Every British team rider from the London Olympics will be competing at this year’s Royal Windsor Horse Show.
The class is on Wednesday 11 May in the main Castle Arena. It is an invitational grand prix freestyle and Charlotte Dujardin will present her ride Barolo (pictured above), the current national grand prix champion and recent winner of the freestyle at Keysoe CDI in Bedfordshire (16 April).
Barolo is a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Breitling W, owned by Carl and Anne Seifert-Cohn.
Charlotte’s last appearance at Windsor was in 2014 on Uthopia. The show was a CHI in that year and the pair won both the grand prix and freestyle.
London team-mates Carl Hester and Laura Tomlinson join Charlotte in the line-up; Carl with his World Equestrian Games and European Championships medallist Nip Tuck (pictured below).
The 12-year-old Don Ruto x Animo gelding owned by Jane de la Mare last competed in Spain in early March, but the last freestyle he contested was at Olympia in December 2015, where the pair won with 83.75%. On their last visit to the Queen’s park in 2015, Carl and ‘Barney’ won the CDI grand prix and music classes — the latter with a shade under 80%.
Laura will partner Rosalie B, her new grand prix horse whom she is yet to compete on home soil, their only six starts being in Wellington, Florida, in February and March (with scores ranging from 64-72%).
Laura’s pupil Ryan Todd will campaign Charlex Eskebejerg, while another budding rider, Pippa Hutton has Duela or Belmondo to choose from.
European and World Games rider Michael Eilberg brings Woodlander Donrnroschen (pictured below), mother of Woodlander Farouche, to the show that takes place alongside the queen’s 90th birthday celebrations.
The mare is fresh from Valencia CDI in March where she won all four grands prix classes she entered.
Another recent winner — leading the grand prix at Keysoe Premier League on 18 April — is Jen Goodman’s Supernova with Spencer Wilton on board.
Rounding out the entries is the Carl Hester-trained combination of Hayley Watson-Greaves and Rubins Nite, a 12-year-old British Hanoverian gelding by Rubin Royal.
Related articles:
- 18 weird and wonderful sights you only see at Royal Windsor [pictures]
- Watch Charlotte Dujardin riding Valegro’s freestyle on a catch ride
- Carl Hester: mind-boggling and eye-popping *H&H VIP*
Windsor represents one of a handful of chances remaining before the Rio Olympics for riders to polish their freestyle in front of a large crowd and with a championship-type atmosphere.
General entry to Royal Windsor Horse Show will be free of charge on Wednesday 11 May. However reserved seats to watch the dressage are available to buy in advance at www.rwhs.co.uk or 0844 581 4960.
