Woodside, Calif. — Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm have announced the retirement of Suppenkasper, a staple of the U.S. Dressage Team for the past six years. Ridden by six-time Olympian Steffen Peters, Suppenkasper represented the U.S. Dressage Team at two World Championships, two Olympics, an FEI Dressage World Cup Final, and numerous Nations Cup competitions.

Suppenkasper, known adoringly in the barn as Mopsie, is one of the most successful horses in U.S. Dressage history, earning both Olympic and World Championship medals (Tryon 2018, Tokyo 2020), and made an appearance at the 2023 FEI Dressage World Cup Finals in Omaha, Neb., while earning the viral moniker of “Rave Horse” for his popular freestyle from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming a highlight for viewers tuning into the Games. In total, Suppenkasper competed in more than 80 international competitions with Peters in the irons and earned 59 victories in Grand Prix CDI competition throughout their career together.

“Today, I look out my window to catch Ravel and Mopsie basking in the sun, the large crowds and long airplane rides now a distant memory. As we mark 20 years together as a team, the time has come to end this amazing journey and it is with deep gratitude to Steffen, the horses and everyone that has been part of this journey that we now end this excellent adventure and long ride with this team,” said Akiko Yamazaki. “With Steffen as our rider, and with a number of horses, including Lombardi, Ravel, Legolas, Rosamunde, and Suppenkasper, our team has traveled around the world and had the honor of representing the USA in multiple international championships and events.”

Through their partnership with Peters, Yamazaki and Four Wind Farms have represented the U.S. on the world stage for more than 20 years, including at five Olympic Games (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024), four FEI World Championships (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022), a Pan American Games (2019), and five FEI Dressage World Cup Finals, including a historic win aboard Ravel in 2009 in Las Vegas, N.V., while continuing to represent the United States at prestigious Nations Cup events, like CHIO Aachen and CHIO Rotterdam.

“What a true honor it has been to be a part of Mopsie’s career and life. It’s hard to explain how much appreciation I have for Akiko for purchasing him eight years ago and then supporting us to compete around the world together. The historic silver medal in Tokyo was, of course, the highlight of our career together,” said Peters. “For me, it will always be one of the proudest moments of our partnership – to have Mopsie deliver for our team that night in Tokyo. The individual victories were amazing, but I always felt the proudest delivering for our team, and it meant the world when we accomplished that in Tokyo. Mopsie became the ‘Rave Horse’, that’s still special to me because he connected so many people. They recognize him and his accomplishments, and there’s really no reason to mention my name, but it’s Mopsie’s character and energy which made people gravitate to him. The journey we’ve shared together is quite hard to put into words, but thoughts of gratitude, thankfulness, and friendship come to mind, both for Mopsie and Akiko, and I’m so privileged to have been a part of this journey with them.

“We have been fortunate to be part of so many teams with great riders, horses and owners over the years, and as anyone knows, there are countless hours of work and multiple shows to get to these culminating events and it truly takes a village to make things happen. We have had the amazing support of USEF staff, including Gil Merrick, Jim Wolf, Jenny van Wieren, Will Connell, Hallye Griffin, and Laura Roberts and knowledgeable Chef d’Equipes Klaus Balkenhol, Anne Gribbons, Robert Dover, Debbie McDonald, and Christine Traurig throughout the years, as well as the tremendous commitment of the team’s veterinarians Dr. Rick Mitchell, Dr. Cricket Rusillo, Dr. Paul McClellan, and Dr. Laura Faulkner and talented staff support,” added Yamazaki. “We’ve been lucky to have so many successful horses come through the U.S. Dressage Program, and we feel indebted with the deepest gratitude to the USET Foundation, led by Bonnie Jenkins, the competition organizers, and all the excellent service providers, including Dutta Corp, Klatte, JetPets, and Rockridge, among others, who have overseen the care and transportation of Mopsie and our other horses throughout their careers.”

Four Winds Farm and Yamazaki’s support of U.S. Dressage has produced tremendous international success over the years, with the highlight of the team silver medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in which Suppenkasper and Peters played a significant role in helping to secure. Suppenkasper will now spend his days at Four Winds Farm in Woodside, California.

“Mopsie’s career would not have been possible without the support and dedication of our home team, which includes Dr. Rodrigo Vazquez and physiotherapist Tom Meyers who both have been on this journey with us as a team for more than 20 years; Suppenkasper’s groom Eddie Garcia, and our other staff and supports Rafael Hernandez, Dawn White O’Connor and Haley Smith; our farriers Jim Carr, Stephan Tournier, Chuck Mundo; and the many staff at Arroyo Del Mar who have been a part of taking care of our horses, as well as my incredible staff at Four Winds Farm, Merced Huerta, Humberto Bejinez, Bryant Cruz and Artemio Cruz who look after and love our horses once they’re retired at the farm, as well as Alyson Hamilton, Greg Hardester, and CFM for all of their behind the scenes work. Alongside Steffen and myself, Shannon, Jerry, Miki, and Emi have traveled the world together and shared the deep emotions that come with the highs and lows of being part of something so extraordinary,” concluded Yamazaki.

US Equestrian wishes Mopsie the best in his well-deserved retirement!

— Edited Press Release | US Equestrian

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The final day of the Paris 2024 Olympic dressage schedule dawned blessedly cool and a bit overcast, in the high 60s (Fahrenheit), a nice break after the extreme heat and humidity of the Grand Prix Test days last week. Earlier this morning, all 18 horses to go in today’s Grand Prix Freestyle Test were inspected by the Ground Jury again for fitness to compete and all were accepted without issue.

