Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro will lead Great Britain’s team in the Nations Cup at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany in two weeks, setting up a battle of most of the world’s top dressage horses and riders.

British Dressage announced Wednesday the squad for the fifth leg of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Nations Cup series will be:

Nikki Crisp, 36, with her 17-year-old KWPN mare Pasoa;
Charlotte Dujardin, 28, with Carl Hester and Roly Luard’s 12-year-old KWPN gelding Valegro;
Michael Eilberg, 27, with Jon and Julie Deverill’s 12-year-old British-bred Hanoverian mare Half Moon Delphi, and
Daniel Watson, 37, with Susie Farnon’s 14-year-old Westfalen gelding Fideramber.

Nikki and Daniel rode their horses on the British team for the Rotterdam CDIO5* last month for fourth place and the country’s first points of this year’s Nations Cup circuit of six events in Europe and the United States.

Charlotte and Valegro have not competed since taking the title at their first World Cup Final, at Lyon in April.

“Blueberry is in great form at home but is looking forward to doing what he does best – competing,” Charlotte said. “Aachen is a huge competition for us; the crowds are supportive, the competition fierce and it’s an amazing show. It will be a good run before the World Equestrian Games and I’m really excited to get into the arena with him again.”

The “fierce” competition means a German team that includes Matthias Alexander Rath and Totilas, Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill NRW, Isabell Werth and Bella Rose and Katrina Sprehe and Desperados. The Netherlands will be led by Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival.

The final leg of the Nations Cup series will be Hickstead, England the first week of August. Britain won that event in 2013, the first year of the pilot series.