Category Archives: *Featured/Spotlights

Special features, spotlights, headlines

*Featured/Spotlights, Horse Care/Protection

Death at Little Book Cliffs’ Helicopter Roundup

Photo TCF – Little Book Cliffs roundup 2024

The Cloud Foundation (TCF) executive director Kerry Ferguson recently attended the first half of the helicopter roundup in the Little Book Cliffs (LBC) Herd Management Area (HMA) in Colorado. (Read Kerry’s roundup summary below.)

TCF friend, supporter, and wild horse advocate, Nalinka-Marion Fernandez, also attended the roundup. On the last day, she captured devastating video footage of the helicopter chasing a frightened mare and foal, causing the mare to run into a ditch and break her leg. (WARNING: Viewer discretion advised. Footage contains graphic/disturbing content. © Nalinka-Marion Fernandez)

While this tragic event was captured on video, these horrific events ending in injury and/or death occur at every roundup. The government hides these occurrences from the public by refusing to put cameras on helicopters, at traps, and in holding pens, which is why TCF is suing the Bureau of Land Management to get cameras at all roundups.

This video is exactly why we fight so hard for America’s wild horses and burros and reminds us of the importance of winning our lawsuit.

We cannot do this alone.

Please support TCF’s lawsuit to hold BLM accountable and, in addition to in-person observation, force them to put cameras on helicopters, at trap sites, and in holding pens — making all footage available UNEDITED to the public. Lawsuits are expensive and we need your support to see this through.

Little Book Clips Roundup Summary
Kerry Ferguson, TCF Executive Director

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) goal was to round up 130 horses and return 30 after administering the PZP birth control. Though we support using safe and reversible fertility control, we of course do not support the removal of all these wild horses from their homes and families on the range.

DAYS 1-3: The roundup began on September 11. For the first three days, observers were taken up to the Low Gap area of the range to observe operations taking place over on the Monument Rocks area of the range — about 2 miles away, across a canyon. Even with a powerful zoom lens, the helicopter appeared tiny, and only a cloud of dust told us that horses had been driven into the all-but-invisible trap. Meaningful observation… No.

NOTE: The Monument Rocks area is considered remote and difficult to get to. For our safety, we were placed about 2 miles away in the Low Gap Area of the HMA on an outcrop of boulders on the edge of a steep drop off where we would “watch” the operations taking place across the valley….

Click here to read the entire report.

The Cloud Foundation
www.thecloudfoundation.org

*Featured/Spotlights, Horse Care/Protection, Publications/Media, Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Documentary Film Horse of Nature Officially Selected by Prestigious EQUUS Film & Arts Festival

YREKA, CA, UNITED STATES, September 7, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Based on a true story and actual events, Horse of Nature is set in the middle of the remote Cascade Siskiyou Mountains near the Oregon/California border, where the tiny town of 400 people called Henley Hornbrook exists.

In 2018, a deadly wind driven wildfire tore through the town, the lives of its people, and surrounding countryside.

The documentary film Horse of Nature offers a glimpse into the lives of some of the survivors of that wildfire and the local herd of cultural heritage wild horses that played a role in the battle to control what became known as the Klamathon Fire.

“Horses have been integral in building and progressing societies around the world, and so it’s been healing to explore in this film how horses can help save our modern relationship with nature and the aid in the wildfire epidemic,” said the film’s producer director Autie Carlisle.

Of great historical importance is that, in the year 1580, British officer and serving Knight Sir Francis Drake was on a military exploration mission of the west coast of what is today America, when he discovered horses living among the local indigenous peoples of the area that is today the Oregon/California border. This documented observation was included in the doctoral dissertation of Dr. Yvette ‘Running Horse’ Collin, PhD:

This is the excerpt from Dr. Collin’s doctoral dissertation:

“The Spanish conquistadors were not the only European explorers to have noticed and recorded early sightings of horses in the Americas. In 1579, the Queen of England sent Sir Francis Drake to ‘The New World.’ Drake also recorded having seen herds of horses in the Americas during his voyage off the coasts of what are now known as California and Oregon. An account given of Drake’s landing in the geographic areas now known as Northern California and Southern Oregon includes the English explorer’s description of the homes of the Native Peoples, as well as the animals that he encountered. It related his wonder at seeing so many wild horses, because he had heard that the Spaniards had found no native horses in America, save those of the Arab breed which they had introduced.”

The relevance of Drake’s discovery is that it came just 88 years after Christopher Columbus first landed on the east coast of the North American continent with just a few horses from Europe, which were critical assets and closely guarded. During the 1500s, there was no manner or method for the importation and subsequent accidental release of tens of thousands of horses that would be required for some of them to somehow reach the far northwestern opposite side of the North American continent in just 88 years. This historical fact provides evidence that splinter populations of native North American horses did in fact survive the Ice Age contrary to now obsolete science and belief that they went extinct. And some of the descendants and genetic blood lines of the Drake horses remain on the landscape in the mountains of the Oregon/California border area near Henley Hornbrook, California.

Deb Ferns, president of the all-volunteer nonprofit Wild Horse Fire Brigade (‘WHFB’) said: “We are very pleased and excited that the EQUUS Film Festival has ‘Officially Selected’ Horse of Nature to be screened at the festival. That is such an honor! Autie Carlisle has done a splendid job producing this documentary along with her team. This heartfelt documentary drama takes an honest look into some of the lives of wildfire survivors and the cultural heritage herd of horses that our organization (WHFB) is working hard to study and preserve. There is no doubt that this herd of horses should be protected under the Antiquities Act.”

