Contact
For all enquiries, please don’t hesitate to phone Stable Equestrian on 01772 600555, email enquiries@stable-equestrian.net. Alternatively you can complete the online contact form below and we will reply as soon as possible.
Lisa Smith can be contacted on 07821 782135.
We are not currently open to casual callers but visits by appointment are always very welcome.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Share this 
SHEER EXELL-ENCE AT OLYMPIA, THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL HORSE SHOW
The penultimate day of Olympia, The London International Horse Show featured two top-class FEI World Cup™ competitions in Show Jumping and Driving, where the world’s best athletes went head-to-head in thrilling performances which wowed the crowds. The FEI Driving World Cup™ presented by Eurofip International was once again dominated by Australia’s Boyd Exell in a gripping two round competition, with Koos de Ronde, his closest challenger, over 4 seconds behind. Earlier in the day, the Longines FEI World Cup™ was won by reigning European Champion and current World No. 2 Martin Fuchs riding The Sinner, whose spectacular jump-off round was over a second faster than Max Kühner in second. Two runnings of The Saracen Horse Feeds Shetland Pony Grand National saw victories for Alfie Diaper riding Damerham Briar Lilly and Leighton Aspell’s daughter Niamh Aspell aboard Magheradartin Beeswax. The Kennel Club Large Agility Stakes Finals was won by Claire Bacon with Tynevermoor Secret Mission and Megan Hunt with A Moment in Thyme. DRIVING Three days of flawless and thrilling rounds culminated in victory in the FEI Driving World Cup™Leg, presented by Eurofip International, for maestro Boyd Exell. “One of the most incredible things was the crowd,” said Boyd. “They are really loud and they are really with us.” Lloyd Bell Productions caught up with Boyd: Its been a fantastic week, you had your ‘A’game with you! Yeah great horses, experienced, and with that crowd pushing you on every turn you have to have experienced horses to cope, the atmosphere was electric This has got to be as near as perfect week as it can get for you and your team Yes and I noticed today that my wheelers were losing a bit of fitness, well we’ve done three days in a row and two rounds each night What is the key, as this is a compact arena, to producing this wonderful display you have done this week? Accuracy and racing lines, you’ve got to keep on your lines, my navigator is brilliant, she is saying stay tight, drift wide, careful of this one, back off on this corner, so you’re a bit like a rally car driver you can’t go fast everywhere, you have to know when to drop down two gears or go up one gear. The crowd was in charge of the acceleration and we were just trying to keep control! Dutch course designer Jeroen Houterman’s course included twisting but flowing obstacles and cones requiring accurate curving to remain faultless. However, there was plenty of places for gallops as well. “The plan was to keep everything as simple as possible. For most of the course they could go at 90 – 100% [speed],” said Jeroen. “But, when you go too fast, that’s when there is the risk of having a ball.” That was certainly the case in round one, where over half the field picked up additional time penalties, which decided the three to go forward to the final. The Netherlands’ Isjbrand Chardon was first to go. Having driven one of the steadier, but clean, first rounds, he was determined to better his time after an inauspicious start to the show in the first two driving classes. His speed certainly improved, knocking almost six seconds off his initial run’s time. However, this came at the expense of two early balls, leaving the door ajar. “My first two days at the show...
