Top British horse ruled out of Europeans and other things the horse world is talking about

Blow for British championship hopes

Britain’s most experienced combination among the nominated entries for the European Para Dressage Championships have withdrawn from selection. Sophie Wells and Don Cara M were part of the gold medal-winning side at the Tokyo Paralympics, where they bagged an individual silver. They also took home two individual world medals from Herning last year. Sophie revealed that the 14-year-old gelding, owned by Roland Kinch, has knocked himself and “it’s now clear it will take a little more time to heal and be fit than first hoped”.

Read what Sophie had to say

Lottie Fry targeting young horse championship hat-trick

Lottie Fry is in the running to take her third consecutive and fourth overall young horse world title, as she takes her place among the British entries for the Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses with the exciting Nalegro. Four horses have been selected to represent Britain at the championships in Ermelo, the Netherlands (3 to 6 August), while three more British riders – including Lottie – will be in action riding foreign horses. Lottie won the seven-year-old championship in 2018 with Glamourdale, plus the six- and seven-year-old titles with Kjento in 2021 and 2022. She returns this year with Nalegro, a five-year-old stallion by Painted Black and out of Valegro’s full sister, Jalegrofleur. His Olympic champion relative is even referenced through his stable name – Valegro is Blueberry, and Nalegro is known at home as Blackberry.

Discover more about Nalegro and other British competitors

First sashes awarded at the Royal International

Last year’s reserve supreme champions Janay Atherden and Red Rock III took the overall Royal International Horse Show supreme skewbald and piebald ridden championships title plus the coveted Indian Trail Trophy on the show’s opening day. Janay and home-produced 11-year-old Red, reserve coloured champions at last year’s Horse of the Year Show final, have been the pair to beat this year; in May they made history by becoming dual coloured and cob champions at Royal Windsor, and they’re already booked in to return to the NEC in a few months in both cob and coloured ranks. Reserve for the supreme title was Stephanie Fitt’s home-bred mare Castra ridden by Rhianon Loader, who had stood at the top of an ultra-competitive pony championship.

Find out who else was in the ribbons on the first day of the Royal International

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Lucy Elder

H&H senior news writer

Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.