s fault; “I can still hear ringing in my ears, ‘sit still and never pull back’,” he said.

After early success in showjumping and eventing, Stephen won five national championship dressage titles. He represented Britain in international competition, including at the 1980 Alternate Olympics with Ulysses, and he and Becket were the reserve combination for the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Stephen started judging in his early 20s, having become, as he put it, “fed up with everyone moaning about the judging”.

“A characteristically Stephen solution to a problem,” the IDOC tribute said. “Rather than complain, step forward and be part of the answer.”

Stephen was president of the ground jury at the London Olympics in 2012, which he said was one of the proudest moments of his life; he also said that to be on the judges’ panel when Totilas and Valegro broke world records was “beyond exciting”.

“The privilege of awarding 10s for movements where you just cannot imagine how it could be better – that was the joy Stephen brought to his work every single time he sat behind the judging board,” the IDOC said.

“He never shied from the difficult calls either. At the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, he made one of the toughest calls in a world championship – the disqualification of Adelinde Cornelissen when her horse bled from the mouth. It was correct, it was courageous, and it was entirely Stephen. He understood that integrity in judging is not a convenience — it is the foundation upon which the sport rests.”

Stephen shaped the future of his sport, as judge general and on the committee; he was instrumental in creating the FEI judges’ book.

“His efforts earned tremendous respect for dressage judges worldwide and contributed greatly to the reputation and profile of the sport,” the IDOC said. “His goal, as he always said, was to ensure young judges have the opportunity to develop their education and skills.

“And he meant it – not as a statement of policy, but as a personal mission. He took time with every young official who crossed his path. He remembered names. He remembered horses. He remembered what it felt like to be new to this world, and he made sure no one felt alone in it.

“As president of IDOC, Stephen brought the same qualities to our organisation that he brought to everything: clarity of thought, generosity of spirit, and an unwavering commitment to doing things properly. He worked alongside colleagues including Maribel Alonso, Katrina Wüst and Hans-Christian Matthiesen in the education working group, and his influence on the way we train and support officials across the globe cannot be overstated. IDOC is a better, stronger, more purposeful organisation because Stephen Clarke led it.”

Stephen ran a working pupils scheme at Cotton Equestrian Centre in Cheshire; many of those who trained with him have gone on to successful careers, of which Stephen was quietly proud.

“He was quick to laugh, quicker still to listen,” the IDOC said. “In any discussion – whether about a single movement in a test, the future direction of FEI judging policy, or the state of the sport over a glass of wine after a long competition day – Stephen brought the same qualities: a clear mind, an open heart and exactly the right words at exactly the right moment. Many of us will carry specific things he said to us, privately, at just the right time, for the rest of our lives.

“In his final years, illness slowed him physically, but never in spirit. He remained in close contact with many in his circle, generous with his time, his warmth, and his thoughts, right to the end. That, too, was entirely Stephen.

“We will miss him at the arena. We will miss him in the seminar rooms. We will miss him at the table after a long day, when the best conversations always seemed to happen. We will miss his laughter, his precision, and his extraordinary ability to make everyone around him feel both valued and challenged to be better.

“The sport of dressage is immeasurably richer for everything Stephen Clarke gave it over so many decades. We are immeasurably richer for having known him. Our thoughts go to Julian Sebire, Stephen’s partner for more than 40 years.

“Stephen – thank you. It was a privilege and an honour.”

A national treasure

British Dressage chair Jill Day, a close friend of Stephen’s, said he was a national treasure.

“There is no one more deserving of that title,” she said. “When you consider the legacy he has left behind – wow, what a legacy that is.

“However, when I think of Stephen, none of those things are the first things that spring to mind. I just see that twinkle in his eye and that infectious giggle. I see an amazing friend, always there if you needed him and always with very honest and straightforward advice. There will never be another that has done so much for our sport and stayed so humble.

“His last words to me were ‘Please, don’t be sad’. This will be the first time I have not been able to follow his advice. Rest in peace, dear friend.”

The FEI agreed that for all Stephen’s huge achievements, he will most be remembered for who he was.

“Stephen Clarke was one of those rare individuals who made everyone around him better, and the extraordinary outpouring of tributes since his passing stands as a testament to both his deep love for the sport and his regard for those within it,” said FEI dressage director Ronan Murphy said.

“Stephen was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Fair, thoughtful and quietly wise, he never sought the spotlight, yet his presence and influence can be felt throughout our sport to this day. We have lost not only one of dressage’s greatest judges, but also one of its kindest and most respected figures.”

