World silver medallists Gareth Hughes and Richard Davison are among the top dressage riders who have been announced as part of the line-up for the Defender CDI4* at Royal Windsor Horse Show next month (10-11 May). This is the first time international dressage has featured at Royal Windsor since 2019, and it is the highest-level dressage show to be held on British soil in 2023.
Gareth is set to bring his top mare, the 17-year-old Classic Briolinca, with whom he was a member of the silver-medal winning British team at the 2022 World Dressage Championships in Herning, Denmark, also finishing fifth individually in the freestyle.
Gareth’s 2022 teammate Richard Davison is also Windsor-bound, with his championship horse, the 17-year-old Lingh gelding Bubblingh.
Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson will join the field with the 13-year-old Vivaldi son Fallatijn, fresh from scoring a personal best in the freestyle at Hagen CDI4*, Germany, last week. Emile Faurie will also be in action at Windsor, aboard his London International Horse Show ride Bellevue, while Louise Bell will bring forward the experienced Into The Blue, Hayley Watson-Greaves will ride the evergreen Rubins Nite and Dan Watson will pilot Butterfly IV.
Making his Windsor debut will be up-and-coming British grand prix rider Lewis Carrier, who will ride his long-term partner and youth championship horse Diego.
Windsor dressage: notable absentees
For the first time in the history of international dressage competition at Royal Windsor, neither Carl Hester nor Charlotte Dujardin will feature in the line-up.
Charlotte, who rode Erlentanz to victory the last time Windsor hosted a CDI, in 2019, recently welcomed her first child, a daughter, and is enjoying a period away from competing. Meanwhile, twice Windsor winner Carl has opted to campaign his new grand prix ride, Fame, at the Hickstead CDI3* later the same week instead, and told H&H that he is allowing a little more time to bring his top horse, Olympic and European medallist En Vogue, back up to peak fitness.
“Vogue will start his international campaign at Wellington CDI in June,” he said.
Riders representing Ireland, China and Germany will complete the Royal Windsor dressage line-up for 2023. British-based Irish team rider Abi Lyle will make her Windsor debut aboard 12-year-old Farrell, with Kevin Acres (Ganesh) and Anne-Marie Rawlins (Etoile) in action for Ireland too.
Sarah Rao will ride Alfranco for China and Germany’s Kathleen Kröncke will present San Royal 3.
The grand prix takes place on Wednesday, 10 May, with a limited audience, and the grand prix freestyle will be on Thursday, 11 May.
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