About the EQUUS Film & Arts Festival (http://www.equusfilmfestival.net):

The EQUUS Film & Arts Fest is the world’s premier showcase for domestic and International Equestrian Content feature films, documentaries, shorts, music videos, commercials, training and educational materials, art, and literature, in addition to film programming, interesting guest speakers and presenters, informative panels, industry workshops, hosting exhibits, and interactive experiences with horses and trainers.

EQUUS Strives to bring a greater awareness and understanding of the unique relationship between horses and the humans who love them.

More about Autie Carlisle here: https://www.autiecarlisle.com/documentaries

Horse of Nature: The Trailer — https://vimeo.com/998882803/001b27d9c1?share=copy

Deb Ferns
Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Visit www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org for more information.

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Revolution Sports, Show Jumping, Spruce Meadows

Martin Fuchs Wins CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows

Martin Fuchs ©Rolex/Thomas Lovelock

Geneva, 9 September 2024 –Martin Fuchs delivered a supreme performance to win the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, at the CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament 2024 to claim a back-to-back victory. Competing against the world’s top show jumpers, Fuchs and his grey gelding, Leone Jei, triumphed after three demanding rounds, defending their title and becoming the new Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping live contender.

Regarded as one of the sport’s toughest challenges, the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix demands the greatest levels of precision, agility, and excellence from both horse and rider. Fuchs and Leone Jei exhibited these qualities in abundance, navigating each round with remarkable skillfulness to secure the coveted title.

Out of 38 starters, the top 12 progressed to the second round, including previous victors of the title – Steve Guerdat in 2021 and Daniel Deusser in 2022. Richard Vogel also advanced to the second round with the fastest four-fault score, alongside Kevin Staut.

Of the 12 who advanced, five jumped clear, with only Martin Fuchs, Darragh Kenny, and Daniel Deusser successfully navigating Leopoldo Palacios’ challenging second-round course to secure the double clears needed for the final jump-off. Fuchs was first to tackle the shortened jump-off course, and despite four faults, his final score was enough to secure his fourth Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping Major title. Kenny, riding VDL Cartello, followed with six faults, while Deusser and Killer Queen VDM finished third with eight faults.

The equestrian world now turns its attention to the CHI Geneva in December, where Fuchs uniquely claimed sequential victories in 2019 and 2021. This year, he will return to his home Major aiming for a third Rolex Grand Prix win at the CHI Geneva, while also continuing his pursuit of the sport’s ultimate challenge – the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. This prestigious prize is awarded to any rider who consecutively wins the Grand Prix at three of the four Majors: The Dutch Masters, the CHIO Aachen, the CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament, and the CHI Geneva.

The highlights film can be seen here:

Victoria Carles
Rolex SA
victoria.carles@rolex.com

Merrick Haydon
rEvolution
mhaydon@revolutionworld.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Driving, FEI, FEI

7th Consecutive Individual Gold for Exell and 12th Team Gold for the Netherlands in Szilvásvárad

Bronze CHESTER WEBER of the United States pours champagne over gold BOYD EXELL of Australia. Copyright FEI/Martin Dokupil

History was made in Hungary as Boyd Exell (AUS) and The Netherlands won record breaking gold medals in front of passionate crowds at the State Stud Farm.

Boyd’s quest for his 7th consecutive gold seemed assured after the dressage on Friday afternoon, when he was only kept off the top spot by Chester Weber’s (USA) mesmerising test. But the Australian had done enough to stay in touch, knowing he had brought specialist marathon horses to Hungary, selected after he attended the test event last year.

As expected, they dominated Saturday’s demanding marathon over undulating ground and through the eight obstacles to take a commanding lead. With such a huge advantage coming into the final cones phase, victory was never in doubt, even if one ball rolled for three penalties, which gave him a total of 146.93. To add to the already fantastic day for the Australians, Boyd and Tor van den Berge won their first world medal with bronze (340.77).

“It’s super! There should be special congratulations for Tor, and I am so impressed with how it went because with two members on a team, there’s no drop score and everything has to count. We’ve been close before, and we’ve been knocking on the door, but it’s finally happened at a World Championship.

“The public here made it really memorable, especially during the marathon with such huge crowds who stayed all day. And it was great to see a full stadium during the opening ceremony and again today. I have worked with the Hungarian drivers for the last one and a half years to improve their performances, so I feel very comfortable here.”

“What a wonderful experience this has been at a World Championship as it can be really tough. But being in front of a crowd like that was incredible and I am very lucky to have a teammate like Boyd,” said van den Berge.

Another who helped secure his podium place after the marathon was Bram Chardon (NED), who won his first individual world medal with silver, helped by a winning double clear cones round. His total of 157.74 contributed to the unprecedented 12th team gold for The Netherlands, which gave his father Ijsbrand his 32nd world medal and 14th gold. Together with Koos de Ronde, they won the team competition on 322.69.

“The training at home has been good and we made the right choices, bringing some new horses who gave extra impulsion on the marathon, and especially today in the cones, the young horse was fantastic. After a rough season this is the best possible outcome,” said Chardon.

“I think it was an excellent event. The arena and the stabling were super, and the marathon was a true World Championship one with great obstacles and the unbelievable spectators. So, I have a very good impression about it all,” said de Ronde.