read moreFUCHS’ SINNER IS A SAINT IN THE LONGINES FEI JUMPING WORLD CUP
Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs brought his storming year to a close with a superbly ridden win in the eighth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™. The reigning European Champion, fresh from a big win in Geneva last weekend, was second to go in a six-horse jump-off and pulled off a brilliantly accurate turn to the wall on The Sinner to achieve a time of 31.99 seconds that no one could match. Terrific performance in the jump off, how proud are you of that jump off? It really was a great jump off, I couldn’t have done it any better. I am pretty sure if i had to do it again I wouldn’t catch it like I did then. It’s always nice when it works out. Did you think once you had set that time that it was going to be hard to beat? I knew it would be hard to beat, there were not so many horses in the jump off and not the fastest horses in the jump off, neither is mine ‘The Sinner’ so thats why I tried to take all the risks to put the pressure on the others and it worked out. What a 2019, this has been some year? This has been an amazing and incredible year and I’m just so happy about it Winning at Olympia, what does that mean to you? It is such an amazing show, it’s a dream to win here in front of this amazing crowd, the world cup classes are always special but obviously to win at a show like this, it’s even more special Austria’s Max Kühner (Elektric Blue P) and Belgium’s Niels Bruynseels (Delux van T & L) were also immaculate over the fences, but had to surrender to Fuchs’s speed, taking second and third places respectively. Marcus Ehning from Germany, a three-time winner of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, was fourth with a fence down on the grey Cornado NRW. Scott Brash, who won this class in 2016 on Hello M’Lady, was the best Briton in fifth on the promising 10-year-old Hello Jefferson, his mount in the winning FEI Nations Cup™ team in Dublin in August, and looks to have sealed his place at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Las Vegas in April as well as having a potential horse for next year’s Tokyo Olympics. Fifth place, from a horse which is an exciting prospect I think Jefferson jumped a fantastic first round, ok we had one mistake in the jump off trying to beat the winner so I am delighted with the horse. Ok you want to win in front of your home crowd but you have to be realistic and we made the mistake in the jump off Looking ahead to next year, it’s a major year, its good to know you’ve got a team of horses to choose from Yes absolutely, I am in a lucky position were I have a couple of options for next year, which isn’t the same for every rider. I am very happy with were we are at and all eyes will be on Tokyo next year. His Team GB teammate Holly Smith, who produced the only clear of the first 20 horses, enjoyed her best Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ result...
read moreFULL SPEED AHEAD ON RACE NIGHT AT OLYMPIA, THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL HORSE SHOW
Race Night returned to Olympia, The London International Horse Show on day five of the Show, with fast and furious action throughout. The Markel Jockeys Jumping in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund saw Bridget Andrews’ team of girls beat their male counterparts, including Sir AP McCoy, as a selection of the country’s best jockeys tested their mettle over show jumps. There was further racing action from The Saracen Horse Feeds Shetland Pony Grand National, which saw wins for Zak Kent on Briar Smokey Joe and Lucas Murphy riding Cranford Fantastic. The afternoon performance kicked off with the opening FEI Driving World CupTM Leg presented by Eurofip International and, in a repeat of last year, it was Australia’s Boyd Exell who dominated proceedings, heading into tomorrow’s second session in pole position. In Show Jumping, The Father Christmas Stakes, an accumulator class, was won by home favourite William Funnell, with the main class of the day, The Longines Christmas Cracker, going to Ireland’s Darragh Kenny. EXELL SETS THE STANDARD AGAIN The competition was fierce in the FEI Driving World CupTM Leg presented by Eurofip International,with drivers aiming to gain maximum points towards their FEI World CupTM Final qualification. First to go was Britain’s Daniel Naprous, whose fast driving has impressed many on the circuit, however on this occasion 16 seconds to add took him out of contention. Boyd Exell was next into the arena, driving the clean skilful lines for which he is renowned, putting the pressure on those to come. Jozsef Dobrovitz of Hungary could not match the speed of Exell, but tactical driving kept a clean slate and a good finish at 143.83. Koos de Ronde (NED) took a slick no-nonsense approach to the first course and slotted just behind Exell on 136.49, with last to go, Chester Weber (USA), driving very fast and cleanly to finish third and progress into the drive-off. An uncharacteristic early error from Weber in the second round resulted in elimination and an enforced third place. Koos de Ronde came in meaning business, but his horses could not catch the speed merchant Exell, whose total score was six seconds ahead of his rivals. Boyd said: “We went very fast, but the whole team are integral to the success. My navigator and long-time groom Emma Olsson was really important as the course had many twists and turns and, of course, Hugh Scott-Barrett as backstep ensures we get through the cones cleanly. I am happy, but we all work hard to make it happen.” IT’S LADIES NIGHT IN THE MARKEL JOCKEYS JUMPING IN AID OF THE INJURED JOCKEYS FUND It was a night for the girls as the female jockeys’ team trounced their male counterparts in an exhilarating battle for the Markel Jockeys Jumping in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund. The contest had the packed Olympia audience roaring with excitement as the two teams of five got to grips with borrowed horses and unfamiliar knock-down fences against the clock. The girls’ team, coached on the night by eventer Pippa Funnell and captained by Bridget Andrews, reversed last year’s result and got off to a brilliant start when Lizzie Kelly flew around clear, including at the final joker fence. Josephine Gordon was fastest of the team, eventually taking second place in the individual rankings behind Jim Crowley, who restored male pride with a flying round. Nicola Currie also put...
