How British dressage grabbed their first team gold in over a decade

Equestrian Dressage 07 Jul 24

Between the years of 2011 and 2012, British team dressage was at the height of its golden era.

With a European title in Rotterdam followed by the Olympic crown on the historical grounds of Horse Guards Parade at London 2012, team work truly made the dream work.

But in the 11 years that followed, Britain were unable to reach the golden levels they once enjoyed in the team event - until now.

At the 2023 European Dressage Championships in Riesenbeck, Germany, the experienced team of Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester, Lottie Fry and Gareth Hughes stormed to team gold in an incredible joint effort.

Posting a combined score of 242.220, the fantastic four roared to Britain's first team triumph in over a decade while setting up the prospect of repeating history just one year out from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In the aftermath of their golden dance, we re-live the story of how it happened.

Gareth Hughes (Classic Briolinca)

First up in the paddock was now three-time European medallist Hughes.

The 52-year-old was the travelling reserve for the team at Tokyo 2020, forced to watch on as Dujardin, Hester and Fry grabbed Olympic bronze.

Back in the four-rider team in Germany, Hughes and the experienced Classic Briolinca set the scene with a score of 74.565.

His piaffe and passage were among the highlights and the canter pirouettes earning nines provided a strong start for the Brits, although it was a score the rider thought deserved to be higher.

"I thought that was actually one of the best tests Classic has done," he said.

"It was very clean and there were no real mistakes; I was so happy with the test but slightly disappointed with the mark.

"I’m so happy with my mare. She’s 17 now and has done several championships.

She’s been amazing for me and the team and I thought maybe she deserved a bit more.

"I’m sure I could ask for more and for her to be a bit more flamboyant but I like the feeling I had throughout the test and I like to have the feeling I had when I finished.”

Carl Hester MBE (Fame)

Next, it was the turn of equestrian royalty, with Hester making his 22nd major championships appearance.

And the three-time Olympic medallist put in a brilliant performance to catapult Britain into the gold medal position on the first day of competition.

A personal best score of 78.540 was recorded despite the fact he was competing on a horse he has only been training with for a matter of months on home soil.

"This was my best test to date," he said.

"I've only been riding Fame for nine or ten months - that's a very short space of time for a horse to learn how you ride and for me to learn how he goes.

"That’s why I stayed at home this summer – everyone thinks I hate going abroad, but I love going abroad – it's easier to stay at home to train, to get a horse used to going to shows.

"There's still more points in there – there's 22% missing in there!

"I’ve got to find a few more percentage to add on there, but he’s a joy to ride, he’s a joy to be around and I'm very lucky to have him."

Charlotte Dujardin CBE (Imhotep)

The following day, competition continued with Team GB's most decorate female Olympian of all time.

Dujardin returned to her first major international championships just six months after giving birth to her daughter Isabella.

The six-time Olympic medallist shone on 10-year-old Imhotep, posting the strongest score of the quartet with 82.422.

On a relatively young horse and blessed with a fresh sense of perspective, the seasoned rider teased that there's still more to come from the pair.

"I wasn't really planning to be here this year," she said.

"Obviously, having Isabella only six months ago, it’s been kind of a rollercoaster.

"Now I've had a baby, I see competition so differently – I'm like, ‘Oh well, there's always another day’.

"Imhotep (Pete) hasn't done an awful lot of competitions and bless him, he’s only ever been thrown in the deep-end and done big shows.

"Pete is an unbelievable horse, he has so much power and so much ability. His brain is phenomenal.

"I said to my friend that I wanted to get 81% - that was my mindset. I want an 81%, I knew it was possible, if I could keep everything contained – and I come out with 82!

"There’s still more to come. Honestly, I'm still on half power – I can do everything even bigger."

Lottie Fry (Glamourdale)

Lottie Fry stepped into the paddock with one job to do: retain gold medal position.

The 27-year-old may be the youngest member of the team but her meteoric rise to the top has seen her help clinch Olympic bronze in Tokyo and become world champion.

The final Brit to go in Riesenbeck, Fry didn't disappoint on board Glamourdale, with a personal best of 81.258 concluding an almighty team performance and sealing gold.

European champions once again with less than a year to go before the Olympics, the team are now hoping to continue their momentum over the next 12 months.

"Glamourdale went in there feeling on fire and that was the goal," said Fry.

"He is completely amazing and very special.

"I knew he was capable of taking us to gold, but we also need four of us on the team and four amazing horses.

"He had a few small distractions, some noises from outside causing some tension, which is a shame, but it’s still a personal best score.

"It’s so special to win the team gold, especially with the team we’ve got here – we’ve been together for quite a few championships now, which makes it even more special."

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