Dressage winner Chester Weber (USA) kept his cool to maintain a podium place for the bronze despite rolling two balls in the cones to end on 159.13. Fredrick Persson (SWE) was 4th overall on 166.97, helped by his double clear cones for 3rd place. Second in the cones was Jérôme Voutaz (SUI), who was one of the first to drive in the morning on an eliminated score after the marathon, and he produced a double clear that was not matched until the day’s last session.

All three German team members drove in the final cones session as the top eight drivers came forward in reverse order. There were no individual medals for them, but a well-deserved silver team medal on a score of 330.33 for Mareike Harm, Michael Brauchle, and Georg von Stein (who was 5th on 169.49).

“A few days before the show, my good dressage leader had a foot abscess so he couldn’t come, and as dressage is my strongest phase, it was a bit disappointing. So, we had a marathon horse in the lead and he did his very best, so it was a great outcome for us to come 6th and then for the team to get silver too. The show was fantastic, and we enjoyed being in the town and had fun here too,” said Harm.

Dreams of another medal for the hosts didn’t come true, but they finished 5th behind Belgium in the team event, helped by a strong cones round from Jόszef Dobrovitz (HUN), who responded emotionally to the cheering crowd at the end. He later said in the press conference that the organisation and preparation of the event were brilliant, and that the Hungarian audience is the best in the world!

It has been a triumphant 26th Four-in-Hand World Championship and the stadium buzzed with a 6,500-capacity crowd who relished the spectacle at the State Stud Farm. The organisers were thrilled to host the event 40 years after the historic 7th World Championship in 1984, when Lászlό Juhász won double gold. As the test driver here, he was celebrated alongside his fellow legendary Hungarian drivers throughout, from the opening to the closing ceremonies.

by Sarah Dances

press@fei.org
www.fei.org

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Multiple Medal Glory on Final Day as USA Tops Para Dressage Medal Table

L-R: Sara Morganti (ITA), Rihards Snikus (LAT), and Mari Durward-Akhurst (GBR), Individual Freestyle Grade I © FEI/Liz Gregg

Two more Individual gold medals on the final day of Freestyle crowned the United States’ best ever Para Dressage performance at a Paralympic Games as they topped the medal table at Château de Versailles.

Fiona Howard, partnering Diamond Dunes in Grade II, and Rebecca Hart with Floratina in the concluding Grade III both won their third golds at Paris 2024, after also triumphing with Roxanne Trunnell and Fan Tastico H in Friday’s Team event.

That took the USA’s tally to seven medals overall – five golds, one silver, and one bronze – to smash their previous Paralympic Games best of two golds and a bronze achieved at Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2020.

Saturday also brought the second Individual gold medals of these Games for Demi Haerkens (NED) and Daula in Grade IV, Michèle George (BEL) with Best of 8 in Grade V, and Rihards Snikus (LAT) on King of the Dance in Grade I.

Haerkens’ double gold, and a third silver medal in Paris for Rixt van der Horst and Royal Fonq in Grade III, saw the Netherlands finish second in the Para Dressage medal table for the third successive Paralympic Games, with six overall.

The first of the final day’s five events saw Haerkens confirm her status as a rising star of Para Equestrian as she and the chestnut mare Daula backed up their gold in the Individual test with a personal-best Freestyle score of 83.840%, featuring music from Vangelis and Era.

“It’s insane,” said the 26-year-old, who also won a silver in the Team event on her Paralympic Games debut.

“It’s very intense, long days, but it’s so good to be here and to perform in that beautiful arena with so many people, with the music you choose. It feels amazing that everything was on point. I think she enjoyed it as much as I did.”

Anna-Lena Niehues (GER) and Quimbaya 6 scored 80.900% to take silver, adding to their two bronzes in the Individual test and Team event.

Kate Shoemaker (USA) and Vianne set a challenging target of 80.170%, but had to settle for bronze, Shoemaker’s first individual Paralympic medal after a Team bronze in Tokyo, leaving defending champions Sanne Voets (NED) and Demantur fourth, with 79.880%.

George (BEL) claimed her seventh Paralympic Games title and fourth successive Freestyle gold, having won on FBW Rainman in Grade IV in 2012 and 2016 and current horse Best of 8 in Grade V at Tokyo 2020.

The combination earned a mark of 81.470%, but the 50-year-old indicated she would be looking for a new partner before Los Angeles 2028 comes around.

“This is the last time that I ride Best of 8 in a Paralympic Games, so it was emotional,” she said. “She’s 14 and will still participate in competitions because every morning she wants to train and it’s a real pleasure. I love it. But for LA she will be too old, so this means a lot. Making the incredible happen at the right time, it’s so important.”

Regine Mispelkamp (GER) and partner Highlander Delight’s posted 80.100% to take a second Individual silver at Versailles, and were also part of the German team which won Team bronze.

Sophie Wells (GBR), on LJT Egebjerggards Samoa, won her 10th Paralympic Games medal and second Individual bronze of Paris 2024 with a score of 75.445%, mirroring the podium from the Individual test.

Snikus (LAT) upgraded Individual silver from Tokyo 2020 for gold for a second time at Paris 2024 as he partnered King of the Dance to victory in the Grade I Freestyle.

The 36-year-old and his bay gelding scored 82.487% to a joyously uplifting soundtrack. “We chose happy music because we are a happy team,” said Latvia’s equestrian chef d’equipe Daria Tikhomirova, speaking on behalf of Snikus.

