Carl Hester has decided to withdraw Uthopia from Hagen CDI4* in Germany this week. The 11-year-old dark bay stallion, owned by Carl and Sasha Stewart, lost a shoe in the field on Friday (20 April). After a visit from World Class Programme farrier Hayden Price this morning, the decision was made that he will not be fit enough to travel and compete.
"It’s obviously disappointing but isn’t anything major," said Carl in an official statement from British Dressage. "Another 48 hours and it might have been different but it’s not a risk worth taking. I’ll now work with the selectors to re-jig his competition schedule, but I may look at taking him to the Addington Premier League show next week. We’ll see how well he responds to poulticing and then when Hayden puts the shoe back on we’ll make a decision from there.”
Carl is currently filming H&C's documentary 'Carl and Charlotte: Dressage Superstars' and he will still travel out to Germany this weekend to assist his pupil and team mate Charlotte Dujardin, who will compete on Valegro.
The other members of the British contingent - Laura Bechtolsheimer (Mistral Hojris and Andretti H), Emile Faurie (Elmgardens Marquis), Henriette Andersen (Louis D’or) and Judy Harvey (Fitzcerraldo) - will arrive in Hagen on Tuesday ahead of the competition beginning on Friday 27 April.
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