Carl Hester warns against unfair judgment of riders breaking into top level
Events such as the World Dressage Championships open up our sport to the world. In my recent interview on The Horse & Hound Podcast, I touched on my experience in the commentary box in Herning.
I want to reiterate my point, which was that those people who might get judgmental, nit-picky and overly critical when watching such events would do well to remember that when you have a field of 93 starters, as in Herning, not everyone is going to be gold-medal standard.
Riders starting out at that championship level may be training and competing their first horse at the top level, or riding schoolmasters capable of giving experience but not shining, so their “80%” may in fact be 65% on the scoreboard.
Of course, we want to improve standards in dressage, but it’s worth remembering that a lot of people, especially those from countries that are relatively new to dressage, may have already given up their previous lives and proximity to their families in order to move abroad to train, compete and make their country proud.
One such rider I met way back doing small tour on the Spanish circuit is Yvonne Losos de Muñiz – my friend “Miss World”, who rides for the Dominican Republic. After much hard work and progress, she has been nudging the top 50 in the FEI dressage rankings this year and is now the athletes’ representative on the FEI Dressage Committee.
Technique rules
I’m excited for the London International Horse Show (LIHS) and presenting the “Dressage Unwrapped” masterclass with Richard Davison. You’ll see dressage from every angle, with lots of questions answered – and with Laura Collett and Dickie Waygood, plus Lottie Fry and her trainer Anne van Olst in the line-up too. It’s going to be incredibly special.
Anne and I met at my first Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. A five-time Olympian and member of the Danish team that took bronze at the 2008 Olympics, she’s the one trainer in my life with whom, instead of having my lesson and waiting for the next day, we’d sit up well into the night over bottles of wine and discuss training and different methods. I used to go over to stay with Anne and her husband Gertjan in the Netherlands for a few weeks at a time to work together.
One time, when I was there with Escapado, Anne had her eye on a flashy new phone I’d bought in Dubai. She bet me the phone she could teach Escapado one-time changes while I went home to earn some money. Sure enough, 15 one-tempis later, I had to hand over the phone (although Anne, honey, the ones did then take a bit of development).
Like me, she’s known a number of trainers over the years and taken a bit from all to hone her own methods. Just look at Lottie Fry riding all the Van Olst stallions; I recall when Lottie first went to Anne’s, eight and a half years ago, and we wondered whether her physique would be up to it. There’s no clearer illustration than Lottie that it’s about technique, not strength.
The old adage goes, “Tell a gelding, ask a mare, discuss it with a stallion.” Of course, stallions are the most difficult: they have to channel concentration and work alongside the breeding duties.
The management, technique and knowledge of horses that Anne and Gertjan have made available to British success, through Lottie, is amazing. All their horses have been trained up from foals, with lifelong relationships built and training tailored to each horse. It’s going to be great to hear from Anne and Lottie in London.
I wonder if, in a couple of decades, we’ll be reading about a top rider who was inspired as a youngster watching Anne and Lottie from the stands at LIHS in 2022?
● What are you looking forward to at LIHS? Tell us at hhletters@futurenet.com. Please include your name, nearest town and county for potential inclusion in the magazine.
- This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 8 December 2022
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