The 2024 NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships (10–14 April) will mark the beginning of “an exciting new era” following the show’s move from Hartpury to Addington Equestrian.
However, while the venue may have changed, the quality that will be on show has not. Traditionally, the winter championships have always been a fantastic showcase of Britain’s next top horses – and this year looks set to be no different.
We’ve rounded up some of the most eye-catching combinations that should be on your radar.
Winter Dressage Championships 2024 ones to watch: MSJ Viva Dannebrog
The six-year-old mare MSJ Viva Dannebrog (Vitalis x Don Schufro) has been in great form recently under Amy Woodhead and won both the Prestige Novice Gold (74.94%) and the Equi-Trek Elementary Gold (71.15%) at Bishop Burton regionals (13–17 February 2024) to qualify for the winter championships.
The combination had a remarkable 2023, finishing fourth in the small final for five-year-olds at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships and winning the KBIS five-year-old title at the LeMieux National Championships.
That win made it back-to-back national titles for the striking chestnut, who was also the four-year-old champion in 2022 under Amy’s sister and international event rider Holly Woodhead.
Viva Dannebrog, owned and bred by Emma Blundell, is a daughter of Diva Dannebrog, ridden to grade III para World Championship silver by Natasha Baker.
“Diva Dannebrog is Don Schufro x Brentano II – good old-fashioned German bloodlines,” said Emma. “We put her to Vitalis to get a little more blood and to get the shoulder through more, and what a mare she is proving to be.”
Leonie Richter, a former European young rider team gold medallist, who was the ride judge for all age groups at the 2022 championships, picked Viva Dannebrog as her standout ride: “If I had to choose just one it would have to be Viva Dannebrog – she showed amazing rideability and had great reactions, but concentrated so hard on the rider.”
Amy added: “She’s so trainable and willing to please, and she also moves amazingly and gives me such a good feeling in the arena.”
Ones to watch: Forgio
Competing alongside Amy in the stacked Prestige Novice Gold will be rising star Lewis Carrier and Lizzy Sweet’s six-year-old gelding Forgio (For Dance x Sergio Rossi), who topped the winter regionals at Little Mill Equestrian (23–25 February) on 74.26%.
In a turn of fate, Lewis rode Viva Dannebrog as the ride judge at the 2023 young horse championships, and alongside Denmark’s Christine Prip and Erik Theilgaard was part of the panel that elected her as a winner.
Forgio was bred by Egon Wichmann and competed under Madita Renz in Germany, qualifying for the 2023 HKM Bundeschampionate in Warendorf. Despite that, he hadn’t competed too extensively before Lewis took over the ride – with Lewis describing regionals as one of Forgio’s busiest shows to date.
The pair have only been a combination since October 2023 but already look perfectly matched. They’ve so far been unbeaten on all but one of their outings, with their novice scores peaking at 78.87%.
“He wowed us as soon as we saw him,” said Lewis, who travelled to Germany to view him at the Oldenburg auction in Ankum.
“He’s a sensitive horse with tons of ability and a real heart of gold. He’s big, at just under 18hh, but he has a fantastic hindleg and creates a lovely shape in trot and canter.
“Coming from the auction in Germany, he’s not fazed by a big atmosphere. I’m looking forward to the winter championships, where I think he’ll show off even more.”
Ones to watch: St Giles Flamboyant
St Giles Flamboyant (Franklin x Fürst Romancier) – known as Frankie at home – and Nicola Buchanan continued their impressive rise through the levels, taking the Equitek Advanced Medium Gold and Magic Prix St Georges (PSG) Gold at the Chard Equestrian winter regionals (17–18 February 2024).
“That was only her third PSG so she’s still green at the level,” said Nicola. “She’s such an athletically talented horse and an absolute pleasure to ride. She enjoys life and is taking it all in her stride.”
The now eight-year-old mare was bred by Dinah Ashley-Cooper, the Countess of Shaftesbury, and topped the KBIS seven-year-old young horse championship in 2023 on 78.75%.
Nicola has ridden horses for Dinah for over a decade now and has been partnered with Frankie – who was also second at the National Championships last year in the advanced medium final – since she was a five-year-old.
“It’s every breeder’s dream to breed a talented horse with a bright future, and Frankie is definitely that,” Nicola said. “Dinah is breeding some lovely young horses, so it’s an exciting time for the St Giles prefix.
“I’m really excited about her – she has so much elasticity and she tries her heart out. She’s a grand prix horse in the making.”
Frankie has certainly caught the eye of some well-informed observers, with Carl Hester picking her out as one to watch in both his regular column and on the The Horse & Hound podcast.
“I love Nicola Buchanan’s mare, St Giles Flamboyant,” he said following last year’s national championships. “Nicola showed me a few of her extra moves outside of the arena, she’s very much talented – she makes your eyes pop out your head.”
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