Seven Of The World’s Top 10 Showjumpers Head To Royal Windsor Horse Show 2022
Thursday 21 April 2022
An outstanding selection of top international riders are set to compete in the CSI5* Showjumping at CHI Royal Windsor Horse Show 2022, taking place from 12-15 May, including seven of the top 10 ranked riders in the world. The stellar list of entries will ensure world-class Showjumping returns to the private grounds of Windsor Castle, culminating with the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday.
Leading the way will be 2021 Rolex Grand Prix champion, Ben Maher, who went on from Windsor to win individual gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with his incredible chestnut gelding, Explosion W. The current World No. 4 will be looking to reclaim the title in front of his home crowd.
World No. 1, Peder Fredricson, claimed the individual silver medal behind Maher in Tokyo, and will be looking to reverse that form in Windsor. The Swede, who also won a team gold medal in Tokyo, will be joined at the Show by his Olympic teammate, Henrik von Eckermann. The current World No. 2., Von Eckermann, will travel to Windsor full of confidence following a string of international 5* victories, including in St Tropez last weekend, and will be hoping to recapture the title he won in 2019.
Another to head to Windsor in top form is Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs, fresh from a sensational victory in the FEI World CupTM Final in Leipzig. The World No. 3 will be aiming to improve upon his third-place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix in 2021, behind compatriot, Steve Guerdat in second, who will also return to the Windsor line-up.
World No. 7, Daniel Deusser, heads a strong German contingent, which also includes David Will and Christian Ahlmann. Deusser, already a Rolex Grand Prix winner in 2022 following victory at The Dutch Masters in March, knows what it takes to win in the iconic Castle Arena overlooked by Windsor Castle, having been successful here in the past.
The USA’s Kent Farrington also returns to Windsor seeking to reclaim the prestigious title he won back in 2017. He will face a tough challenge from the likes of Austria’s Max Kühner, France’s Kevin Staut and Ireland’s Denis Lynch, who have all shown outstanding form so far in 2022.
British gold-medal-winning Olympian, Scott Brash, has enjoyed a successful spring campaign, including several 5* victories and will no doubt be buoyed by the support of his home crowd in Windsor. Great Britain will also be represented by crowd favourite, John Whitaker, who at the age of 66, remains at the top of his game. Holly Smith, a multiple winner at the 2021 Show also returns, as do Guy Williams and William Funnell.
THE BRITISH NEW GUARD
The 2022 edition of the Show is set to host some of Britain’s most promising young riders as the next generation of Showjumpers look to put the pressure on their more senior counterparts.
Leading the charge of young home-grown talent is Harry Charles. The 23-year-old, who last year competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and is currently ranked U25 World No.1, is one of Great Britain’s most talented young Showjumpers. In December 2021, he was victorious in both the FEI World CupTM Qualifier and the Grand Prix at The London International Horse Show and will be looking to continue his momentum to succeed at CHI Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Charles will be joined by Jack Whitaker, his long-term rival and good friend. Whitaker, in 2021, claimed the individual silver medal at the FEI Youth European Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal as well as competing at the CSIO5* Nations Cup Final alongside Charles, where the team won the Challenge Cup in Barcelona. Both will be looking to emulate the success that their fathers [Peter Charles and Michael Whitaker] had at the Show.
The Royal Windsor Horse Show team caught up with the talented pair, who most recently both competed in the FEI World Cup™ Final and came an impressive 4th and 5th respectively, ahead of the Show. See what they got up to in our film below.
CSIO5* Nations Cup™ Final teammate Emily Moffit will also be joining the strong roster of young British riders. The 24-year-old has risen up the ranks and has enjoyed an extremely successful career thus far. Last year, she was the top placed British rider at the FEI European Championships in Riesenbeck, as well as being shortlisted for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Joe Stockdale, who won the U25 class at Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2019 will bring three of his top horses including Equine America Cacharel who he partnered at the FEI European Championships last summer. Rounding off the strong contingent of young British riders is 20-year-old Lily Attwood. Attwood has had an extremely successful young rider career including winning team bronze at the FEI Young Riders Championships in Vilamoura in 2021.
Charles said: “I am thrilled to be returning to Royal Windsor Horse Show in May, it is one of the shows that I look forward to most every year, especially with it being so local. I am bringing my best horses to the Show including Aralyn Blue who will compete in the Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday.”
Director of the Show, Simon Brooks-Ward stated: “The calibre of entries for this year’s Show is exceptional and a testament to the Show being amongst the best in the world. We are looking forward to welcoming these world-class athletes to Windsor and watching the competition unfold.”
A full list of entries can be found here.
To find out more about Royal Windsor Horse Show, or to book tickets, visit www.rwhs.co.uk.
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.jpg "Thrilling Weekend Kickstarts the STX-UK Pony British Novice Championship Second Round")
