After riding my winning individual test at the Rio Paralympics I went straight to media while Reece was cooled off in the misting fans and got ready for the prize giving. I got to Channel 4 and they wanted to see the confirmed score and final standings on the screen just before my interview, but when I saw it written down, I was a crying mess again, hence the emotional interview. For those who know me, I’m not an emotional person, and it takes a lot to make me cry…

We were then straight into the medal ceremony without a chance to take in what was really going on. But walking down to the podium, seeing Reece being led in by Ange and Sophie made me swell with pride, and of course cry a bit more. Ange and I have worked so hard with Reece over the past 10 years, which made it even more special.

The national anthem and standing on the top of the podium was just the best feeling. It’s really hard to describe sat here tapping away on my laptop. It’s always an honour to wear the British flag on your jacket, but it takes it to another level at a Paralympics, and to then stand on the podium hearing our national anthem is just something else. It’s also the first time the grade IV gold medal has ever been won by a British rider in the history of the Paralympics, so it was another first, and one I will always treasure. This medal was also won by Noki. I wore his tail bracelet through all my tests, so he was with me — the one medal I didn’t manage to win for him, and his owners, Jackie and Neil. They have taken me so far and he really deserved this too.

It was probably two hours after my test that I was able to finally get changed and sit down for five minutes to take it in.

The rest of the day went in a bit of a blur. I went to see our family and friends and the rest of my support team at British house that night, and we had dinner together which was lovely.

The next day we gave Reece a little stretch before the freestyle the following day. I did wake up that morning and have to pinch myself to make sure it was real and it actually happened.

There are some strong riders and horses in grade IV now. The best trainers in the world are being used and para sport is really coming into its own.

I was really looking forward to my freestyle. It was a new composition by Tom Hunt, made especially for this competition. There were a few hurdles in the way of trying to sort the floorplan and music, but I was really pleased with the outcome. I hadn’t ridden it in competition before, but I had ridden through it at home and it had worked well. I had it on repeat through my head phones between the individual and competing in the freestyle. I was really ready for it, excited I think, and really looking forward to getting into the arena again and making the most of our time there.

I had decided on loud music in the sound check to get the atmosphere going and I found it was quite spine tingling.

I was the first of the Brits in the freestyle, and was eager to get on and start our warm-up.

Towards the end of the warm-up I was having problems holding my reins in my right hand. My loops, which are on buckles are leather and my saddler, Andy Milner, has made the leather rolled and narrow so it fits on my one finger on each hand, remaining secure which has helped a lot this year. My right hand finger isn’t full length so it doesn’t bend around the loop as far, and I’m very reliant on the grip of my gloves to keep me from losing the reins. I think my glove must have got wet when we were washing Reece off during his warm-up, which lost some of the grip, so just before going in I was worrying about keeping my rein. Once it pops off the end of that finger I lose the rein completely, which scares me sometimes.

I started my test and the floor plan was riding well. I got to the walk and the first movement is the extended walk, which I was grateful of as in the transition my loop slipped off my right finger. My reins were then more the length you would have for free walk and not extended, which the judges picked up on which was frustrating.

We missed our first flying-change of the first line of tempi-changes, which made us finish late going into a canter pirouette, which then made things a little tense, but we got it back and managed to do it well on the other rein. The compulsory movements had all come off, and the music fitted, which are the main things in a freestyle. Plus, I really enjoyed it.

I was pleased with the test, it wasn’t perfect, but there wasn’t much wrong with it either and I was shaking a lot afterwards! I went to cool Reece off and we heard that we had gone into silver medal position at the end of the class. The margin was so small; 0.15% behind Michele George from Belgium, who had taken silver in the individual. The score, 76% wasn’t near our personal best of nearly 81%, but that didn’t reflect how he went.

Three judges had me to win, but the other two that didn’t had a bigger margin, which meant we ended up in silver. I was so pleased with the individual medal. Of course the freestyle mattered, and it would have been great to get a hat-trick, but we can’t control the outcome, we can only control our performance in the arena.