read moreIRISH EYES ARE SMILING AGAIN ON DAY FOUR OF OLYMPIA
The fourth day of Olympia, The London International Horse Show provided top class sport and entertainment from the outset, with another exceptional day for Great Britain. William Whitaker, fresh from victory in last night’s Cayenne Puissance, took the opening CSI5* Show Jumping competition of the day, The Shelley Ashman International Shipping Ltd, E M Rogers (Transport) Ltd, Snowflake Stakes, with the Lemieux Six Bar going to Laura Renwick. The Champagne Taittinger Ivy Stakes, the feature class of the evening, was won by Anthony Condon. Meanwhile Extreme Driving got underway with a win for World No. 1 Boyd Exell, with Britain’s Daniel Naprous recording his best-ever result in second. A 20-year-old dressage horse belied his age to win the Olympia Senior Showing & Dressage Championships sponsored by Anthony D Evans Insurance Brokers. Helen Christie’s Silvano KR, ridden by 16-year-old GCSE student Gracie Catling, looked in peak condition to take the laurels. In the in-hand section, the remarkable 32-year-old Hot Fuss, shown by Laura Oughton-Aker, took the honours. There was fast and furious action from The Saracen Horse Feeds Shetland Pony Grand National, with wins for Alfie Diaper riding Damerham Briar Lilly and Nelly Stephens aboard Briar Tiffany. The Kennel Club Dog Agility was a close-run affair with Anthony Clarke and Eliza Doolots of Ashpen winning the afternoon’s Kennel Club Medium Jumping Grand Prix supported by Skinners and Dawn Weaver taking the Kennel Club Medium Agility Stakes Finals supported by Skinners with Galaxy’s Ace of Spades later in the evening. BRITISH STARS CONTINUE TO SHINE IN CSI5* SHOW JUMPING Popular British rider William Whitaker is on a roll at Olympia, The London International Horse Show. Having shown his mettle over height last night, taking joint first by clearing 7ft2in with RMF Charly in the Cayenne Puissance, he proved his competitive versatility with a speed win in the Shelley Ashman International Ltd, E M Rodgers (Transport) Ltd Snowflake Stakes by a massive 3 seconds with RMF Chacco Top. Being drawn in the top half of the field, William, who is based between Germany and the USA, had to set a tough target. The tactic worked and after a number of rivals collected faults trying to chase him others opted for a steadier pace and a safer placing, with Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer riding Cas coming closest to take second place. “He [RMF Chacco Top] had a couple down yesterday, but he needed to get used to the arena,” said William. “The crowds really help to give you a boost, they are like that right through the show, it’s great.” The evening performance got underway with another British win in The Lemieux Six Bar. Jumping big fences is all about power and Laura Renwick’s partner Top Dollar VI has that by the bucketload. Clearing the final 1.95m fence with ease, the pair took the win as the only combination to remain faultless after four rounds. “I hate to say he makes it easy, but the strength he has is special,” said Renwick of the 10-year-old stallion, joking: “I just wish I had a bit more control!” The class involved the fences being raised in each round; a pole on the floor resulting in elimination. By round four, only four combinations remained. Laura and Top Dollar VI set the standard, producing their faultless run at the final four-fence...