“I get an artistic pleasure to see him, like in the theatre when you hear a good opera or see a wonderful performance. It’s the result of a huge effort by his technical trainer and the whole team. I think it was his best Freestyle ever. It was just amazing.”

Sara Morganti (ITA), going last on Mariebelle, earned her second medal of these Paralympic Games by taking silver with 81.407%, upgrading her bronze from the Individual test and taking her overall Paralympic tally to four medals.

Mari Durward-Akhurst (GBR) responded well after a disappointing Individual test on her Paralympic Games debut to claim bronze on Athene Lindebjerg, scoring 77.747%.

The day ended with two more golden moments for the USA, Howard and Diamond Dunes delivering another remarkable personal-best performance in their debut Paralympic Games to triumph in the Grade II Individual Freestyle.

The 25-year-old and her chestnut stallion earned a score of 81.994% to back up their gold in the Individual test and contribution to the USA’s victory in the Team event.

“When I came into these Games, I just wanted to put down the best tests I could,” Howard said. “It was my first Paralympic Games and I just wanted to do my best and help out the team. But this has gone above my expectations.

“On the third day, you have to dig a little deep because my muscles are definitely tired, but I have such a great partner in Diamond Dunes and he knows his job. He gave me everything, just like the past two times. I couldn’t have asked for any more.”

Georgia Wilson (GBR) and Sakura won silver with 79.374%, adding to their bronze in the Individual test, while 69-year-old Heidemarie Dresing (GER) – the oldest Para Dressage athlete at Paris 2024 – won her first Paralympic Individual medal after three previous fourth places, taking bronze on Dooloop with 76.127%.

Hart rounded things off by clinching her second Individual gold with Floratina – and third overall including the Team event – in a tense finale to the Grade III Freestyle.

The 39-year-old and her bay mare, going last, kept their nerve to score 83.534%, the highest individual score of the four days of competition in Versailles.

“That was so wonderful,” said Hart. “I was a little concerned when we started cantering, but I was like, ‘She will come back to me; she always does.’ It’s just electric. I told her she was fine. She went, ‘Are we OK?’ and I said, ‘Yes, we’re fine,’ and she said, ‘OK, I trust you,’ and it was such a magical moment. Then we hit the markers the way we needed to.”

It was tough on Van der Horst, who had posted a superb score of 83.007% with Royal Fonq, but had to settle for a third successive silver medal at these Paralympic Games and a fifth overall, to go with three bronzes.

“It was not good for my heart,” she said of watching the final combination deny her gold. “I was so eager to get gold today and a bit disappointed it didn’t work out, but we can be really proud. Three silver medals is pretty good.”

Natasha Baker (GBR) also signed off with a second Individual bronze in Versailles on Dawn Chorus with a mark of 77.140%, and a 10th Paralympic Games medal overall.

FULL RESULTS

by Bryn Palmer

press@fei.org
www.fei.org

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

USA Maintains Gold Rush with Para Dressage Team Triumph in Versailles

L-R: Team Nederlands (silver medal) Team USA (gold medal) and Team Germany (bronze medal). © FEI/Liz Gregg

The United States continued their best Para Dressage performance at a Paralympic Games by edging Netherlands for gold in a dramatic conclusion to the Team event at Château de Versailles.

Personal best scores by Individual gold medallists Fiona Howard – a stunning 80.000% on Diamond Dunes in Grade II – and Rebecca Hart, who scored 78.567% with Floratina in Grade III, proved critical after another strong Grade I performance by Individual silver medallist Roxanne Trunnell on Fan Tastico H.

That left the USA on a total of 235.567, beating the Dutch tally of 232.850, with Germany taking bronze on 223.751.

The United States’ previous best Paralympic medal haul was two golds and a bronze at both Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2020. They so far have three golds and one silver at Paris 2024. USA also became the first nation other than Great Britain to win a Para Dressage Team event at a Paralympic Games.

But it was a tense finale after the Grade IV duo of Sanne Voets on Demantur (76.567%) and Demi Haerkens with Daula (78.216%) had set the early pace for Netherlands.

Trunnell, the first USA athlete to go, scored 77.000% with Fan Tastico H in Grade I, before Howard and the stallion Diamond Dunes delivered the highest individual score of Paris 2024 to date, eclipsing Sara Morganti’s 79.458% on Mariebelle for Italy in Grade I earlier in the day.

While there was excitement around Versailles that it could be a new Paralympic record, due to changes in the tests since the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, it is not possible to make direct comparisons or officially recognise it as a record, but it undoubtedly remains a remarkable achievement.

“I came out the ring and thought, ‘that felt really good’, but you never know,” said 25-year-old Howard, who now has two golds in her first Paralympic Games. “Whatever the score was, I was super proud of him.

“He felt amazing and did everything I could have asked. But then seeing it reflected on the scoreboard was just the cherry on top. What a horse… he is so special.”

That superlative display nudged the USA ahead going into the concluding Grade III, but when Rixt van der Horst and Royal Fonq scored 78.067% for the Dutch, Hart entered the arena on Floratina knowing she needed a personal best score to take gold.

“It’s always a bit intense being the ‘closer’ for your team and it was a very pressure-cooker situation,” said the 39-year-old, who along with Trunnell and Kate Shoemaker was part of the USA team that took bronze at Tokyo 2020.

“I was definitely doing the math. I think my previous best was a 75-something, so it was a jump. Rixt was right before me and I knew they had put in a solid first two rides and that she was going to deliver too. I had a quick peak at the board and went ‘OK, let’s go, game on’. I knew we had to do something pretty special.

