Charlotte Dujardin has revealed her plan to target Mount St John Freestyle at the World Cup series this coming winter.
The pair produced a personal best grand prix score of 81.91% at the European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Tuesday (20 August), but were later eliminated after blood was found on the Fidermark mare’s flank at the post-competition check. As a result Britain dropped from the silver medal position into fourth behind Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Charlotte told H&H that, since the incident, she has decided that she will campaign the upcoming winter circuit with 10-year-old Freestyle, with the aim of qualifying for the World Cup final in Las Vegas in April 2020.
“Originally I had thought that doing this [the Europeans] and the World Cup would be too much for her, but as she has only done one test here, I might as well give it a shot,” she said.
“So that’s my plan at the moment and I’m looking forward to it. Freestyle is brilliant competing indoors — it doesn’t matter what sort of atmosphere she’s in.”
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This will be the first time Charlotte has seriously contested the World Cup series since she won back-to-back titles on Valegro, in Lyon in 2014 and in Las Vegas in 2015. With the exception of one appearance at the Amsterdam leg on Uthopia in January 2016, the only World Cup qualifiers she has ridden since 2015 are at Olympia, on Uthopia in 2015, and Hawtins Delicato in 2018.
“I will probably aim for Lyon in November, then Olympia in December and maybe Amsterdam in January,” Charlotte told H&H in Rotterdam. “I think this will be good for Freestyle. She’s old enough now, she can take it and she needs some more mileage.”
Don’t miss next week’s issue of H&H for extensive coverage from the European Dressage, Para Dressage and Showjumping Championships, out 29 August.