Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro at the 2015 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas
Great Britain – July 5, 2016 – The British team for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games will feature 2012 double gold medalists Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. The defending Olympic, World and European champions were among the team named Tuesday by the British Olympic Association.
Dujardin’s coach Carl Hester, who joined her on the 2012 British team that won gold at the Olympic Games in London, will ride alongside her again, this time on Nip Tuck. He will stay busy in Rio, as he also coaches the other two members of the team: Fiona Bigwood on Atterupgaards Orthilia and Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II.
Both Wilton and Bigwood will be making their Olympic debuts. Bigwood previously contributed to the British team’s silver medal at the 2015 European Championships.
Serving as traveling reserve will be Lara Griffith and Rubin Al Asad, who competed on the Wellington, Florida, winter circuit as the opening of their 2016 campaign.
“It’s still a very exciting time for British dressage as a sport. To take the success of London forward to Rio is going to be a huge undertaking but I’m really looking forward to the challenge with what is a fantastic team,” Hester said. “I am very lucky with my involvement in part-owning two horses on the team – it really feels like a family affair. Jane and Roly have both been part of the British team for the past few years, and it’s great to have their continued support. I’m really excited to be coaching the talents of Charlotte, Spencer and Fiona; hopefully it will be a Games to remember.”
The 2016 British Olympic dressage team is as follows:
Fiona Bigwood with Penny Bigwood and Neils and Lis Dahl’s Atterupgaards Orthilia, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare (Gribaldi-Atterupgaards Olivia, Donnerschlag)
Charlotte Dujardin with Rowena Luard, Anne Barrott and Carl Hester’s Valegro, a (Negro-Gershwin
Carl Hester with Jane De La Mare’s and his own Nip Tuck, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Don Ruto-Irena, Animo)
Spencer Wilton with Jennifer Goodman’s and his own Super Nova II, a 13-year-old British Hanoverian gelding (De Niro-Walpurgiss)
The traveling reserve is Lara Griffith with Dr. Wilfried and Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s Rubin Al Asad.
Carl Hester and Nip Tuck at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France