The British selectors and officials are confident Harry Charles will be fit and on form for the Paris Olympics as the arm fracture he sustained at Aachen the weekend before last was a minor one.
Harry was unseated from Bandit in the RWE Prize of North-Rhine Westphalia on Friday, 5 July, when the nine-year-old stumbled after the last element of the triple combination.
Harry went to hospital in Aachen, then saw a specialist, through the British Equestrian World Class Programme, on his return to Britain, who diagnosed a “very small” and “quick-healing” fracture.
He and his Tokyo Olympic ride Romeo 88, owned by Harry and Ann Thompson, were named in the final squad for Paris last week, along with Scott Brash (Hello Jefferson) and Ben Maher (Point Break). Joe Stockdale and Cacharel are the alternate combination.
Harry shared a picture of himself in the saddle this week, with the phrase “back to it, see you in Paris”, and H&H understands that as of today (17 July) his healing is on track for a positive outcome.
The showjumping at the Paris Olympics starts on Thursday, 1 August with the first team qualifier; the team final is the following day. The individual qualifier and final are on Monday and Tuesday, 5 and 6 August.
This will be a second Olympics for Harry, who jumped in Tokyo with Romeo 88. The pair also helped secure Britain’s place in Paris as part of the team that won bronze at the World Championships in 2022.
You might also be interested in:
‘There are good horses and great horses – he is one of the greats’: British rider enjoys remarkable weekend
‘One of the best rounds of the year’: Great Britain wins Nations Cup Final opening leg
Harry Charles enjoys ‘one of the best shows of my career’ and a treble clear helps Great Britain celebrate
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Subscribe today and enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus unlimited website access and digital versions of the magazine dating back to September 2012.