Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry will undoubtedly never forget the 2022 FEI Dressage World Championships in Herning, Denmark. At the conclusion of dressage competition, Fry bore three well-earned medals—silver for the FEI Dressage Team Grand Prix Championships, gold for FEI Dressage Grand Prix Special World Champion and another gold for FEI Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle World Champion.

Fry Is Unforgettable

Fry was awarded the two former on August 7 and August 8, but the latter, she was adorned with tonight after her Freestyle performance in Stutteri Ask Stadium under the lights. In front of a sold-out arena of 12,000 spectators, Fry and Glamourdale, an 11-year-old KWPN stallion owned by herself and Van Olst Horses, put on an unforgettable performance.

As they had for her other appearances this week, the crowd sat at the edge of their seats as they watched Fry and Glamourdale rack up 90.654 percentage points from the judges. “Honestly, I’ve never had that feeling before going into the arena,” said Fry about the energy inside Stutteri Ask. “From the second you enter, the crowd is going crazy before you even started.”

As for Glamourdale’s efforts, Fry remarked, “As soon as the music started, it was just the most insane feeling. [Glamourdale] was dancing to his freestyle, and I just felt like I could sit there, enjoy it.” Another spectacle that the crowd anticipated was Glamourdale’s extended canter, which garnered gasps of awe in the days before. “I was listening to the crowd, singing along and getting excited about the extended canter, and honestly, it was the best feeling in the world.”

Silver and Bronze

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour collected her third medal of the week following her performance in the Grand Prix Freestyle. On August 7, Team Denmark claimed the 2022 FEI Dressage Team World Championship gold medal, and on August 8, Laudrup-Dufour earned the silver medal in the 2022 FEI Dressage Grand Prix Special Championship.

Tonight, she added another silver medal to her showcase; this time from the 2022 FEI Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle Championships. She and Vamos Amigos, a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by herself and Sarah Pidgley, received a 89.411% from the judges.

Laudrup-Dufour again tipped her hat to the crowd, thanking them for the energy they brought to the stadium. “The audience here; they are the true superstars. It was like a soccer game. People were going nuts. I think that was definitely a part of the setting tonight.”

Similarly, the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere was awarded her second medal of the week, having won bronze in the Grand Prix Special and tonight, bronze in the Grand Prix Freestyle. She and Hermes, a 10-year-old KWPN stallion owned by Joop van Uytert, scored an 86.900%.

“My feeling was a great. Of course, I’m incredibly proud of my horse. He did such a fantastic job today,” said van Liere of her mount. She continued, “On Monday (August 8), he was a little bit tense, but I thought today with all the audience, he would be more tense, but he was actually so relaxed, and he’s just getting better and better every test. I was so extremely proud of him that he did such a good job.”

2022 FEI World Championships Competition Continues

The 2022 FEI Dressage World Championships may be over, but there’s still more competition to be had.

You can tune into the livestream of the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championship and FEI Para-Dressage World Championship on FEI TV. Watch highlights, including winning rounds, on the FEI’s YouTube channel.

For full results from the 2022 FEI Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle World Championships, click here.

Thank you to the sponsor of Dressage Today’s coverage of the 2022 FEI Dressage World Championship, Vita Flex.