‘We’re all human’: Charlotte Dujardin among latest eliminations for bits on the wrong way
Charlotte Dujardin was among the riders who fell victim to the tack check at Somerford Premier League this weekend (26-28 May).
H&H reported in April that a number of combinations had been eliminated at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships and Petplan Equine Area Festival finals for having their horses’ bits on incorrectly.
There were similar issues at Somerford; Charlotte was eliminated on Times Kismet on the first day, and Anne-Marie Cowan the next.
“We started with a slight error on the first day, when the bit on Kismet’s bridle was unfortunately on the wrong way, with the arrow on the wrong side which caused a elimination for us,” Charlotte said. “Disappointing, but we are all human first and foremost, so together as a team, we looked forward to the following day.”
Charlotte added that “it was worth the wait” as Kismet excelled to win the second prix st georges class, and her first inter I. Charlotte’s other ride Alive And Kicking won the inter II.
“So happy with these special mares and thank you to the whole team at Somerford for putting on another super Premier League,” she said.
Anne-Marie Cowan won the grand prix special on Woodcroft Royal Charter on the final day, 24 hours after she had fallen foul of the tack check and back-to-front bits.
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“I even saw Charlotte being tack-checked on the first day so went and checked, double checked and triple checked mine and still got it wrong,” she said. “It’s entirely my fault but at least I’ve joined the elite club with Charlotte!”
Anne-Marie said she was delighted with the horse’s first test at that level.
“I’ve trained him from a four-year-old and his marks are going up all time, we made a few mistakes but got a nine for his walk,” she said. “That test really suits his strengths.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.