Horse Illustrated Magazine

The USA’s Kate Shoemaker and Norcordia USA’s Vianne, an 8-year-old Hanoverian mare (Vitalis x Ramiro’s Bube), garnered para dressage individual freestyle bronze today in Grade IV at the 2024 Paralympic Games equestrian venue at the Château de Versailles. They scored 80.170% in a gorgeous performance to the music of Forrest Gump. Vianne’s groom is Katherine Barrett.

Kate Shoemaker was full of emotion as she talked about her freestyle performance with Vianne today, “I could not keep the smile off my face. From the moment after the first halt, I was just like, ‘I’m here with my favorite horse in the world’ and I was overcome with so much joy and this peace. It was an answered prayer this morning. I just asked for peace and I feel like it was really a God-filled ride for me today.”

She said that nerves were an issue until she and Vianne arrived in the warm-up and then she was fine. “I was so nervous before my ride, probably the most nervous I’ve ever been. Because of not having had the opportunity to be on the team this week, which honestly was my goal coming into these Games. I’m so proud of them that they got it [the gold medal] done. But, it left me with this feeling that today was my last shot for these Games.”

Grade IV gold went Demi Haerkens and Daula from the Netherlands (83.390%). Silver to Germany’s Anna-Lena Niehues and Quimbaya 6 from Germany (80.900%).

View the full Grade IV Individual Freestyle Para Dressage results here.

Watch all of the Paris 2024 para equestrian action livestreamed or played back on demand (subscription required). For more information, go to NBCOlympics.com. For more coverage, visit our Paris 2024 Paralympics main page.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.