‘What a way to start’: Charlotte Dujardin’s former ride returns to competition with his new owner

Imhotep, the former world and European medal-winning ride of Charlotte Dujardin, has made a winning competition debut with Diana Porsche.

The 13-year-old Everdale son, known at home as Pete, was sold to Diana in October 2024 but the 29-year-old rider has been on maternity leave, having welcomed her first child last year.

Last weekend Diana and Imhotep won a national grand prix at Stadl Paura Equestrian Centre, in Austria, scoring +72%.

“What a way to start. Today marked a successful debut with Pete, and I couldn’t be happier with our first show together,” said Diana.

“Of course, we still need time to get to know each other in the ring and gain more experience as a team, but this was the best first step I could have asked for.”

Diana said being back in the ring “after my baby break made this moment even more special”.

“Grateful, proud, and excited for what’s ahead. Thanks to my entire team, [I] couldn’t be here without you,” she said.

Carl Hester bought Imhotep as a young horse from the Netherlands and he was first competed by Robert Barker and Sadie Smith. Charlotte took over the reins in 2020 when Imhotep was seven, and she produced him up to grand prix.

Charlotte and Imhotep were part of the British team that won silver at the World Championships in 2022 and the gold medal-winning team at the 2023 Europeans, where they also won individual silver and two bronze medals.

When Imhotep was sold to Diana in 2024, Carl confirmed to H&H that it had always been agreed between Carl, Charlotte and Imhotep’s co-owner Coral Ingham that he would be sold after the Paris Olympics.

“Coral has been the one who has supported us as his owner. We kept him [for Paris] and obviously things didn’t turn out as we hoped. We’d been speaking to Diana in May, she asked if we’d consider selling him, and we said ‘This could be a horse for you’,” Carl told H&H at the time.

Diana represented Austria at six young rider championships from 2013 to 2021, and in recent years has campaigned across Europe. She competed at the 2024 London International Horse Show with Dahoud 3, finishing eighth in the grand prix and 10th in the freestyle. In late 2025 she announced a nationality switch to Hungary.

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