FEI World Para Dressage Championships

RIGHT: THE GRADE II INDIVIDUAL PODIUM: SIR LEE PEARSON ADDED INDIVIDUAL BRONZE TO HIS ALREADY IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION. ON HIS HOMEBRED GELDING, BREEZER, HE SCORED 75.091% TO FINISH ON THE HEELS OF DENMARK’S KATRINE KRISTENSEN WITH GOERKLINTGAARDS QUATER (75.788%) AND AUSTRIA’S PEPO PUCH WITH SAILOR’S BLUE (75.333%).

ABOVE: SOPHIE WELLS HANDLED THE HEAT AS BRILLIANTLY AS EVER, WITH THE COMPETITIVE GRADE V INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION AS HOT AS THE AUGUST SUN. SOPHIE GAVE HER TOKYO 2020 DANCING PARTNER, ROWLAND AND MARIA KINCH’S DON CARA M, A MAGNIFICENT RIDE FOR 75.279% TO TAKE SILVER.

WITH THE TOKYO TEAM REUNITED FOR THE ORIFARM HEALTHCARE FEI PARA DRESSAGE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HERNING, DENMARK, A MAGIC MIX OF EXPERIENCE AND YOUTH ACCOMPLISHED THE MISSION OF PARIS 2024 QUALIFICATION TOGETHER WITH CLOCKING UP A TOTAL OF SEVEN INDIVIDUAL MEDALS. WE CELEBRATE THEIR SUCCESSES.

BELOW: NATASHA BAKER WHO, DESPITE HAVING ONLY A FORTNIGHT BACK IN THE SADDLE AFTER SIX WEEKS OFF RIDING, RODE TO A FANTASTIC INDIVIDUAL SILVER IN THE GRADE III. WITH HER PARENTS PHIL AND LORRAINE BAKER, CHRISTIAN LANDOLT AND JOANNA JENSEN’S KEYSTONE DAWN CHORUS SHE SCORED 73.970% TO REPEAT HER SILVER MEDAL FROM TOKYO. SHE IS PICTURED ON THE PODIUM WITH DANISH STAR TOBIAS THORNING JØRGENSEN AND REBECCA HART WHO TOOK BRONZE FOR THE USA.

PHOTOS: KEVIN SPARROW

BELOW: GEORGIA WILSON AND THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD MARE SAKURA SHOWED MUCH CLASS FOR FIFTH PLACE IN THE GRADE II INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION.

RIGHT: NATASHA BAKER AND THE DIMAGGIO-SIRED MARE KEYSTONE DAWN CHORUS PUT A SCORE OF 73.676% ON THE CARD FOR GREAT BRITAIN IN THE TEAM COMPETITION, TO HELP TOWARDS THAT ALL-IMPORTANT QUALIFICATION FOR PARIS 2024. BELOW: SIR LEE PEARSON, WHO NEVER FAILS TO PUT IN A BRILLIANT SHIFT FOR HIS COUNTRY, LAID DOWN A SOLID 73.529% TOWARDS THE BRITISH TEAM TOTAL.

ABOVE: HRH PRINCESS BENEDIKTE OF DENMARK, PATRON OF THE ECCO FEI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, WATCHES THE COMPETITION UNFOLD IN THE BB HORSE ARENA

RIGHT: THE GRADE II FREESTYLE PODIUM OF THE GRADE II FREESTYLE PODIUM OF SIR LEE PEARSON AND GEORGIA WILSON SIR LEE PEARSON AND GEORGIA WILSON WITH THE HOME NATION’S GOLD WITH THE HOME NATION’S GOLD MEDALLIST, KATRINE KRISTENSEN. MEDALLIST, KATRINE KRISTENSEN.

RIGHT: THE BRITISH SUPPORT CREW IN THE ‘KISS AND CRY’ SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION AFTER GEORGIA WILSON AND SAKURA COMPLETE THEIR TEST. AS FIRST UP TO THE PLATE IN GREAT BRITAIN’S HUNT FOR PARIS 2024 QUALIFICATION, 26-YEAR-OLD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUTANTE GEORGIA WILSON WITH HER OWN, GEOFF AND JULIE WILSON’S SAKURA POSTED 72.971% IN THE GRADE II TEAM COMPETITION. THIS TALENTED YOUNG RIDER CAN CERTAINLY BE PROUD OF HER LATEST CALL UP TO FLY THE FLAG FOR GREAT BRITAIN.

RIGHT: RIDING TO THEIR TOKYO KUNG FU PANDA PROGRAMME, SIR LEE PEARSON AND BREEZER ONCE AGAIN SHOWED THEIR CLASS SCORING 77.860% TO ADD THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRADE II FREESTYLE SILVER MEDAL TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL BRONZE. “MAYBE IF WE GET SELECTED FOR PARIS 2024, WE’LL HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING FRENCH-INSPIRED!” SAID LEE. LEFT: TEAM ANCHORS SOPHIE WELLS AND DON CARA M EARNED A FANTASTIC 76.190% TO SECURE TEAM FOURTH BEHIND THE NETHERLANDS, DENMARK AND THE USA, AND HELP ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION OF PARALYMPIC QUALIFICATION FOR GREAT BRITAIN. “QUALIFYING FOR PARIS IS WHAT WE CAME HERE TO DO. OVERNIGHT, WE WERE QUITE AWARE THAT GOLD AND SILVER WERE OUT OF THE QUESTION. WE THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUSH FOR BRONZE - BUT QUALIFICATION FOR PARIS IS A TICK,” SAID SOPHIE.

ABOVE: GEORGIA WILSON GEORGIA WILSON AND THE DELIGHTFUL BRITISH-BRED SAKURA SHOWED ALL THE QUALITIES THAT EARNED THEM A DOUBLE OF INDIVIDUAL BRONZE MEDALS IN TOKYO. RIDING TO AN UPBEAT COMPILATION, GEORGIA AND ‘SUKI’ DELIVERED A CONFIDENT CLEAN TEST, SHOWING SUPER BALANCE AND FLUENCY, TO EARN 75.834% FOR GRADE II FREESTYLE BRONZE.

ABOVE: “THE TROT JUST FELT AMAZING. HE WAS ON ANOTHER LEVEL TODAY,” ENTHUSED SOPHIE WELLS AFTER WINNING THE GRADE V FREESTYLE BRONZE MEDAL WITH DON CARA M. SHE IS PICTURED WITH BELGIUM’S MICHÈLE GEORGE WHO TOOK GOLD ABOARD BEST OF 8 AND THE NETHERLANDS’ FRANK HOSMAR, WHO RODE ALPHAVILLE N.O.P. TO SILVER. BELOW: DENMARK’S NEWEST STAR TOBIAS THORNING JØRGENSEN (22) AND THE DELIGHTFUL GREY MARE JOLENE HILL PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS TO POST A RECORD-BREAKING 86.513% GRADE III FREESTYLE. THE FLAWLESS PROGRAMME BROUGHT THE ELATED HOME CROWD TO ITS FEET WHEN THE GOLD MEDALWINNING SCORE WAS ANNOUNCED.

LEFT: NATASHA BAKER AND KEYSTONE DAWN CHORUS DANCED TO ANOTHER PODIUM POSITION. RIDING TO AN EMOTIVE MUSIC ARRANGEMENT, THEIR TEST FEATURED BALANCED SIMPLE CHANGES AND LEG YIELDS, WITH IMPRESSIVE LINES OF MEDIUM TROT. A POLISHED PERFORMANCE WAS JUSTLY AWARDED A CRACKING SCORE OF 76.620% FOR THE GRADE III FREESTYLE BRONZE MEDAL.