About
Dressage, Horse & Hound

DSP Rose Of Bavaria — meet Laura Tomlinson’s ‘future podium and workaholic’ grand prix ride *H&H Plus*

Polly Bryan/

Laura Tomlinson’s stunning mare turned plenty of heads at the 2020 National Grand Prix Championships. Polly Bryan hears more about her

AAA with Laura Tomlinson Rose of Bavaria at her yard; Cranmore Farm, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire in the UK, on the 17th March 2020

Need to know DSP Rose Of Bavaria Age: 11 Breeding: Bordeaux x Florestan I Studbook: DSP (BAVAR) Breeders: Rainer and Heidi Heuschmann Rider: Laura Tomlinson Owners: rider and Ursula Bechtolsheimer Greatest achievements: winner, grand prix special at Le Mans CDI3* February 2020; fourth with 75.46% in the grand prix, fifth with 79.95% in freestyle at […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound

*Exclusive* Charlotte Dujardin on her tough 2019, going back to basics and a very special youngster *H&H Plus*

Polly Bryan/

The double Olympic champion chats to Polly Bryan about the highs and lows of 2020, and how her training methods have developed

Charlotte Dujardin and MSJ Freestyle - Oaklebrook Mill, Mailswick, Newent, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom - 12 March 2018

For Charlotte Dujardin, 2020 was supposed to be a huge year. She and Mount St John Freestyle were gearing up for the World Cup Final and then the Olympic Games, Charlotte’s first appearance at each since the heady days of Valegro. She entered the year on a high, riding the wave of a euphoric Olympia […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound

‘One year we did pony fancy dress with British beef as our theme’: five minutes with Alice Oppenheimer

Polly Bryan/

The dressage rider on competitive fancy dress and why she’d love to have dinner with Sir Winston Churchill.

All about Alice:

Alice Oppenheimer is an international grand prix rider with a number of national and international titles to her name, and has ridden for Britain on Nations Cup teams. She is based in Hampshire, at her family’s Headmore Stud.It has to be Headmore Bella Ruby (pictured, left). She’s only nine but is already showing all the ability to be a good grand prix horse. The first day I rode her at home after she had been backed, I trotted two steps and said, “Oh my God, this horse is amazing.” My mum thought she looked a bit ordinary, but I could just feel her endless scope and suppleness. As Bella has got stronger she has shown more and more impressive movement, and now Mum tries to say she always knew she’d be good really!

Alice Oppenheimer - Headmore Davina

Describe your first pony… My sister Kate and I shared two Shetlands, Jimmy and Bertie. Jimmy was naughty, but Bertie was a gem. We used to do a lot of fancy dress – my mum was very competitive and spent ages making the outfits. We always had a theme – one year we did “British […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound

Life lessons: Natasha Baker — ‘Lots of riders put so much pressure on themselves and forget why they do it’ *H&H Plus*

Polly Bryan/

The Paralympic gold medallist on keeping an open mind, the value of TRT training and which grand prix horse would be perfect for para dressage.

Grade III rider Natasha has won five Paralympic gold medals, as well as double silver at the 2018 World Championships. She is currently aiming for the Tokyo Paralympics with Keystone Dawn Chorus, and is also an FEI dressage commentator.

NATASHA BAKER - KEYSTONE DAWN CHORUS

Before going into the arena, I remind myself that this is fun, and I do this sport because I enjoy it. Lots of riders put so much pressure on themselves and forget why they do it. Thinking this way before going in also helps me breathe, and of course our horses pick up on everything […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound

Remember the name: Ellie McCarthy — ‘I had to choose between dressage and polo’

Polly Bryan/

Over this festive season, we are shining a light on up-and-coming talent across the equestrian disciplines. These are riders you really need to keep an eye out for during the 2021 season…

Meet Ellie McCarthy, the young dressage rider setting herself up for a successful grand prix career with an exciting string of horses and new yard to match

Ellie McCarthy rides GB Londero Von Worrenberg at Keysoe High Profile Show in 2020.

Meet Ellie McCarthy, the young dressage rider setting herself up for a successful grand prix career with an exciting string of horses and new yard to match

Dressage, Horse & Hound

Legends of the sport: Mistral Højris — ‘Competing was something he was always doing for me — he had to learn to be a showman’ *H&H Plus*

Polly Bryan/

Naturally blessed with athleticism and presence, the striking Michellino gelding overcame stage fright with the help of Laura Tomlinson to join the top flight and take his place in British dressage history. Polly Bryan charts his story

Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris

When a 19-year-old Laura Bechtolsheimer (now Tomlinson) first sat on an imposing nine-year-old chestnut gelding in Denmark, she instantly knew he was special. What she couldn’t have known, back then, was the impact that Mistral Højris would have, not just on her own career, but on British dressage as a whole. The sport has seen […]