Mistral Højris

Naturally blessed with athleticism and presence, the striking Michellino gelding overcame stage fright with the help of Laura Tomlinson to join the top flight and take his place in British dressage history. Polly Bryan charts his story

- Polly Bryan

Factfile

DOB: 4 April 1995

BREEDING: Michellino x Ibsen

STUDBOOK: Danish Warmblood

HEIGHT: 17hh

BREEDER: Betty Rasmussen

OWNERS: the Bechtolsheimer family

RIDER: Laura Tomlinson (née Bechtolsheimer)

Medals timeline

2009 European Championships, Windsor – team silver, individual bronze

2010 World Equestrian Games, Kentucky – team silver, double individual silver

2011 European Championships, Rotterdam – team gold, individual bronze

2012 Olympic Games, London – team gold, individual bronze

WHEN a 19-year-old Laura Bechtolsheimer (now Tomlinson) first sat on an imposing nine-year-old chestnut gelding in Denmark, she instantly knew he was special. What she couldn’t have known, back then, was the impact that Mistral Højris would have, not just on her own career, but on British dressage as a whole.

The sport has seen remarkable transformation over the past 12 years, its British riders rising from middle ranking also-rans to the very best in the world. The great Valegro is widely credited as the catalyst for this success, but in fact it was Laura and Mistral Højris – known as Alf – who played a major part in setting the wheels in motion.