Legends of 77 years of CHIO: Charlotte Fry

Charlotte Fry is a highly successful British dressage rider who, despite her young age (30), has already achieved victories at Olympic, European, and World Championships. Since August 2024, she has secured a total of 90 victories and currently ranks third on the FEI World Dressage Ranking. She was born in Scarborough as the daughter of Laura Fry, who competed in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Charlotte started riding at a young age, and at fourteen, she began taking lessons from Olympic Champion Carl Hester. In exchange for extra lessons, she also worked for him part-time. Carl told the Danish Olympic rider Anne van Olst about Charlotte, which led to her moving to the Netherlands to work with Anne. She has been living and working in Den Hout since 2014 at Van Olst Horses, but although she now feels completely at home in our country, she still competes for her home country.

Debut at the European Championships

Charlotte, laughing: “The first time I rode at the CHIO was in my first year competing at Grand Prix level, so I started off strong. This was in 2019—yes, our debut in Rotterdam was actually at the European Championships. I rode Dark Legend back then, and we finished fourth with the team, which I was very pleased with. Since then, I have competed at your event three times. I think your location in the forest is beautiful, and I also really love the atmosphere.”

“I won't be competing in the Big Tour this year. It’s a pity because I love Rotterdam. However, the focus this year is on the World Championships in Aachen, and I recently competed in Fontainebleau, which went very well, so I don't feel it is necessary to compete anywhere else right now. However, on Friday, May 22nd, I won the Small Tour class at Concours Delft, earning me a starting slot in the national Small Tour class on Saturday morning at the CHIO. I am definitely going to take that opportunity. In Delft, I won with the eight-year-old gelding Niksmismee (Everdale x Vivaldi). Niksmismee is still young and inexperienced—I believe this was only his third competition—but he is very cool. He is nice to ride and really tries his best for me. I’m not sure which horse I will bring to the Kralingse Bos, but either way, I will be there.

Most Beautiful Memories

“My most beautiful memory of Rotterdam so far is the Grand Prix Special that I won last year with Glamourdale, scoring over 80 percent. Overall, my absolute favorite memories are from the World Championships in Herning in 2022. Also with Glamourdale, we won individual gold in both the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle to Music (with a top score of 90.654%) and achieved silver with the team. I am also very proud of our results at the Olympic Games in Paris, where I won bronze both with the team and individually, once again with Glamourdale.”

“My favorite horses are therefore Glamourdale and Everdale because they have huge personalities and love their work. They love to show off. I am also very fond of my younger horse, Illegro, whom I have high hopes will become a new top star. He has a lot of quality, but he is also incredibly sweet.”

We ask Charlotte if she has ever visited the city of Rotterdam outside of our competition. The answer is yes. Charlotte: “Three years ago, I was in Rotterdam for my birthday. I love good food and great music. I also went to an Armin van Buuren concert at Ahoy once.”

At Home in the Netherlands

She has lived in the Netherlands since 2014—twelve years by now. Does she already feel a bit at home? Charlotte: “Definitely! I like it here. Everything is so close together; it is easy to visit everyone and everything. My favorite place is Breda—there are nice restaurants, and I enjoy walking through the city. By the way, I have also been to Amsterdam, but I found it far too touristy.”

She already mentioned her love for dining out and great music. We ask our British conversation partner if she has any other hobbies besides horses. We receive a surprising response. While many riders go quiet at this question, Charlotte lists them off without a second thought: “I love discovering new places, I enjoy walking and cycling, I like going to the beach, I love taking walks with my dog, and I really enjoy reading. Finally, I go to the gym twice a week.”

Ten Years from Now

We would also love to know how Charlotte sees her life ten years from now. Another surprising answer. Charlotte: “I take life as it comes; I live in the moment. I am happy with how things are going now and mostly focus on my young horses—how they grow up and how to map out our path to the highest level. Not much more than that, really. This feels good; I have no worries this way.”

After these surprising answers, we are curious if there are any other unusual, typical "Charlotte" things she would like to share with us. She thinks for a moment, then laughs. Charlotte: “My nails are always done before a competition. Also, I brush my teeth every single time before I enter the arena. And the name of my dachshund is quite unique too—his name is Bami. I am crazy about noodles, but I thought 'Noodles' sounded like such a strange name... Bami is similar to noodles, and I think it's delicious too, so that’s why.”

A Word of Thanks

As is tradition in our conversations, we give Charlotte the final word. Charlotte: “I would love to thank everyone who contributes to the CHIO. Not just the people who are always visible, but definitely those behind the scenes as well. I realize how hard you all work, but it pays off—your competition is amazing!”

Thank you, Charlotte, for making time in your very busy schedule, and also for your high praise for us. It is wonderful that, even though it is not in the Big Tour, you want to compete at our event. We look forward to welcoming you to the Kralingse Bos