Carl Hester is into the Olympic dressage final after an impressive display in the Grand Prix.

Newent-based Hester, alongside teammates Lottie Fry and Becky Moody, qualified for both the individual and team finals with the sixth-highest overall score in the event. 

The 57-year-old and his horse, Fame, finished third in their group but qualified thanks to their remarkably high score of 77.345%.

Great Britain also qualified with the third-highest score in the team event, only beaten by Germany and Denmark. 

Hester is a three-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in London 2012, silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo 2020, and will have the chance to make it five this weekend.

Preparations for the games were severely impacted when a video of Charlotte Dujardin, a former student of Hester, hitting a horse repeatedly was released to the public, leading to her suspension from all competitions. 

Speaking publicly for the first time about the controversy, Hester admitted he was shocked by the video, but insists it is not reflective of the Dujardin he knows.

As the dressage competition got under way at the Chateau de Versailles on Tuesday, he said: “The video was a huge shock to me, I didn’t know it was there – it’s not from my property.

“Charlotte has made her statement, she has apologised and given her thoughts on it, I respect she has done that. It’s now an ongoing investigation with the FEI and I’m not going to go any further with it.

“It’s difficult, of course it is. I have known her for 17 years, she’s a mum, she has a small child. She has paid very heavily for this in a way that you wouldn’t believe.

“She will have to accept what the FEI gives her and she will, and I just hope she is strong enough to be able to come back from that.”

Hester will be back in action on Saturday (August 3) in the team dressage event, where Team GB will look for a fourth consecutive podium finish, and on Sunday (August 4) for the individual dressage event.