Dressage once again was at the forefront of the action at the Royal Windsor Horse Show CDI on Thursday 2 May 2024. Competitors pulled out all the stops with high-energy performances accompanied by complex musical productions in Kur to Music in the Castle Arena.
The pinnacle class of the day, the Grand Prix Freestyle, took place this afternoon with 10 combinations competing for the highly sought-after prize. Ever-popular, the Freestyle sees horses and riders competing to their own specifically chosen music track and floorplan, matched to a set number of the complex moves required at this level of Dressage. Unlike in yesterday’s Grand Prix, judges provide two sets of marks, one for the technical execution and the other for artistic impression.
First into the Castle Arena was Britain's Lisa Marriott, who was making her debut at the Show. Set to the iconic soundtrack from ‘The Holiday’, Marriott impressed judges to set the standard with a total score of 67.160%. Compatriot Nicolas Kröncke and Flanell - competing in only their second Freestyle test together - then took the lead with 71.100%. The German-born rider, who took a 17-year hiatus from top level sport and returned in 2021, changed nationalities at the beginning of this year to compete for Great Britain, having previously ridden successfully as part of the German Youth teams.
Australia’s Championship combination of Jayden Brown and Quincy B could not quite match the personal best of 75.485% they set at CDI3* Hartpury last summer. However, their score of 74.415% was enough to put them into the top spot at this stage of the competition. Two further riders took to the iconic arena prior to the midway break - China’s Sarah Rao and Italy’s Nathalie Wahlund - however neither could reach the score set by Brown.
After an interval it was yesterday’s second placed combination's turn to canter down the centre line. Emile Faurie once again proved why he has represented Britain at Championship and Olympic level so many times as he - much to the delight of the crowd - set the new standard of 76.280% with the American owned mare Bellevue (by Bordeaux x Brentano II). None of the remaining combinations, which included yesterday’s winners Gareth Hughes and Classic Goldstrike, could produce a test which matched the harmony and precision set by Faurie. F
aurie's victory in CDI4* FEI Dressage Freestyle capped a fabulous competition at Windsor, with Britain’s Lewis Carrier taking second and Singapore’s Caroline Chew completing the top three.
Following his win, Emile Faurie said: “It’s been a weird build-up to the Show because she [Bellevue] threw a splint six weeks ago, but she’s such an incredible, honest mare and she came and did her thing. Unfortunately, at the beginning of last year I was diagnosed with cancer, so that led to significant time off and some serious operations, but I luckily had my great team and my rider Tom behind me to be able to get back on and go on to win today”.
Faurie went on to say: “I kept the programme quite simple as this was only Bellevue’s third ever Freestyle, but the music was composed by Tom Hunt especially; it’s an original score for us as a pairing.”
The victor closed with: “It's always special to be here at Royal Windsor, it has that little extra magic - you don’t find that backdrop of the Castle anywhere else in the world. The English are such a ‘horse nation’ so the atmosphere from the crowd is amazing, you can feel their energy, and even when they’re silent you can hear them willing every rider on.”
-- Windsor press release
Related Link
Scores: 2024 CDI Windsor