read moreDOUBLE DELIGHT AS WHITAKER AND PENDER SHARE PUISSANCE SPOILS
The third day of action at Olympia, The London International Horse Show, welcomed the world’s best show jumpers to Olympia Grand. Seven of the top ten riders attended, with Britain’s Holly Smith getting the Show off to a flying start by taking the opening class, The Welcome Stakes, by the narrowest of margins from compatriot Laura Renwick. The Cayenne Puissance had the sell-out crowd on their feet, with William Whitaker and Michael Pender taking joint honours, both clearing a remarkable 2.18 metres (7ft 2in) in the fifth round. Earlier in the day Darragh Kenny scored an impressive victory in The Santa Stakes supported by Olympia, while reigning European Champion Martin Fuchs sped to victory in the The Musto Inside Edge Stakes. An elite line-up of top show jumpers also took centre stage alongside their junior counterparts in The Aztec Diamond Pony Club Mini-Major. The pairs relay was a fiercely fought contest, with Norway’s Karina Hovland, partnered with Essex Hunt North Pony Club’s Laila Ramaci, coming out eventual winners. Nine-year-old Laila was very modest about her round with Dinky, but Karina was quick to offer praise to her young partner, saying “Actually you were really rather quick to the last!” THE CAYENNE PUISSANCE Photo: Ashley Neuhof @ashleyneuhofphotography Two of the most stylish young riders on the circuit topped the results list in equal first place after a quality Cayenne Puissance competition which, for the second year running, went to a thrilling fifth and final round. The familiar face of Britain’s William Whitaker and Michael Pender, an Irishman making his Olympia debut, both cleared the famously imposing wall at 7ft 2in. Last year’s joint winner, Guy Williams on the big grey Mr Blue Sky UK, also made it to the final round but knocked a brick out of the wall on his last attempt. An elated Whitaker’s result was all the more credible as it was a first Puissance for Rushy Marsh Farm LLC’s 10-year-old RMF Charly. “I was a bit apprehensive, but the crowd lifts you and it feels as if you have another person on your back,” he said. “I’m over the moon with the horse. He’s got a nice active canter and he just got better and better. He’s quite a character at home – a right Charlie, in fact.” International Showjumper William Whitaker from Huddersfield who won the Cayenne Puissance along with fellow competitor Michael Pender of Ireland on day 3 of the London International Horse Show at Olympia. William spoke to our reporter Rupert Bell of Lloyd Bell Productions. Congratulations!, Winning or rather sharing the title with a fellow competitor on a horse that has never done this before, Yes, I so proud and pleased with him, he has never really been in these type of show conditions before and in this kind of atmosphere, obviously we knew he was capable, he is a real scopey horse with lots of ability so we thought lets give it a go and see what happens. 7ft2 though, for a horse thats never done it before, he actually made it look pretty easy!! He did yeah!, it felt like it looked as well!. I was really happy with how he was progressing through the rounds, he felt like he was settling more. That was a brave decision to enter him was there any...
