En Vogue’s return
Carl Hester and En Vogue are set to make their comeback this week, in the 14-year-old gelding’s first show since March 2022. The pair spearhead the line-up for the Hickstead Premier League grand prix on Saturday (13 May). They had been entered for this show last year but Carl was forced to withdraw after Vogue suffered an injury, and the setback meant Carl was left without a qualified ride for the World Dressage Championships. Carl has taken time to slowly bring Vogue back into work, and “can’t wait to get him back out again”. “He’s 14 going on four! He looks a million dollars,” said Carl.
The death of a top show cob
Producer Matthew Ainsworth has paid tribute to Colebrooke, who has died aged 23. Matthew credits the gelding for putting him on the map during the early years of his career, when “Lordy” was one of the first horses to join his team. The pair went to Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International Horse Show multiple times and won most major titles on the county show circuit, including at the British Show Horse Association Championships, Royal Cheshire, and Three Counties. “I owe this horse everything; he set me alight,” said Matthew. “For such a big horse he was so nimble. For a couple of seasons while he got going he was wobbly and unbalanced, but when he turned seven years old he was a machine.”
Olympic champions return to the ring
Ben Maher and Explosion W have returned in style, jumping clear in a 1.50m class in Sentower, Belgium, last week. Explosion has not competed internationally since the Aachen grand prix in July, and more recently Ben has been recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in a fall from a horse at the Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International, Florida, in February. It was a good week at Sentower, where Ben also had some superb rounds with Dallas Vegas Batilly, Ginger Blue, and Faltic HB. Ben said it was “great to be back in the ring!”.
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