Dressage

The love of dressage stretches far, certainly in the case of Anne van Olst and Charlotte Fry. So far, that leaving one’s home and family apparently seems no problem. Both women moved to the Netherlands and have an incredible urge to master the very finest points in the sport of dressage. With 5 Olympic Games behind her, Anne uses her experience to help other riders progress. She did this previously with Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud, both of whom had lessons from her for many years. Since 2014 she has been supervising the successful dressage career of Charlotte. In 2018 she became world champion with Glamourdale and European Champion with Dark Legend. Read more about the special bond between this pupil and her mentor.

How did Charlotte’s and Anne’s paths cross each other? To find out, we have to go back in time. Charlotte was born in 1996 in the English county of Kent. She is the daughter of the late Olympic rider Laura Fry. Horses have been part of her life since she was born. The fact that at the age of 3 she sometimes sat on a pony says enough.

Charlotte tells of her childhood experiences: “From the age of 14 I had lessons from the Olympic rider Carl Hester each month. When I was 16 I went to work there one week each month in return for lessons. Those were fun times.” Carl told Charlotte about Anne. “He thought that it would be a good idea for me to go to the Netherlands to train with Anne.”

Anne continues: “Carl and I have been friends since 1990. So when he proposed the idea of matching Charlotte and me I trusted his insight. I remember when she first arrived here. Very shy. She stood in the doorway and I asked her what she did at home. Sweep, was the answer. Lots of sweeping. Haha!”

But at Van Olst riding was the aim. Charlotte brought her own horse Z Flamenco (s. Flemmingh) with her. The combination were taught by Anne every day. Anne says: “It takes time to ascertain whether someone has talent. There is a big difference between sitting nicely on a horse or having talent. But she certainly has talent. She is also a hard worker and has a lot of perseverance. Sometimes it is very strange to see how much of myself I recognise in the way Charlotte approaches her sport.”

Charlotte sees Anne as her mentor. “Without her I would certainly not have had such a career. She pays attention to everything. Regarding training of course, but at competitions she also checks that my hair is tidy and that my boots are shiny enough” says Charlotte laughing. “Through her experience she is also able to help me with the mental aspect that comes with presentations. That is really helpful.” She continues: “What I also value is that Anne is so meticulous when it comes to the basic training work. For example the halt and making good use of the corners are things to which that she always pays attention.”