Continued below…

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It was also great to hear we had won the team competition by a massive 20%. Then it was time for the medal ceremonies for the freestyle and the team. The horses were extremely well behaved and a credit to our whole team. I hope everyone who was out in Rio with us, and also our home teams that help us keep things going, and the horses in top condition all year, know that these medals are won because of the great people we have around us and the hard work we all put in. All this made possible by our sponsors and supporters, World Class, UK Sport and Lottery funding. Honestly, I hope you all know how much your support means. Dressage is far from an individual sport, it relies on the strongest team. Also the messages of support from home, on social media, texts, emails, cards etc, honestly mean so much. So thank you!

The two days after competition and flying home went really quickly. I was really sad to leave…. I was ready to go home and see everyone there and make sure everyone was ok, but we had the best time, in a very beautiful part of the world, with good company and amazing experiences; memories that will be with me forever.

Flying home on the BPA chartered British Airways plane with the golden nose was just incredible. How I got into first class with so many amazing athletes around me I will never know, but what an experience!

Sophie

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Well what can I say? Since my last blog, a small but mighty whirlwind has occurred; the Paralympic games. It was amazing to be a part of it, but also so surreal that it almost feels like it hasn’t happened!

So, myself, Reece and Jorge left on 1 September to start the mammoth journey to Rio. We met up with the rest of the team at The Arrow RDA in Dartford where the selected horses were checked out to make sure they were all healthy and fit to travel. Thankfully all the horses were fine, but this also meant the reserves had to head for home once the selected horses had arrived in Liege, Belgium, at the airport ready to travel the following day to Rio.

Beth, my groom at home, travelled with Reece and Mark Perry who transports the horses to the airport and loaded him in the crate to go on the plane. Sophie Cassey, my competition groom, flew out to Rio the day before the horses so she could be there take him off the lorry the other end and get him settled in his new home. I flew with the rest of the team on the same day as the horses, but from Heathrow and we were very lucky to be able to fly business class, which meant physically we arrived in good form and ready for the competition.

The 12-hour flight was quite a long one and Reece did lose some weight, which was expected, but he certainly wasn’t feeling tired when I got to see him!

The next week was spent familiarising the horses to the venue, training arenas and then the competition area at the end of the week. The setting was beautiful with a backdrop of mountains. The main arena definitely felt smaller than the one at London 2012 but it was friendly, which is really important when it comes to the horses feeling comfortable in there by themselves on competition day.

The athlete’s village was amazing. The flats were comfortable and I think making it a homely space is really important when you are away for so long. I decorated my walls with pictures from home and good luck cards. The apartment blocks were surrounded by swimming pools, palm trees, water features, climbing frames, tennis courts…. the list goes on. The normal food hall, which was the second biggest temporary structure in the world, was as crazy as ever. The food was probably the worst bit of the trip. There is only so many times you can have sticky or dry noodles, grilled chicken and well over-cooked broccoli!

All the British horses passed the trot-up — they were beautifully turned out by the very hard working grooms, and we all looked very smart in our Adidas team kit. Although it was supposed to be Brazil’s winter, they had a bit of a heat wave that lasted the two weeks, which meant most days temperatures were over 30 degrees. Therefore we spent a lot of time taking Reece out for some grass where there tended to be a bit of a breeze in an open field, and we were fortunate that the British team took out fans for the horses’ stables to try and keep them cool. We also washed them off with ice water during training and in the warm-up for competitions every 10/15 minutes to keep them as cool as we could.

My first day of competition was the team test. I was thrilled to hear that I was put onto the team to fight for the prestigious team medal that we have all fought so hard to retain. It’s always an honour. I was the first of our team riders to go and we always have in our minds that we need to ride for a safe ‘clear round’ for the team score. I was more nervous than I thought I would be. We trotted in and Reece felt the atmosphere — to be fair I could feel it too!

I think we had all resigned ourselves to the fact that the atmosphere was never going to be like London, being a home games, and with ticket sales being low for the Olympics, we didn’t think there would be many people watching. We were wrong!

