1. A superstar is born
Anyone who watched Lottie Fry’s freestyle performance in Herning last night can’t help but still be buzzing from the experience this morning. Her partnership with the Van Olsts’ Glamourdale fulfilled all the potential it has long promised as the gorgeous black stallion demonstrated, once again, what a showman he is, as he danced in time with the fabulous “Best of British” music score produced by Joost Peters. They joined the elite group of riders to have scored over 90% as well as taking the undisputed crown of world champion in both the special and freestyle tests.
Read what Lottie had to say about joining the 90% club
2. Sir Lee Pearson’s bronze medal-winning test
Sir Lee Pearson and Breezer, pictured in Tokyo, won individual bronze in at the World Para Dressage Championships in Denmark,
Britain added another medal to its Herning tally thanks to Sir Lee, who rode a beautiful test on his home-bred Breezer, to take the grade II individual bronze medal on 75.09% in the Orifarm Healthcare FEI World Para Dressage Championships. Georgia Wilson and Sakura were sixth individually on 71.46%. Sir Lee, who won triple gold with the 11-year-old Barcadi gelding in Tokyo last year, was pleased with his test and said he was “taking the best horse home”. Grade III rider Natasha Baker and Keystone Dawn Chorus will take to the centre line today at 4.35pm (3.35pm BST) and grade IV rider Sophie Wells and Don Cara M are on at 6.24pm (5.24pm BST).
Read what Sir Lee had to say about his test
3. The first round of showjumping in Herning
The first day of jumping action got under way at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning yesterday (9 August), starting with a speed round over Louis Konickx’s 1.55m course. There were plenty of thrills and spills as combinations tried to complete the track on the lowest number of penalties, with scores being carried forward to the second qualifier today. The Brits go into the second round – now set at a maximum of 1.65m – in fourth position thanks to superb clears from Ben Maher and Faltic HB and team anchor Scott Brash on Hello Jefferson, while Joe Stockdale and Equine America Cacharel and Harry Charles and Romeo 88 both had a rail apiece. Scott sits second individually at this stage, behind Frenchman Julien Epaillard and Caracole De La Roque and former world number one Martin Fuchs is in third. Sweden currently holds the top team place, France is in silver, and Belgium in bronze.
Read why Scott thinks Hello Jefferson has “all the attributes to win”
4. Turning to plan B across country
In Mark Phillips’ exclusive column this week, the Festival of British Eventing cross-country course designer touched on where he believes riders are going wrong in cross-country riding. He said too many people walk courses and are counting strides instead of “simply riding the horse underneath them”. Mark added that there is a need for riders to be able to switch to plan B when things aren’t going as expected. “I’m involved in a lot of work to try to reduce the risks of riding across the country, but if rider’s don’t react, I’m not sure how we prevent serious accidents,” he said.
You might also be interested in:
A bluffer’s guide to dressage at the 2022 World Championships in Herning
‘I like to come out of a test feeling happy’: trailblazer Georgia Wilson leads British hopes at early stage of World Para Dressage Championships
‘I took more risk and it worked’: Ben Maher gives Britain a major boost at World Championships
Can the Brits reclaim the para dressage World title in Herning?
Last-fence heartbreak for Harry Charles in World Showjumping Championships
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