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Britain in dressage pole thanks to masterful Hester while our Grade 5 riders shine bright

Wednesday, 06 September 2023

The FEI Dressage European Championship got underway in Reisenbeck, Germany and the competition was billed to be as hot as the weather – and no one was left disappointed. Gareth Hughes and his uber-consistent Classic Briolinca got us off to strong start, which was followed by a performance from Carl Hester that left everyone in awe with new championship partner, Fame. Britain is in the ascendency after two riders gone, with Germany second and Denmark third. In the FEI Para Dressage European Grade 5 Individual Championship, two brilliant performances left debutant Charlotte Cundall and Sophie Wells in the top six.

Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca

In the intense midday sun, Britain’s pathfinder pairing of Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca opened our account in final style. This duo know each other inside and out, and it shows in their harmony together  –  the 17 year-old mare really rose to the occasion as she cantered down the centreline. A good, immobile halt was followed by a safe extended trot with good regularity, as Gareth opting to go for consistency over extravagance. The two trot half-passes showed great fluidity and reach.

The halt into the rein-back was four-square, and the rein-back showed good steps. Into the piaffe and passage tours, which are Briolinca’s party piece, and the marks began to come. Both physically demanding movements were made to look simple by the Trento B mare, showing good lift, harmony and rhythm. It ws then into canter section and the line of two-time changes were straight and correct, the zig-zag was well executed by Gareth, and the one-time changes were smooth –  the mare looked as though she could have done them all the way to Münster! The priouettes on the centre line were the real highlight, with an average score of 8.1 for the left and 8.4 to the right – both tight and in a smooth rhythm.

As they progressed down the centre, the trending scores were very close with the then-leaders, Matthias Alexander Rath and Thiago GS for Germany 74.845% , but who would come out on top? Gareth had been apprehensive about their final halt after difficulties in Herning last year thanks to an over-enthusiastic crowd, but heneedn’t have worried though–  his ‘Princess’ didn’t let him down. The final score was announced as 74.565%, keeping Britain very much in touch at just 0.28 behind Germany.

“It was hot and it got hotter!” exclaimed Gareth. “I’m over the moon with her, I thought that was one of the best tests she’s done. It was very clean, there were no real mistakes – I know we can all come out and say it was slightly undermarked, but I thought it was. I was slightly disappointed with the mark, but so happy with my mare. She’s 17 now, she’s done several championships, she’s been amazing for me, amazing for the team, and I just thought she deserved a bit more. 

“We know the Grand Prix really well and I think there's two things that I really try to aim for in a test – one is to be mistake-free and the other thing is nice riding. Nice riding is important for portraying a nice picture, harmony and things like that. I’m sure I could ask for more and get a bit more flamboyance to the steps, but I like the feeling I had through the test, I like the feeling I had with her and I like the feeling I had when I finished. 

“We’ve owned her since she was four, the family has ridden her and she was never going to go anywhere. She’s owned by ourselves and our friend Julia Hornig, who has been a huge supporter over the years. So, when you have a young horse like that and now she’s done Europeans and World Championships, it’s great.  We always have our best rides in the arena and she always steps up in the arena. She’s all class!” he concluded.

After the first rotation of team riders, it was the host nation who held the edge, with Britain a fraction behind and Denmark in third with a 74.146% from Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Vayron.

Carl Hester and Fame

Carl Hester has an incredible 22 championship caps to his name  –he’s dedicated his life to representing his country and, year on year, he delivers. This year, he brings forward new ride Fame, a Bordeaux x Rhodium stallion Fame with whom he’s been proudly telling he had ‘love at first ride’. Fame is talented but taking him on from owner Fiona Bigwood and turning him into a championship partnership in nine months is evidence not only of Carl’s enviable skill but also how well suited they are to each other. Everything about the spicy stallion is what the Sark-born rider looks for  and the excitement he has to ride  him is palpable.

The heat of the day had not abated by the time they made their entrance – if anything, it felt warmer despite being past 4:00pm, but perhaps that was the air of anticipation. Isabell Werth and DSP Quantaz got the final rotation underway with the type of performance everyone has come to expect of Germany’s heroine. They delighted audience and judges alike with a test worth 77.174%.