The test went well, but it felt like Reece was holding his breath a little bit and he lost his swagger. It was a clean test though, which we needed, just not quite on full power. It was quite a feeling finishing the test and hearing the cheers from the crowd, and the brilliant British supporters. I said to myself before I got on, that I wanted to go in and enjoy it, take it all in and live the experience, and just ride the best I could. We did enough to come second by a small margin, behind reigning Paralympic and world champion, Michele George and Rainman, which was a comfortable position to be in going in to the individual test two days later.

I gave Reece a little trot stretch early the next day before it got too hot. It’s important to keep his muscles moving after working hard the day before, and we did some walk work to keep his brain in gear. He then had the rest of the day to chill out.

I had kept telling myself that it’s not about the medals. Although I train to be the best I can be, some things are out of our control and after the disappointment of London I wanted to go into the Rio games in a different head space. I’ve worked really hard with Jennie Killilea this year on my core values, and have been working with much more of a holistic approach.

I knew what I had to do going into the individual and was in a calm place. I went around the arena in rising trot, talking to Reece and giving him the confidence in there that he had in the warm-up. His swagger had returned. The test was going well, but when I went into canter two birds took residence in the arena. I remember thinking to myself: “You are not going to ruin this for me!” We managed to perform around the birds, we even got through the dreaded simple change that has haunted me since London. I found myself smiling as I was riding round, enjoying it, enjoying dancing with my boy as we have worked so hard to be here. It was then the final centre line with a canter to halt transition at X, and where were the birds? On X. I said in my head “move birds – I need to halt there”. I think they sensed I meant it as at the last moment they waddled quickly to the side of the centre line and we halted – on X!

As soon as I saluted and walked off I felt this surge of emotion that came out of nowhere. We had done everything we could in that test. As soon as I saw Ange coming out of the kiss and cry stand, she was in tears. We didn’t even know a score or the scores of anyone else. We just knew we had delivered what we could and the rest was out of our hands.

Continued below…

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I gave Reece a little trot in the indoor school to cool him off as it was over 30 degrees and the whole of our support team congregated in the corner of the arena. I walked for a bit, then got some water and walked a bit more. I could see them talking and looking at a phone. I knew it would be at the scores, but I didn’t want to know. I wanted to take a moment to let it sink in that we had competed at the Paralympics and done a great test and Reece tried his heart out for me, trusted me, and gave all he had.

I got off and Lucy (the physio) said: “Do you want to know?” I said “no!”. But she told me anyway. “You have done it – you’ve won!”

I burst into tears, I couldn’t believe it. The rush of emotion was so huge, all that time I had been trying to convince myself that the medals didn’t matter — they did. The years and years of work, the disappointments, the struggles and the lessons learnt had all helped to get to this point.. It was amazing to see the rest of the support team that we are so fortunate to have the support of being emotional too. A lot of them have been on our journey for a long time, and know the hard work and heart ache it has taken. So this is for everyone who has contributed in every way, big or small, directly or indirectly, to our journey and success. Thank you.

To be continued…

Sophie

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Our riders achieved so much out in Rio and I was delighted for all of them. Maintaining their unbeaten run under such pressure was fantastic. I was especially pleased for Sophie Wells. She’s been waiting for that individual gold for four years and she’s one of the most hardworking, dedicated people I’ve ever met, not just with her horses but in life.

The selectors had an extremely difficult job in deciding who should be on the team. They look at past performance and have to estimate what will happen. Many people have said that Lee Pearson should have been on the team. Granted, the scores Lee produced would not have been our discard score had he been, but the selectors aren’t psychic — they have to go on the information they have, which is a lot more than the public have.

How great it is that we can win team gold by such a considerable margin, even when the team wasn’t made up of the four highest scoring combinations. I definitely thought this was the competition where we would get a run for our money, where if we didn’t win gold it would be understandable. The Dutch did everything right in the run-up; I expected them to score higher.

