There was much speculation about why Great Britain’s multi-gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin dropped out of last weekend’s Zen Elite FEI World Cup Dressage Final after accepting a place for the contest in Fort Worth, Texas.
But the answer, revealed by Eurodressage, is that her mount, Alive and Kicking, was sold to five-time Olympian Kristy Oatley, who rides for Australia. The actual transaction was made to Rosalind Oatley, Kristy’s mother, and Bollmoor Partner GmbH & Co.
Charlotte was second with the mare at the London International Horse Show last December, and seemed a likely pick for the British team that will be competing in Aachen this summer at the FEI world championships. She discovered the Westfalian, now 12, as a four-year-old.
Alive and Kicking appeared to be the perfect comeback vehicle for Charlotte to resurrect her career after serving a year-long suspension for a whipping incident that left her open to a storm of criticism.