Horse hero Charlotte Dujardin’s WEG ride and medal contender Mount St John Freestyle

Britain’s new medal hope, the valiant mare who’s been dubbed ‘Mrs Valegro’

FOLLOWING in the footsteps of Valegro is no small feat, but Mount St John Freestyle is already proving a world-class successor for rider Charlotte Dujardin.

However, it wasn’t spectacular paces or dazzling presence that set her apart when Emma Blundell first spotted her at the 2009 Elite Foal Auction in Verden, Germany.

“I just wanted a nice character — something easy,” Emma says. “I did really like Freestyle, although there was another foal we bid for that got too expensive. Freestyle was just nice — correct and without a major weakness, as opposed to the flashiest foal.”

Uncomplicated and relaxed as a young horse, Freestyle grew up living out 24/7 on the Yorkshire hills of Emma’s fledgling Mount St John stud. Emma describes her as “curious but fearless”, and her courage stood her in good stead as she began competing with Emma.

“I grew up showing and was new to dressage so neither of us knew what we were doing. Freestyle’s first big show was Keysoe Premier League, doing the four-year-old class. I had no idea what to expect but she won, and Nicola McGivern, who was judging, loved her so much she came out to tell me.”

Emma and Freestyle went on to finish sixth in the fouryear-old final at the national championships and, when the mare was five, Emma offered

the ride to her friend from her showing days, Charlotte Dujardin.

“I realised she was actually very nice and I didn’t have the experience to give her the dressage training she needed, so I asked Charlotte to have her for a month to see what she thought — and she never came back,” said Emma.

It was Freestyle’s exceptional temperament that convinced Charlotte she was a potential star.

“She doesn’t have amazing paces by nature — she just looked like a very nice, sweet horse,” recalls Charlotte. “But when I started to ride her, I realised she was really special. I loved her attitude and temperament; she’s such an honest mare and tries so hard. At a show, she’s exactly the same as she is at home.”

The pair rose swiftly through the levels. Freestyle has won a national title at a different level every year since 2015, and burst on to the international scene this year aged just nine — she is so far unbeaten at grand prix.

This week, she makes her championship debut at the World Equestrian Games, but Charlotte is confident this brave mare will take it all in her stride.

“I’m not worried about how she’ll cope. I’m just aiming to give her a nice ride; I want her to enjoy the whole experience.Ó