read moreEvent Rider Masters comes to Barefoot Estates Burnham Market International Horse Trials
Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International will open the 2020 Event Rider Master (ERM) Series. This prestigious and lucrative series was launched in 2016, the champion that year current World Number 1, Oliver Townend. As the hardest rider to beat at Burnham Market – not only did he lead both four star sections from pillar to post last year, his tally of four star wins at the venue stands at 12 since 2007 – there is little doubt that he will start as favourite for this ERM leg. Running over the first half of the 2020 Easter weekend (Thursday 9th – Saturday 11th April), Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International attracts the world’s best event riders to North Norfolk. Good ground and well built, challenging cross country courses make it a perfect prep run for competitors heading to the spring Five Star events, Badminton and Kentucky, as well as for those with less lofty targets. The horse trials has been running at Sussex Farm, just outside the popular holiday destination of Burnham Market and within easy reach of the stunning coast line, since 1999. It was awarded international status in 2003 and now hosts a range of classes from national BE90 through to international CCI4*-S. Organised by Alec Lochore’s Musketeer Event Management team, Alec is both Event Director and cross country course designer. “We are delighted to be hosting the opening leg of the ERM. It’s a perfect fit for us – the world’s leading riders descend on our corner of North Norfolk every spring, so to be able to offer them an ERM class as well as our regular three- and four star and national classes is the icing on the cake,” Alec commented. “I have worked with the ERM team previously, up at Blair Castle, so seen first hand the excitement the class generates, with its generous prize money and live streaming opportunities. I’m really looking forward to showcasing our event to an international audience.” The prize pot for the ERM class is £50,000, with an additional £50,000 shared between the top three riders at the end of the season. Each phase of every leg will be live streamed, and available free of charge. Musketeer Event Management will again be supporting East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), its official charity for 2020. EAAA operates two state of the art helicopters and two rapid response vehicles which serve the people of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshhire and Bedfordshire, also encompassing residents of Essex and Hertfordshire during the hours of darkness. Their services are called upon on average eight times a day, and only kept airborne thanks to donations. Images courtesy of Lucy Hall Photography – all rights reserved and are subject to copyright Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials offers a fantastic day out for all the family. Alongside the top-class competition, there will be over 50 shops and, for children, bungee trampolines, bouncy castles and a climbing wall. Razz and Pearl will be performing circus workshops on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th April, making it a great family day out. For more information on any aspect of this year’s Horse Trials, and to book advance tickets, visit http://www.musketeer.co.uk. Follow...
read moreBRITS DOMINATE AT OLYMPIA WITH A SECOND ONE-TWO-THREE
Britain continued to dominate on day two of Olympia, The London International Horse Show with another sensational win for Charlotte Dujardin in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Freestyle to Music supported by Horse & Hound. The day kicked-off with the Services Jumping Championship, the ultimate accolade for military riders, which was won by LCpl Holly Hall representing The Royal Logistic Corps. LCpl Hall’s double clear aboard WKD San Remo proved the only faultless performance of the class. Squadron Leader Elise Kidd and Wing Commander Laurie Tostevin, both from the Royal Air Force, battled it out for second and third place respectively, finishing on four faults with the second-round time being the deciding factor. The Musical Ride of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and Jean-François Pignon once again had the crowd on their feet with spectacular performances and the iconic 2019 edition of the Christmas Finale supported by The Hilton London Olympia premiered to great acclaim. THE FEI DRESSAGE WORLD CUPTM FREESTYLE TO MUSIC Britain’s ‘Queen of Dressage’ Charlotte Dujardin lived up to all expectations, riding Mount St John Freestyle to a euphoric victory in the FEI Dressage World CupTM Freestyle to Music supported by Horse & Hound, scoring an impressive 87.52%. Having won Monday’s FEI Dressage World CupTM Grand Prix supported by Horse & Hound by a comfortable margin, Charlotte rose to the occasion tonight, with a near-perfect rendition of her new freestyle routine, The Snow Queen. With the top three places replicating the previous night’s result, British riders once again dominated. Carl Hester and Hawtins Delicato showed what they are capable of to take second, with a personal best score of 84.47%. with Britain’s newest superstar, Lottie Fry and the spectacular stallion Everdale also smashing the 80%-barrier, finishing on 82.62%, their second personal best of the show. This was Charlotte’s fourth win in the FEI Dressage World CupTM qualifier at Olympia, her first with the Fidermark mare. Speaking after her victory Charlotte said: “This was her third ever Freestyle. The crowd felt even closer than last night and it was quite a difficult floorplan. She really tried and listened to me; I couldn’t ask for more. I’ve had my highs and lows this year [referring to disqualification in the Grand Prix at the European Championships] and it is great to end the year with such a positive ride.” Carl Hester, who was disappointed with his performance yesterday, said: “What a difference a day makes. I have a big smile today. His last Freestyle was at the European Championships this summer, where he had a meltdown. What a way to finish the season.” Under-25 European Champion Lottie Fry, who rode to new music she had received just a week ago, was still pinching herself after yesterday’s third place: “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet and it won’t sink in for quite a while” said Lottie, We trained hard in the lead up to Olympia and everything fell into place. I dare to dream that next year will be an exciting year.” With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics around the corner, judge Andrew Gardner was particularly pleased with Britain’s domination: “These horses are young, so there is more to come. This is my favourite show and judging horses of this calibre here is such a treat.” Olympia was the sixth of 11 qualifiers in the 2019-20 FEI World CupTM dressage series,...
