Bigwood Wins Grand Prix and Irish Comebacks at 2026 CDI Hartpury

Dressage

2026 CDI Hartpury

In Great Britain the 2026 international show season kicked off with the Hartpury Spring International on 31 March - 1 April 2026. Still ridden in the indoor arena, this show gave a first taste of Britain's up and coming Grand Prix combinations which will aim for that fourth team spot for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen alongside stalwarts and expected team riders Charlotte Fry, Carl Hester and Becky Moody.

Fiona Bigwood won the Grand Prix class on Tuesday 31 March 2026 aboard her 10-year old AES registered mare Donna Bella. In a field of 19 competitors from six different nations. She scored 72.217% and placed first unanimously with all five judges (Halsall, Burton, Colliander, Almasy, Prip).

Breeding at Brantridge Park

Bigwood's Donna Bella is a home-bred mare by Don Juan de Hus out of Fiona's 2016 British Olympic team horse Atterupgaards Orthilia (by Gribaldi). She is part of the breeding project that Fiona has begun at her farm, Brantridge Park. Her top broodmare is also her triple World Young Horse Champion Quinn G, who produced two embryotransfer fillies by Vitalis in 2025 and now produced a colt and filly by Escamillo on the same day as her win in Hartpury.

Newborn ET foal by Escamillo out of Quinn G

"That was an exciting 24 hours," said Fiona. "Donna Bella was a star and won the CDI at Hartpury with a lovely 72%. She felt so nice to ride. I feel so lucky to have such a special partnership with this mare. A big thank you to Carl (Hester) for all his amazing help. We then had two Quinn foals born within hours of each other."

New British Pairs Climbing Up

Former British team rider Gareth Hughes debuted a rather new Grand Prix horse in Hartpury: the 9-year old KWPN gelding Mowgli-Olympia MC. Bred in The Netherlands by M. van Summeren, the chestnut is by Rousseau out of B Rutana van Hof Olympia (by Rubin Royal x Sandro Hit) and comes out of the same damline as Gareth's 2021 European Championship ride Sintano van Hof Olympia. Hughes owns the horse in partnership with Georgina Wilkinson. Mowgli-Olympia was first competed in the U.K. in 2023 by Angharad Harries when the chestnut was 6 years old. A few months later Gareth debuted him at Medium level and shared the ride with Angharad before being the horse's sole rider as of 2024. The pair's international show debut was in the late spring of 2025 at small tour level at the CDI Wellington Heckfield. Yesterday in Hartpury, they scored 69.196% for second place in the Grand Prix.

Hughes on Mowgli-Olympia at 2026 CDN Myerscough

Henriette Andersen and her number one in the barn, the 15-year old AES registered Zackery (by Zack x Obelisk) landed third place with 68.826%. After Warlock's Charm and Flavio, the dark bay Zackery is Henriette's new and only international horse at the moment. She bought the British bred gelding from breeder and client Nicky Golding when the horse was two. Together with her husband Ulrick Moelgaard, Henriette produced the horse to Grand Prix level. Their international debut was at small tour level in June 2022 in Wellington Heckfield and then at Keysoe. A two-year break followed and in March 2024 they returned to CDI Grand Prix level in Addington. They only did one CDI in 2025 (Hartpury in July).

Irish Comebacks

After a 1.5 year break from CDI showing, Irish Abigail Lyle returned to the big stage with her 2024 Paris Olympic ride Giraldo. After the Olympics, the 15-year old KWPN gelding by Rousseau x Flemmingh showed at the 2024 London World Cup qualifier after which the rider took a long break from sport, citing mental health and particularly motivational issues. On her social media, Lyle has been outspoken about her break from competition sport, the financial strain on competing internationally, as well as finding inspiration to keep going after a major goal has been achieved. Lyle came back at the start of March 2026, riding her 2023 European Championships horse Farrell at the CDI Lier before piloting Giraldo again at the CDI Hartpury. They were fourth with 68.565%.

"He came to the arena today more like a bull coming out the gates," Lyle explained. "He was a wild man! He basically wanted to do extended out of every single corner. So definitely not the refined version that we would like to show but could not be happier with 68.3% (MER score!) and 4th place."

Irish country mate and national dressage champion Kevin Acres has started his campaign for the Minimum Eligibility Score (2x 66%) to qualify for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen. Aboard the 15-year old KWPN bred Ganesh (by Jazz x Partout) he rode his first international again after a three-year break from CDI showing. In Hartpury they were 7th with 65.870%.

Two more former Irish team riders were present in Hartpury: 2021 European Championship team rider Carolyn Mellor and her 15-year old KWPN bred Gouverneur M (by Voice x Jacardo) posted 65.152% for 9th place, while 2022 WEG and 2023 EDC team rider Sorrell Klatzko and her 13-year old Westfalian Turbo (by Totilas x Florestan) posted 64.717%. Klatzko's last CDI ride with Turbo was in Hartpury in July 2025.