WHERE in the world would you be able to learn tips from world-class experts such as Sir Mark Todd, Laura Kraut and Christoph Hess, all in the same location?

All three masters of their art will be conducting masterclasses at Dublin Horse Show, giving viewers a wonderful chance to pick up top tips and advice.

Sir Mark Todd

New Zealand’s Sir Mark Todd, who just announced his retirement at Camphire International after his team won the Nations Series leg there on Sunday, is one of the world’s most successful event riders of all time with two Olympic individual gold (1984 and 1988 on Charisma) in his Olympic tally of six medals from eight Games. A four-time winner of Badminton and a five-time winner of Burghley, he is regarded as a living legend among his peers.

Crowned the FEI’s rider of the 20th century, he made a comeback from retirement to contest the 2008 Olympics and his horsemanship and riding skills are world-renowned.

Mark Todd’s masterclass will take place in Simmonscourt on the Friday, August 9th from 12.25pm to 1.25pm.

Laura Kraut

Regarded as one of the best show jumping riders in the world, Laura Kraut is a regular face on top USA international teams and was Olympic champion as part of the USA’s gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Beijing Games, on board her much cherished ‘Cedric’. She was also part of the USA’s silver medal-winning WEG team in Aachen in 2006 and has competed on numerous Nations’ Cup teams, including at the Dublin Horse Show, where she was part of the first all-female Aga Khan Trophy-winning team in 2017. Competing at the top level for several decades, Laura has had over 100 Grand Prix wins to her credit.

When not competing in CSIO5* shows, Laura spends much of her time training riders, and her coaching expertise is much sought-after. Her experience isn’t just built around winning top-class competitions, in her decades of training, Laura estimates to have ridden over 20,000 horses.

Laura Kraut will deliver her masterclass on Thursday, August 8th, in the Simmonscourt Arena from 1.40pm to 2.40pm.

Christoph Hess

International dressage expert, Christoph Hess, will present two masterclasses at Dublin. He will work towards improving the technique of the riders and way of going of the horses, concentrating on ‘Dressage for Show Jumpers – the basis for success’ on Saturday and, in keeping with the wellness theme of this year’s Show, ‘Good basic riding skills keeps you and your horse happy and healthy’ on Sunday.

All levels of rider will be catered for and the fundamentals of dressage will be delivered in an accessible fashion to benefit all.

Hess said: “I want to highlight and underline what is necessary to be a good rider – how to sit and how to use the aids; how to bring a horse in front of the rider; how to balance a rider and a horse; how to get the harmony between the rider and the horse and how important suppleness is for a happy and healthy horse. As well as many other important details that will be new to much of the audience and important for both show jumping and cross-country.”

Christoph uses the German training scale, which focuses on rhythm, relaxation and contact to remedy any problems.

He maintains that a “happy horse leads to a happy rider” and that the art of dressage should promote the mental and physical wellbeing of the horse.

Christoph currently holds the positions of ‘Head of Instruction’ and ‘Head of the Personal Members Department’ at the DOKR (German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sport) and is actively involved in the education of judges and instructors within Germany and around the world.

Christoph last attended Dublin Horse Show in 2015 when he joined Irish show jumping legend Eddie Macken to deliver his equitation expertise to an enthusiastic audience.

Christoph Hess’s masterclasses takes place in the Granville Nugent Arena, Simmonscourt, Saturday 1pm-1.45pm and Sunday 1.15pm-2pm.