Caroline Hunt and her own Fancy That gave the standout performance in the Topspec medium silver at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships today (Friday 13 September).
Caroline and her 2015 mare earnt a sea of mostly sevens and eights from the judges. The duo impressed with their lateral work, scoring highly for the shoulder-in and travers, and both were richly rewarded in the collective marks, in particular those earned for Caroline’s position.
Caroline took home the coveted sash by a comfortable margin with a score of 73% – ahead of second place by more than two-and-a-half per cent.
“She was just dreamy, really lovely to ride,” Caroline told H&H. “She knuckled down and said ‘what would you like me to do?’
“I haven’t been out as much as I would like this year, so I wasn’t expecting the result today. The training at home has been worth it!”
Caroline bought Freya, as Fancy That is known at home, as a two-year-old and imported her from Germany.
She said she produced Freya “steadily” because she “found the work quite easy”.
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“I’ve taken it slowly so it’s not too much too soon,” she added.
National dressage championships: “She went between the boards and said: ‘this is my job’”
Today’s rug and sash is not the first Caroline and Freya have taken home. The pair won the elementary silver title in 2022 and have their sights set on qualifying for the winter championships as well as moving up a level with the help of para rider Julie Payne, who is based on the livery yard Caroline runs.
“We’ve been working towards advanced medium, so we will tackle that next,” she said. “Julie’s my eyes on the ground, it works quite well.”
Caroline gained her ticket to the championships at Parwood Equestrian in July this year. Today, she bested that ticket-winning score by 4%.
“She was more relaxed today, she went between the boards and said: ‘I know what I’m doing. This is my job’
Caroline said a refined warm-up helped boost their marks.
“We’ve really honed it and made sure Freya feels really supple and relaxed, and knows what’s expected of her. I’ve worked on a really consistent way of going and kept things similar to home.
“Previously I might have got sucked into the atmosphere, but you’ve got to forget what’s going on around you and pretend you’re at home.
“It’s nice to get another rug and a sash, and I’m very privileged to have such a talented mare who loves her job.”
To complete the elementary silver podium, Rose Foley (Suarez) came second with 70.38%. She was closely followed by Beth Miller (U-gino) who scored 70.03%.
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A horse owner and rider with more than 20 years experience, Bethany has been writing for equestrian publications since 2017. Over the course of her career, she has reported from major British Riding Clubs and British Dressage championships, covered Badminton Horse Trials and interviewed equestrian sport’s best athletes. Her work can also be found in Country Life, The Field and Breathe magazine.
