World Dressage Championships gold medal-winning horse moves to new rider

Vamos Amigos, the horse who helped Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour to team gold and double individual silver at this summer’s World Dressage Championships has relocated to Britain.

The 10-year-old gelding (by Vitalis out of a Blue Hors Hotline mare) has returned to his owners, the Pidgley family, for 17-year-old British rider Annabella Pidgley to take over the ride.

“I’m delighted to say that Vamos Amigos has now joined our stable to begin the next chapter in his career,” said Annabella, who has trained with Cathrine for several years. “This horse has already had an impressive career, under the invaluable training and guidance of Cathrine Dufour and I can’t thank her enough for supporting this next move for him and to have the opportunity to ride a horse like this.

“He is such a special horse and I’m really looking forward to getting to know him more under Cathrine’s experienced eye. Welcome home Vamos; so many are so excited you’re here and thank you Cathrine for all that you do. I’m so grateful to you.”

Cathrine trained Vamos up to top level, and has enjoyed a hugely successful grand prix career with him to date. The pair finished second in the World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany, in April this year and followed it with a hat-trick of wins at CHIO Aachen in July. That result prompted Cathrine to choose to ride Vamos on the Danish team at the World Dressage Championships in August, where the pair topped the grand prix and led the side to team gold ahead of Great Britain in silver. Cathrine and Vamos went on to take silver in both the grand prix special and freestyle, behind Britain’s Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.

“Vamos has been an absolute pleasure to train, taking us all the way to becoming world team champions in Herning,” said Cathrine. “While he will be very much missed in our stable, I am really looking forward to training them both, as they begin this new journey.

“I’m also so happy that I’ll be able to see him regularly and know he will thrive in his new home. Thank you for everything Vamos; you’ve given me the most fantastic experiences that I’ll never ever forget. Love you endless little man.”

Vamos joins the double Olympic bronze medallist Gio as part of Annabella’s growing string, as well as the nine-year-old Escolar x Dimaggio mare Espe, who also spent several years with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour before returning to the Pidgleys earlier this year, and Annabella’s 2021 junior Europeans double silver medallist Sultan Des Paluds.

The junior rider has had a hugely successful year, winning individual silver and bronze at the junior Europeans with Espe in July, and becoming inter II national champion with Gio in September.

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