Nations Cup
Team GBR led the way over four days international competition at Hickstead showground, headed up by a win for Carl Hester, Gareth Hughes, Michael Eilberg and Nikki Crisp in the final leg of the FEI Nations Cup Dressage 2013 pilot series.
As it was the final, the Freestyle was used to score points and the British effort kicked off with 69.700% from Nikki Crisp and her own Pasoa followed by 72.650% for Michael Eilberg (Marakov) and 74.250% from Gareth Hughes (DV Stenjkers Nadonna owned by Elizabeth Brewin). But it was Carl who commanded the team; fabulous passage-piaffe and a wonderful trot extension earning him and his Olympic ride Uthopia the highest score of the class with 81.650%.
This was the first time the pair have competed together since Olympia last Christmas (his pupil Charlotte Dujardin has ridden the KWPN stallion to four victories since then) and Carl was clearly thrilled with his ride.
“It was like being back in the good old days of 2010, I don’t know what happened because he was hot as hell, but he felt like a million dollars! I had a fab ride, it was a great boost for us both. I hadn’t ridden him since the Olympics really and now I’m seriously looking forward to the Europeans in Herning. This has put us both in the right frame of mind”, he said.
Carl and Uthopia will now head out to Denmark to compete as part of the British team at the European championships, 20 - 25 August.
This was the second team win for GBR as part of the four leg competition (the first was at Rotterdam CDIO5* back in June), but it wasn’t quite enough to bag them the series title which at close of play went to The Netherlands (36 points), leaving Great Britain in third place on 29 points after Sweden who tallied 33 points.
Big Tour
Back out together for only the second time this year, Charlotte Dujardin and her beloved “Blueberry” (Valegro), owned jointly by Carl Hester and Roly Luard, were tip top for the individual big tour classes taking clear leads in both the Grand Prix and Special on 81.660% and 85% respectively.
British fans packed the Hickstead stands to see the pair (pictured above) competing on home soil for the first time since Olympia in December last year.
The last twelve months cannot have been easy for 28 year old Dujardin who, before meeting Carl and being offered the ride that would turn out to change her life, was happily relatively unknown and busy forging herself a career as is normal for any young talented horsewoman.
Since making Olympic history, Charlotte has been thrust into the dressage spotlight which, despite huge bonuses, comes with equally big responsibilities – not least of which is coming to terms (as all riders at the very top must do) with the fact that, eventually, Valegro would probably be sold.
It is testament to Carl’s guidance, and her own mettle, that Charlotte has bourn that responsibility with professionalism and a determination to keep looking forward, and it is this focus that has no doubt firmed her ability to keep her eyes firmly fixed on the game, maintaining her and Valegro’s title as number one combination in the world (FEI rankings as of 06/08/2013).
Carl also went individually in the Grand Prix and Special, posting second place to Charlotte and Valegro both times; 75.191% in the GP with Uthopia followed by 73.181% in the Special on Jenny Green’s horse Fine Time 13.
Small Tour
At small tour it was Carl and Charlotte’s Olympic team mate Laura Tomlinson who dominated, with two wins on her father’s nine year old mare Unique VIII (pictured).
Known to her friends somewhat ironically as “Minnie” (she is actually full up 17.2hh with big floppy ears), the lovely mare posted 71.426% in the PSG to beat second placed Anders Dahl and Selten HW (70.632%) followed by 71.132% in the Inter I ahead of Sarah Millis and Furst Rubin on 70.895%.
Laura’s Olympic ride and old friend “Alf” (Mistral Hojris) also made an appearance with team Tomlinson at Hickstead, taking to the main arena on Friday for a training display with the help of Laura’s dad, Dr Bechtolsheimer.
Alf is due to compete with Laura as part of the European team in a couple of weeks, in what could possibly be the last year of his professional career. At 18 years old the handsome chestnut gelding has definitely earned his stripes, having broken plenty of British records and bagged Olympic and European gold. He could be thanked for blazing the trail that made the rest of world stand up and take serious notice of the Brits, after rewarding Laura’s hard work and commitment to him with several big wins at international level from around 2007.
When he does eventually retire it will surely be an emotional end of an era for Laura who describes her best friend as “not realising that he is 18 years old!”
The only Brit able to break into the top three at Inter I Freestyle was Spencer Wilton, riding Jennifer Goodman’s ‘Super Nova’ for third place on 72.300%. This was a good start to the first Inter I Freestyle that the pair have competed together since Spencer took the ride back in March 2012. Previously Goodman’s Super Nova had also been campaigned by Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester at Advanced Medium level.
Youth tests
19 year old Pippa Hutton and her Dimmagio mare Duela led the way in the youth tests, continuing the form they showed at the Young Rider Europeans, winning each of their three Young Rider classes on comfortably plus seventy scores.
Dutch rider Mercedes Verway managed to stop the Brits from winning in any of the Pony tests thanks to another trio of plus seventy scores. Her closest British contender was 16 year old Worcestershire based Amber Barton with her 14 year old chestnut gelding Doctor Little, who came second in the Individual and Team classes.
In the Junior tests the Brits managed to hold on to all three top spots with two wins for Gabrielle Lucas and Laurentius II, and another for Jessica Gale and Umbro S.