So the stage was set for an enjoyable day of dancing in the sand. With the gorgeous backdrop of the Palace of Versailles (with its glittering fountains and manicured gardens) shining behind the entrance at A, the day felt a bit like attending a classical ballet performance in one of the great halls. The huge crowd was ready. The first horse and rider, Patrik Kittel and Touchdown, had warmed up and stepped into the arena. Anticipation and excitement filled the air.

It was time to see who would lay down the best of the best routines to win medals. After the whisker-thin margin of victory (0.121) for Germany over Denmark in the team final yesterday, and with Danish rider Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour riding Freestyle scoring better than current World Champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB (GER) in the Special, it was going to be a battle.

Would there be a new Olympic dressage champion or a repeat winner? And, would Germany’s Isabell Werth capture yet another Olympic medal today? What music would the contestants choose to choreograph their rides? It would all be super fun to watch, but difficult to predict!

The Lineup

The 18 competitors were divided into three groups of six with ring drag breaks in between. They competed in this order:

◆ Sweden’s Patrik Kittel riding Touchdown
◆ Poland’s Sandra Sysojeva riding Maxima Bella
◆ France’s Pauline Basquin riding Sertorius De Rima Z
◆ Finland’s Emma Kanerva riding Greek Air
◆ Austria’s Victoria Max-Theurer riding Abegglen FH NRW
◆ Sweden’s Therese Nilshagen riding Dante Weltino OLD
◆ Frederic Wandres riding Bluetooth OLD
◆ Norway’s Isabel Freese riding Total Hope OLD
◆ Great Britain’s Carl Hester riding Fame
◆ The Netherland’s Emmelie Scholtens riding Indian Rock
◆ Great Britain’s Becky Moody riding Jagerbomb
◆ Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersen riding Vayron
◆ Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald riding Zepter
◆ Germany’s Isabell Werth and Wendy
◆ Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale
◆ The Netherland’s Dinja van Liere riding Hermes
◆ Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB
◆ Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle

Would it be mare power all the way (there were four: Dalera; Freestyle; Wendy; Maxima Bella)? Or would one of the handsome stallions rule the day (there were eight: Glamourdale; Hermes; Fame; Varyon; Indian Rock; Total Hope OLD; Dante Weltino OLD; Greek Air)? Or perhaps a fabulous gelding would take the top spot (there were six: Zepter; Jagerbomb; Bluetooth OLD; Abegglen FH NRW; Sertorius De Rima Z; Touchdown)?

Scoring

Much like ice skating or gymnastics, the marks for dressage freestyle performances fall into two categories―technical and artistic―with each counting for fifty percent of the score. The judges were again shuffled around to sit at different letters; today they were at these letters: Judge at C, Raphaël Saleh (FRA); Judge at K, Michael Osinski (USA); Judge at E, Mariette Sanders (NED); Judge at H, Henning Lehrmann (GER); Judge at M, Isobel Wessels (GBR); Judge at B, Susanne Baarup (DEN), and Judge at F, Magnus Ringmark (SWE).

Best Rides

After all 18 pairs had ridden down centerline today to appreciative cheers and thunderous applause, there was the feeling of assurance that the world’s best musical rides had, indeed, been witnessed. The scores today ranged from 74.714 percent (Sweden’s Nilshagen riding Dante Weltino OLD) to 90.093 (as you may have heard or guessed by now, Germany’s von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB).

The highest scoring ride (81.607) of the first group of six was by Finland’s Emma Kanerva and the 13-year-old Zangersheide stallion Greek Air (by the Trakehner stallion Gribaldi). Once the second group of six entered, the score progressively climbed from there; high scorer from that group was Great Britain’s Carl Hester on the 14-year-old KWPN stallion Fame (85.161).

The final group of six was loaded with heavy hitters and the final battle for medals ensued. With nearly every ride the lead kept changing, building to the entrance of the last horse and rider at A, yesterday’s Grand Prix Special high scorers from Denmark, Laudrup-Dufour and the 15-year-old Hanoverian mare Freestyle.

Going right before them, von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera had just put in a fabulous test―expressive, accurate, elastic, creative and ridden to French music in a nod to Paris―to take the lead. Their technical marks were 82.357 and artistic marks 97.829 combined for their 90.093 overall score.

Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle gave it their all, putting in a super test as well, filled with many technically difficult moves and performed to songs like Imagine Dragons’ “Whatever It Takes” and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” among others. But there were some mistakes, including a break to canter in the extended trot. In the end, there score wasn’t enough to defeat von Bredow-Werndl who captured gold, Werth who took silver, Fry who won bronze or van Liere who took fourth. Laudrup-Dufour had to settle for fifth (88.093).

◆ Full Results
◆ Judges’ Individual Marks

Show Jumping Returns Tomorrow

The jumpers return to the Olympic arena here at the Palace of Versailles for two days of individual competition: a qualifier tomorrow, Monday, August 5, and the final on Tuesday, August 6. The individual jumping final is the last equestrian competition of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

After that, the pentathlon competition—which does include an equestrian jumping phase—takes over at the Palace of Versailles venue until the close of the Olympic Games on August 11. This will be the final time that pentathlon includes equestrian; bicycles are likely to replace horses at the next Games.

All horses presented for the second jumper horse inspection yesterday ultimately were accepted to compete in the individual qualifier. This includes the three horse and rider combinations slated to compete for the USA (Laura Kraut and Baloutinue, Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque, McLain Ward and Ilex). However, one horse (Tirano to be ridden by Ismael Garcia Roque for Spain) was held yesterday and then passed on re-inspection this morning). And, there were also a few jumper horses eligible to move on to the individual finals that were not presented at the second horse inspection.