read moreThe Good Oil : Keyflow Feeds
At Keyflow, we know our oil. Many, many people feed oil to their horses, particularly through the winter when any extra calories are a welcome addition to the diet. The purpose of feeding oil can broadly be broken in two, one as a calorie source, the other for the biochemical effects that the fatty acids contained within the oil can have on horse health. It makes sense to look at these separately. Feeding oil for calories: All oils more or less contain the same number of calories. If you take a look at the label of your bottle of olive oil at home and compare it with the number of calories in your bottle of vegetable oil, you will see they are pretty close to each other. As a calorie source, it is hard to beat feeding oil. A normal, healthy horse is very efficient at metabolising oil, breaking it down with enzymes in the small intestine and converting it to useable energy. With no carbohydrates from sugar or starch it is also non-heating so can be fed to horses that get a bit excitable when fed high grain/starch feeds. Sometimes we call this using a ‘cool energy pathway’. It is also slow release and has a low glycemic index. In regards to building condition using oil, we believe that it acts more like an energy offset. This means that horses preference the use of oil as an energy source for activity, in doing so it means the horse is more likely to use store energy from other sources as body fat. Oil can certainly be used safely and strategically in this way if desired. Feeding for health benefits:Whereas oils carry the same approximate amount of calories, this is certainly not true when we look at the fatty acid profile of oils. They’re all different, they all have their own unique fatty acid signature. In modern times, much is said about omega 3’s and their benefits in both humans and animals. It’s true and is something that we at Keyflow have been talking about as well as supplying in our feeds and supplements since we were born (2012). Omega 3 fatty acids can be broken into two families, long chain and short chain, both are beneficial but long chain in particular has a potently positive effect on a horses health and wellbeing. The horses critical systems rely on long chain omega 3 to function normally, this includes the immune system, circulatory system, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, reproductive system and respiratory system. Long chain omega 3’s (DHA and EPA) are generally found in the fatty tissue of animals such as fish. DHA can also be produced by certain algae. Short chain omega 3’s are derived generally from plant sources such as oil seeds – but are also found in grass (and to a lesser extent – hay). The fact that horses use the long chain form usually begs the question as to why would horses need something derived from an animal. The answer is, the horses system will actually convert and move short chain upwards through the family to long chain, then use that for critical functions. This conversion process is not terribly efficient so we like to feed a direct source of long chain omega 3 if possible as well as short chain. So whats the best oil to feed? We believe that...
