The record-breaking stage

The last three freestyle world records have been set at the London International. Oscar Williams looks back and speaks to the experts to find out what makes this show so special

- Oscar Williams

THERE’S something about the London International that brings out the absolute best from the world’s top riders. The first world record to be set there was in 2009, when Edward Gal and the then nine-year-old Totilas broke their own record with 92.3%.

This was the extraordinary stallion at the peak of his powers. Set to a classical score with a modern and dramatic twist that perfectly matched his enormous presence, Totilas and Gal’s performance brought Olympia’s Grand Hall to its feet and left those watching with a lump in their throats.

The combination of his extravagant extended trot work and elevated piaffe and passage still elicits strong emotions to this day and marked the birth of a new era in modern dressage.

“He was simply amazing,” reminisces Stephen Clarke, who was president of the ground jury in 2009.

“He was one of the first horses who drew non-dressage people in and I can still remember all of the showjumpers rushing up to watch this magical horse. He did a huge amount for the sport.”

Their world record was eventually broken in 2013 by dressage’s most famous pair: Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro.

Set to the triumphal track created for the London Olympics the pair scored 93.97% in front of a sell-out crowd.

Leading judge Isobel Wessels explains: “We’d always had exceptional horses and riders but it wasn’t until Valegro and Totilas that we saw this level of harmony, and horses that had huge personalities that came out in the arena.