“It was quite electric out there. She (Floratina) was feeling the atmosphere and feeling good and feeling fresh. I just needed to make sure I took all that energy and used it in a positive manner.”

The combination’s score of 78.567% brought the USA home, leaving Van der Horst with mixed feelings after winning her second silver medal of these Games.

“It was a tense feeling going into the test,” she said. “I knew I had to deliver a really good test. For myself, I set the goal of at least 78 or something, hopefully a little bit more, and I achieved it, so that was good.”

Germany earned their third medal at Versailles by edging out Italy for bronze. Anna-Lena Niehues and Quimbaya 6, who took Individual bronze in Grade IV, scored 75.351%, before Grade V Individual silver medallist Regine Mispelkamp and Highlander Delight’s earned 75.500%.

There was also a first Paralympic medal – after three previous fourth-place finishes in Individual events – for the oldest Para Dressage competitor in Versailles, 69-year-old Heidemarie Dresing. She scored 72.900% with Dooloop in Grade II to give Germany a total of 223.751, with Italy on 223.166 despite Morganti’s 79.458% with Mariebelle.

“It’s incredible. She really listened to me and we were one single thing together, which is what we worked for. You can always improve, but today, in my condition and her condition, it was perfect.”

France finished fifth while Great Britain, who had won all seven previous Para Dressage Team events since Atlanta in 1996, finished sixth.

“We’ve been in front for such a long time,” said GBR’s Natasha Baker, who scored 75.367% on Dawn Chorus in Grade III. “We didn’t expect to be bringing home the Team gold in Tokyo so that was unreal. The rest of the world has caught up with us now. It’s just going to be a case of us trying to find ways that we can sneak back to the top again.”

Norway’s Jens Lasse Dokkan, the only Para Equestrian athlete to compete at all eight Paralympic Games since Atlanta in 1996, confirmed that Paris 2024 is likely to be his swansong.

“I felt the emotion today,” said the 63-year-old. “I knew this would be my last Paralympics. I haven’t made a final decision about carrying on riding, but right now, I feel I want to retire.”

FULL RESULTS

by Bryn Palmer

press@fei.org
www.fei.org

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Haerkens Heralds New Era as George Shows Enduring Class

Individual podium Grade V. L-R: Regine Mispelkamp (GER), Michèle George (BEL), and Sophie Wells (GBR) © FEI/Liz Gregg

Demi Haerkens (NED) confirmed her status as a rising star of Para Dressage as she claimed Grade IV gold with Daula on her Paralympic Games debut on the second day of Individual medal events at Château de Versailles. The 26-year-old, who came to the fore by winning European Championship gold last year, excelled in the sunlit arena to finish with a score of 78.722%.

Defending champion Sanne Voets (NED), partnering Demantur again after they won double gold and team silver at Tokyo 2020, had to settle for silver with 76.528%, taking Voets’ overall Paralympic medal tally to five.

The one-two lifted Netherlands into second place on the Para Dressage medal table at Paris 2024 with a gold and two silvers, behind USA on two golds and a silver.

“It feels amazing,” said Haerkens, after waiting for 11 other combinations to go before her gold medal was confirmed. “She (Daula) really deserved this gold. My horse was a superstar today. We have been together three years now and every year our bond grows.

“It was such a lovely ride. She was so focused, with such lovely quality and softness. We didn’t make any mistakes. She was with me and dancing with a lot of quality. She was amazing. Now I want to go to the stable and give her big cuddles.”

Voets, 37, said a tour of the royal stables at Château de Versailles last year had resonated with her as she prepared for a fourth Paralympic Games.

“They showed me a lot, and how they still work with horses every day, with such a beautiful motto,” she said.

“They work with the belief that our horses don’t owe us anything, that the horses are not an instrument for us to reach our goals and reach our ambitions, but that we are an instrument for our horse to develop them into beautiful, strong, healthy, happy athletes.”

Anna-Lena Niehues (GER), who took time off in 2023 to give birth to daughter Nelly, took bronze on Quimbaya 6 with 75.222%, edging Frenchman Vladimir Vinchon on Pegase Mayenne into fourth on 72.889%.

World number one Kate Shoemaker (USA) finished out of the medals in fifth after her horse Vianne spooked during their performance.

“It is the first spook she has ever had with me,” she said. “Something must have caught her eye. It was just an unfortunate moment. But horses are horses, and if we wanted to ride motorcycles, we would ride motorcycles.

“Regardless, I love her more than anything in the world and she is certainly forgiven because there are going to be a lot of beautiful days in future.”

Michèle George (BEL) showed her enduring class as she won her sixth Paralympic gold medal, defending her Grade V Individual title on Best of 8.

The 50-year-old, who won double individual gold at Tokyo 2020, finished well clear with a superb score of 76.692% to take her overall Paralympic medal tally to seven.

“I’m incredibly happy. She (Best of 8) was amazing. For me, it felt like a gold medal because I had nearly no mistakes and she was really dancing with me. I enjoyed every second of it. It means a lot,” she said.

George will aim to repeat her Tokyo feat of winning both Individual Grade V golds in Saturday’s Individual Freestyle event. “I really look forward to showing people how she can dance with our music, because she adores it,” she added.

Regine Mispelkamp (GER), partnering Highlander Delight’s, added a silver medal to her individual Freestyle bronze from Tokyo, scoring 73.231%.

