-- Text by British Dressage, edited by Eurodressage
Carl Hester led the home contingent, making their mark across the CDI1*, CDI3* and Under 25 divisions at the CDI Addington on 2 - 5 May 2025, the first domestic CDI fixture of the year.
Hester and Fame are Back
Returning to competition for the first time since the Paris Olympics, Carl Hester and his Olympic team bronze medal winning partner Fame (by Bordeaux x Rhodium) made a winning comeback. Carl expertly piloted the 15-year-old gelding, owned by Fiona Bigwood, to victory in both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special with two top scores of 77% and 76.936%.
“Fame’s enthusiasm for the Grand Prix never lessens… he felt as good as ever,” Carl shared on social media, summing up a performance that showed no signs of time away from the white boards.
Hester's come-back wipes all arguments off the table that he's contemplating retirement.
"Fiona quite rightly said to me, ‘What’s the point in having a horse like that if you don’t compete him?’” Carl told Horse & Hound. "That put me over a barrel a bit – but in the right way. Eventually, I had to say, ‘You’re quite right,’ and that’s why I decided to give it another go. Competing still isn’t top of my list – riding and training have always been my priorities. But at the end of the day, Fiona’s been kind enough to let me ride Fame at two championships now, so you have to say thank you and give something back. She loves seeing him out competing, so if I’m going to do it, I have to do the best job I can and try to match Fame’s talent."
The combination now looks forward to a run of domestic CDI fixtures - Wellington Heckfield and Hartpury - as part of the campaign for European Championship selection. They will not compete abroad.
Tomlinson on the Rise
Laura Tomlinson enjoyed a successful competition with two rides, achieving top placings. The Gloucestershire-based rider made a promising seasonal debut with 12-year old KWPN bred Issey (Johnson x Rubinstein), who’s an exciting new ride owned by her cousin Beatrice Marienau; the duo achieved the runner up spot in Saturday’s Grand Prix, scoring 71.609%, followed up by a narrow-margin win in the Grand Prix Freestyle where a super score of 76.070% gave the pair victory by just 0.01%.
Laura’s home-bred Full Moon (by Furstenball x Gribaldi) also looked a picture and achieved his highest placing in the Grand Prix Special, earning 70.404% to finish behind Carl and Fame.
International Big Tour Path for Smith and Dantina Begins
In the Grand Prix, the duo earned third place with 71.304% before going on to notch up 76.060% for their debut Grand Prix Freestyle, finishing second by just a whisker.
“I’m so pleased for our first freestyle at the level and absolutely delighted to get two scores of over 70% at our first international at Grand Prix,” said Sadie on social media, “I’m so excited for the future with my best girl.”
Barker Dominates Small Tour
Taking home a double victory and three podium finishes in total, Nikki Barker was a dominant force across the CDI1* classes.
The Suffolk-based rider opened her account with a third-place finish in the Prix St Georges, a class won by China’s Sarah Rao on board the 14-year-old Vivaldi-sired stallion Geniaal (71.176%); a double podium finish was next up for Nikki, who took the Intermediate I win on 73.333% with her own and Rebecca Harrow’s Dan Icarus, whilst Sara Lucas’ Iwan joined his stable mate on the podium taking third with 71.127%. Completing a successful week, Nikki and Dan Icarus produced a powerful performance to top the Intermediate I Freestyle on a score of 76.650%, rewarded by Mary Robins (NZL– E), Anne Prain (FRA – C) and Andrew Gardner (GBR – M).
Under 25
In the U25 competition,, the wins were shared between riders from Greece and Australia, who are both based in Great Britain.
In the opening Intermediate II test, Australia’s Tyla Schou and the 13-year old Dennis Deniro (by De Niro x Sandro Hit) took the win ahead of Theodora Livanos and 18-year old Robinvale (Rubinero x Wittinger) , with Britain’s Charlotte Lutener and Full Fusion BS (by Zack) completing the podium.
The tables turned the following day, as Theodora and Robinvale claimed a win for Greece in the Grand Prix 16 – 25, before going on to repeat this success in the Grand Prix Freestyle.
Photos © Spidge Event Photography
Related Links
Scores: 2025 CDI Addington