Next up was the precocious new talent of Denmark – Young Horse World Champion Jovian, ridden by Andreas Helgstrand. At just nine, this is the horse many have travelled to Riesenbeck to see – he has talent and presence to burn and he finds it all so easy, but he’s still in the early stages of his Grand Prix journey and, while there was much to impress, they had to settle behind Isabell for 74.410% So, it was down to Carl – could he conjure another magical performance for the team?

The duo entered the arena and Carl looked remarkably calm, even affording some smiles at the crowd as he awaited the bell. They made their way up the centre line and halted, saluted, then were off. An effortless extended trot opened the scoring and you could see Carl relax into the task as he felt that the horse underneath him was in a mood to please. As is Carl’s trademark way, he presented the test, garnering every mark and throwing none away.

The half-passes flowed well and were well ridden – there’s clearly more to come in this movement – and the same with the piaffe, which showed a small amount of travel but will further improve with strengthening. The transitions in the piaffe-passage tour were good and Carl got the canter transition spot on. Fame can get a bit hot in the canter work, but today he was listening to his rider’s every ask – the two-time flying changes were tidy, the extended canter bold and one-time changes a joy to watch, showing great expression.

The canter zig-zag was also a lesson in how to present the movement by the master.  A smile appeared as Carl turned down the final centreline, with just the final piaffe to get through and on to a square halt. He dropped his reins and gave Fame a huge hug – he knew it was good and what he’d been training towards. The score had trended neck-and-neck for much of the latter stages with Isabell’s, so it was going to be close. Carl left the arena to huge applause, with many acknowledging they’d watched a remarkable display of horsemanship and training.

The pause while the scores were added felt like an age, but then the voice of the announcer filled the air – a final score of 78.540%. A new personal best for the duo and importantly, the lead for Great Britain after day one.

"I absolutely love this horse, I worship riding him, I look forward to riding him every day, and he's delivered today," said an elated Carl.  "He's very explosive but he can go both ways and he just was the perfect mix today. If I never did another test again that would be a lovely one to finish on. It's nice when the horse goes it's best, which I feel at the moment, of course it can be better, otherwise you’d get 100%. 

"I've only been riding him since December but I've had a big plan this year, and you have to have selectors that trust you when you come up with plans and I need to stay here in England because he needs educating regularly rather than just going to big shows abroad where he gets over-awed and the plans worked so I’m grateful. I’m also just so grateful, of course, for Fiona for letting me ride him. Fiona always said, 'this this one's for you' when she had him, and she was absolutely right, and it was love at first ride!

"Last week I was at Burghley and Pippa Funnell, we’re the same age and I help her a bit on the flat and we're friends, said on the television, “On Friday night, I say I don't know why I do it and on Saturday I know why I do it.” And that's how I was... on Tuesday last night, I thought, ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this’ and then today, after a ride like that, I thought, ‘I know why I’m doing it.’ I'm old enough not to care, every disappointed with a low score but you know, I'm also realistic."

Grade 5 Individual Grand Prix A

Today’s para dressage action put the spotlight on Grades 4 and 5 for individual honours. There was no British representation in the Grade 4 division, where the title went to Demi Haerkens riding EHL Daula NOP for the Netherlands with a score of 77.556%. The Grade 5 battle was next and, for the first time, Britain fielded two combinations in the class.

Sophie Wells and LJT Egebjerggards Samoa

Having only done one international competition, today’s Grade 5 Grand Prix A individual test was always going to be a huge step up for the seven-year-old Egebjerggards Samoa, or Diana as she’s known. However, in a scenario like this, there’s no better pilot to have in the saddle than Sophie Wells . With St Schufro and Gribaldi bloodlines, the mare is uber-talented but equally sensitive, showing her willingness and ability to perform as frustration at times, and Sophie has worked hard to manage the talent, temperament and ability in order to channel her best work.

