“I’m very fortunate,” says Lottie Fry. She moved to the Netherlands in 2014 to coach with the van Olsts and has lived there ever since. Anne van Olst is a five-time Olympian and Lottie’s teacher and mentor, and the operation specializes in stallions at stud, dressage, coaching, youngstock and purchasing and promoting horses. Lottie’s just right fortune is within the horses she rides.
She explains that Anne’s husband, Gertjan van Olst, “is breeding horses at all times, and all the time seeking to fortify”. There are recently 27 much-garlanded stallions at the Van Olst website together with family names reminiscent of Everdale and Glamourdale.
Lottie provides: “One of the vital most sensible attributes that Gertjan’s searching for is just right persona. It’s essential, proper from the start, particularly for stallions, as a result of they wish to stability the breeding and the game – and it’s very tricky until they have got just right persona.”
Lottie Fry rides Nalegro within the Dressage Unwrapped demo on the 2022 London World, whilst her teacher Anne van Olst (left) and commentator Lee McKenzie glance on. Credit score: Peter Nixon
What precisely is “just right persona”? It method “they love their task”, Lottie explains. “I find it irresistible whilst you get on a horse they usually need to please and need to do the task for you. It makes my task more uncomplicated! They’re really easy to coach, and the breeding offspring now we have are so proficient as younger horses.”
“It’s essential to take each and every horse as a person, they’re all relatively other, there’ll by no means be two the similar, so we stay an open thoughts and educate them every as they wish to be skilled. Some take longer, we pass at their velocity,” provides Lottie.
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale with the van Olsts right through a coaching consultation on the 2022 Global Dressage Championships. Credit score: Peter Nixon
That just right persona has to incorporate a definite stage-craft to accomplish neatly in dressage, they wish to “have that showmanship; the stallion aspect makes it very thrilling”.
No shortcuts to development a partnership
It’s very important to be aware of their characters from the start, Lottie says: “While you begin to paintings, you notice how the horses react at the floor round you, how they’re within the solid, in the event that they’re worried or assured and also you construct them as much as create a partnership. The simpler they know you and you recognize them, the much more likely it’s going to head neatly.”
There’s no shortcut to development rapport, Lottie issues out: “It comes with time, it’s the similar as people, some consider so much more uncomplicated than others, however whilst you acquire the consider, they’ll do anything else for you.”
Lottie Fry at house with Glamourdale on the van Olsts’ stables. Credit score: Liz Neville Images
Living proof is Glamourdale, Lottie’s Olympic workforce and person bronze medallist. The bond is tangible and he or she says: “I’ve been driving him since he used to be six. At first, I used to be very younger as neatly and we grew in combination. I all the time relied on him from the beginning and he me as neatly.
“I take into account pondering the primary time I sat on him, I don’t assume I’ve ever ridden anything else this superb, it used to be an unbelievable feeling. While you’re actually certain about horses they get very certain about their paintings and experience it.”
“While you canter it’s like flying,” Lottie Fry on Glamourdale
What used to be that feeling? “He’s so tough whilst you canter it’s like flying, however he’s additionally elastic and supple on the similar time, and it’s uncommon to be so tough and stylish; he’s the very best dressage horse,” says Lottie.
Glamourdale appearing off his trademark prolonged canter underneath Lottie Fry on their strategy to securing person Olympic bronze at Paris 2024. Credit score: Peter Nixon
Coaching takes position 4 occasions per week, classes are neatly deliberate and “on a daily basis is slightly other – we by no means paintings at the similar issues, so I take what I wish to paintings on, and concentrate on that extra in particular. We don’t do the whole lot on a daily basis – I’d by no means do the entire grand prix in a single consultation,” explains Lottie.
At house, Glamourdale is engaged with everybody. “In the event you come into the solid and say, ‘hello’, he in an instant replies! He’s tremendous chatty and he loves getting treats. He’s the king, so why shouldn’t he? If anyone else will get a deal with, he has to have one as neatly, even supposing they’ve simply labored, he has to have one as neatly, only for being Glammy!”.
Lottie Fry praises Everdale after finishing their check on the Tokyo Olympics. Credit score: Peter Nixon
The horses all experience their freedoms, however, to place it mildly: “It’s now not simple with breeding stallions. Anything else that strikes unsupervised they believe could be for breeding. We now have particular person paddocks for stallions, with right kind fences; the geldings and mares are out within the fields.”
It’s now not a coaching concept as such, however Lottie and the workforce by no means lose sight of the truth that the horses are their very own entities, and “now not on a daily basis is an ideal day, as with us. While you paintings with animals, endurance and positivity are essential.”
Lottie Fry – the fundamentals are key
If classes aren’t progressing, Lottie is going again to fundamentals, and says that they spend 90% of the time operating on fundamentals: stroll, trot, canter, immediately traces, transitions. “They’re all wanted within the motion sooner or later, and if the fundamentals are just right, it’s such a lot more uncomplicated”.
Vacations are integrated into the agenda, specifically after a significant pageant – after we communicate, Glammy is having a very easy few weeks after the Paris Olympics, “stretching, hacking, chilling” and might be slowly constructed again for the wintry weather season and breeding once more.
Glamourdale takes in his setting right through enviornment familiarisation on the 2022 London World Horse Display. Credit score: Peter Nixon
The important thing to maintaining those megastar athletes satisfied in coaching is making the paintings relaxing, which means that selection. This comprises hacking, a water treadmill, and grass turnout. There’s additionally common physio, gentle remedy and “numerous consideration”.
“They be ok with themselves,” Lottie says.
After a couple of weeks off, “Glammy needs to paintings. He’s reasonably recent and he indisputably misses the paintings. It’s a actually great factor, he will get excited to start out coaching,” Lottie says, including, “He’s a more than pleased pony.”
Describing a 16.3hh breeding stallion as a “satisfied pony” displays the profound stage of love during which this horse is held.
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale on their strategy to profitable gold within the particular on the 2022 Global Championships. Credit score: Peter Nixon
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