The 53-year-old, who coaches athletes and trains horses for Dressage at her own stables near Kerken (GER), hopes to continue for possibly two more Paralympic cycles.

“I have two young horses who are coming on, so I am thinking about 2028 and maybe 2032,” she said. “It is the best thing I do and when I do it, I am not thinking about my illness.”

Sophie Wells (GBR), partnering LJT Egebjerggards Samoa after her original horse Don Cara M was ruled out, won her ninth Paralympic medal by taking bronze – Great Britain’s third of these Games – with 72.257%, adding to her previous four golds and four silvers.

“It’s not ideal,” she said of her late change in horses. “But she was so brave going into that arena. She got a little bit nervous, but she is eight years old. I held her hand through the whole test. She listened to me and I couldn’t be prouder of her for that.”

After a rest day on Thursday, Para Dressage resumes at Versailles on Friday with the team event, with three athlete/horse combinations from each nation joining forces in a bid for a place on the podium.

Great Britain have won all seven team golds since 1996, but will face strong competition from the likes of USA and Netherlands if they are to maintain that sequence.

The final set of Individual medals will be decided on Saturday, 7 September, as the top eight from the Individual tests in each of the five Grades compete in the Freestyle events.

FULL RESULTS – GRADE IV

FULL RESULTS – GRADE V

by Bryn Palmer

press@fei.org
www.fei.org

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

USA Earn Their Stars and Stripes on Opening Day in Versailles

L-R: Katrine Kristensen (DEN), Fiona Howard (USA) and Georgia Wilson (GBR), Individual Podium – Grade II © FEI/Liz Gregg

Team USA enjoyed a superb opening day of Para Dressage action at Paris 2024 with two golds and a silver in the first three Individual medal events at Château de Versailles.

Rebecca Hart on Floratina (Grade III) and Fiona Howard, partnering Diamond Dunes (Grade II), both struck gold before Roxanne Trunnell, double gold medallist from Tokyo 2020, took silver on Fan Tastico H in Grade I behind Rihards Snikus (LAT) and King of the Dance.

The trio of medals already makes Paris 2024 Team USA’s most successful Paralympic Games in Para Dressage, after just three of the 11 events across four days of competition.

They surpassed the two golds and a bronze won at Atlanta 1996 and at Tokyo 2020, where Trunnell – on Dolton – won the USA’s first two individual golds for 24 years and also won team bronze alongside Hart on El Corona Texel, and Kate Shoemaker with Solitaer 40.

Hart, 39, kick-started the gold rush by winning her first individual medal at her fifth Paralympic Games on Floratina, having previously finished fourth in Beijing and fifth at London 2012.

“It’s been 25 years of trying to get to this point and being close many, many times,” she said. “To actually get it, I feel like I’m going to wake up at any moment. It’s just surreal. It feels like a dream.

“This is my first gold ever. We’ve worked so hard as a country with my fellow athletes to really develop our programme and step up our game. Four years later, here we are.

“It’s a huge venue and the entire atmosphere was phenomenal. I was just trying to stay with her and focused, because it felt so easy. I just needed to stay on my game and get the test done.”

Hart and Floratina were the penultimate combination to enter the arena in the morning rain and they claimed the win with a score of 77.900%.

Rixt van der Horst (NED) took silver with 76.433% – her sixth Paralympic medal overall at her third Games – on new horse Royal Fonq, her partner since December.

“He’s really special,” she said. “He has such a kind and honest character. His quality is amazing. I think we click really well and have developed a really special bond in the short time we have had together.”

Natasha Baker (GBR), in her first Paralympic Games since becoming a mother last year, took bronze – her ninth Paralympic medal after six golds and two silvers – on Dawn Chorus with 73.167%.

“I had 20 months out of competition when I had Joshua, and a year out of the saddle,” said the 34-year-old. “That’s the longest I’ve ever had out of the saddle. I’m just super, super happy with her.”

Howard, 25, maintained the USA momentum as she took Grade II gold on Diamond Dunes in her debut Paralympic Games with a superb performance to finish on 76.931%.

“We haven’t been a partnership for that long – only since March when we did our first competition,” she said. “I just trusted him, and he gave me everything in there. I am so proud of him. He’s never let me down.”

Katrine Kristensen (DEN), who also became a first-time mother last year after winning double gold at the FEI World Championship in 2022, took silver on Goerklintgaards Quater with a score of 73.966%.

“I was crying a lot because this is so huge. After becoming a mom, I have worked very hard to gain my physical strength again and to balance being a mom and training at this level. But I succeeded.

“I have never ridden in such a beautiful arena as this before, with all the audience. I promised myself when I finished to just look up and enjoy it, and I did,” said Kristensen.

Georgia Wilson (GBR), on Sakura, added another Paralympic individual bronze to her collection after two at Tokyo 2020, scoring 73.414%, with 69-year-old Heidemarie Dresing (GER), the oldest athlete in Versailles, edged into fourth place on Dooloop.

The final event of the opening day saw an emotional triumph for Rihards Snikus (LAT) in his fourth Paralympic Games, going one better than Tokyo 2020 to take gold in Grade I. The 36-year-old, who won silver in both the Individual and Freestyle events in Tokyo, turned in a brilliant display partnering King of the Dance to triumph with a score of 79.167%.

“It was a really beautiful performance; we enjoyed watching it,” said Latvia’s chef d’equipe Darja Tikhomirova, speaking on behalf of Snikus, who is also the reigning Grade I world champion and an active DJ in his spare time. “I think it was one of Rihards’ best ever performances. After Tokyo, we came home and said, ‘okay, next time let’s get gold.’

