The 2024 NAF 5 Famous person Iciness Dressage Championships (10–14 April) will mark the start of “a thrilling new generation” following the display’s transfer from Hartpury to Addington Equestrian.
Alternatively, whilst the venue will have modified, the standard that will likely be on display has no longer. Historically, the iciness championships have at all times been an incredible show off of Britain’s subsequent most sensible horses – and this 12 months seems to be set to be no other.
We’ve rounded up one of the maximum attention-grabbing mixtures that are supposed to be for your radar.
Iciness Dressage Championships 2024 ones to look at: MSJ Viva Dannebrog
The six-year-old mare MSJ Viva Dannebrog (Vitalis x Don Schufro) has been in nice shape just lately below Amy Woodhead and gained each the Status Amateur Gold (74.94%) and the Equi-Trek Basic Gold (71.15%) at Bishop Burton regionals (13–17 February 2024) to qualify for the iciness championships.
The combo had a exceptional 2023, completing fourth within the small ultimate for five-year-olds on the FEI WBFSH Dressage Global Breeding Championships and successful the KBIS five-year-old identify on the LeMieux Nationwide Championships.
That win made it back-to-back nationwide titles for the placing chestnut, who was once additionally the four-year-old champion in 2022 below Amy’s sister and global tournament rider Holly Woodhead.
Viva Dannebrog, owned and bred through Emma Blundell, is a daughter of Diva Dannebrog, ridden to grade III para Global Championship silver through Natasha Baker.
“Diva Dannebrog is Don Schufro x Brentano II – excellent out of date German bloodlines,” mentioned Emma. “We put her to Vitalis to get a bit extra blood and to get the shoulder thru extra, and what a mare she is proving to be.”
Leonie Richter, a former Eu younger rider workforce gold medallist, who was once the experience pass judgement on for all age teams on the 2022 championships, picked Viva Dannebrog as her standout experience: “If I had to make a choice only one it could should be Viva Dannebrog – she confirmed superb rideability and had nice reactions, however concentrated so laborious at the rider.”
Amy added: “She’s so trainable and prepared to delight, and he or she additionally strikes amazingly and offers me the sort of excellent feeling within the area.”
Ones to look at: Forgio
Competing along Amy within the stacked Pretisge Amateur Gold Iciness Championship will likely be emerging celebrity Lewis Service and Lizzy Candy’s six-year-old gelding Forgio (For Dance x Sergio Rossi), who crowned the iciness regionals at Little Mill Equestrian (23–25 February) on 74.26%.
In a flip of destiny, Lewis rode Diva Dannebrog because the experience pass judgement on on the 2023 younger horse championships, and along Denmark’s Christine Prip and Erik Theilgaard was once a part of the panel that elected her as a winner.
Forgio was once bred through Egon Wichmann and competed below Madita Renz in Germany, qualifying for the 2023 HKM Bundeschampionate in Warendorf. In spite of that, he hadn’t competed too broadly ahead of Lewis took over the experience – with Lewis describing regionals as one among Forgio’s busiest displays thus far.
The pair have simplest been a mixture since October 2023 however already glance completely matched. They’ve thus far been unbeaten on all however one among their outings, with their newbie rankings peaking at 78.87%.
“He wowed us once we noticed him,” mentioned Lewis, who travelled to Germany to view him on the Oldenburg public sale in Ankum.
“He’s a delicate horse with heaps of skill and an actual middle of gold. He’s large, at just below 18hh, however he has an incredible hindleg and creates a wonderful form in trot and canter.
“Coming from the public sale in Germany, he’s no longer fazed through a large environment. I’m having a look ahead to the iciness championships, the place I believe he’ll blow their own horns much more.”
Ones to look at: St Giles Flamboyant
St Giles Flamboyant (Franklin x Fürst Romancier) – referred to as Frankie at house – and Nicola Buchanan endured their spectacular upward thrust throughout the ranges, taking the Equitek Complicated Medium Gold and Magic Prix St Georges Gold on the Chard Equestrian iciness regionals (17–18 February 2024).
“That was once simplest her 3rd PSG so she’s nonetheless inexperienced on the degree,” mentioned Nicola. “She’s such an athletically proficient horse and an absolute excitement to experience. She enjoys existence and is taking all of it in her stride.”
The now eight-year-old mare was once bred through Dinah Ashley-Cooper, the Countess of Shaftesbury, and crowned the KBIS seven-year-old younger horse championship in 2023 on 78.75%.
Nicola has ridden horses for Dinah for over a decade now and has been partnered with Frankie – who was once additionally 2nd on the Nationwide Championships ultimate 12 months within the complex medium ultimate – since she was once a five-year-old.
“It’s each breeder’s dream to reproduce a skilled horse with a shiny long term, and Frankie is indisputably that,” Nicola mentioned. “Dinah is breeding some beautiful younger horses, so it’s a thrilling time for the St Giles prefix.
“I’m in point of fact desirous about her – she has such a lot elasticity and he or she tries her middle out. She’s a grand prix horse within the making.”
Frankie has no doubt stuck the attention of a few well-informed observers, with Carl Hester choosing her out as one to look at in each his common column and at the The Horse & Hound podcast.
“I like Nicola Buchanan’s mare, St Giles Flamboyant,” he mentioned, following ultimate 12 months’s nationwide championships. “Nicola confirmed me a couple of of her further strikes out of doors of the world, she’s very a lot proficient – she makes your eyes come out your head.”
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Credit score: KEVIN SPARROW
Credit score: Tanja Davis
Credit score: KEVIN SPARROW
Credit score: Long term
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