Quartet Henriette Andersen, Natasha Baker, Carl Hester and Lee Pearson have travelled to Qatar’s capital city Doha for the third edition of the spectacular Al Shaqab CHI. Henriette and Carl will compete in the CDI5* which features a €160,000 prize pot while Lee and Natasha are the British representatives in the CPEDI3*, in grades Ib and II respectively. British-based Canadian para rider Roberta Sheffield has also made the journey to contest the Grade III classes.

 

Lee and Natasha have already been in action bright and early yesterday morning in the state of the art arena in the team test.  Natasha was first on with her multiple-medal winner Cabaral, owned by herself, mum Lorraine and Christian Landolt.  The duo have had a few training runs this year at novice to get ‘in the zone’ ahead of their Arabian trip. ‘JP’ as he’s known was on good form to score 74.853% which gave them second place behind World double gold medallists Rixt van der Horst and Uniek from the Netherlands.  Lee and Zion were in dominant mood in the Ib and showed the long winter hasn’t taken any shine away from their form which captured three WEG golds,  A near personal best 77.333% gave a three percent victory over Nicole den Dulk riding Wallace (NED).  Both are in action again today in the individual tests for their grades before getting their dancing shoes on for the freestyle on Saturday.

 

Carl Hester rides his own and Jane de la Mare’s Nip Tuck and the desert show is Barney’s first outing since posting personal bests in both tests as Olympia CDI-W before Christmas.  Henriette partners her own and Jennifer Charlesworth’s Warlocks Charm, or Ted to his friends. Jazz-sired Ted made his grand prix debut last year and ended on a high with back-to-back GP wins at the High Profile shows at Bury Farm and Vale View. Both horses are reported to be fit and well and sailed through the trot up ahead of getting in the arena in the grand prix tomorrow which carries a prize fund of €45,000.  Saturday the riders then choose to go to the Special or Freestyle but with a prize pot of €100,000 for the music, it should be an easy choice!

 

 

Henriette Andersen (51) Nether Westcote, Oxon riding her own and Jennifer Charlesworth’s Warlocks Charm Chestnut gelding 16.2hh 12yrs s. Jazz

 

Carl Hester (47) Newent, Gloucestershire riding his own and Jane de la Mare’s Nip Tuck

Bay Gelding 16.3hh 11 yrs s. Don Ruto

 

 

Natasha Baker (25) Uxbridge,  Middlesex riding her own, Lorraine Baker and Christian Landolt’s Cabral Bay Gelding 16.2hh 14yrs s. Bujak

 

Lee Pearson (41) Bagnall, Staffordshire riding his own Zion Bay Gelding 17hh 11yrs

 

Source: British Dressage