“It’s great for para sports in general in Latvia, because people can see it’s not only classic sports we know, like athletics or cycling. Equestrian is also a sport for people with disability, where they can improve how strong they are, how perfect they can ride, how wonderful technically they can be. It’s always great to show that you have no limit.”

Trunnell (USA), the double individual gold medallist from Tokyo, had to settle for silver on Fan Tastico H after finishing on 78.000%.

She paid tribute to the influence on US fortunes of Michel Assouline, who spent 12 years as head coach of Great Britain’s para equestrian team before joining Team USA in 2017 as head of para equestrian coach development and high-performance consultant.

“He is really good,” Trunnell said. “He got us all straightened up, training harder, with better horses. We have evolved our training and been working so hard. It’s nice to see it pay off.”

Sara Morganti (ITA), on Mariebelle, collected her third Paralympic Games bronze medal – after two in Tokyo partnering Royal Delight – on a score of 74.625%.

FULL RESULTS

by Bryn Palmer

press@fei.org
www.fei.org

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Paralympic Equestrian Stars All Set to Dance on Versailles Stage

Sanne Voets (NED) and Demantur at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. © FEI/Liz Gregg

Established stars will seek to hold off the challenge of emerging athletes as Para Dressage makes its entrance to Paris 2024 at the spectacular Château de Versailles. A total of 76 athletes from 30 nations will assemble for four days of competition spread across five days from Tuesday, 3 September to Saturday, 7 September.

The first two days will be Individual Medal Events in all five Grades.

Grade III will open proceedings on Tuesday and will also be the last of the five Individual Freestyle Events – featuring the top eight combinations – on the final day of action.

But Denmark’s Tobias Thorning Joergensen will be unable to defend the two Individual titles he won on his Paralympic Games debut at Tokyo 2020, withdrawing on Sunday after his horse Jolene Hill was deemed not fit to compete.

The 24-year-old was widely seen as the favourite in Grade III after also striking double gold at the FEI World Championship 2022 on home ground in Herning – plus silver in the team event – and two more individual golds at last year’s FEI Para Dressage European Championship in Riesenbeck (GER).

All the horses that were presented on Monday’s First Horse Inspection passed.

Great Britain’s Natasha Baker, the most successful of all the Para Dressage athletes in Paris, with four individual golds, two team golds, and two individual silvers – both at Tokyo 2020 – will be seeking a return to the top of the Grade III podium.

The 34-year-old returns on Dawn Chorus for her fourth Paralympic Games, but her first as a mother, having given birth to son Joshua in April 2023. “It makes me incredibly proud. To be at the top of my sport again is such an incredible feeling, especially with Joshua as my number one supporter. I’m really excited for the new challenge and to see what we can achieve in Paris.”

The opening day will also see medals decided in the Grade II individual test, where the likes of Austria’s Pepo Puch – with seven Paralympic medals, including two silvers in Tokyo 2020 – on Sailor’s Blue and Britain’s Georgia Wilson – double bronze medallist in the Grade II Individual and Freestyle in Tokyo 2020 – on Sakura will go for gold in the absence of 14-time Paralympic champion Lee Pearson (GBR).

But they will face competition from another great Dane, Katrine Kristensen, a double World Champion in 2022, and 69-year-old German Heidemarie Dresing, who, after two fourth-place finishes in the Grade II individual events on her Games debut aged 66 in Tokyo, won double gold at the European Championships in Riesenbeck in 2023. Dresing, riding Dooloop, will be the oldest para equestrian competitor in Versailles.

At the other end of the age scale, Frenchwoman Chiara Zenati, one of three 21-year-old para equestrians competing at Paris 2024, will carry home hopes of a medal on Swing Royal in Grade III, after finishing fifth on her Paralympic Games debut as an 18-year-old in Tokyo.

“The fact that the Games are in France puts higher pressure on me than if they were somewhere else. My biggest dream for Paris will be to win a medal,” said Zenati.

Another 21-year-old, Italian Carola Semperboni, will partner the oldest horse competing at these Games – 21-year-old Paul – in the Grade I events, where Roxanne Trunnell of the United States will seek to defend the first of her two individual titles from Tokyo on day one.

Since Tokyo, the 39-year-old has retired her golden mount Dalton and teamed up with another black gelding, Fan Tastico H.

Trunnell will face competition from Latvia’s Rihards Snikus on King of the Dance, a combination which took double silver in Tokyo, and Italy’s Sara Morganti, who won double bronze in 2021 on Royal Delight, but now partners Mariebelle after winning World Championship Freestyle gold in 2022.

Another one to watch in Grade I, the category for athletes with the greatest impairment and ridden in walk only, is Britain’s Mari Durward-Akhurst. The 30-year-old, currently ranked world number one, will be making her Paralympic Games debut riding Athene Lindebjerg, the black mare who won gold with eight-time Paralympic champion Sophie Christiansen (GBR) at Rio 2016.

Norway’s Jens Lasse Dokkan, meanwhile, will continue his remarkable record of competing at every edition of the Paralympic Games since Para Dressage was introduced to the programme in 1996.

The 63-year-old, who won his first Paralympic Games medal at Sydney 2000 and has five overall, will compete – on Aladdin – in his seventh Games after finishing fourth in both individual Grade I events in Tokyo.

