Fame is the European team gold and Olympic bronze medal-winning ride of Carl Hester, and the horse who helped Carl achieve the highest score of his entire career.
Carl has described their connection as: “love at first ride.”
“Occasionally in your life, you get a horse who you feel just fits you, and Fame fits my personality and my physique,” he said.
“His enthusiasm makes him a dream horse. Fame doesn’t have any weaknesses. He has a good walk, an amazing extended trot and a super ability to collect for piaffe. He’s athletic going sideways, has expressive changes and good pirouettes.”
Fame’s early years
Fame was bred by M. Gerritsen in the Netherlands and is sired by Bordeaux, out of Bonaventura (by Rhodium).
He was presented at the 2013 KWPN Stallion Licensing but was not accepted and was later sold to Joop van Uytert.
He was trained and competed by Belgian Larissa Pauluis, earning a bronze medal at the 2014 Belgian Young Horse Championships. In 2015, they were first reserves for the Belgian team at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses.
Carl Hester and Fame helped Britain win team bronze at the Paris Olympics. Credit: Peter Nixon
In 2016, he was sold to Jenny Linden Urnes of Christinelund Dressage in Sweden. With Swedish rider Sofie Lexner, Fame made his international small tour debut at Herning CDI in 2018, scoring 70% in the prix st georges and 66.941% in the inter I.
British Olympic silver medallist Fiona Bigwood bought him in 2019. She debuted him at grand prix in 2021 with a winning score of 73.1%.
“He’s such a fun horse – you ask and he reacts immediately,” Fiona told H&H. “The warm-up is about keeping him calm, but when you go down that last centre line, you’ve got all that energy for the piaffe and passage.”
Carl Hester and Fame: “Love at first ride”
Carl and Fiona have long worked closely, and in 2023, Fame and Carl made their first appearance as a combination, winning a grand prix at Hartpury with 76%.
“I’ve known Fame for years, helping Fiona,” Carl said. “She’s busy with the family and thought Fame would suit me, so she offered me the ride.”
Hartpury marked Carl’s return to competition after nearly a year away – and rekindled his love for the sport.
“Sometimes I forget that I started competing for the sheer enjoyment,” Carl wrote in his H&H column. “When I took Fame to a local grand prix and had such a fun day, it dawned on me: we don’t always need to focus on winning.”
That outing was followed by double victories at Tolbert CDI in the Netherlands: 75.89% in the grand prix and 76.94% in the special.
“He was the easiest horse I’ve ever travelled abroad,” said Carl’s groom Lucy Scudamore. “He loves attention, but he’s quiet about it – although he does love to clap his lips in the wash bay and dance when it’s feed time.”
Fame and En Vogue battle it out
Two more wins followed at Hickstead CDI, where Carl’s other top horse, En Vogue, also returned to action. With Fame scoring 76.33% and En Vogue 75.11%, talk quickly turned to who would be Carl’s ride at the 2023 European Championships.
Carl Hester and Fame finish their grand prix test at the 2023 European Dressage Championships. Credit: Peter Nixon
“I’ll wait and see,” Carl said. “They’re both fun to ride, and I wouldn’t mind which I took.”
As the season went on, Fame’s results began to edge ahead.
“Doing lots of shows and building him up has paid off,” Carl said. “When I have him relaxed, he’s a dream to ride. He’s talented, with a talented brain.”
Fame went nearly unbeaten in the Europeans lead-up, with only Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep finishing ahead of him at Wellington CDI.
Ultimately, it was his consistency that earned Fame the nod for the championship team. But En Vogue also went on to have a summer to remember, becoming national champion.
A golden summer
The Europeans were a crowning moment for Fame and Carl, with Carl producing a masterclass in the sweltering heat to steer Fame to 78.54% in the grand prix, becoming the overnight leader after day one and helping secure team gold for Britain.
“I absolutely love this horse, I worship him, and I look forward to riding him every day,” Carl told H&H. “He can be both explosive and quiet – but today, he was the perfect mix.”
With just eight months together, Fame was still an unknown quantity at this level.
“Fame was a bit of an unknown in that environment,” said British selector Judy Harvey. “But what a masterful test from Carl – it was a joy to watch him tenderly nurse an insecure horse round and get such a result.”
Carl and Fame went on to finish fifth in the special and capped off the championships with an 85.46% freestyle – the highest score of Carl’s career – on their very first attempt at the format, in front of a sell-out 2,500-strong crowd.
“I can feel the trust we have in each other,” Carl said. “I didn’t know what he’d do, but I felt I could push. We knew there was more in the special, but I didn’t want to disturb it. Today, there was nothing to lose, so I got stuck in.
“I’m so privileged to have a horse like that at this level.”
Paris 2024 and beyond
Carl and Fame were selected for the British team at the 2024 Paris Olympics – a record-equalling seventh Games for Carl.
Now proven campaigners, they led as Britain’s pathfinders in the grand prix, scoring 77.35%.
“Fame’s so clever – it feels like I’m whispering instructions to him around the grand prix, and I love that,” Carl said.
Carl Hester and Fame exit the arena after their grand prix test at the 2023 European Dressage Championships. Credit: Peter Nixon
In the grand prix special, which decided the team medals, Carl needed a near-flawless performance to challenge the leaders. But drama struck before he even entered at A, when the bell rang just as Fame passed the judge’s box.
A fragile start followed, with a break in the extended trot. Carl’s trademark tact helped settle Fame, and they recovered to post 76.52%, clinching team bronze for Britain.
They returned to top form in the freestyle, delivering a brilliant test for 85.16% to finish sixth.
“That’s possibly the best freestyle I’ve ever done,” he said. “Fame was the best he’s been all week – I’m so proud of him.”
As always, Carl’s future was a topic of speculation.
“Why shouldn’t I retire after that?” he joked. “I’m not sure I could ever repeat it.
“You can see it two ways – either I’m getting better, or I should get out while I’m ahead. The pressure before competing isn’t easy. Most mornings at 3am, you’re lying there wondering if it’ll be okay. But right now, I’m on a real high.”
But, nine months after Paris, Carl silenced retirement rumours, returning to the ring with Fame to win both the grand prix (77%) and the special (76.94%) at Addington CDI3* – and confirming their aim for the 2025 Europeans.
“Fiona quite rightly said, ‘What’s the point in having a horse like that if you don’t compete him?’” Carl laughed.
“That put me over a barrel – in the best way. Eventually, I had to admit she was right.
“Competing still isn’t my top priority, but Fiona’s been kind enough to let me ride Fame at two championships now, and she loves seeing him out competing – so this is my way of saying thank you.”
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