Crozet 2025: Silver for Britain in Team medal thriller

The British quartet of Carl Hester, Lottie Fry, Becky Moody and Andrew Gould stepped onto the podium at the FEI European Championships, earning Britain’s ninth European Championship team medal.  

Taking place in the shadow of Mont Blanc, the team competition at the FEI European Championships provided a thrilling climb to the summit of the podium between leading nations Great Britain and Germany. At the close, Germany inched ahead on the final rotation of riders, to claim the gold on 229.644. A more than valiant effort by Carl Hester, Lottie Fry, Becky Moody providing the three counting scores would deliver a terrific silver, adding another medal to Britain’s collection.  

First to present for Great Britain on the second day of competition, Carl Hester showed every ounce of his team test riding skill to deliver a valuable top British score of 76.087% with Fiona Bigwood’s Fame. Carl handled the bay stallion with sensitivity and serenity, giving him the support he needed to handle the atmosphere and environment – which several horses have found challenging throughout the show. With the trending score rising throughout the test, highlights came in the canter work, where the flying changes, zig zag and pirouettes were exemplary; a polished final centre line convinced the panel and gave Carl a provisional top spot on the leader board (only stolen with nine riders to go) and yet another outstanding contribution to Britain’s team effort.  

Speaking about his performance today, Carl said: "I'm just thrilled, he is such a genuine horse - he's nice to ride and he's fun to ride around the Grand Prix, he just never runs out of energy. There's always something that can be better, I think the extended trots were better today than they have been but sometimes I feel that I have him more harmonious than today - when you're busy trying not to make mistakes you end up getting a bit more tight than normal, especially somewhere like here. He's been the most consistent horse this year and I'm really happy."

"You've got to be realistic," Carl reflected, "three people have amazing horses and end up with medals, and if you do the best you can on the best horse you've got, as I always say - that's my medal. I'm looking to try and better it tomorrow and the next day."

Now seasoned team performers, 2022 World Champions and Olympic silver medallists Lottie Fry and Glamourdale are no stranger to handling the heat of high pressure. As the last combination to take to the centre line for the team, Lottie and the Van Olst’s superb KWPN stallion delivered a test full of trademark power and expression, earning high marks for the extended canter and two-tempi changes. A handful of mistakes – in the canter pirouettes, transition to canter - just held the score back today, which earned a solid 75.869%.  

"It was really exciting, the last few riders are always exciting in the team competition," Lottie commented on the pressure of performing at the end of the day, "I didn't look at the board, I was very focused and I didn't know the score. Unfortunately it wasn't really our day today, just too many mistakes creeping in - which can happen. I'm looking forward to the rest of the competition, he always improves day by day. There was quite some pressure knowing we were in contention for gold or silver, but we all did a really good job to come away with silver today."

Becky Moody and her own and Jo Cooper’s Jagerbomb put their 2024 experience to good use in their team performance, holding their nerve to handle the pressure and ride out some uncharacteristic bumps. The Dante Weltino-sired 11-year-old looked a charming balance of power and lightness throughout his test, displaying poised halts, booming tempi-change lines and ground covering extended trots. Their score was a fantastic 74.829%, with even more room for improvement considering an erroneous flying change in the extended canter, corrected in outstanding speed and control by Becky, and a counting error in the canter half pass zig zag.  

Reflecting on her test, Becky commented: “We've had a little bit of a phase of him being very hot, not standing still and not walking, so we've worked very hard on that – and we did those things, so yay! But, unfortunately, I think that did just mean that we didn't have the same ‘hotness’ that sometimes helps us out with certain things. Then, it was maybe my mistake in the zigzag – I don't know what I was counting. I thought I was six [strides], but it would appear I wasn't. 

“And the extended cancer was a real shame. It felt very secure, he felt really good and bold, and then whether something just caught his eye or he lost his balance, I'm not sure. That was a shame and I'm disappointed that I had those errors because it should have been better,” she continued. 

Becky's characteristic positivity shone through as she concluded, “I'm still super-pleased with the bits that we've been working on and the fact that those were better. I'm going to take the positives and the things that were good, then go away and think about how I can improve the things that weren't so good.” 

Andrew Gould, who stepped up onto the Paris 2024 team in the reserve spot, earned his spot on the team with Tatiana and Max Skillman’s Indigro after a successful season of campaign at home and abroad. Unfortunately, Crozet was not to be the pair’s show as the judge at C rang the bell for elimination and brought short their time in the arena. Andrew commented: “Indigro warmed up well, but just didn’t feel quite his usual, forward self in the arena today. While this is a huge disappointment, Indigro is my top priority and I fully support the judges’ decision. I’d like to thank the team vets and the rest of our support team here in Crozet for the care they’ve given him, especially my brilliant groom, Nat Campbell, who dotes on Indi and has looked after him impeccably this week.”   

Reflecting on the team's effort at the press conference, Chef d'Equipe Darrell Scaife commented, "The most wonderful thing for us is the way the team have supported one another throughout the competion; it's been great to see and be part of."

In the individual rankings, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Emma Blundell’s Mount St John Freestyle topped the Grand Prix standings with a harmonious, truly light performance that saw them notch up 80.823%. The pair will be the ones to beat progressing onto the Special and Freestyle tests. Germany’s anchor Isabell Werth placed second with Wendy de Fontaine, earning 79.224% for the test that secured the team gold medal. Whilst Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus placed third on 79.084% - this duo have been shooting stars throughout the 2025 season and are an exciting combination for dressage fans to watch as the week progresses. With some high scorers and ten combinations earning over 74%, the battle for the individual medals is set up to be a corker in Crozet.  

Results  

Team competition  
1. Germany – 229.644 
2. Great Britain – 226.785 
3. Denmark – 223.385 
4. Belgium – 220.062 
5. The Netherlands – 218.137 

Individual placings 
1. Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle, 80.823% (DEN) 
2. Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine, 79.224% (GER) 
3. Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus, 79.084% (BEL)  
4. Dinja van Liere and Hermes, 76.941% (NED) 
5. Carl Hester and Fame, 76.087% (GBR) 
6. Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale, 75.869% (GBR) 
7. Katharina Hemmer and Denoix PCH, 75.699% (GER) 
8. Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, 74.829% (GBR) 
9. Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD, 74.721% (GER) 
10. Isabel Freese and Total Hope OLD, 74.146% (NOR) 

FULL RESULTS