Emile Faurie to deliver the Dressage Masterclass at HOYS 2019

The Dressage Masterclass at Horse of the Year Show is a firm favourite amongst fans and has seen advice and training tips shared from the likes of four-time Olympian Richard Davison, Olympic Gold Medallist Charlotte Dujardin and her trainer and fellow team rider, Carl Hester. For 2019, top international dressage rider, Emile Faurie, is set to inspire the HOYS audience on Dressage Thursday as he hosts the demo for the very first time.

Born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1963, Emile’s early experiences with horse riding were far from what they are now. It wasn’t until the late Molly Sivewright, founder of the Talland School of Equitation, came to visit Emile at the age of 20 that he decided that this was the career for him. Little did he know that he was about to embark on a journey which would shape the rest of his life.

In 1982 Emile moved to Germany to work for the famous Performance Sales International (PSI), helping back and prepare youngsters for auction. In this he gained understanding on how to recognise a good horse and expand his horse knowledge to form the career he has today. In 1993, Emile won an individual bronze and team silver medal at the European Championships riding a horse called Virtu.

His work with PSI allowed him to set up his own yard in Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire in 1996, where he continued to train and work with the young horses from Germany. Emile went on to represent Great Britain in three more European Championships, two Olympic Games and three World Equestrian Games, including 2018 in Tryon where he helped Britain secure team bronze with the 12-year-old Dono Di Maggio. At Horse of the Year Show last year, Emile was placed 4th in the Dressage Future Elite riding Café’s Caletta scoring 74.5%; the 10 year old mare, who was bred to showjump but had a change of career at the age of six, is now competing successfully at Grand Prix level with Emile this season.

Emile’s picturesque yard is based in the heart of the Cotswolds. There he trains and rides with up and coming rider Tom Goode, who has established a name for himself recently with Grand Prix wins aboard a stunning chestnut stallion Dior III, who is owned by Sam Geddes.

Speaking about what the HOYS audience can expect from his Dressage Masterclass on Thursday at Horse of the Year Show, Emile commented: “It’s a great honour to have been asked to host the Dressage Masterclass; HOYS is such an iconic show and the crowd there really know their stuff, so it is a little bit nerve wracking but an honour all the same. HOYS has just got this special quality to it, you can’t encapsulate it in words. It has a great sense of tradition and it is so special to be a part of, I really enjoy competing there. For the masterclass I will be bringing three young horses from Germany from the Performance Sales International who I work for; they will demonstrate exactly what it is we look for in a world class dressage horses and I will talk through how we start them out in their training. Then in the second half, Tom [Goode] will ride Dior who is enjoying his first season at Grand Prix level this year, so they will demonstrate the higher level movements and show the levels of progression through to the finished product.”

Event Director, Emma Williams, commented: “We are so excited to announce that Emile Faurie will be hosting our Dressage Masterclass on Thursday at HOYS this year. He is one of the most successful British riders who is still competing on the circuit and has a wealth of experience which he is eager to share with the HOYS crowd this year. I am sure that visitors will be left feeling inspired with plenty of ideas of exercises to try and home with their horses.”

Horse of the Year Show takes place at The NEC Birmingham Resorts World Arena, 2nd – 6th October 2019. Thursday tickets are Gold Tickets, meaning that they allow you full access to the show for the full day; that’s over 16 hours of equestrian entertainment at its best with prices starting from £34.00. Visit https://hoys.co.uk/tickets/ or call the Box Office on 0844 581 8282. See you there!

ENDS

For more information on Horse of the Year Show 2019, please contact Horse of the Year Show Press Office, Grandstand Media Ltd. Tel: 02476 858205. Email: press@hoys.co.uk