With Sophie opting to ride in a snaffle bridle at the stage of Diana’s training, they looked relaxed and ready to get on with the task. It was a bright, pleasing start, with Diana focused and listening to her petite rider. The early halt and rein-back showed good immobility and clean steps – this sometimes tricky movement for the mare was taken in her stride today.

As they came round for their first medium trot across the long diagonal, Sophie went to ask for a bit more power and the greenness came out, with Diana breaking into canter Sophie was quick to correct her, particularly given it was the walk tour next. The percentage had been trending around 73%, but that blip dragged it down to 69%. Diana was back in her stride and completed all her walk movements with a pleasing flow and showed good relaxation. The marks began to creep up with well-executed half-walk pirouettes. It was then onto the canter section and Sophie bravely rode the medium canter to get good ground cover. The counter-canter showed good balance and was well positioned by Sophie, while the simple change was smooth with a good reaction to the aids. Sophie even afforded herself a few smiles through the test as she repeated the canter tour on the other rein, which again was well executed and caused the marks to continue to build. The final extended trot was beautifully presented with a lovely final centre line and halt. After falling to below the magic 70% mark at one stage, the final score was a most respectable 71.846%.

Overall, it was a masterclass of riding a young, talented horse. Sophie rode every corner, supported the balance to set up for transitions and essentially held Diana’s hand to produce a very bright and eye-catching test.

Irrespective of the mark awarded and where they placed, it’s clear that this is a mare with bags of potential and talent. Sophie told the media that she’s showing great potential for the Grand Prix moments, particularly piaffe, passage and canter pirouettes, in her lessons with Carl Hester. Carl watched the test and, along with Sophie’s long-term trainer Angela Weiss, congratulated Sophie on a tremendous effort with such a young horse.

“I am absolutely thrilled with her because she kept a lid on it!” declared Sophie. “She can be a really hot horse. She has such amazing ability and I love the bones off her. She went in, as anybody would expect, and got a little bit tight and tense, and I had the mistake in the medium trot, but then we got it back – she didn’t carry it on, and did the walk, the rein-back, the simple changes and counter-canter, all the things she’s not particularly a fan of, and she kept it together.  

“She’s seven, so she’s not going to be world-beating at the moment, but I honestly love riding her and I just wanted to give her the most positive experience, for her to grow and to be happy. I feel that today that’s taken a massive step in the right direction – it’s not her best test at all, but she kept it together and I'm really proud of her. 

“She did the Nationals [Championships] last year and the year before, and she did lose the plot both times. She’s just one of those horses – she’s going to be amazing when she’s 10 and she’s doing Grand Prix, but this is a massive part of her education and it’s not all about winning medals. I had no intention of doing that this year because I didn’t have my top horse. There’s loads more to come, but it can’t take away how proud I am of her. 

“She’s by St Schufro, dressage-bred, she is very talented for all the Grand Prix work and she has motivation for the entire British team – she always tries 150% and the hardest thing is saying ‘you can do less’ because she can’t. She says, ‘I've got stuff to do, come on, we’re busy!’. 

“She’ll be a different horse in a year – she’s different to what she was a year ago,” commented Sophie. In the first two competitions from this year, I had to retire from because she just tried too hard – it’s never that she’s being naughty. I love her, I have absolute complete faith and belief in her – she’s not a spooky horse, it’s over-trying. She’s going to be amazing.”

Charlotte Cundall and FJ Veyron

Today was a dream realised for Yorkshire-based rider Charlotte Cundall. She’s previously enjoyed more adrenaline-filled equestrian endeavours in the form of eventing and point-to-pointing but, today, it was a new injection of excitement – that first test in a coveted red-collared Lotus Romeo team jacket. Entering the arena on the The Veyron Partnership’s FJ Veyron, she was the proudest person on the showground, and it showed.

The test started with a few nerves, which was to be expected, with a small miscommunication in the first corner. However, as they straightened to cross the diagonal in the first medium trot, they both appeared to take a deep breath and sailed beautifully across. Their halt and following rein-back was well presented and smooth, and the confidence was growing with every step.

