Carl Hester Puts Nip Tuck Back in Action, Come Back at 2019 CDI Keysoe

Dressage

Great Britain

British team rider Carl Hester has decided that Nip Tuck's sabbatical year of 2018 is over. He will bring "Barney" back into action with a first CDI start planned for Keysoe on 15 - 17 March 2019.

Nip Tuck is a 15-year old Dutch warmblood gelding by Don Ruto x Animo and owned by Jane de la Mare.

The tall bay gelding's last competition was at the 2017 European Dressage Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, a year and a half ago. Carl did not compete Nip Tuck at all in 2018 and focused on Hawtins Delicato which he rode to team bronze at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon.

"we gave him a holiday last year — his owner, Jane de la Mare, has been riding him and having fun with him," Hester told Horse & Hound.

Carl rode Nip Tuck at four major championships back to back from 2014 till 2017: the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, the 2015 European Championships in Aachen, the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 2917 World Cup final in Omaha and the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg.

Hester's plan with Nip Tuck for the year is to have him as a back-up horse to Delicato for the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam as well as qualify him for the 2020 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas.

"From a team point of view, Del is the stronger horse for this year, but Barney will be here and I can potentially aim him for the team as a back-up if I need him,” Hester told Horse & Hound “But I really just want to have some fun on him this year, and aim him for the World Cup final in Las Vegas in 2020.”

Hester's prime student Charlotte Dujardin has been campaigning Hawtins Delicato most recently at the 2018 CDI-W London in December. She will ride Delicato at one more CDI to have him as an official team back-up for her number one Mount St. John Freestyle for the 2019 European Championships.