News

Mari Durward-Akhurst got Equestrian Team GBR’s quest for gold underway bright and early on day five of the FEI European Championships yesterday in Rotterdam. Riding the evergreen 20 year old Sky O’Hara for Glensi Owen, Mari and trainer Rob Waine took the decision with the rest of the team to bring up a companion horse for the test to settle Sky’s nerves in the Team test. Sophie Wells’ ride C Fatal Attraction duly did the honours and it looked to have paid off.

It was a battle royale in the first opportunity for individual dressage medals in the Grand Prix Special this evening at the Longines FEI European Championships. With the Germans on fire this week, few would take a bet against them making a clean sweep of the medals on offer.

Day two of the para Individual competition in Rotterdam produced as second silver for Team GBR and a place for all four riders in Sunday’s Freestyle finale. Under cloudless skies throughout the day, Grades IV and V battled it out for the medals, with Britain fielding a rider in each.

Today was the first day for the paras to take to the arena, set in the woods in the shadow of the main Rotterdam Arena with their FEI European Championship Individual tests for Grades I, II and III. As well as individual medals at stake, the test acts as a qualifier for the championship finale, the Freestyle with the top eight riders qualifying in each grade. It was a historic day for Team GBR as two riders made their debut on a Championship team, and neither disappointed.

It’s been a rollercoaster day in Rotterdam at the FEI Longines Dressage European Championships. It was team medals day and the pressure was on not only for Euro medals but qualification spots for Tokyo.

Following their test, a routine post-test inspection by the FEI stewards revealed a small trace of blood on the flank of Mount St John Freestyle, the ride of Charlotte Dujardin. As is the FEI rules, any blood found during this inspection results in elimination.

It’s been fabulous day one at the Longines FEI European Championships in Rotterdam for Team GBR with two riders complete for most teams. Charlotte Fry rode for the first time under the Senior flag with Dark Legend while Gareth Hughes firmly laid a few demons to rest with Classic Briolinca and both gave the assembled British contingent of fans much to cheer about.

All four British horses are safely through today’s Horse Inspection and looked a picture thanks to the stunning efforts of our grooms Alan, Lucy, Steph and Claire. Emma & Jill Blundell’s Mount St John Freestyle, Ann Cory, Lady Anne Evans and Carl Hester’s Hawtins Delicato, Gareth & Rebecca Hughes and Julia Hornig’s Classic Briolinca and Lottie Fry and Van Olst Horses’ Dark Legend all sailed through without issue.

British Dressage can now announce the wild cards for this year’s LeMieux National Dressage Championships. Congratulations to all the riders, owners and horses concerned.

For three days last week, representatives from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America travelled to East Yorkshire for the popular Bishop Burton CPEDI1*/2*/3* hosted by Bishop Burton College (5 – 9 August 2019).