read moreCharlotte Dujardin Crowned Winner of FEI World Cup at Olympia
The World’s best Dressage riders were out in force on day one of Olympia, The London International Horse Show, where Charlotte Dujardin was crowned winner of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix supported by Horse & Hound.In addition to the top-class competition, some of the sport’s most respected names took centre stage to be part of Dressage Unwrapped, hosted by Carl Hester MBE, Gareth Hughes and Richard Davison. With the help of some well-known equestrian friends, including Olympic, World and European medalist Pippa Funnell and Performance Manager to Britain’s Senior Eventing Team, Richard Waygood, the unique masterclass explored all aspects of dressage including; producing, training and managing dressage horses, how to cope with the pressures of competition and insights from top dressage judge Stephen Clarke. Spectacular performances from The Musical Ride of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and Jean-François Pignon, and a fast and furious opening race from The Saracen Horse Feeds Shetland Pony Grand National, won by Freddy Tewson-Green added to the excitement on the opening night of the 2019 Show. THE FEI WORLD CUPTM DRESSAGE GRAND PRIX SUPPORTED BY HORSE & HOUND Not only was Charlotte Dujardin back in pole position in the FEI Dressage World CupTM Grand Prix, but Britain completely dominated, taking the top four places. Charlotte was in a league of her own, riding the spectacular 10-year-old Mount St John Freestyle, to win by a margin of more than 5% on 81.55%. Charlotte said: “This was Freestyle’s second indoor show. Olympia is a really big atmosphere for a young horse that doesn’t have much experience. While I was going around the outside of the arena, I could hear everybody going, ‘Good luck Charlotte’ — that’s how close the audience is. I am so excited about her; each time she performs, she just gets better. I was so pleased with how she dealt with it all.” Lloyd Bell Productions caught up with Charlotte after her test: Are you happy with that test?, Over 80% which is just what you wanted, Yes, absolutely thrilled with Mount St John Freestyle, I mean this is her second indoor show, so she’s very inexperienced in arenas like that, when you go in the atmosphere is incredible, it’s lovely it’s an amazing arena and I had such a good ride. I was so pleased with the feeling I had with her, coming here I feel she has learned so much from Longines Equita Lyon, and this is what it is all about: giving her that experience and exposure. It’s such an intimate arena compared to those that are outdoors, ok there are bigs crowds but this must be a completely different approach? Absolutely, there is no where you can train your horse to go into that type of environment until you are in there and doing it on the day, so it is all about how your horse copes with it there and then. I am incredibly lucky that she doesn’t get spooky or nervous and this is why I thought she would be ready this year to do the World cup series. So does that mean you can relax more knowing that she can take it all in her stride? It gives me confidence as a rider to be able to go in there and ride for a bit more than...
read moreOlympia : Charlotte Dujardin is back to defend her title
Charlotte Dujardin will be back next Monday and Tuesday at the London International horse show which takes place at Olympia in the dressage |FEI world Cup qualifier Image courtesy of Olympia – All rights Reserved and are subject to copyright The Olympic gold medallist is a regular competitor at Britain’s premier indoor show and is out to secure victory in the competition. Dujardin is aiming to qualify for the world cup final taking place in Las Vegas next April before attempting to successfully defend her gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Charlotte Dujardin has been speaking to Rupert Bell ahead of the competition, Olympia is an important event for you, as it is the event that inspired you to become the rider you are today’ yeah absolutely, it was one of my childhood dreams to get to ride at olympia. I remember sitting as a small child in the grandstand watching all these riders thinking ‘ I wish I was there and I wish I was doing that’. To think that I am there and have won there many times, I feel incredibly lucky. When you are competing there, it is so intimate, there is only 6 or 7 thousand people there, do you feed off that when you are riding there? There is nowhere else I think that can create that atmosphere that olympia gives you as a rider. It is absolutely incredible to have the crowd there and the fans supporting you. When you are training and warming up out the back it is so quiet there is only you , your horse, your groom, your trainer and a few other riders that are also warming up and then you go through the curtain into that arena and as you go round you literally feel like you can touch the crowd because they are that close to you. It is so intense when you go in, its just an incredible feeling. As a place to compete, how important is it as a learning curve for your horse, who will hopefully be your olympic horse? I know already with Mount St John Freestyle that she is already good in that environment, it’s just good to put her in there, she’s not actually competed there but she’s done a demonstration there a couple of years ago so you don’t really know how they are going to deal with it really, some horses can get quite nervous, some horses can get quite shy. She is normally a pretty brave horse so I don’t normally have to worry about her being a bit spooky or anything, I am hoping she will rise to the occasion and really perform. This is part of the cycle and you’ve got the horse where you want her to be right thinking ahead to July and August which is your ultimate target, Yes, that is my ultimate goal at the moment, is heading toward Tokyo with her and preparing her for that, all these things are just preparation. She is still a very young inexperienced Grand Prix horse, she is only 10years old and her first year at this level was last year at 9 years old where she went to the World Equestrian Games and we came away with two bronze medals. Now heading toward...
read more