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Stephen Clarke, renowned trainer and five-star international judge, has recently been working with Swedish classical groundwork specialist Charlotte Wittbom, a former student of Luis Valença in Portugal.

Charlotte helps Stephen’s clients through groundwork, while he mentors her in applying classical methods to competition success.

The pair recently recorded a podcast discussing Stephen’s life, career, and the people who shaped his journey.

“I grew up in a little Welsh village – my father was the local policeman – and we had a lovely home next to a farm where the farmer kept Welsh Mountain ponies,” Stephen explains.

“I was fascinated by them. It turned out that if you could stay on without getting bucked off, you were allowed to take them to some shows. That’s how it all started.

“I then went to the Flint and Denbigh branch of the Pony Club, which was very well organised. The late Dorothy Johnson used to come and instruct there, and she became a lifelong mentor to me.”

Which coach stands out for Stephen Clarke?

On the coach who shaped him the most when it comes to his dressage career, Stephen picks out Jennie Loriston-Clarke.

“I used to be a competition rider for the Wirral Riding Centre,” he says. “It was a training centre for international students preparing for their BHS exams, and we – the competition riders – were the shop window.

“Each year, the FBHS examinations were held at Stoneleigh, and we were expected to take trained grand prix-level horses to be used as guinea pigs for the ridden tests.

“I’d take one of my older horses, Red Devil, and Jennie always brought a couple of hers, too – and we just hit it off.

“I also had with me my up-and-coming grand prix horse, Ulysses. Jennie spotted him and said, ‘Why don’t you come to me for the weekend and bring some horses?’

“She’d just come back from the Olympic Games in Montreal, and she let me gain test experience on her horses, Kadett, and Dutch Courage, and helped me with Ulysses – a lot.

“Then she decided, ‘Why don’t you go to Vienna for the winter to train with the Spanish Riding School?’” Stephen recalls.

“Ernst Bachinger, who was the chief rider at the time and had also trained the British team, came to watch one of my training sessions in England. He liked Ulysses and invited me over.”

Training with the Spanish Riding School’s chief rider

Stephen ended up spending two winters at Bachinger’s private stables just outside Vienna. In exchange for training with his grand prix horse, he worked with the young horses and some of the more challenging ones.

“It was the most wonderful experience,” he says. “That’s where I learnt the most about in-hand work.

“One of my jobs was to stand at the horse’s head, keep it straight, and allow it to cover as much ground as Herr Bachinger wanted.

“But if I let the horse get crooked, or stopped it from moving forward, he’d shout at me.

“I learnt very quickly how subtle the work had to be. He was a complete artist. Understanding when to control, when to soften, when to reward – it gave me a real feel for the detail.”

From there, Stephen was awarded a scholarship to train with Ferdi Eilberg, who had recently moved to Britain from Germany. Stephen describes Ferdi as a perfectionist, much like Ernst Bachinger.

“I used to dread the words, ‘Come down the centre line and halt at X,’” he laughs. “If you didn’t get it right the first time, you’d be doing it the whole session.”

What made Stephen Clarke raise his game?

Although much of his focus remained on training at home, Stephen adds that competing – and later judging – internationally also had a transformative effect on both his riding and his approach to training.

“I think when you’re exposed to the warm-up arena with high-level, famous riders, it can be a bit nerve-wracking,” he admits. “But actually, it’s in those environments that I raised my game the most.”

He describes how, in those days, opportunities to observe elite competition were rare, which made those moments all the more valuable.

“We were far more isolated, which is why I loved going to the top competitions.

“Whenever I’d come home and train the working pupils, I’d be quite tough on them, and they’d roll their eyes and say, ‘Oh God, he’s been to Aachen again’,” he adds with a laugh.

Not all of Stephen’s horses were straightforward. “The one-time changes were always a challenge,” he says.

He recalls one transformative warm-up ring encounter: “David Hunt cantered over. He’s always very funny – a little bit sarcastic – and he looked at me and said, ‘What are you doing?’ I explained, and he just said, ‘Maybe your canter’s not good enough?’

“So we worked on improving the activity of the canter in the collection, and as if by magic, the changes became easy – that was one of my biggest lessons.”

A turning point in knowledge sharing

Stephen also credits Lady Joicey’s Trainers Scheme as a turning point in how knowledge was shared in British dressage.

