Britain’s Lottie Fry and Glamourdale brought the house down as they claimed a euphoric victory at the London International Horse Show, in the dressage World Cup qualifier, supported by Horse & Hound.
Performing their “Best of British” freestyle routine that won them individual gold at the World Dressage Championships in August, the pair produced a new personal best score of 90.99%. Glamourdale was on top form as he danced in front of the adoring crowds, competing on British soil for the first time.
“It felt absolutely amazing in there and Glamourdale was on fire. It’s the perfect ending to this year for him, and it was an honour to ride in front of that crowd,” said Lottie, who was last year’s runner-up at LIHS aboard Dark Legend.
“There’s still a lot more to come from him; he’s growing in strength all the time.”
Gareth Hughes also achieved a superb personal best on Classic Briolinca, again riding the freestyle programme he debuted at the worlds in August with this delightful 16-year-old Trento B mare.
This is the first time Gareth has brought Briolinca to the London International Horse Show, and the pair produced a flawless display to their Madonna medley to score 84.59%.
“She has always found atmosphere really difficult. But she felt so good after the worlds, and she is 16 now so I thought it was now or never,” he explained.
“She’s so good. She tries so hard never to make a mistake, so I really trust her on all the lines. She’s just amazing and she’s getting better and better. I just wish she was 12!”
Germany’s Ingrid Klimke finished third on her first visit to the LIHS, riding the Fidertanz stallion Franziskus to a score of 83.17%.
You may also be interested in…
Glamourdale – Lottie Fry’s world champion dressage stallion who makes crowds gasp
‘He gives me an incredible feeling’: Lottie Fry and Glamourdale punch in big score to win London grand prix
Laura Fry: the late Olympic rider whose daughter became world champion
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Keep up to date with all of the action from London International, including breaking news and behind the scenes insight from each day of the show, with no limit on how much you can read, from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Join now