The jumpers have a training session tonight, after which an order of go for tomorrow afternoon’s individual qualifier class will be published. The individual qualifier competition tomorrow (Monday, August 5) will be from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Central European Time (8:00 a.m. – Noon U.S. Eastern Time).

The individual finals and medal ceremony will be on August 6 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Central European Time (4:00 a.m. – 6:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time).

For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

For broadcast information, go to NBCOlympics.com. All equestrian coverage is streamed live and available for replays on Peacock.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Dressage Freestyle Recap appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Dressage competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics concluded this afternoon with riders from Germany taking the top two of the three individual medals and Great Britain taking bronze. Reigning Olympic Champions from Tokyo 2020/21, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the amazing 17-year-old Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB repeated in wining gold here in Paris, finishing on a score of 90.093 percent. The pair rode to a medley of French songs in a nod to the host city Paris.

Not far behind in silver (89.614) were Isabell Werth (GER) and the 10-year-old Danish Warmblood mare Wendy, giving Werth a record 14th Olympic medal (8 gold and 6 silver) in her seventh Olympic Games. Reigning World Champions from the 2022 Herning FEI Championships, Charlotte Fry and the 13-year-old KWPN stallion Glamourdale (GBR), captured bronze on 88.91 percent.

◆ Full Results
◆ Judges’ Individual Marks

For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

For broadcast information, go to NBCOlympics.com. All equestrian coverage is streamed live and available for replays on Peacock.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Dressage Individual Final appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The top ten dressage teams, based on scores in the Grand Prix Test competition from July 30 and 31, returned to the main arena for the FEI Grand Prix Special Test here at the Château de Versailles today for the 2024 Paris Olympics. After a string of four hot, humid days dotted with intermittent thunderstorms, the skies were mostly overcast (but without rain) and temps were in the high 60s (Fahrenheit) when competition began. The stands were full to witness today’s battle for team medals.

Teams (of three riders) competing today were Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden. While the seven judges today were the same as for the Grand Prix Tests, they sat at different letters. They were: Judge at C, Henning Lehrmann (GER); Judge at K, Raphaël Saleh (FRA); Judge at E, Magnus Ringmark (SWE); Judge at H, Mariette Sanders (NED); Judge at M, Michael Osinski (USA); Judge at B, Isobel Wessels (GBR), and Judge at F, Susanne Baarup (DEN).

The competition was divided into three groups of ten riders each, with one rider from each country in each group. A running score was kept to mark the ranking of each country’s team after each ride was completed. With team medals on the line, riders gave it their all.

The top three performances from the first group were Becky Moody and Jagerbomb from Great Britain who had the highest score of 76.489 percent, Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Anderson and Vayron second best (75.973) and third best, Germany’s Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD (75.942).

The final three riders in the second group topped scores from the previous group as expected. Third to last to go in the group was British rider Carl Hester. Riding in his seventh Olympic Games, he guided the 14-year-old KWPN stallion Fame (by Bordeaux 28) to a 76.520 percent to best his teammate Moody’s earlier score.

Right after Hester in the order, Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Zepter, a 16-year-old Oldenburg gelding (by Blue Hors Zack), laid down a beautiful test to top the leaderboard (but just for a few minutes) on 78.480 percent. Then, the most decorated equestrian in Olympic history, Germany’s Isabell Werth riding Wendy, entered the arena as the last to go in Group 2. Werth and Wendy posted the highest score from the first two groups and one that figured heavily into the final team results of the day (79.894).

With all of the riders from Group 1 and Group 2 having finished and Group 3 yet to compete, the team standings were super close in the top three. They were as follows: Germany, first (155.836); Denmark, second (154.453); Great Britain, third (153.009); the Netherlands, fourth (143.328); France, fifth (142.569); Belgium, sixth (141.565); Australia, seventh (139.863); Sweden, eighth (138.480); Austria, ninth (137.751), and Finland, tenth (137.735).

After a short arena grooming break, the final group of riders began their quest to seal the deal for their country to win a medal. Among them, the reigning World Champions, Charlotte Fry and the KWPN stallion Glamourdale who would go third from last, and the reigning Olympic Champions, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB, the final pair to go for the day.

Also in the final group were several others ranked in the current top ten world standings including Sweden’s Patrik Kittel (sixth in current world rankings) who rode the Swedish Warmblood gelding Touchdown. Another one of those, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour from Denmark (currently ranked seventh in the world) riding the Hanoverian mare Freestyle, was expected to score well — possibly in the top three or four at the end of the day. They would go next to last today.

Representing the home country France and going fourth in the final group was Pauline Basquin and the Zangersheide gelding Sertorius de Rima Z, who had scored very well in the Grand Prix Test three days ago (73.711) to move on to the individual finals tomorrow. Today, their Grand Prix Special test was quite nice, marred only by issues in the first piaffe and the one-tempi changes. Their score was 72.720 and kept France in the hunt for a top-five finish here.

As forecast by many, the team results rested on the final three performances of the day, plus that of Werth and Wendy who had competed in the second group earlier. Fry and Glamourdale put in another fantastic test to score 79.483 percent, but it was not enough to catch Werth and Wendy.

After Fry, Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle entered and laid down the gauntlet with the first score of the day to top 80 percent (81.216) to roaring cheers from the crowd. The final pair, von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera put in a gorgeous test, but lost some points going from walk to piaffe in the middle of their test, and in the end scored slightly behind Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle (79.954).

