English Championships

Olympic rider Charlotte Dujardin wins the British Small Tour Championship three days after her return from the European Championship in Hagen. She did this with the eight-year-old Imhotep  (by Everdale).

The gelding is owned by Coral Ingham and Carl Hester. Charlotte took over the reins from the gelding in the summer of 2020. In May this year they competed at Small Tour level for the first time. In July, the combination was crowned Advanced Medium Winter Champions. After that they only competed once, until now they competed in the British Championships.

Inexperienced

“I’m very happy with him,” Charlotte tells Horse & Hound. “He hasn’t seen much yet, but he’s doing so well in the ring. He hasn’t even explored the track here in advance.” Before Charlotte got Imhotep under saddle, Sadie Smith rode him. While she was away to Tokyo and the European Championships, this rider also rode the gelding. “That kept him fit in the meantime. After the European Championships, we only had three days to prepare him. It really was a whirlwind.”

Most resilient horse ever

The rider is looking forward to the future of the gelding. It does not matter whether she continues to ride him, or whether Carl Hester takes over the reins himself. “He is handling it all well and is fantastic to drive. ‘Pete’ is the most resilient horse I have ever ridden. It really does feel like he has suspension in his legs. The Grand Prix work is already done, so I’m really looking forward to bringing him out in the Big Tour next year.”

Source: dehoefslag.nl