Dujardin masterclass
The queen of dressage walks away with seven winter championship tickets while landing the highest scores of the show, and two local riders score a double each
WINNING five championship classes and bagging seven tickets for the winter championships is a pretty decent day at the office.
It’s no surprise that this impressive feat was pulled off by the one and only Charlotte Dujardin, but it was the way all seven of her rides behaved that did her the most credit. Plenty of horses found the outdoor arena spooky, but with such a
cool customer on board, none of Charlotte’s rides batted an eyelid.
Add to that the fact that most of her horses hadn’t been out since the nationals last September, and this was a horsemanship masterclass in how to bring out the best in any horse in a highlycharged environment. They oozed as much confidence as their rider.
Charlotte’s first win came in the advanced medium gold riding compact chestnut gelding Gio (Apache x Tango), who powered around the arena with a huge smile on his face to score 77.14%. She was also reserve and third with Mount St John VIP and
River Rise Nisa respectively.
She has co-owned seven-yearold Gio (Pumpkin) with Renee Hart since last August after she saw him and instantly bought him at a clinic in America.
“The moment I saw him,
I fell in love with him. He was small and really powerful, like a machine,” said Charlotte.
“He’s my little pocket rocket and is so clever.”
She then won the novice gold championship followed by the elementary championship riding six-year-old Hawtins San Floriana (Flo), by San Amour.
“Flo is a horse Carl Hester and I bought last year from her breeder Judith Davis, who still owns her breeding rights,” explained Charlotte. “She is a real worker and hot, but in a nice way. She has all the power and energy for the grand prix work.”
Next up was the prix st georges (PSG) in which she took the top two spots, winning with nineyear-old Lord Leatherdale x
Ferro mare River Rise Escala, and coming second with eight-yearold Florentina (Vivaldi x Rubels).
Escala is another owned and bred by Sarah Tyler-Evans and co-owned by Charlotte.
“She was ridden by Sadie Smith before, who did really well on her,” said Charlotte. “I took over the ride two years ago and have just been getting to know her. I find it harder getting to know a horse I haven’t trained from the start and I haven’t rushed taking her out, but she has huge potential.”
River Rise Nisa gave Charlotte her next title in the medium gold. The Negro seven-year-old, who is co-owned by her breeder Sarah Tyler-Evans, was also third in the advanced medium.
“She had a few blips in the
changes in the advanced medium yesterday, but today she felt really rideable,” Charlotte said. “Last year she was competing at novice; it shows how much she’s come on.”
Charlotte was also second in the advanced medium with sevenyear-old Mount St John VIP.
DOUBLE PRIZES
“THE most kissed horse” at Abbey Dressage, where Laura Wollen is based, danced to a The Holidaythemed soundtrack to land the elementary and medium freestyle championships, scoring plus-70% in both.
Woodcroft Francisco, an eightyear-old by Fidertanz, belongs to Julie Steed who gave the ride to Laura three years ago.
“I train with Peter Storr and Stef Eardley, and Stef did my floorplan, for which we got an 8.5,” said Laura.
“Francisco’s stable is next to the tack room, so he gets plenty of attention. Every time someone walks past, he gets kisses.”
Another combination to land a double championship was medical secretary Jane Morris and Quinet Du Buisson Z, who won the medium freestyle gold with 74.77% and advanced medium freestyle silver with 71.66%.
“He’s only just started doing advanced medium and that was the best test he could have done,” said Jane of her nine-year-old Belgian-bred gelding whom she bought from Two Mills Sport Horses as a three-year-old.
“My nan passed away aged 101 and left me a record collection which included a load of jazz, so I used the jazz for my freestyle, which I put together myself using a free download programme.”
SURPRISE WIN
SADIE SMITH, rider and groom for Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin, won the inter I riding her own 11-year-old Keystone Dynamite, by Keystone Dimaggio.
“I was surprised to win because I had a few mistakes. He’s hot off my leg and I was trying to ride quietly, but it wasn’t very effective,” laughed Sadie, who enviably gets to ride Uthopia and Valegro. “It was my first year of small tour last year, so it’s still quite new, but I’m in the best place and learning so much.”
Freelance rider and trainer
Jess Bennett took the advanced medium freestyle championship with 77.88%, riding 10-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding JB Dukaat. The pair wowed judges with a rock-and-roll soundtrack.
“He was naughty in the straight advanced medium, but he was fantastic in the music,” said Jess. “I think the atmosphere got to him outside, but indoors in the freestyle he was well behaved.”
Jess, who trains with Carl Hester, bought Dukaat as an unbroken four-year-old and her plan is to compete him at PSG level this summer.
Former event rider Rob Barker enjoyed an elementary silver championship win with Alison Haste’s six-year-old Woodlander Romance by Rousseau.
“She won the novice and was second in the elementary regionals last year, but she still has a lot of growing to do,” said Rob.” H&H