However, it was still Germany’s day. They captured gold with 235.790, just 0.121 points ahead of Denmark in silver (235.669). Great Britain persevered to garner bronze (232.492). Fourth was the Netherlands (221.048) and fifth was Belgium (215.714). Other team placings were: France, sixth (215.289); Sweden, seventh (212.811); Finland, eighth (212.036); Austria, ninth (211.505), and Australia, tenth (207.203).

Interesting tidbits from today:

◆ There were at least two riders competing today who trained at famous European classical riding schools: Austria’s Florian Bacher who rode Fidertraum OLD was a rider at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, and France’s Pauline Basquin, who rode Sertorius De Rima Z, is currently a trainer at the Cadre Noir in France.

◆ British rider Becky Moody was mounted on a horse bred by her and foaled at her family’s home farm in Yorkshire: Jagerbomb, a 10-year-old KWPN gelding by Dante Weltino OLD, out of Udysee by Jazz.

◆ Isabell Werth from Germany is currently the most decorated Olympic equestrian in history with a seventh Olympic Games under her belt and 13 medals (8 gold including today’s win and 5 silver).

◆ The dressage team medal today was Germany’s third consecutive dressage team gold medal and the country’s 15th gold dressage team medal overall.

◆ Full Dressage Team Results
◆ Judges’ Individual Marks

Final Day of Olympic Dressage Tomorrow

The top 18 horse and rider combinations from the Grand Prix Tests held on July 30 and 31 will return tomorrow to ride the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle Test to compete for the individual Olympic medals. But, first tomorrow morning, the horses will again be presented to the Ground Jury for inspection. If for some reason a horse is not accepted to compete, then the next highest horse and rider combination from the Grand Prix would move up to compete in the Freestyle instead.

Once the horse inspection is finished in the morning, an order of go will be published. Currently qualified for the Olympic individual dressage finals (Grand Prix Freestyle Test) are:

◆ Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB
◆ Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle
◆ Germany’s Isabell Werth and Wendy
◆ Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale
◆ Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald riding Zepter
◆ The Netherland’s Dinja van Liere riding Hermes
◆ Great Britain’s Carl Hester and Fame
◆ Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersen riding Vayron
◆ Norway’s Isabel Freese and Total Hope OLD
◆ Germany’s Frederic Wandres riding Bluetooth OLD
◆ Great Britain’s Becky Moody and Jagerbomb
◆ The Netherland’s Emmelie Scholtens riding Indian Rock
◆ Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Touchdown
◆ Austria’s Victoria Max-Theurer riding Abegglen FH NRW
◆ Sweden’s Therese Nilshagen riding Dante Weltino OLD
◆ France’s Pauline Basquin riding Sertorius De Rima Z
◆ Finland’s Emma Kanerva riding Greek Air
◆ Poland’s Sandra Sysojeva riding Maxima Bella

The Freestyle competition runs from 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Central European Time (4:00 a.m. – 7:30 am. U.S. Eastern Time) with the medal ceremony to follow.

For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

For broadcast information, go to NBCOlympics.com. All equestrian coverage is streamed live and available for replays on Peacock.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Dressage Team Final appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

As the calendar closed on July 2024, so did the Paris 2024 Olympics schedule for Grand Prix Dressage. Day two of competition saw more international stars enter the ring at the Château de Versailles and the level of energy ramped up even further as did the scores. Luckily the day wasn’t quite as hot as yesterday, but after a grey start this morning, the sun did reappear and temperatures soared near 88.

Three more groups (D, E, and F) of ten horse and rider combinations took their turn performing the FEI Grand Prix Test, which serves as both a team and individual qualifier. The team medals will be decided by the Grand Prix Special (top ten teams including any ties for tenth place qualified from today) on Saturday, August 3. Then, the top 18 horse and rider combinations (including any ties) after today will return to contest individual medals in the Grand Prix Freestyle on Sunday, August 4.

Countries represented in the competition today were: Australia; Austria; Belgium; Canada; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; France; Finland; Great Britain; Germany; India; Luxemburg; Morocco; New Zealand; the Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Spain; Sweden, and USA.

The current reigning World Champions and two-time Olympian, Charlotte “Lottie” Fry (GBR) and the 13-year-old KWPN stallion Glamourdale were first in the ring this morning to begin the first group of 10, Group D. They haven’t competed much this year, so it was a treat to see them perform again. Many scores in the 8s, 9s, and even 10s, started flashing on the live scoring display. Though their test was not without a few mistakes, it was fun to watch and the crowd and judges appreciated the performance. Their score was 78.913 percent, which by the end of the day put them fourth highest in the Grand Prix.

Four rides later, and also in Group D, Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle, a 15-year-old Hanoverian mare, eclipsed Fry’s and Glamourdale’s score by several points (80.792). Laudrup-Dufour is a first-time Olympian, but was a member of the gold-medal-winning Danish Team at the 2022 FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark. Looking at their judges’ score sheet from today, a sea of mostly 7, 8s and 9s dominate the marks. The only exception was test movement number 23, which is the one-tempi canter lead changes and collected canter that received 5.5s and 6s from the judges. Overall, their super score ended up being second best of the two days of Grand Prix.

Five rides later in the final performance in Group D, it was Germany’s Isabell Werth’s turn to perform with a fairly new ride for her, the 10-year-old Danish Warmblood mare Wendy. The seven-time Olympian did not disappoint, masterfully guiding the young horse through a stunning test, scoring 79.363 — the third highest score of the two days of Grand Prix.

Group D qualified four riders. In addition to Fry, Laudrup-Dufour and Werth qualifying for the individual finals from the group, Isabel Freese and Total Hope OLD from Norway scored 76.397 to move on as well. Total Hope is a 12-year-old Oldenburg stallion by Totilas.

