A fantastic win for Laura and her talented horse, Mistral Horjis (Alf), in the Grand Prix Freestyle at Olympia, Wednesday 14 December, means that she carries the full 20 points forward into the next leg of the Reem Acra FEI Dressage World Cup.

Last year, Laura Bechtolsheimer, Albion's sponsored rider, thrilled dressage fans atOlympia Horse Show, London, where she won the Grand Prix with 82.94% and broke the British record in the process.

Her huge success in 2010 meant that all eyes were on Laura and Alf this year, where the competition was tougher than ever before!

After a sensational Dressage Masterclass, sponsored by Albion Saddlemakers, with her young horse, Polar Bear, or Teddy as he is more informally called (who is a colossal 17.3hh!), Laura continued to dominate the evening at Olympia on Wednesday.

Laura and Alf stole the show, taking the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W title and smashed her previous record. Laura is the first British rider to ever win this title!

British competitors reigned supreme, being placed in 1st, 2dn, 3rd and 4th positions, before a sold-out crowd with an electric atmosphere, but Laura's incredible score of 83.96% made her and Alf the clear winners.

The combination's Freestyle was spectacular to watch: the familar 'Shadows' music is perfectly suited to the powerful chestnut, showing off his exceptional piaffe steps and passage-piaffe-passage transitions, which scored (an almost unimaginable!) 9.5 from two judges. It's wonderful to see Alf going so well and continuing to better himself.

With such a foot-perfect routine, Laura proved why she is currently ranked World Number Two!

Our congratulations go to Laura and Alf and the Bechtolsheimer Team.

Dressage superstar and Albion's sponsored rider, Laura Bechtolsheimer, will be competing in the Reem Acra FEI Dressage World Cup Qualifier at Olympia (13-19 December), as well as sharing her wealth of knowledge with dressage enthusiasts with an evening masterclass, sponsored by Albion.

Last year, Laura and her powerful chestnut ride, Mistral Horjis (Alf), were the first British winners of the World Cup Qualifier at Olympia, despite tough competition, including Edward Gal. With an astounding score of 82.94%, the duo surpassed their personal best and smashed the British Grand Prix Record.

Following an impressive dressage year, with huge success at the European and National Championships, 2011, Laura is returning to Olympia next week to fight for the title once again. We wish laura all the best at the show and will post regular updates of her progress throughout.

Laura's Dressage Masterclass, sponsored by Albion Saddlemakers, will take place Wednesday 14 December at the prestigious show and is set to be a dressage "must-see"!

After many dressage demonstrations and masterclasses, the most recent taking place at Your Horse Live 2011, Laura has proved to be not only an incredibly talented rider, but also an empathetic and effective trainer. A firm believer in getting the basics right, Laura's Masterclass will help any budding dressage star, from Prelim to Grand Prix.

Click the link to watch live action from Olympia.

For your chance to WIN an Albion Sporting Dimacci Bracelet, worth over £100, please click here.

GOOD LUCK!!

The lucky winner will be announced on Monday 19th December 2011.

After the second round of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Qualifier in Lyon last weekend (27-29 October 2011), Hans Peter Minderhoud currently lies in a very strong position in the rankings.

The competition was extremely tough, with the likes of Salzgeber, Werth and Gal delivering immaculate tests. Minderhoud, however, also produced two exceptionally elegant tests, performed before an audience of 6000.

In the Grand Prix on Thursday (27 October), Minderhoud, riding Withney van't Genthof, an incredibly skilled, 11 year old, Belgian Warmblood stallion, came in 7th place, with a fantastic score of 69.40%, easily qualifying for the Kur.

In the Grand Prix Freestyle, late on Friday evening (28 October), Minderhoud was well in the lead at the half-way-point, having scored a first-class 74.1%. By the end of the competition, Minderhoud had risen two places from the previous day, finishing 5th and gained a much-deserved 12 points.

After such a successful weekend in Lyon for the Dutch rider, Minderhoud now stands in 3rd position in the FEI World Cup rankings with 32 points, only 3 points behind the current leader!

Congratulations to Hans Peter! The Albion Team wish him all the best with the remainder FEI World Cup Qualifiers.