“She set up this group, and we’d travel to some of the big international shows together, share hotels, and spend hours watching the warm-ups,” he recalls.

“It brought experienced trainers together in a constructive way. Rather than being in separate camps, we became friends. It was a fantastic way to develop a shared training philosophy in this country.

“The whole game is really a continual learning process – and it’s fascinating to watch people develop.”

Listen to the full podcast here.

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Isobel Wessels’ international grand prix horse Chagall has died, aged 18, prompting an outpouring of sadness across the dressage community. 

The Hanoverian gelding, by Contendro I, enjoyed an illustrious career, competing at nine national championships, and winning 10 national titles including at inter I in 2012. He and FEI five-star judge Isobel have competed at grands prix in Europe around Isobel’s judging commitments, as well as on the British circuit with much success. On Chagall’s final competitive outing, in December 2020, the pair scored 72% at grand prix.

“Chagall was the kindest, most sensitive horse – he was so big but so gentle with it and he always picked up on the mood; he sensed everything. He has touched so many people throughout his life – he just seems to throw a spell over anyone he came into contact with,” Isobel told H&H. 

Chagall was put down on Friday (12 March) after suffering acute laminitis. 

“We have no idea what triggered it – there had been no change in his diet, his routine, his management,” said Isobel. “We battled it for about four weeks; I was going to see him three times every day to groom and cuddle him, and there was a period where we thought he would make it. But on Thursday night he took a bad turn, and the suffering had to end.”

Isobel explains she has been moved by the huge number of messages and tributes she has received from across the equestrian world.

“Everyone knows that he has been successful and won national titles and competed abroad, but it’s through all these messages I have had since Friday that I have become aware of how much more of an impact he had than just his track record. People have told me how he inspired them, and made them love the sport with his elegance. Wherever I go, people seem to know about him.”

Continues below…

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Fellow FEI five-star judge Stephen Clarke added: “Isobel trained this wonderfully elegant horse all the way through to grand prix so beautifully. Their partnership was truly harmonious and epitomised the meaning of ‘happy athlete’. Their signature half-passes will always be remembered as a special highlight.”

Isobel said: “Chagall was always a fighter – after he won at the nationals in 2012 at small tour, he got a tiny cut above the coronet band in the field which became infected, and he nearly died. He was in the vet clinic for two months and so many vets told me he wouldn’t survive, but my own vet was determined he would get through it, as was I, and he did.

“He could be tricky to train at the beginning as he was so sensitive, and you couldn’t even pat him on the top of the croup as he would bolt. But he got into my soul; he was my very special friend.”

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“I don’t care what breed they are,” stated international dressage judge Stephen Clarke. “Dressage is about judging horses against the criteria — I don’t care how big, or what colour they are.

“There is only one horse in recent times who only has highlights and no real weaknesses — Valegro. He can fulfil almost all the criteria which is why he’s broken records, but it’s a rarity. Some horses find the collection work easy, while some find it easier to extend, but its very rare to find a horse who can go to the extremes of both.”

Stephen demonstrated his belief in this notion with an enlightening masterclass that featured a wide variety of breeds and types of horse.

Welsh section D

Martin Greet presented the Welsh section D mare Watling Shakira.

Although the mare is no stranger to competition — competing at medium level — she started tense in the atmosphere of the Hartpury arena, and her trot was hurried and choppy.

“She’s a bit quick at the moment, but that’s the mind as much as the body,” Stephen told Martin. “Play with the transitions and ride the lateral work to start if the horse is nervous — it often gives them something else to think about.”

Stephen asked Martin to ride numerous walk-trot transitions alternating with shoulder-in steps.

“Do that until the horse ‘gives its self up’ and relaxes into the work,” Stephen advised. “The safer and more secure the rhythm becomes, the more you can think about riding forwards to encourage ground cover and improve the quality of the trot.”

The mare — a compact, responsive type — was hot and reactive.

“She’s sharp today, but I like this automatic sharpness,” said Stephen. “Later on, when her training is more established, that will pay dividends as you’ll know you’ll always get a reaction from her.”

Stephen encouraged Martin to ride lots of small changes of pace within the trot.

“Take time and make small variations in the bend and speed to relax her,” he suggested.

It worked wonders. By the end of their session, Shakira’s trot had slowed and she was showing a rounder, more elevated stride. She was relaxed over her back, allowing her to make larger steps, and her increased confidence meant she was no longer hurrying.

