Category: Dressage News

On 15 May, British team rider Gareth Hughes announced that his multi-medallist Classic Briolinca would be retiring from international competition. The announcement came on Briolinca’s 18th birthday – which was celebrated with a special cake made from some of her favourite foods Known as ‘Princess’ by those closest to her, including owners Gareth, his wife Rebecca, daughter Ruby and long-time friend Julia Hornig, Briolinca joined Gareth’s yard in Warwickshire as a three-year-old when Rebecca spotted her star credentials while on a horse-buying trip in the Netherlands. The pair began their competitive…

Denmark captured an impressive win Saturday in the CDIO5* Nations Cup event, a key component in Danish chef d’equipe Anne-Mette Binder “milestone plan” ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (FRA). Daniel Bachmann Andersen (Vayron), Nanna Skodborg Merrald (Blue Hors St. Schufro), and Carina Cassoe Krüth (Heiline’s Danciera) bested a competitive field of nine teams with a winning point total of 225.500. Sweden finished second (218.239), with the home nation third (215.261). “It’s a very important competition here for us. This is in our ‘milestone plan’—so we call it—where we…

Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin will both ride in the upcoming I.C.E Horseboxes All England Dressage Festival which take place at Hickstead from the 7th – 12th May, 2024. Both riders are hopeful for selection onto the British teams for the Paris Games which is fast approaching, so Hickstead will no doubt prove to be a very important outing for the Gloucestershire-based pair. Carl made his Olympic debut in 1992 and has competed at six Games in total, winning team gold at London 2012, team silver in Rio 2016, and…

Reigning individual world champion, Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry, secured a clear victory in the Grand Prix to get the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2024 underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this afternoon. Partnering her Tokyo Olympic ride, the 15-year-old stallion Everdale, Fry was top choice of all seven judges when scoring 75.388 to pin Sweden’s Patrik Kittel into second place with Touchdown while Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Blue Hors Don Olymbrio finished third.  The surprise of the day was the fourth-place finish for German legend Isabell Werth whose test…

British equestrian organisations are paying tribute following the passing of Juliet Seal. Juliet, one of the most influential figures in the development of Para Dressage in Great Britain, died peacefully at home on 30 January at the age of 86. As a BD List 2 Judge, FEI Para Judge, Para Selector and Chair of Selectors, Juliet’s unwavering support played a key role in shaping and cultivating Para Dressage, leading to successive Championship successes for the British team during her time at the forefront of the sport. In 2015, Juliet received…

Continuing her incredible breakthrough year, Becky Moody rode to success at Myerscough Premiere League Show in the Grand Prix with her new superstar, James Bond II. The super 10-year-old Desperado x Fidertanz stallion owned by Becky’s longtime supporter, Jo Cooper, sealed his first Grand Prix win in a hot class. After her success with stable mate Jagerbomb at the London International, Becky rode James Bond II to win the class on 70.8%, narrowly ahead of stalwart Emma Hindle on Zippo MI, another exciting new horse. “Clever Mr Bond was determined…

The 37th season finale of the global FEI Dressage World Cup series is fast approaching. For the first time, the best dressage athletes in the world will meet for the World Cup Final in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, from Tuesday, 16 April to Saturday, 20 April, 2024. Athletes can collect points for the final in four leagues: In the Western European League (WEL), the Central European League (CEL), the North American League (NAL) and the Pacific League (PAL). Out of all those four Leagues 18 riders receive their…

By Louise Parkes German dressage legend, Isabell Werth, posted her second victory of the season at the eleventh and last leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands today. Taking maximum points with Emilio on home ground in Stuttgart last November, she did it again when the pair were runners-up to compatriot Jessica von Bredow-Werndl in Basel in January because the 2023 series champion was not entitled to qualifying points at the Swiss fixture.  Today Werth topped up her points tally to a…

FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023-2024, Western European League. Written by Louise Parkes Belgium’s Domien Michiels couldn’t hide his delight when winning the penultimate leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League series in Gothenburg, Sweden with his 16-year-old gelding Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof. The pair have extensive experience together having flown their country’s flag at the Tokyo Olympics Games in 2021, the World Championship in 2022 and the last two European Championships. But in their long partnership, they never posted a major international victory – until today. “It…

Germany continues reign of dominance in Wellington with fourth consecutive FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ victory written by Catie Staszak The 2024 FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ series kicked off Thursday in Wellington, FL (USA) with a fourth consecutive victory in the event for Germany. Two combinations returned from last year’s winning squad in Anna-Christina Abbelen (Sam Donnerhall) and Felicitas Hendricks (Drombusch). Frederic Wandres (Totall Recall) and Michael Klimke (Domino 957) completed the winning team, with Klimke also serving as chef d’equipe. Their winning total was 213.369. The United States finished second…

FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023-2024 Western European League Written by Louise Parkes Partnering the 11-year-old stallion Indian Rock, The Netherlands’ Emmelie Scholtens clinched victory at the ninth leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League in Neumünster, Germany today. Already under the spotlight after topping yesterday’s closely-contested Grand Prix, the Dutch pair were awarded the winning mark once again today by judges Ulrike Nivelle (GBR), Clive Halsall (DEN), Hans-Christian Matthiesen (NED), Maarten ver der Heijden (GER) and Henning Lehrmann (GER) with less than 2.5 percent separating the top…

Reigning Olympic, World Cup and European champions, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the spectacular mare TSF Dalera BB, topped the podium at the seventh leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League at the Longines CHI Classics in Basel, Switzerland today. This was their second victory in a row at the annual Swiss fixture, and it was compatriots Isabell Werth (Emilio) and Matthias Alexander Rath (Destacado FRH) who filled second and third places ahead of Austria’s Florian Bacher (Fidertraum OLD) in fourth. The winning pair produced a fabulous…

Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and her Tokyo 2020 Olympic ride, Everdale, were convincing winners of the sixth leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League in Mechelen, Belgium. Scoring 84.980 they pipped The Netherlands’ Marlies van Baalen and Habibi DBV for top spot, while two rising stars – Belgium’s Flore de Winne with Flynn FRH and Germany’s Rapahel Netz with Great Escape Camelot – filled third and fourth places. The event attracted a truly international line-up, with Singapore’s Caroline Chew (Blue Hors Zatchmo) and India’s Anush Agarwalla…