Carl Hester and En Vogue are set to make their show ring comeback this week, following more than a year away from competition for the Olympic and European medal-winning horse.
En Vogue will spearhead the line-up for the Hickstead Premier League grand prix this Saturday, 13 May, part of the I.C.E Horseboxes All England Dressage Festival. This will be the 14-year-old Jazz gelding’s first show since the Keysoe CDI in March 2022, where he won both the grand prix and the special with Carl.
The pair were entered for this same show, Hickstead Premier League, last year but Carl was forced to withdraw after Vogue suffered an injury. The setback in training meant that Carl was left without a qualified ride for the World Dressage Championships – making it the first major dressage championship in 14 years at which he did not compete.
Carl Hester: ‘En Vogue is 14 going on four’
Carl has since taken his time to slowly bring Vogue, owned by Carl, Charlotte Dujardin, Lady Anne Evans and Sandra Biddlecombe, back in to work and up to fitness. He opted not to campaign him over the winter, but to wait until this spring to bring him out, telling H&H earlier this year: “Vogue is feeling very well – he’s 14 going on four! He looks a million dollars.
“I can’t wait to get him back out again – it’s so nice to have him sound and fit,” added Carl.
Carl Hester and En Vogue were members of the British team who brought home team bronze from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – finishing eighth individually. They also won team silver later that same year at the European Dressage Championships, and were sixth individually in the grand prix special.
While Carl will compete En Vogue in the national grand prix at Hickstead, he will also contest the Hickstead CDI3* grand prix with Fame, the 13-year-old Bordeaux stallion with whom he made a successful international debut last month.
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