To finish, Martin stretched her neck down.

“When the horse stretches in trot, allow time for the horse to spring up onto the next diagonal pair with big strides so they can engage the back muscles and swing into a contact,” Stephen concluded.

Lusitano

With Jade Clark on the grey advanced medium Lusitano stallion Espirito, Stephen worked more on the basic trot.

“He has a lovely natural regularity in his paces and a correct natural frame,” praised Stephen.

After riding some more collected trot, Stephen asked Jade to lengthen the strides across the diagonal. Espirito was so willing to please that he flew across the school and, although his energy was wonderful, he pushed himself off the hindleg and onto the forehand.

Stephen had an exercise to fix it. Jade rode a short period of shoulder-in on the long side, then straightened and asked for some medium strides before putting Espirito back into shoulder-in for the final part of the long side. The effect was immediate.

“The quality of the medium trot is all about the level of engagement in the working trot,” explained Stephen, “so the horse can keep pushing without falling on to his forehand. For the higher marks, the engagement and uphill balance is key.”

Continued below…

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Gypsy cob

When Charlie Samuel-Camps first asked her gypsy cob gelding Glasshards Warrior for some extended trot strides, she didn’t get much of a reaction.

“Don’t think for a moment that just because he’s a cob he hasn’t got lengthening,” chided Stephen. “It just about training his reactions.”

Stephen asked Charlie to give Glasshards Warrior a flick with her schooling whip as she asked, but that meant she also pulled back with the rein. To correct this Stephen had her ride the lengthened strides with her reins in one hand and use the whip with her other, free hand (pictured) so as not to interfere with the contact.

The resulting burst of energy from the attractive horse resulted in a round of applause.

“It’s amazing how we can unlock the horse’s potential when there’s a genuine reaction to be had,” said Stephen. “Don’t let him fool you; there’s a lot in there. Sometimes you just have to take a risk.

“In a judging situation, I feel we can be generous to riders for minor mistakes. It’s all about trying to encourage riders to take a risk and ask for a reaction that will lead to a future of good work.”

Stephen Clarke was talking at the 2016 British Dressage national convention (19-20 November)

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Stephen Clarke on being talent-spotted by Harvey Smith, judging record-breaking tests and being proud to be British, as told to Leslie Bliss.

When I was a child, all I could think about was riding. I grew up in Wales next to a farm that had great but wild ponies. If I could stay on board, I was allowed to train and show them. I set up my own stables before the age of 20 and had showjumpers, hunters and event horses.

Harvey Smith spotted me at a local show with my Connemara/thoroughbred Daybreak and told me I should compete at Hickstead. I had no idea how to go about it. Harvey arranged everything. I had no money for a hotel, so slept in my mare’s stable with a bale of straw separating us.

I had always tried to train my event horses and showjumpers to be supple and responsive, so I decided to train my showjumpers to the higher levels of dressage. Much to my amazement, they were successful.

I was offered a job at the Wirral Riding Centre, where I competed two grand prix horses, as well as Ulysses, who became my first international grand prix horse.

I then spent two winters training with Ernst Bachinger at the Spanish Riding School. Ulysses was sold, but I had a horse I had bought as a two-year old waiting in the wings. With help from Jennie Loriston-Clarke and Ferdi Eilberg, Becket went on to be reserve for the 1988 Olympics.

I started judging in my early 20s as I became fed up with everyone moaning about the judging. I discovered it’s not that easy, and trying to balance the complexities so you give a fair mark to every rider through every movement takes a lot of concentration.

I worked my way up the judging list while competing and running my training centre. About 30 years ago, I was asked by top international judge Eric Lette to go to the Netherlands to judge a championship. I was told it wasn’t an exam, but by the end, Eric said with a wink, “By the way, you passed the test,” and so I became an international judge.

I seem to travel endlessly — probably 20 or 30 international shows a year. My British Airways app tells me I have flown the distance equivalent of going to the moon and back three times over the past decade.

In 2013, I became the FEI dressage judge general. The job involves developing the uniformity of judging worldwide. Judging is all about trying to keep things in perspective and acknowledging that every rider is trying to do their best. My goal is to ensure young judges have the opportunity to develop their education and skills.

I have been part of situations that were beyond my wildest dreams. Being president of the ground jury at the 2012 London Olympics was an honour. I was so proud of our country. To be on the judging panel when Totilas and Valegro broke the world records was beyond exciting. The privilege of being able to award 10s for movements where you just can’t imagine how it could be better is so exciting.

