Double Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin won the debutant ball at the 2024 CDI Lier in Belgium, presenting yet another newly minted Grand Prix horse, Alive and Kicking, and riding it to a double victory. At the same huge indoor dressage event, the brand new duo Patrik Kittel (SWE) and Jovian made its show debut and placed third twice.
The 2024 CDI Lier at equestrian centre Azelfhof in Lier, Belgium, boasted a massive starters field and it required the competition to begin as early as Tuesday with the youth classes and the weekend was reserved for the senior divisions.
Alive and Kicking
With Imhotep as her number one choice in the Olympic race, so far, Charlotte Dujardin proved she is well prepared for the road to Paris with a second GP-ride able to score marks that firmly put her up for team consideration.
The 10-year old Westfalian mare Alive and Kicking (by Ampere x Furst Piccolo) she owns together with Ulricke Bachinger and coach Carl Hester and was acquired from Swedish horse dealers Gunnarlunda in November 2018 when the mare was four. She was first competed in the UK by assistant Sadie Smith and in 2020 Charlotte McDowall took over the ride for two years and extensively competed her nationally from medium to small tour level through 2022. The pair also debuted internationally in the Young riders division at the 2022 CDI Wellington Heckfield where they were fourth and second. As of 2023 Dujardin was back onboard consistently and rode the mare in her first Inter II test in May 2023 at Somerford and in her first Grand Prix test at the home show in Hartpury in November 2023.
At their first CDI in front of a panel of international judges (Van Daele, Pinteus, Truppa, Nivelle, Judet) the pair immediately rode to a winning score of 75.043% in a field of no less than 41 starters. Dujardin presented the horse in a significantly longer frame than what we are used of her on Imhotep with longer reins and the black mare was ridden in a forward tempo, especially in the passage. The extended walk does not have the greatest overtrack but was active and relaxed. The collected walk appeared slightly shorter with the left front but stayed rhythmical. The piaffe showed much talent and Dujardin once again impressed with the ease she can produce and compete one Grand Prix horse after another at top level. The major bobble in the ride came on the centerline where the mare did not want to transition into a piaffe at X and it took 10 meters before the piaffe steps were produced. Also the transition out did not work. These two major issues went pretty much unnoticed by the judges, who rewarded the piaffe between 5 and 7.5 and the transition out 5.5 and 7. Only Judet had her glasses on and gave it a 3. The final score of 75.043% meant the victory.
Audrey Hepburn
“I’m very proud on my horse. I really didn’t know how it would go today to be honest," Charlotte stated after the Grand Prix. "She has never done this before. Lots of experienced Grand Prix horses here and it was a big strong class with a lot of horses in it. I really came here to gain experience. It’s the first show for this season. The main job for me as a rider, was to give her confidence to go in there and have a nice time. And I think she did do that. The last center line was complete my fault, she halted at X so many times, so she thought she was finished, and I was like ‘oh no we keep going’. It was completely my fault. But apart from that I’m so happy, I couldn’t ask for much more.”
Dujardin gives nick-names to all her horses and Alive and Kicking is "Audrey" at home. “She is lovely, she is the kindest, sweetest horse. You can cuddle her all day. I bought ‘Audrey’ when she was four. I never have ridden the Grand Prix Special with her, so I’m curious how it will go. She is always trying, her trainability is amazing and she has got always enough engine to keep going. She’s a lovely mare and so kind. She’s like a ballerina, a real Audrey Hepburn.”
Nessie
“Nessie felt really good in there. There was a bit more atmosphere today and it was nice to feel he was enjoying it”, is Charlotte Fry her first reaction. “It’s a freestyle he never ever has done before, it’s actually not his freestyle. So, it wasn’t fitting 100%, but he did everything so well. It’s only his second ever international Grand Prix, I’m very proud of him. He really enjoyed himself and so did I.”
When asked what her future plans are with Nespresso, Fry replied, "I haven’t thought about it too much. We are just going to see how it went here, and I went quite well. So, we will just carry on gaining some more experience with him and going to some more CDI’s I guess.”
The British rider, who’s based in The Netherlands and riding at Van Olst Horses is very grateful. “I’m in a very nice position, it’s amazing all the horses I get to ride. A very lucky position and it’s great to come out to shows like this and give the horses experience to prepare for the really big ones.”
Kittel and Jovian Premier, French Activists Film it All
Kittel and the gigantic Jovian have only been together for two months and were able to score 73.739% in their first Grand Prix text. Just like with Helgstrand the extended trot and canter are the horse's strong points, but Kittel also rode a lovely extended walk. For Jovian the collection has been the big challenge and his rather oddly looking hocks with curbs are not so aesthetically pleasing, in our opinion. Kittel clearly presented the stallion in a more relaxed frame than ever seen with Helgstrand, but both professionals struggle to ride a proper piaffe (the hocks move up and out instead of under) and also in the big tempi changes it's hard to keep the straightness on the diagonal. In the Grand Prix Special the duo returned to a third place with 73.298%.
A French horse welfare activist group came to Lier to film the sport and Kittel shared his two cents on the new situation.
"Lier is such a super show but to be honest if the new life is going to be that activist are standing so near the horses when doing the gear check that they get scared.. just trying to film anything," said the Swedish Olympian. "I have nothing against to be open to show warmups .. but it saddens me deeply that some only comes to the shows to try to find anything and really anything to make it look bad !! We ride with 5-6 well educated stewards .. watching 24/7 with rules ! They check everything let them do there job ! And if you want to film at least stay on distance so horse and rider are safe."
Photos © Digishots
Related Link
Scores: 2024 CDI Lier