last updated on July 01, 2010 14:49

Reigning National Dressage Champion Carl Hester will be competing in the Pro-Am Challenge Dressage Competition at The Royal Festival of the Horse, Stoneleigh Park, on Friday 9 July, alongside leading lady rider and European silver medalist Laura Bechtolscheimer. 

This exciting new concept will see six amateurs performing a medium level dressage test on their own horse, before their professional team-mate performs the same test on the same horse. The team gaining the highest accumulation of points across the two tests will win.

Commenting on his involvement, Carl said: “I’m really looking forward to being part of this new event which celebrates the unique relationship between horse and rider and what they can achieve together.”

The pairings, which were drawn out of a hat, are:
Carl Hester and Mandy Day
Laura Bechtolscheimer and Sharon Boyd
Rebecca Hughes and Lara Dyson
Charlotte du Jardin and Danielle Steed
Paul Hayler and Sally Thorndale
Jodie Lister and Kaye Chapman

Freestyle Dressage to Music Championship
At 2pm on Friday 9 July, the stadium audience will be treated to the Royal Festival of the Horse Freestyle dressage to Music Championship. The cream of British Dressage riders - including Gill Davison, Gareth Hughes, Rebecca Hughes, Charlotte du Jardin, Sarah Millis, Paul Hayler, Louise Davison, Anne-Marie Perry, Mette Assouline (DEN), Alice Paternel and Sam Thurman-Baker - will be performing an FEI Intermediate I Freestyle to music test to win a share of £4,000 prize money. 

Each rider will have 5 minutes to show their horse’s paces to music. The riders have to include compulsory movements but can include them in any order. Compulsory movements include:

• Half pass in trot and canter
• Two and three time flying changes
• Canter pirouettes

The choice of music is made by the rider to suit the horse’s own unique rhythm. The judges will be scoring the horse on how correctly each movement is performed and will take into account the artistic impression and creativity of the rider’s test. The rider with the most marks will win.

To see Carl Hester in the Pro-Am Challenge plus the Freestyle to Music Championship, in the stadium at the Royal Festival of the Horse on Friday 9 July, log onto www.festivalofthehorse.co.uk or 0844 581 1400 to book tickets.