Pink Equine welcomes Dressage rider Charlotte Fricker and her horse Flynn.
Charlotte is a 26-year-old equine veterinary nurse who started riding horses when she was just 3 years old. Charlotte got her first pony Madjihn when she was 9 and who is now enjoying retirement!
Charlotte began competing as an event rider whilst living in France, and upon moving back to England, was offered the chance to ride a 9-year-old warmblood called Flynn. Initially, the plan was to carry on Eventing, but it quickly became clear that Flynn was more suited to dressage.
Charlotte and Flynn started competition life in 2019 competing in Novice and Prelim competitions, where they excelled and quickly moved on to Elementary and Medium levels. The start of the year saw Charlotte being offered the chance to own Flynn and both of them competing at Advanced Medium having qualified in Flynn’s first three outings, an excellent achievement in a relatively short career.
Charlotte is excited to be competing at A M Freestyles over the summer and hopes to qualify for Winter Regionals, gaining an all-important ticket to the championships. Charlotte comments “I am so lucky to have the support of my partner, parents as well as an amazing trainer, who has made me realise that I can achieve my goals to become semi-professional and compete at Grand Prix level”.
Unfortunately, in the Summer of 2022, Flynn suffered a tear at the insertion point of his medial collateral ligament on his left stifle (the horse’s stifle is very similar to the human knee). It was diagnosed with an x-ray and an ultrasound. The x-ray showed remodelling at the insertion point and the scan confirmed the tear. The joint was medicated with steroids to reduce inflammation. Flynn required a minimum of 12 weeks of walk work, mainly in straight lines. The ligament was scanned again at 3 months and trot work was gradually introduced. At the 5-month point, Flynn was able to start cantering and introducing lateral work. By 6 months (December 2022) Flynn and Charlotte were back up to full work.
Charlotte says “The plan with Flynn in 2023 is to pick up where we left off in 2022, competing at advanced medium aiming to qualify for Petplan Area Festivals, as well as finally getting out to compete at Advanced Medium freestyle, aiming for the Regionals. As long as the training continues to go well we are aiming to qualify for Prix St George in the spring! Ultimately the main aim is to keep Flynn sound and in training!”
It has been a longer road to recovery for Flynn, but this year see’s Charlotte back in the saddle and gearing up for where they left off. Charlotte has also a new addition to the family in the form of a new foal “Baby Rose”. We wish Charlotte and Flynn a successful 2024 and look forward to seeing them in the Prix St George competitions.
Congratulations to Charlotte and Flynn who qualified at their first Prix St George event in 2024. All being well they will be going for his 2nd PSG score in a couple of weeks, then focus on training Petplan at PSG and if all goes well inter 1 after the summer.
We are excited to continue to sponsor Charlotte and look forward to helping her achieve her goals. We are also collaborating on a new bridle, so watch this space for more information. You can follow Charlotte on Instagram Charlie_Fricker. Make sure bookmark this page and follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you can keep up to date with her progress.