Charles’s entry into equestrian sport was a natural progression, though turning his passion into a full-time career wasn’t always the immediate plan. “It started pretty naturally. My dad rode, so I kind of grew up always having horses around. We lived on the farm, so horses were just very much part of our life from a very young age... We were young when we started riding ponies, and we had fun for a long time.”
It wasn't until his mid-teens that the competitive spark truly caught fire, setting him on a path through the youth ranks and into senior competition. “Probably not until I got about 14 or 15, I started taking it a lot more seriously and maybe saw a career in it... It was all a very natural progression.”
Of all his equine partners, it was Romeo 88 who ultimately launched him to international stardom. Trusted with the horse at just 21 years old thanks to owner Ann Thompson, Charles built a legendary career milestone with him.
“And then along came Romeo, who really changed my life. It was very fortunate to have Ann Thompson give me, at only 21, that opportunity... He started our first ever Olympics in Tokyo, went on to do the World Championship where we won a bronze, and then he took me all the way to the Olympic gold medal.”
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An Extraordinary Ascent with LT Holst Freda
Charles’s latest World Championship success was defined by grit and an unlikely surge up the leaderboard. Sitting around 50th position early in the week, he stubbornly fought his way into the final group of 25 before turning standard execution into a podium finish. “Round A was more about, you know, let’s try and jump a clear round and move up three or four places. Once we were 10th after Round A, you walked the course for Round B and started to feel like, if I could jump a clear, I might not be so far away individually from a medal... It was, of course, one of the toughest I’ve ever seen.”
What makes the performance even more staggering is that his partner, LT Holst Freda, had joined his yard just three months prior. “She did the World Cup finals with her previous rider, Julie. And then she came to me only three months ago and had to learn a new system... But I knew I had a great horse, Freda, who was going to make it feel quite easy.”
Driven by What Lies Ahead
Having added individual and team bronze medals to his Olympic gold, Charles is giving Freda a well-earned break before plotting their next move, aiming for the World Cup in Lyon and the Rolex CSI5* of Geneva later this year. “She’s gonna get a good rest. She did a massive championship, so she’s going to get a good break. I feel like if we can target Lyon and Geneva for the rest of the year, I think that’s going to be the two shows for her.”
Despite reaching peaks many riders spend a lifetime chasing, Charles remains intensely focused on the major individual titles that still await. “The Olympic gold obviously helps. It is a big one ticked off the list, but there’s always still the individual. I mean, if you look at some Grand Prix, there’s so many I would love to try and win. I think the biggest one has to be Spruce Meadows, Geneva, Windsor... So it’s always gonna be more you want to win in this sport.”