Results as follows:
CDIO 3* FEI NATIONS CUP Team Results
1ST GBR (Carl Hester, Gareth Hughes, Michael Eilberg, Nikki Crisp) 76.183%
2ND USA (Kathleen Raine, Guenter Seidel, Shelly Francis, Arlene Page) 75.258%
3RD GER (Jenny Lang, Matthias Kempkes, Johanna Von Fircks, Stephan Koberle) 73.267%
CDI Prix St Georges
1st Laura Tomlinson and Unique VIII, 71.526%
2nd Anders Dahl and Selten HW 70.632%
3rd Zoe Sleigh and Fantastic Light, 70.368%
N.A.F. CDI Junior Team Test
1st Jessica Gale and Umbro S, 70.270%
2nd Imofei Rusakof and Zidane, 67.883%
3rd Jessica Gale and Rebellski, 67.748%
N.A.F. CDI Young Rider Team Test
1st Phillipa Hutton and Duela, 71.491%
2nd Olivia Towers and Flyaway Wish, 69.298%
3rd Ryan Todd and Charlex Eskebjerg, 67.807%
N.A.F. CDI Pony Team Test
1st Mercedes Verway and Brouwershaven's Nairobi, 70.769%
2nd Amber Barton and Doctor Little, 67.564%
3rd Angus Corrie-Deane and Grayswood Orlando, 65.385%
CDI Intermediaire I
1st Laura Tomlinson and Unique VIII, 71.132%
2nd Sarah Millis and Furst Rubin, 70.895%
3rd Shelly Francis and Danilo, 70.658%
CDIO 3* Grand Prix
1st Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, 81.660%
2nd Carl Hester and Uthopia, 75.191%
3rd Guenter Seidel and Coral Reef Wylea, 73.043%
CDI Junior Individual Test
1st Gabrielle Lucas and Laurentius II, 69.956%
2nd Jessica Gale and Umbro S, 68.289%
3rd Timofei Rusakof and Zidane, 66.974%
CDI Young Rider Individual Test
1st Phillipa Hutton and Duela, 70.263%
2nd Astrid Westburg-Rikheim and Cartier NB, 68.991%
3rd Ryan Todd and Charlex Eskebjerg, 68.640%
CDI Pony Individual Test
1st Mercedes Verway and Brouwershaven's Nairobi, 71.992%
2nd Amber Barton and Doctor Little, 67.398%
3rd Chloe Vell and Le Chiffre, 67.317%
CDIO 3* Grand Prix Special
1st Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, 85.000%
2nd Carl Hester and Fine Time 13, 73.813%
3rd Lara Griffith and Andretti H, 70.021%
CDI Junior Freestyle Test
1st Gabrielle Lucas and Laurentius II, 71.550%
2nd Jessica Gale and Umbro S, 70.300%
3rd Rebecca Edwards and Ufano II, 68.850%
CDI Young Rider Freestyle Test
1st Phillipa Hutton and Duela, 73.200%
2nd Astrid Westburg-Rikheim and Cartier NB, 71.775%
3rd Ryan Todd and Charlex Eskebjerg, 68.550%
CDI Pony Freestyle Test
1st Mercedes Verway and Brouwershaven's Nairobi, 72.075%
2nd Bo Oudhof and Day of La Divinia, 69.875%
3rd Amber Barton and Doctor Little, 69.725%
Hickstead British Young Horse 5yr International Championship
1st Sarah Kingswell and The Contact People Destiny D, 80.60%
2nd Alice Oppenheimer and Headmore Wimoweh, 80.00%
3rd Daniel Sherriff and Dance of Decadence, 72.40%
CDI Intermediaire I Freestyle
1ST Christianne Goes and Accountancy Ultimo, 73.725%
2ND Luis Principe and Surprise, 72.325%
3RD Spencer Wilton and Goodmans Super Nova, 72.300%
Hickstead British Young Horse 5yr National Championship
1st Daniel Sherriff and Dance of Decadence, 84.600%
2nd Jess Bennett and JB Dukaat, 84.000%
3rd Sarah Kingswell and The Contact People Destiny D, 83.000%
Hickstead British Young Horse 5yr International Semi-Final
1st Paul Hayler and Lonswelt, 82.000%
2nd Sarah Kingswell and The Contact People Destiny D, 80.000%
3rd Daniel Sherriff and Dance of Decadence, 78.800%
Hickstead British Young Horse 6yr National Championship
1st Becky Moody and Carinsio, 83.000%
2nd Daisy Coakley and Cleopatra 2, 82.600%
3rd Alice Oppenheimer and Tantoni Sir Socrates, 81.600%
Hickstead British Young Horse 6yr International Semi-Final
1st Becky Moody and Carinsio, 86.800%
2nd Alice Oppenheimer and Tantoni Sir Socrates, 86.600%
3rd Hannah Biggs and Don Caledonia, 85.400%
Hickstead British Young Horse 6yr International Championship
1st Becky Moody and Carinsio, 87.20%
2nd Alice Oppenheimer and Tantoni Sir Socrates, 81.40%
3rd Jessica Thompson and Danilo II, 80.80%
For comprehensive results visit the Dressage at Hickstead webiste here
Pictures courtesy of Risto Aaltonen and FEI Photo Catalogue