“Ben gave me all the feedback,” said Harry. “The lines didn’t really suit Romeo – he’s not the biggest striding horse and today was more suited to a bigger striding horse. So when I walked the course I had quite a different plan to the one I rode. But that’s the beauty of not going first, you can watch a few and slightly adapt it. If I was to go in and ride it again, I would do a few things differently. But Ben is amazing to have on the ground to give you a few pointers. So I’m happy he’s going first.”
Harry, whose arm is strapped up after fracturing it in two places just weeks before the Olympics, and the 15-year-old gelding made a hugely positive start for Great Britain. The duo sailed down the tricky line of a water jump on a dog-leg sandwiched between a vertical and an oxer. Having swung wide to the triple combination – the penultimate fence on the course – they just tapped out the flimsy pink plank that tops the vertical at the middle element, which has caught out plenty of combinations throughout the opening qualifier of the team competition.
“My arm feels perfect,” said Harry, 25, who made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games, also riding Romeo 88. “I didn’t really feel it, but I can’t wait to get this [support bandage] off and get some air to it – it’s so hot here!
“Sure, it disturbed my preparations a bit, but I knew when I got straight back on a horse a few weeks ago, that it was going to be fine – I’ll make it work. I would say it’s nearly fully healed. I don’t know if the doctors would agree with me but it feels pretty good.”
Harry Charles on the Olympic showjumping: “I don’t want to let Ben and Scott down either”
“I was of course a bit nervous going in there – you never really 100% know what’s going to happen,” added Harry. “But he was great. There are some spooky jumps out there, some really technical lines and it’s probably a bit bigger than I thought it would be. But I’m very happy with four faults and the most important thing is that he finished as well as he started, so tomorrow we all go back to zero and we start from scratch, so it’s a new fight tomorrow.
“I don’t want to let Ben and Scott down either, they’re amazing guys. But to have a full crowd here – which we didn’t get to have in Tokyo – is fantastic and to see the stands packed out is even cooler. This really feels like something a bit bigger than showjumping, with all the other athletes and stuff like that, so I’m very proud to be part of Team GB.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
The top 10 teams from Thursday’s 20-strong qualifier progress to Friday’s team medal decider. The individual showjumping contest at the Paris 2024 Olympics begins on Monday 5 August with the medals decided the following day.
To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout the Olympic Games, Burghley, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
Harry CHARLES riding ROMEO 88 for GBR during the Team Jumping Qualifier of the Olympic Showjumping Team Competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games held on the Etoile Royal Esplanade in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles (Château de Versailles) in Versailles just outside Paris in France between the 25th July and 6th August 2024
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
