Dressage World Champion Charlotte (Lottie) Fry may have won the Grand Prix on the aptly named Glamourdale at the London International Horse Show Thursday, but much of the crowd’s attention also was on runner-up Charlotte Dujardin aboard Alive and Kicking.
Charlotte Dujardin on Alive and Kicking.
It was Charlotte’s first appearance in the Excel Centre in two years. Until July 2025, she had been serving a suspension imposed by the FEI after video emerged of her hitting a student’s horse with a longe whip during a lesson.
Relishing the cheers of the audience when she appeared, Charlotte said it was “a real buzz” to be back in the spotlight, competing at the top of the sport once again.
“Just going back in that arena, there is something so special about riding here, it is incredibly special. Going around the edge and having so many people shout `go on, Charlotte,’ it was very emotional,” she said, after putting in a test on the 11-year old Westfalian mare that yielded a mark of 76.544 percent.
On her longtime Dutchbred partner, Lottie was well ahead of Charlotte, scoring at 80.783 percent for a test that highlighted the 14-year-old Dutchbred stallion’s fluid movement and broad reach in the extended trot and canter. Only one of the five judges failed to give Lottie a score over 80 percent, but her total was not a personal best. She’s used to stratospheric scores.
Charlotte Fry on Glmourdale
The class was a total victory for the Brits, with Becky Moody in third-place on her homebred Jagerbomb, an 11-year-old Dutchbred who secured a total of 75.043 percent. Becky looked quite glamorous in her spangled brown tailcoat.
A lost shoe in the warm-up affected her preparation for the class, cutting the time she had available to get ready as it was replaced. An error behind with a slow change in the one-tempi’s affected her score.
The awards presentation for the class was made under a giant Union Jack that said it all about the dominant nation.
On Friday, the competitors will ride in the freestyle for points that go toward securing a place in the FEI World Cup Final, to be held in April in Ft. Worth.
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