Dressage Keysoe, Vale View Para Home International and highlights
Carl Hester puts himself in the picture for the World Equestrian Games with a victorious grand prix on Hawtins Delicato, while a para championship combination excel in the inter I and young horse qualifiers provide excitement
CARL HESTER’S muchanticipated grand prix debut on his own, Ann Cory and Anne Evans’ World Equestrian Games hopeful Hawtins Delicato (Del) didn’t disappoint. The Britishbred 10-year-old (Diamond Hit x Regazzoni), who made his debut at the level with Charlotte Dujardin in March, secured Friday’s 26-strong grand prix on a solid score of just below 75%, despite a few mistakes.
“It was a test with three super piaffes, but a couple of costly mistakes — one in the two-tempis, and then he changed behind before the left pirouette,” said Carl. “But this was a confidencebuilding outing before our first international at Windsor next month.
“I’m feeling my way as Del is a sensitive but hugely talented horse, and we have a long season ahead. This was a very happy debut,” he added.
Isobel Wessels and Chagall were second to Carl in the grand prix — “coming second to Carl is like winning a gold medal,” Isobel
joked — but took the freestyle win on the horse’s grand prix music debut. The leggy 17.2hh gelding, who is the epitome of lightness and elasticity, danced to orchestral music that included Ralph Vaughan Williams’ stirring Tallis Fantasia for the canter pirouettes. Yet, there’s still scope for improvement.
“I only got the music from Tom Hunt last week and we need more practice — Chagall needs to know where he’s going a little bit,” said Isobel, this week’s H&H guest columnist (see p62). “I wanted something to emphasise his type and way of going, so something light but with a bit of a lift. I’m thrilled with Tom’s work.”
As well as being one of the most tactful, elegant riders on the circuit, Isobel is also a widely respected five-star judge.
Italian judge Barbara Ardu was full of praise for the performances of both combinations.
“I wasn’t familiar with Delicato, but I didn’t expect any less from Carl,” she said. “It was a very fluent, natural test where the harmony between horse and rider was palpable and this exceptionally refined rider’s aids were truly invisible. It looked effortless — and both Delicato and Chagall embody our ideal of the ‘happy athlete’, which is what, as judges, we always want to see. They were a privilege to watch.”
Barbara was also impressed by the general quality of the big-tour combinations at Keysoe.
“I found the standards — both in terms of the riding and of the horsepower — to be extremely high, not just with the top-placed combinations, but overall, too.
The average level is very high for a national show, higher than at some internationals,” she continued. “There were over half a dozen riders scoring over 68% in the grand prix, which is remarkable.”
Equally impressive, both in terms of quality and quantity, were the small tour classes, with 110 straight prix st georges (PSG) tests completed over the three days. Of these, Nikki Barker posted the highest score, a fraction below 76%, riding her own and Viv Gleave’s Durable.
“His balance and self-carriage have really improved lately, and despite a few little errors the quality of the work felt fantastic,” said Nikki of the spectacular Spielberg son, now 10. “He has so much power and movement that it’s taken a while for him to learn to control it all. He feels incredible to ride — light as a feather and responsive, but always with you.”
PARA RIDERS SHINE
SATURDAY’S 49-strong inter I was topped by Paralympic gold medallist Sophie Wells who rode her 2017 European Championship partner, Charlotte Hogg’s 11-yearold C Fatal Attraction (Jorge).
‘I’m feeling my way as Hawtins Delicato is sensitive, but hugely talented — this was a confidencebuilding outing and a very happy debut’ CARL HESTER
“We’ve been working on getting the balance right between power and harmony in the test,” Sophie said. “We had a good week at Deauville CPEDI at the beginning of the month, and I worried it’d be testing transferring it into the able-bodied arena, but we managed it. There are still areas to improve, but I know he’s a high-scoring horse; I’m just trying my best to do him justice.”
After her winning ride, Sophie quickly hopped off Jorge to warm up her pupil Izzy Taylor for the advanced medium freestyle — to great success, as grade IV para rider Izzy, 17, won the class on Sophie’s own Touchdown M.
“It’s great experience for Izzy and it shows the standard of para dressage is getting so high,” said Sophie.
Izzy added: “Touchdown always goes into the arena and tries his heart out; he’s an incredible horse to learn from.
I’m very grateful to Sophie, my trainer and mentor, for giving me the opportunity to ride such an amazing horse.”
EXCITING YOUNGSTERS
YOUNG horses were also out in force, with the five-year-old competitions particularly heated. Rebecca Cowderoy scored a fraction under 80% in Friday’s international class on her own and Maria Wellman’s 18hh Fosshey Fortunatus (Floriscount x De Niro), who, in his first stay-away show, belied his greenness by producing an extremely polished test.
“I hope he’ll be my next grand prix horse; he finds the work very easy and offers so much. I just need to be careful not to push him because he is so big,” the Banburybased rider and trainer said, who herself trains with Rhett Bird.
Amy Woodhead triumphed in the British Dressage sixyear-old class on Claire Hester’s Her-Genius, a Lord Leatherdale
‘He has so much power and movement; it’s taken him a while to learn to control it’
mare out of Valegro’s full sister Weidyfleur II (Negro x Gershwin).
“She’s a super-talented mare, with lots of potential for grand prix,” said Amy.
Another of superdam Weidyfleur’s babies, Claire Hester’s chestnut stallion Integro (by Dimaggio), was ridden by Jenny Martell to third place among the five-year-olds. The class was won by Sara Lucas’
Iwan (Charmeur x Sir Oldenburg) under Rudy Daenekint.