Riders who qualified to move on to the individual finals from Group E included: the Netherland’s Emmelie Scholtens riding Indian Rock, 74.581; Austria’s Victoria Max-Theurer riding Abegglen FH NRW, 74.301; Sweden’s Therese Nilshagen riding Dante Weltino OLD, 73.991, and Poland’s Sandra Sysojeva riding Maxima Bella, 73.416.

The final round of ten riders, in Group F, took their turn in the ring this afternoon. The group included the USA’s Steffen Peters and Four Wind Farm and Akiko Yamazaki’s 16-year-old KWPN gelding Suppenkasper going eighth in the order. The beginning of their test showed some very nice moments, including their signature lovely lateral work. But, they had problems in the halt and rein back and later, as they traveled down the centerline to finish, in the piaffe and final passage. The unfortunate result was a score of 66.491 percent to end their Paris 2024 Olympic run. The pair has given fans so many things to enjoy over their years, so their partnership representing the USA is to be celebrated.

The final rider of the day was one the fans had been waiting for, the reigning Olympic Champions Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the 17-year-old Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB. They took the ring to thunderous applause and sailed through a beautiful test to an 82.065 percent, the best score of both days. Though the test wasn’t perfect (they scored 5s and 6s on their collected walk), nearly all of their other individual marks were 8s, 9s and 10s. Obviously, this qualified them for the individual finals on Sunday and it boosted the German team over Denmark in the standings, too.

Also qualifying for the individual finals from Group F was Frenchwoman Pauline Basquin riding Sertorius De Rima Z, a 14-year-old Zangerheide gelding. They scored 73.711 percent. Basquin is one of the riders at the famous Cadre Noir School in France. Obviously, she has the support of her home-country crowd as she competes in her first Olympic Games. Her score moved France up the list to compete in the team finals on Saturday.

Riders qualifying from yesterday’s Group A were: Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald riding Zepter, 78.028; the Netherland’s Dinja van Liere riding Hermes, 77.764, and Great Britain’s Carl Hester and Fame, 77.345.

Those qualifying from Group B were: Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersen riding Vayron, 76.910; Germany’s Frederic Wandres riding Bluetooth OLD, 76.118, and Finland’s Emma Kanerva riding Greek Air, 73.680.

Rounding out the 18 horse-and-rider combinations going to the individual finals on Sunday (August 4) are two riders from Group C. They are: Becky Moody and Jagerbomb from Great Britain, 74.938, and Patrik Kittel and Touchdown from Sweden, 74.317.

Read the recap of day one here.

The ten teams qualifying for Grand Prix Special next Saturday (August 3) to determine the team medals are (in current order of the standings): Germany, 237.546; Denmark, 235.730; Great Britain, 231.196; the Netherlands, 224.923; Sweden, 219.861; Belgium, 217.686; France, 214.673; Austria, 213.493; Finland, 209.938, and Australia, 209.115.

The seven judges were treated to quite a show over the last two days; they were: Judge at C, Susanne Baarup (DEN); Judge at K, Mariette Sanders (NED); Judge at E, Raphaël Saleh (FRA); Judge at H, Michael Osinski (USA); Judge at M, Magnus Ringmark (SWE); Judge at B, Henning Lehrmann (GER), and Judge at F, Isobel Wessels (GBR).

The dressage horses will now take two days off while the jumpers take their turn. Dressage will return on August 3 and 4 for the team and individual finals and medal ceremonies.

◆ Dressage Grand Prix Qualifier Summary
◆ Start List for Dressage Grand Prix Special (Team Final) 
◆ Start List for Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle (Individual Final)

For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

For broadcast information, go to NBCOlympics.com. All equestrian coverage is streamed live and available for replays on Peacock.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Scores Climb Higher On Final Day of Dressage Grand Prix Qualifiers appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB wowed the judges again today, scoring 82.065 percent for the best Grand Prix score of both days of dressage competition here at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Not only did this put them in good stead going into the individual medal competition in next Sunday’s Grand Prix Freestyle competition, but it boosted the German dressage team past Denmark in the team standings. The Germans sit on 237.546 going into the team medal finals, the Grand Prix Special Test, on Saturday.

Scoring just below them, Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour riding Freestyle (another mare) tallied 80.792 percent to punch their ticket to the Grand Prix Freestyle on Sunday. This keeps the Danish team, which is less than two points behind Germany with 235.730, in the hunt for team gold.

Third in the current team standings is Great Britain with 231.196 (6.35 points out), so also within striking distance of gold depending on how Saturday goes. Following close behind in fourth in the team rankings is the Netherlands on 224.923 (12.623 points behind Germany), which means Grand Prix Special day should be very interesting to watch!

Performing today as an individual for the USA was Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper, a 16-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki. After a lovely start to their test, they encountered problems in the final centerline passage-piaffe-passage series and scored an uncharacteristically low 66.491 percent.

◆ Dressage Day Two Individual Results
◆ Dressage Day Two Team Results

For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

For broadcast information, go to NBCOlympics.com. All equestrian coverage is streamed live and available for replays on Peacock.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Dressage Grand Prix Day 2 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Extreme heat moved into the region here today around the Château de Versailles during the first day of Grand Prix dressage tests at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Temperatures topped out around 96 Fahrenheit with bright sun and only a light breeze. With no cover over the Olympic equestrian grandstands, it made for a challenging spectator experience. One could imagine how warm it felt for the riders in their dark coats, hats and boots, and for the horses working in the sand arena.

