We look back at Carl and Uthopia’s decisive emergence that changed the face of dressage at the Euros in Rotterdam back in 2011, with Carl and Uthopia and Charlotte and Valegro going on to win Gold in London the next year…

It was a sensational Europeans for Carl Hester. Coming out on a relatively unknown young horse, he has firmly established himself as a potential individual gold medal winner at next year’s London Games. As usual, Carl is the journalists’ dream – witty, insightful and oh so quotable. I caught up with him minutes after his triumph in the Grand Prix…

“It’s funny, two years ago we had a course with Jan Bemelmanns, Uthopia was only eight years old at the time, and Jan said, this could be the new wonder horse… I believed it, but it’s very difficult to tell everyone you’ve got a new wonder horse, because if there’s a black wonder horse now, it’s called Totilas. It’s amazing when it comes right isn’t it? I still think I am more emotional about Charlotte and Valegro because I think that is so special, she is so young. I’m glad that before I die I’ve made a decent score, but for me to see Charlotte come through, that for me, was just as pleasant.”

And the score of ten from all judges?
“I thought for a minute that there must be a dog in the arena, or a bird had landed, everyone was laughing. I didn’t know I had seven 10s.”

Carl can’t believe the seven 10s, it was a Championship at the time when seven judges were used and every judge gave the extended trot a 10. Everyone in the crowd, which was largely Dutch and a full house, gave a collective ‘aah’ of approval which was quite a loud noise as it was a big crowd. 

Carl and Uthopia receive a standing ovation from the Riders’ stand – you can see Edward Gal, Hans Peter Minderhoud – wearing their orange jackets, Patrik Kittel and then Lyndal Oatley taking a photo.

more on Uthopia follows

“I’ve trained Uthopia from four years old. He was the first horse I looked at on a buying trip, and that was the problem. I was going to Holland for two days, and the first horse I see is this small one. I rode him and he felt huge. No one can believe what he feels like to sit on. He is sixteen hands but he is massive to sit on.”

Was that the best test you’ve ridden on him?
“That test actually felt more controlled than it has ever felt before. I thought in Hickstead, he was almost wildly flamboyant whereas here in Rotterdam, he was so light in my hand. I was a bit worried, ‘god is that self-carriage or isn’t it?’ he was like a little fairy sitting up there, that feels alright, I hope it looks alright. He is so nice to ride, I don’t know what the piaffe looked like, it felt a bit slower, he was just very relaxed. He has that incredible temperament, he walks on a long rein when you’ve done, and builds up when you pick him up. I don’t think there is a better temperament for dressage really than that horse.”

You’ve had some pretty amazing horses over the years, but is this the highlight?
“Absolutely. The horse I loved to ride as much was Escapado, but I was much younger, much more inexperienced and I didn’t know how to deal with a much hotter horse – it took a lot more knowledge than I had. This is just a pleasure, I can’t believe he is only ten years old, he does it like he’s an old man. He used to be different as a young horse, he’d go into the arena and get so big and bouncy, and he was a bit backward, so we didn’t compete him much, this is only his sixth Grand Prix – it’s still a bit of a learning curve. I am still finding out how to warm him up, I had him out twice today, I don’t normally do that but when you see everyone coming up here in the morning, you panic that you are not doing the same thing… go get him I want to ride.”

And part of the Gold Medal winning team at the London Olympic Games in 2012

Story: Christopher Hector & Photos: Roz Neave

Looking at breeding a dressage star this season, consider Vitalis or Fürstenball, or Jovian, a great new starr, some of the great stallions  available from International Horse Breeders – www.ihb.com.au

Vitalis

Fürstenball

Jovian