Some years ago, I was on the judging panel at a show in Florida. The other Europeans and I were jet-lagged. Apart from the judge at B, we failed to notice that one of the riders had missed two movements during the grand prix. I still get a red face thinking about it.

Ref Horse & Hound; 27 February 2020

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I can imagine how hard it is for people who have never sat in a dressage judge’s box to understand how difficult the job is. I can also understand how easy it is for the “armchair critics” to point the finger and jump up and down the moment judges have the slightest differences within their scoring.

Our judges are a hardworking group of individuals with unquestionable integrity, who are doing their utmost to give correct and logical marks for every movement, but they are human beings, not robots.

When one is judging up to 50 horses a day, as was the case at the World Equestrian Games, each judge has to decide upon 1,850 marks per day. This amounts to 12,950 separate scores from seven judges — 25,900 separate scores for the two days of grand prix. It is inevitable that there will be the occasional variation of marks.

Our present system of judging has been expertly developed over many decades. Even when there are the inevitable differences over individual points, with seven judges strategically placed around the arena, and the judging supervisory panel (JSP) acting as a “safety net”, should any one judge miss a counting mistake in the changes for example, the team result from the average of the seven judges is correct for the vast majority of the scores throughout the competition.

Practical means for development

However, I do agree that we must remain open-minded and continue to search for practical ways to develop and improve our judging of the sport.

Even though huge strides have been made, particularly over the past 20 years or so, to develop the judging through training, examination and transparency, improvements can always be made.

I had the honour of being part of the International Dressage Officials Club (IDOC) group that produced the FEI handbook for judges several years ago. This provides some detailed descriptions of each score for every movement from 10 to zero (yes, we do train our officials to judge out of 10).

At the time this document was published we invited comments and suggestions for future revisions from all the clubs, but so far no suggestions have been put forward, even though this document has been in existence since 2007.

I now read with interest that the International Dressage Riders’ Club (IDRC) is coming up with a new code of points system for judging, and will look forward to studying this new format when it is finally published.

However, I would like to point out that however many times we reinvent the wheel, it will still be operated by the same willing group of volunteers that are officiating today, and will still be subject to the same inevitable differences of opinion. Try asking seven top artists to paint an apple — none of the apples will be identical.

It is also worth thinking about the practical implications of retraining all our FEI judges around the globe.

My biggest plea would be that any new systems put forward be thoroughly tried and tested through “pilot programme” situations, before being put into action.

One suggestion would be to invite three members of the IDRC who have developed this new system to “shadow judge” at some major shows, alongside FEI judges using the existing system, and have a transparent publication of their scores available to the public as we do now.

The results would be of great interest.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 30 July 2015

British dressage judge Stephen Clarke has been elected as the FEI’s dressage judge general.

Mr Clarke was president of the ground jury at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

He was elected to the post at the annual FEI five-star dressage judges seminar, which was held in Paris earlier this month (20-22 January).

Mr Clarke takes over from Ghislain Fouarge of the Netherlands, who became the first dressage judge general when the post was created in 2011.

Fouarge had opted not to stand for re-election for a second two-year term.

The role includes co-ordinating discussions among the judges, ensuring that all conclusions are communicated through to all FEI judges.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Stephen Clarke in his new role,” said Trond Asmyr, FEI director of dressage and ara-equestrian dressage. “He is a first-class judge and a natural communicator, so he fits the job description perfectly.

“Ghislain Fouarge was the pathfinder for this role and did a really good job of establishing it and finding the right roadmap for the future. We owe him a huge debt of thanks for all his work over the past two years.”

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Stephen Clarke has been appointed president of the dressage ground jury for the 2012 London Olympics.

“To think of being part of this event is beyond exciting!” said a thrilled Stephen. “It comes with a huge amount of responsibility which is not to be taken lightly. Having been a member of the judging panel in Athens, the original home of the Olympics, to be invited again to judge in London is indeed a dream come true.”

Stephen enjoyed a successful international career throughout the 1970s and 80s, before concentrating on training and judging. He has officiated at five World Cup Finals, three European Championships and three World Equestrian Games. He is a Fellow of the British Horse Society, was presented with a Queens Award for equestrianism in 2010 and is a regular contributor to the dressage pages of H&H.

Stephen’s appointment was made at a recent FEI meeting. His fellow judges are yet to be announced.

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