Para Dressage: USA earn their stars and stripes on opening day in Versailles

written by By Bryn Palmer

 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 strikes gold at fifth attempt

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”

Rebecca Hart USA

“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.”

Diamond Dunes is forever gold for Howard

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.”

Katrine Kristensen 
(DEN)

“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.”

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.

‘No limits’ for DJ Snikus

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’.”

Darja Tikhomirova, Chef d’Equipe (LAT)

“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

Feature image: Katrine KRISTENSEN (DEN) – Silver grade 2 with GOERKLINTGAARDS Quater, Fiona HOWARD (USA) – Gold grade 2 with Diamond Dunes and Georgia WILSON (GBR) – Bronze grade 2 with Sakura. Paris 2024 Paralympics. Paradressage Individual Event – Grade II, medal ceremony.Photo Copyright © FEI/Liz Gregg