Charlotte was really using the arena well, riding into the corners to set up each transition and movement and give the Vivaldi x Fidermark chestnut every chance to shine. The first walk pirouette was smooth and kept a good rhythm and, while the second wasn’t quite so fluid, it was pleasing none the less.

Like Sophie, Charlotte rode bravely in her medium canter and ‘Duke’s’ athletic limbs ate up the long side of the arena. As the canter work progressed, the marks began to creep up – the judges clearly rewarding the confident and correct picture in front of them. A pinpoint accurate final centre line preceded a good halt and salute, and then a look of pure joy followed. A first championship test completed – and completed very, very well with a score of 72.308%! There were tears of joy from Charlotte because it was an ambition fulfilled – maybe not in the discipline she dreamt of as a child but, as Charlotte says, this is her new life and her dreams have shifted.

“Wow! It’s such a dream come true to be in there and I’m so grateful to everybody that’s got me and him in here – the National Lottery, UK Sport, the World Class Programme, my home team, and my mum who sadly can’t be here for health reasons but is with me all the way.  

“My mum and I used to have a phrase when I was eventing – ‘once you get in the start box, you’re on the rollercoaster’. So, once I came out of my halt, I settled down, started breathing, we’re on the roller coaster and off we go. He loves his extensions, that’s his party piece – he’s a great big horse and he loves to go, so I try and go for maximum points in the extensions because I know he can do those.  

“The facilities here are absolutely phenomenal. The stables are incredible, we’ve got wash bays, the horses’ welfare is the top priority at this venue, so they’re nice and cool. It’s just amazing and Duke’s been so settled since the day he walked in,” Charlotte said.

And what’s on the cards for the team test?  “To just go for more and do the best I can for the other three girls because they have been a massive support. It’s a dream to be here with Sophie Wells – she’s been an inspiration since the moment I started in paras quite a few years ago now and we had a dream to get two Grade 5s on a team. I’m not sure it’s been done before, so to be standing here with her is amazing,” said a slightly emotional Charlotte.

At the end of the Grade V, the 2023 FEI European Individual title went Belgium’s way in the form of stalwart Michéle George with Best of 8, who posted 76.308. Frank Hosmar and Alphaville NOP, veterans of many a podium, took silver for the Netherlands, and Regine Mispelkamp finished in bronze for our hosts riding Highlander Delight’s. Final placings for the Brits was fifth for Charlotte and sixth for Sophie – a great day in extremely tough company and conditions for the duo.

Coming up

Tomorrow sees the second day of the dressage Grand Prix, which will feature the third and fourth rotations for each nation – and decide the all-important team placings. The Brits will be utilising girl power in the enviable form of multi-Olympian Charlotte Dujardin and current World Champion Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Fry. Here’s when they’ll be riding their tests:

Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep – 12:24 (11:24 BST)

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale – 16:15 (15:15 BST).

Over in the para dressage arena, focus also turns to the team competition and the Grand Prix B tests. The Grades 1, 2 and 3 will be competing first, which means we’ll have two British combinations in action:

Georgia Wilson and Sakura (Grade 2) – 12:36 (11:36 BST)

Gabriella Blake and Strong Beau (Grade 1) – 15:15 (14:15 BST)

Sophie and Charlotte will ride their Grand Prix B tests on Friday, after which the medals will be awarded.

All the dressage action will be available to stream live with English commentary on FEI.TV via a subscription to ClipMyHorse.TV. The para dressage tests can be watched via the FEI You Tube channel.

Running orders and results are available from Longines Equestrian Timing.

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The funding that the British Equestrian World Class Programme receives from the National Lottery and UK Sport is pivotal in preparing our teams for senior championships and supporting them on the ground.

British Equestrian is also extremely grateful for the support we enjoy from our partners – Bates Saddles, Dodson & Horrell, Fairfax & Favor, NAF, SEIB and Toggi – and team suppliers – Equi-Trek, Horseware, Lotus Romeo, Marksway Horsehage and Point Two. We’re indebted for the year-round support they provide to the World Class Programme and British teams.

Photos: Copyright British Equestrian / Jon Stroud