Once the heat of mid-day set in, at least half or more of the crowd sought refuge under the shade trees outside the arena, so the stands looked fairly empty throughout the day. Still, seeing the glittering gold of Apollo’s Fountain outside the Château and small boats paddling on the Grand Canal in the distance was a breathtaking sight during the competition.

Thirty horse and rider combinations from 19 countries took their turns performing the FEI Grand Prix test in the arena, including two from the USA, Marcus Orlob and Jane and Adrienne Lyle and Helix. The riders competed in three groups of 10 with each group being assigned a letter (A, B, C). Other countries represented today were: Australia; Austria; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; Denmark; France; Finland; Great Britain; Germany; Ireland; Lithuania; Moldova; the Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Singapore; South Korea; Sweden, and Venezuela.

FEI Dressage Rules Summary for the Grand Prix Test

According to the FEI’s Rulebook for the Olympic Games dressage competition, all athletes must participate in the Grand Prix Test. It serves as the qualifying competition for the individual competition (FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, 18 competitors) and the team competition (FEI Grand Prix Special, top 10 teams of three riders each competing, no individual athletes in the Special).

The FEI rules read this way:

Athletes compete in six (6) groups, with three (3) groups competing on the first day and the remaining three (3) groups on the second day. (The composition of the groups are based on the FEI World Ranking List, the position of the horse in the “FEI Dressage World Ranking List – Horses” on the date of definite entries.)

Two from each group, plus the next best six (6) ranked Athletes (overall best results) qualify for the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle. If a qualified Athlete/Horse drops out, the vacant spot is filled by the next best ranked Athlete. In case of a tie, the highest and lowest total scores for each Athlete will be added and divided by two, with the highest score deciding on the tie. If the tie cannot be broken, the second highest and second lowest total scores for each Athlete will be added and divided by two with the highest score deciding on the tie. If the tie is still not broken, the third highest and third lowest total scores for each Athlete will be added and divided by two, with the highest score deciding on the tie. If the tie cannot be broken, it will be decided by a draw. All Teams receive a qualification ranking after the FEI Grand Prix by adding up the three (3) results per team. The top ten (10) ranked Teams (including those tied for the 10th place), qualify for the Team competition, FEI Grand Prix Special. Individual athletes not on teams do not contest the Special.

Scores Summary

The top-scoring rider of the day from all three groups was Nanna Skodborg Merrald riding Zepter for Denmark. They scored 78.028 percent to qualify for the Freestyle from Group A.

Also qualifying from Group A with the second-best score of the group was Dinja van Liere and Hermes from the Netherlands (77.764). Qualifying from Group B were Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Vayron (76.910) and Germany’s Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD (76.118). And, qualifying from Group C were Great Britain’s Becky Moody and Jagerbomb (74.938) and Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Touchdown (74.317).

Six more (top two in each group) automatic qualifiers for the Grand Prix Freestyle will be determined tomorrow when Groups D, E and F complete their Grand Prix Tests. Then, after those are determined, the six next-best scores — regardless of which group they were in — will be selected for the Freestyle. That will complete the lineup for the individual dressage medal finals to be held on August 4.

U.S. Rider Performances

Marcus Orlob and Alice Tarjan’s 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Jane were first up for the USA, entering the arena in the seventh spot in Group B. It was the first Olympics for both Orlob and Jane. As they entered the arena to warm up, Jane was tense and bouncing around a bit. But Orlob settled her nicely and they began a beautiful test, showing lovely free, expansive movement. They began canter zig-zags and were headed toward the judge at C. Then that judge, Susanne Baarup from Denmark, rang the bell because she noticed traces of blood on Jane’s right hind fetlock. Orlob pulled Jane up and spoke with the judges.

They were then eliminated due to the FEI’s “no blood” rule. It is suspected that Jane must have stepped on herself when she spooked coming into the arena. Because of Jane’s elimination, the U.S. Team was also eliminated, since it was decided not to substitute in Endel Ots and Bohemian at this late date. (Substitution comes with penalty points assessed to the team, which makes their chance of winning a medal unlikely.)

US Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig spoke about the elimination of Orlob and Jane: “The beginning of the test was beautiful for a horse that is just 10 years old and has done this at this level for [a] very short time, only since February. [Jane] is amazing. That was very unfortunate because up until that point, they were running around a 73%, and it would’ve gone up higher with the canter work and the last centerline.”

The second member of the U.S. Dressage Team to perform today was Adrienne Lyle on the 12-year-old gelding Dutch Warmblood gelding Helix, owned by owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center. It is the third Olympics for Lyle, who also competed in London in 2012 and Tokyo in 2021. They did their test in the seventh spot in Group C, scoring 72.593 percent. The pair showed lovely freedom in the shoulders and front legs in the half-pass and extended trot and a great ability to “sit” during the piaffe-passage tour and canter pirouettes, as well as nice canter lead changes.

“Adrienne did a fantastic job riding Helix,” Traurig said. “Again, he was on when he entered the arena, and we were thinking, ‘Whoa, definitely plenty of energy there.’ She handled it masterfully. They had a very good score considering this combination is only together for a very short time and did not start the CDIs until earlier this year. It shows you what potential the horse has and what potential Adrienne has as a rider.”

With the U.S. Team eliminated, both Lyle and Peters will compete as individuals going forward in these Paris 2024 Games. It is hoped that their Grand Prix scores will qualify them for the Freestyle. Peters will ride Suppenkasper in the Grand Prix Test tomorrow.

