Carl Hester & Olympic Mount Nip Tuck Post Personal Best in Hartpury CDI3* Special, After Same in Grand Prix

Carl Hester on Nip Tuck in their farewell performance before the Olympic Games. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

HARTPURY, England, July 10, 2016–Carl Hester and Nip Tuck produced another personal best performance in their last ride before heading to the Olympic Games in winning the Hartpury Festival of Dressage CDI3* Grand Prix Special Sunday.

For the second ride at this send-off event for the defending gold medal team from the London Olympics in 2012 Carl and the 12-year-old KWPN gelding scored 79.215 per cent that was similar to the Grand Prix two days earlier which was also the best result in just over two years at Big Tour.

Carl and Nip Tuck were on the British silver medal team at the 2014 World Games in Normandy and the 2015 European Championship team that also won silver at Aachen, Germany.

Gillian Davison on Alfranco placed second on 68.843 per cent with Henriette Anderson on Flavio third on 68.509 per cent.

The performances by Carl and Nip Tuck were among the highlights of this event that saw all four combinations compete in front of British fans for the last time before going to Rio de Janeiro in three weeks to defend the gold medal won at London in 2012, historic as the first dressage medal for Britain in a century of Olympic equestrian sports.

Carl coaches his three Olympic team mates and three of the four horses came through his training center–Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro, Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II and Fiona Bigwood on Orthilia all are coached by him while all but Orthilia came through his barn near this college.

Nip Tuck has been a special project for Carl who admits, “I don't know what to do with him. I really feel like I am peaking.

“I feel like he's been the most interesting horse I've ever trained because he appeared so talentless.

“I've got to stop saying. 'I've got there, there is no more.' It has really come together, the expression, obedience, moving to what I thought was to his maximum.

“Is there any more that's hidden in the pot? That's what's so fascinating about him.I like to feel when I've got to this stage I'd like to stop and let someone else enjoy riding him.

“He's so fun to ride. It's like a mathematician going around; it's like pressing buttons. I only have to steer him. He's so willing. I'd like another student or someone else on him.”

That's as long as  Jane De La Mare, who owns the horse with Carl, is happy.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix Special

	NF	RIDER	HORSE (OWNER)						%	PLACE
	GBR	Carl Hester	NIP TUCK (Mr C Hester, Miss Jane De La Mare)	80.490	79.019	77.352	78.725	80.490	79.215	1
	GBR	Gillian Davison	ALFRANCO (Mr & Mrs Davison)	72.156	67.352	67.352	68.431	68.921	68.843	2
	GBR	Henriette Anderson	FLAVIO (Mrs H Andersen & Ulrik Molgaard)	67.352	69.509	68.921	71.078	65.686	68.509	3
	DEN	Ulrik Molegaard	MICHIGAN (CLAUS MUNKEDAL)	69.215	68.235	65.294	68.137	68.823	67.941	4
	FIN	Niina Nilosaari	KOM RAGDOLL (Nilosaari Niina)	68.039	65.294	66.960	67.745	68.725	67.352	5
	GBR	Sara Gallop	SUMMERHOUSE ZELHAM (Richard Gallop)	65.294	67.941	67.254	67.254	67.549	67.058	6
	RSA	Denise Hallion	WERVELWIND (Denise Hallion)	64.313	67.058	66.764	68.137	68.431	66.941	7
	SWE	Clara Espinosa	WELTON FIVE (Clara Espinosa)	64.509	61.568	63.823	64.117	64.607	63.725	8
	SIN	Caroline Chew	DR DOOLITTLE 45 (Dr Melanie Chew)	64.509	62.745	61.862	64.705	60.686	62.901	9
	GBR	Isobel Wessels	CHAGALL (Mrs I Wessels, Mrs B Powell)	59.313	63.137	61.176	60.980	60.882	61.098	10