The second day of competition will see the individual test medals decided in Grades IV and V, which will be ridden in walk, trot, and canter. These are the two Grades in which the athletes have the lowest level of impairment.

Dutchwoman Sanne Voets, on Demantur, will be seeking a fifth Paralympic medal – a haul including double individual gold and team silver from 2020 – in Grade IV, with fellow Tokyo medallists, 64-year-old Swede Louise Etzner Jakobsson on Goldstrike B. J. and Belgian Manon Claeys, now riding Katharina Sollenburg, likely to be contending again.

Another Paralympic Games debutant, 26-year-old Dutch athlete Demi Haerkens on Daula, announced herself by winning European Championship gold last year.

Grade V could see another battle between 50-year-old Belgian Michèle George, whose two Individual golds on Best of 8 in Tokyo took her Paralympic medal tally to five golds and one silver, and Great Britain’s Sophie Wells, a four-time Paralympic champion with eight medals overall. Wells returns for her fourth Games and will now partner LJT Egebjerggards Samoa in Paris, after a minor veterinary issue ruled out her original horse Don Cara M.

Brazil’s Rodolpho Riskalla on Denzel, a silver medallist from Tokyo, and German Regine Mispelkamp on Highlander Delight’s, who won Freestyle bronze at the same Paralympic Games, are others likely to be in contention.

After a rest day on Thursday, 5 September, the team event – where Great Britain will target an eighth consecutive gold medal since 1996 – is scheduled for Friday, 6 September with three athlete/horse combinations from each nation joining forces in a bid for a place on the podium.

The final set of medals will be up for grabs on 7 September in the Individual Freestyle Events in each of the five Grades in what is expected to be a dramatic conclusion to the Para Dressage in Versailles.

press@fei.org
www.fei.org

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., FEI, Show Jumping, Strzegom

Eventing Gold for Great Britain and Germany

Jasmine Underwood and Indian Girl G. Photographer: Leszek Wójcik

The final trials of show jumping at the FEI Eventing European Championships for Young Riders and Juniors in Strzegom were action-packed, and seconds decided on the podium places. Great Britain scored gold both in the team and individual classification in the young rider category, and Germany went double gold in the junior category.

Young Riders

Four seconds over the time in the showjumping took away the leading position from Lisa Gualtieri riding A D’Aunis, and the French had to settle for silver with 26,7.

The gold, after a clear round, went to Great Britain’s Jasmine Underwood riding Indian Girl G – 26,4, and the bronze to her teammate Isabelle Cook with Mexican Law – 27,5. These results helped the British team win the team classification, advancing from third after the cross-country – 93,3. Darcy Zander with My Eastwood Brightside and Joshua Levett riding This Ones On You also stood at the highest step of the podium.

“It was a very challenging weekend, but I wouldn’t have been able to win if it wasn’t for my wonderful horse. I am proud that we can work together,” said Jasmine Underwood right after the win.

The team silver went to France: Lucas Brun with Anapurna De Soulac, Valentin Quittet Eslan with Casanova D’ems, Alizee Bourgue with Cesar Des Hauts Crets, and Lisa Gualtieri with A D’aunis – 94,9.

Germany finished with the bronze medal, with 98,2: Zoe Deusing and Alemania, Isabel Kristin Dalecki with Caruso Jh, Emely Kurbel and Entertain You, and the best one on the team – Mathies Rüder with Bon Ton.

Polish riders Zuzanna Borkowska with Gracja, Katarzyna Brandys with Sel Oscar, and Weronika Król riding Chinuk R with a score of 227.2 penalty points took the fifth place among the 10 competing teams. The last was the highest-ranked home athlete – 11th position, the final result being 35,0.

Juniors

It was Germany who went all clear on the showjumping course – a thing that the Irish, who were in the lead after the cross-country, failed to achieve. The Germans are the new European team champions with 91,1.

Hannah Busch with Crystal-Annabell went up from fourth place after the XC to the first step of the podium – 27.7.

“I felt a lot of pressure before today’s performance, but I tried to relax, calm down, and enjoy the competition with my horse, because this is a special event for me. I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful team, whose support I can always count on,” said the new European champion. Her teammates were Mathis Huisinga and Carlotta, Pita Schmid and Favorita V, and Matti Garlichs and Ludwig 282.

The individual silver went to Irishman Tom Nestor with Cooley Diamond Dancer – 29,9. The rider was in the lead after the second trial, suffered a knockdown and 0,4 for time, and had to say goodbye to his dreams about the gold medal.

Mae Rinaldi from France took home the bronze riding Kirwan – 30,2. A clear jumping round made them advance from 7th overnight.

The team silver medalists are the Irish: Matthew Love and DSL Allegra, Oleana Cowan and Rca Royal Mist, Alex Connors riding Ols King Aragon, and the best of the team: Tom Nestor and Cooley Diamond Dancer – 94.9.

Team bronze went to Great Britain: Coco Lanni and Porsche, Martha Hall and Kbis Starburst, Araminta Spencer-Churchill with Neds Legacy, and Pippa Royle riding My Dream HJ – 100.4.

The home nation of Poland finished in 6th out of 13 competing teams. The best result on the team belongs to Karolina Miś with Go Jack – with a double clear on the XC and jumping, she placed 6th individually with 31,6.

Online results: https://results.strzegomhorsetrials.pl/event.php?event=29#CHEUYT

Contact:
www.strzegomhorsetrials.pl
press@strzegomhorsetrials.pl