◆ Individual Results
◆ Team Results

Grand Prix Day 2 Preview

Grand Prix day number two is tomorrow with three more groups of 10 horse and rider pairs competing. After the completion of the Grand Prix Tests tomorrow, the 18 individuals for the Freestyle will be named. Competition runs from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Central European Time (4:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time).

The U.S. Team’s Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper, a 16-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki, will ride their test at 3:01 p.m. CET (9:01 a.m. U.S. ET). Other notable competitors tomorrow include the current World Champion Glamourdale ridden by Charlotte Fry of Great Britain (ride time 10:00 a.m. CET/4:00 a.m. U.S. ET), current Olympic Champions TSF Dalera BB ridden by Jessica von Bredow-Werndl of Germany (ride time 3:20 p.m.CET/9:20 a.m. U.S. ET), and the most decorated Olympic equestrian ever, Germany’s Isabell Werth riding Wendy (ride time 11:25 a.m. CET/5:25 a.m. U.S. ET).

View tomorrow’s full order of go here.

For broadcast information, go to NBCOlympics.com. All equestrian coverage is streamed live and available for replays on Peacock.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Dressage Grand Prix Day 1 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Olympic records were broken during the team and individual eventing dressage competition today at the Palace of Versailles, located about half an hour southwest of Paris, during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Home to several generations of French kings, and now the venue for equestrian sports in the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the iconic chateau and manicured gardens served as a beautiful backdrop behind letter A of the dressage arena. Though rain fell the entire day, crowds still mostly filled the stands by midday and few left early.

For the first time in recent memory, and perhaps ever, the eventing dressage competition was completed all on one day. Sixty-four horse and rider combinations from 27 different countries cantered down centerline from 9:30 a.m. until just after 6 p.m.

There were six groups of 10 riders each and one final group of four riders, with each separated by breaks to groom the ring footing. Judges for the day were: Christina Klingspor from Sweden at C; Robert Stevenson from the USA at E (in his Olympic judging debut), and Xavier le Sauce from France at M.

The dressage test ridden was the Olympic 5* Short Test, specially designed for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo to produce a shorter trip around the boards for a viewer-friendly experience and a more compact competition schedule favored by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and television networks. The test takes only about three minutes and 50 seconds to complete versus the old test, which took over six minutes. It is intense because all of the required movements have to be packed into such a short time.

For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

First to compete was the reigning Olympic gold medalist (from Tokyo 2021), Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21. They earned a good score of 26.9 (which put them in 15th at the end of the day), setting up the day for a game of “how low can you go.”

Five riders later, the first U.S. rider, Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake — one of only three 9-year-old horses in the competition (the youngest age allowed by the FEI in Olympic eventing) — took their turn scoring 30.4, very respectable for such a young combination. Although Pamukcu and Blake were individual gold medalists in the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games, this was an Olympic debut for both. They ended the dressage phase in 25th place.

Pamukcu talked about her focus, “The big goal is I want to be a team score. I am here to give the best, consistent dressage test, the best, consistent cross-country, and the best, consistent show jump round. So, the whole goal for this weekend is not individual performance, it is team performance. Team medals are more important than anything else, especially looking toward Los Angeles [in 2028]. Blake is my best friend. I take him for hacks. I am with him nearly every single day. I adore him and he adores me.”

Two riders after Pamukcu, Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and JL Dublin lowered the top score again, earning 25.8 to take the early lead and later in the day putting them in 11th after dressage.

The next U.S. rider to compete was Elisabeth Halliday and the 10-year-old Nutcracker, who were last to go in the third group right before the lunch break. Also competing in her first Olympics, Halliday is known for laying down great dressage scores and they did just that, garnering a 28.0 to move them into fourth at the time. By the end of the day, they were in 19th individually.

Halliday and Nutcracker had moved from the teams traveling reserve spot onto the team less than 48 hours ago due to Will Coleman’s horse developing a foot abscess. She was elated after her ride, yet said she felt devastated for Coleman, having experienced that type of disappointment before.

She said she went through a range of emotions leading up to competing for the team, “I went from shock to ‘oh my gosh’ to ‘OK, now I’m just a competitor’ again. I am absolutely thrilled with how my young horse performed in there. He has actually taken a big leap forward in his work in the last two weeks.”

Then, a few scores in the high teens and more in the 20s started dropping with some regularity. The third rider out after the lunch break was Laura Collett from Great Britain riding her long-time partner London 52. Great things were expected from this pair who had won the 2022 Badminton 5* Horse Trials  and were members of the British Team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. And, boy, did they deliver! As instrumental strains of The Beatles’ hit “Yesterday” appropriately played in the background, their test was nearly foot perfect and beautiful to watch. When their mark of 17.5 was posted, the crowds cheered and they were in the history books as the best-ever Olympic eventing dressage score. They eventually topped the leaderboard at the end of the day.

Several more horse and rider pairs posted impressive scores in the 20s, then Germany’s Michael Jung, a four-time Olympian, and his Tokyo 2021 mount Chipmunk FRH stepped into the ring. Great expectations for them were fulfilled as well and they notched another fabulous score, just below Collett’s, a 17.8 and another Olympic record-breaking score. After Jung and Chipmunk, more 20-something scores dropped, too.

The final U.S. rider was Boyd Martin on Fedarman B, riding in honor of Fedarman’s previous owner Annie Goodwin, who died in a riding accident. Martin is representing the USA in his fourth Olympic Games. They put in a nice test, slightly marred by a couple of bobbles in canter flying changes to earn 30.5. Still, it was a good start for them looking toward cross-country tomorrow.

