THE dressage was perhaps the most predictable of the three equestrian sports in Paris, until the shocking news broke that Charlotte Dujardin was out following a video which showed her making “an error of judgement” during a training session (see page 90). This will undoubtedly change the look of the team competition for which Britain were favourites.

It is also likely to change the look of the individual podium as Dujardin was among those in the hunt. At last year’s Europeans, the world watched as the reigning German Olympic champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB battled it out with Britain’s world champion Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.

The German came out on top on that occasion, but no one will ever forget Glamourdale’s performance at the 2022 Worlds when the crowd gasped during the stunning black stallion’s canter work. The pair won the Grand Prix and Special in Aachen this month.

The bronze medal now looks to be wide open and among those in the hunt will be Dujardin’s former World championship medal-winning horse Freestyle. The mare is now ridden by Denmark’s Catherine Laudrup-Dufour and the pair have won each of their four international starts with scores of over 80%.

The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere and the 12-year-old stallion Hermes won double bronze at the World Championships in 2022 before missing a lot of 2023 but they burst back to life with a CDI5* Freestyle win at Rotterdam in June.

Team title

In terms of the team competition, it was looking like a straight shootout for gold between Britain and Germany but with Dujardin out, it will drop Britain down the pecking order. Becky Moody comes in with Jargerbomb for her first Olympic Games. An able deputy, she joins Fry and Carl Hester who will be competing at his seventh Olympics. They will have it all to do to stay on the podium.

So, with that said, Germany look set to win their 15th team title. Joining von Bredow-Werndl on the team is the most successful dressage athlete in the history of the Games – Isabell Werth. She has won a gold medal at each of her six Games so far. She rides the 10-year-old mare Wendy and they have only been a partnership since January of this year when she took over from the suspended Andrea Helgstrand. A superb winning score of 89.1% in the Freestyle at Aachen secured their slot. The third team member is Frederic Wandres (Bluetooth OLD).

The Danes won gold at the World Championships on home soil in 2022 and followed up with a bronze at last summer’s Europeans. As well as the fancied Laudrup-Dufour on the team is Nanna Skodborg Merrald (Zepter) and Daniel Backmann Andersen (Vayron).