Lottie Fry and Everdale topped the leader board on 75.38% in the grand prix. Britain’s sole representative in the dressage World Cup Finals won the grand prix in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The reigning world champion Lottie Fry, riding her second string Everdale, headed the field by more than 2%, scoring 75.38%. Sweden’s Patrik Kittel was runner-up with his European Championship ride Touchdown on 73.29%. Lottie goes down in history as the first international dressage winner to be crowned in this country. Bar a slight blip where Everdale took his eye off the ball before the rein-back, Lottie’s test ..read more

A virtual image of how the equestrian venue at Versailles for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will look. Thousands of tickets for equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will go on sale at 9am UK time on Wednesday (17 April), giving fans one last chance to bag their spot. A total of 9,000 new tickets for equestrian disciplines will be available, with prices ranging from €24 (£20.51) to €420 (£358.96), including places at the the individual showjumping final (from €100/£85) and dressage medal sessions (€85/£72.65) This is part of a wider release of more than 250,000 new ti ..read more

Katie Bailey and Escomond, double champions at the Winter Dressage Championships 2024 Katie Bailey notched a second win of the week on Escomond, adding the HorseLight Medium Gold title to the previous day’s advanced medium sash at the 2024 NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships. She earned herself a comfortable victory margin on 73.15%. She had a long wait to celebrate her success as her biggest threat looked to be the final horse into the arena, GF Sezuki. Claire Abel’s Sezuan mare had already finished a narrow second in the freestyle earlier in the day, but was foiled again for the top ..read more

Cob Marley competing at the Winter Area Festival Championships at Addington Equestrian. “What we don’t have in height, we make up for in hair,” said a beaming Ruby Lewin following her plus-65% test aboard CNS Cob Marley in the 2024 Petplan Elementary Bronze Winter Area Festival Championship. The class was won by Jonathan Canty and Fablewelt (69.7%) but despite that, there was no containing Ruby’s delight: “We’ve got our own unique way and I love it.” The 15-year-old traditional gypsy cob – who stands at only 13.1hh – was rescued in poor condition as a two-year-old by Charmaine Senior, who sti ..read more

A colic operation and surgery on all four legs has proved no barrier to the doughty Bryntegllwnynau Rocky Robin, who was competing in the elementary silver at the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships 2024. The skewbald, who stands barely 14.2hh, is a super jack of all trades, having started out as a racing pony, then a Pony Clubber before become a championships dressage contender. “I’ve had him since he was four and I was 12 – and he’s now 17,” said his rider April Joynson. “We’ve come a long way, but there have been a lot of bumps in the road.” April bought Robin from a family who enj ..read more

JO THURMAN-BAKER - SOL INVICTUS Two riders finished on identical scores at the top of the Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Gold section at the 2024 NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships. The judges couldn’t split Jo Thurman-Baker (Sol Invictus X) and Claire Abel (GF Sezuki) overall on 72.278%, and so it came down to the artistic impression mark giving Jo the nod for the coveted sash with 74.6%, compared to Claire’s 73%. For Jo, who has been working for Horse & Country TV during the week, victory was unexpected. “I still don’t believe I won,” she said. “It’s a surprise the artistic ..read more

The under-21 novice bronze winner Caramelle, ridden by Lydia Jones. Ponies ruled in Sunday’s under-21 novice classes at the 2024 Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships at Addington Equestrian, topping the podiums in both the silver and bronze. A versatile buckskin pony delivered the goods in the bronze section. Caramelle, ridden by Lydia Jones, produced a beautifully consistent test to score 71.59%, and shade Joris Couture (Alexandra Cordingley) into second on 71.18%. Another pony, the palomino Twyford Salamander (Jemima Byam-Cook), was third. “I was quite nervous because I’ve not done muc ..read more

Theo Charnley and RSPCA George at the 2024 Winter Area Festival Championships RSPCA George and 11-year-old Theo Charnley continue to make waves and capture hearts on the national dressage stage, placing second in the under-21s prelim silver at the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships on 70.62%. The RSPCA rescued George’s dam, neglected, from the side of the road while she was pregnant with him, and he was later born under their care. Theo and his dad Paul rehomed George as a two-year-old over lockdown and backed him themselves – a fact made even more remarkable when you learn Theo hadn ..read more

Annabelle Wesley finishes third in the elementary silver U21 championships aboard Caroline’s Air KM A 13-year-old rider proved her versatility as she steered two very different horses onto the podium at the 2024 Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships. Annabelle Wesley rode the 15-year-old Welsh pony Armada Dyffryncothi Bridget to finish runner-up in the elementary bronze under-21 Area Festival. She backed this up with a third place in the silver on four-star eventer Caroline’s Air KM. There is three hands’ height difference between her two rides, with Bridget standing at just 14.1hh. Anna ..read more

Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina at the 2024 Winter Dressage Championships. Sadie Smith and the extraordinary Swanmore Dantina made it two titles in as many days as they won the Superflex Inter I Freestyle Gold at the 2024 NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships, a day after winning the straight inter I title. The combination scored a personal best of 81.75% to top the leaderboard – almost 8% ahead of runners-up Sara-Jane Lanning and Hawtins Lirica. “I’ve only ever got over 80% once before,” said an emotional Sadie, “and the last couple of times I’ve done the freestyle I’ve had a few mist ..read more