Martin summarized their test, “Awesome test except for two moments which were disastrous. I really feel like Bruno went in there and was such a champion; he was with me every step of the way. But, our left-to-right lead changes in there were a bit of a muddle. In the lead up to this event, we had been getting those really good at home in training. Today the atmosphere was electric out there and he got a bit of anxiety and I think I mistimed my aids a little bit. I feel like I gave my all today and it would have been awesome to have four great changes, but I feel like we still came out of it with a respectable score. Other than the flying changes, I feel like it was our best work ever. I feel like it [the cross-country] is a hell of a course out there, but I feel like my horse is custom made for it.”

One rider, Emiliano Portale of Italy riding Future, was unfortunately eliminated today in the equipment and welfare check after their test. They had earned a score of 30.5, but unfortunately blood was discovered in Future’s mouth. Finding blood on a horse is cause for elimination with no exceptions. The FEI issued this statement regarding the discovery: “The horse, Future, ridden by athlete No. 13 Emiliano Portale (ITA), was eliminated during the Eventing Dressage test after blood was found in the horse’s mouth during the post-competition check on 27 July. Elimination under this Rule does not imply that there was any intention to hurt or harm the horse, but the FEI discipline rules have been put in place to ensure that horse welfare is protected at all times.”

Find a complete list of the individual eventing results after the dressage phase here.

In the team competition, eyes were on the scoreboard and calculators were out, as national federations figured and refigured their standings during the day. Each team has three horse and rider combinations, with no drop score, so a lot is riding on each member’s performance.

The British Team has so, so much depth and they showed it today, posting the best score of 66.7. Standing in second after dressage is Germany on 74.1 and third is the French Team, which rose to the occasion in front of their home crowd scoring 81.2. Not far behind, New Zealand is fourth with 83.0 and fifth is Japan (87.4). The USA stands in striking distance in sixth place on 88.9.

Find complete eventing post-dressage team results here.

Tomorrow’s cross-country begins at 10:30 a.m. and runs to 3 p.m. Central European Time (4:30 a.m. U.S. East Coast Time, 3:30 a.m. U.S. Central Time, 2:30 a.m. Rocky Mountain Time, 1:30 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time). NBC’s Peacock and NBCOlympics.com will livestream the competition from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time.

Individual and team cross-country orders of go and results, as well as obstacle descriptions and a cross-country course map, can be found at these links:

◆ Team
◆ Individual

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The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Olympic Records Broken & Team Standings After Eventing Dressage appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The day was soggy and grey, but the competition today in the 2024 Paris Olympics eventing dressage phase was as hotly contested as it gets. Two horse and rider combinations, Laura Collett (GBR) on London 52, and Michael Jung (GER) on Chipmunk FRH, bested the Olympic record score set in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games by gold medalists David O’Connor and Custom Made (USA).

O’Connor’s and Custom Made’s 19.3 score (converted to match the current scoring system) from Sydney stood for 24 years, but today Collett and London 52 earned a 17.5 and Jung and Chipmunk a 17.8, to make them both new Olympic record holders and dropping O’Connor to third best.

Collett and Jung are currently one-two in the standings with China’s Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof and Australia’s Christopher Burton and Shadow Man tied for third on 22.0. Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and Dao de L’Ocean are in fifth on 22.1.

In the all-important team standings, Great Britain leads the pack with strong performances from all of their riders (66.7). Germany is second (74.1), France third with (81.2), New Zealand in fourth (83.0), Japan fifth (87.4) and the USA in sixth (88.9).

Top rider for the USA was Elisabeth Halliday on Nutcracker; they currently stand in 19th place (28.0). Second best scorers for the USA were Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake in 25th (30.4). Boyd Martin and Federman B scored (30.5) for 26th.

Stay tuned for more to come. For more coverage, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Eventing Dressage Recap appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

LEXINGTON, KY. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the four athlete-and-horse combinations selected to represent the United States as a part of Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games hosted from July 26 – August 11, 2024. The dressage competition will begin on July 30, 2024, and continue through August 4, 2024, at the equestrian grounds of Versailles.

The U.S. Olympic Dressage Team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig alongside Team Leader Laura Roberts, and supported by team veterinarian Dr. Laura Faulkner, team human physiotherapist Jennifer Mitchell, and team farrier Chuck Jones.

“There has been a lot of anticipation around the selection of this team, and I am confident in and proud of each of the combinations we have representing the U.S. at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig. “Everyone has been hard at work here in Europe for the past six weeks, working to solidify and build confidence in their partnerships and producing stronger scores for the U.S. We want to be sure our horses are peaking at the right time over the next few weeks, and I know these athletes will give everything they have to make our country proud.”

For more news, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

The following combinations have been selected to the U.S. Olympic Dressage Team and are listed in alphabetical order.

Adrienne Lyle (Wellington, Fla.) and Helix, a 2012 Dutch Warmblood (Apache X Zeester T) gelding owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and cared for by Marina Lemay

Marcus Orlob (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Jane, a 2014 Dutch Warmblood (Desperado x Zandra) mare owned by Alice Tarjan and cared for by Allison Nemeth

Steffen Peters (San Diego, Calif.) and Suppenkasper, a 2008 KWPN (Spielberg x Upanoeska) gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki and cared for by Eddie Garcia

The following combination has been selected as the traveling reserves.

Endel Ots (Wellington, Fla.) and Bohemian, a 2010 Westphalian (Bordeaux x Sunshine) gelding owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and cared for by Caroline Hoerdum

— Edited Press Release

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The post 2024 Paris Olympics: US Equestrian Announces U.S. Olympic Dressage Team for Paris 2024 Olympic Games appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.