Lee and I are like brothers and I was so thrilled he won the freestyle. He was upset by London and deserved gold here. To see him so emotional proved how much it meant. In Beijing he said to me, “Rick, I just can’t cry on the podium.” It took his 11th gold medal to make him cry. The huge teams behind the scenes deserve all the success too. The medal is the rider and the ribbon is the team holding it around the rider’s neck.

Are riders are risk?

Para dressage is almost a different sport now compared to when I started competing internationally 15 years ago. It’s a lot more professional — I remember the parties at shows, with fake legs flying around, wheelchair races and general carnage. But there’s more money involved now, people have to take it even more seriously.

The biggest change was swapping to own-horse competitions. It’s more subjective now, but the standard and the horsepower has shot up, which is great. However, with that comes the issue of safety. There were a lot of major spooks in Rio that could have turned into accidents, as well as one bad fall, and I was worried for some of the riders.

Some riders with severe disabilities are on horses that they cannot cope with and it’s dangerous. Yes, they’re talented and have balls of steel, and are willing to risk injury to win a medal, but they shouldn’t have to. It’s one of the reasons I retired from the sport — I don’t want to injure myself to the extent that I can’t work, or provide for a family. Riders with disabilities are more vulnerable than able-bodied riders.

We have fantastic horsepower now — the horse I won silver with in Beijing wouldn’t be in the top 10 now — and I’m not suggesting the quality of horses should diminish, but there’s a misconception that talented horses have to be nuts. The best thing that could happen for para dressage may, ironically, be the worst thing — somebody getting badly hurt, or worse — for the sport to recognise the situation.

For dressage and para dressage to survive it needs to appeal to a modern audience and spectators should be able to clap when a rider finishes a test. It shouldn’t matter if a baby cries, or there’s a Mexican wave. There are several horses who didn’t look at a thing in Rio, and it proves they are out there.

Ref Horse & Hound; 22 September 2016

1. Pepo Puch

As soon as Pepo Puch’s individual gold medal winning score been announced, cries of “Papa, Papa” could be heard in the mixed zone. Pepo’s nine-year-old daughter Lou came running towards her father, weaving through the pack of journalists and trailing an Austrian flag, before throwing herself into his arms. She was closely followed by Pepo’s wife and trainer, Michele, and seeing the family embrace and celebrate together was one of the most touching moments of the Games.

2. Lee Pearson

Lee Pearson may have already had 10 gold medals to his name, but it was winning his 11th, in the grade Ib freestyle, that the tears came in their floods.

“I’m thinking of all the hard work this gold has taken, especially when some people don’t believe in your horse,” said Lee, who is the most decorated Paralympic rider of all time.

“I’m in love with my team. I’m in love with the lottery. I’m in love with my family, my parents, my brothers, my groom, my partner — everybody that has kept me in the game, kept me here.”

3. Sanne Voets

The Dutch team may have won the bronze medal, but on the Thursday night Sanne Voets was empty-handed as she had been competing as an individual and not on the team. After finishing an agonising fourth in the grade III individual, she and her Vivaldi gelding Demantur gave the freestyle their all and were rewarded with gold.

“I think I collapsed when I heard I had won the gold!” said Sanne.

4. Stinna Kaastrup

One of the most moving stories of the Games was that of Denmark’s Stinna Kaastrup. The 22-year-old, who was born without legs, was due to compete at the London Paralympics when her pony Labbenhus Snoevs died suddenly just weeks beforehand. In the interim years she has struggled to find the right horse until Smarties was offered to her, but it took the gelding months to understand her aids and earlier this year she said it would not be possible to be ready for Rio. Then, Stinna experienced “the worst night of my life” after Smarties failed the trot-up. Having made it to Rio against the odds, finally passed the trot-up on reinspection, and produced the grade Ib performances of her life to secure two bronze medals, there is no one who deserved a place on the podium more.

5. Medals

Discovering that the Rio 2016 Paralympic medals make different noises, as a much-appreciated gesture to blind athletes, came as a surprise to winners. Each colour medal contains a different number of tiny balls, so the bronze makes a deep rattle, the silver a higher-pitched noise, and the gold the highest of all.

6. Natasha Baker

Britain’s Natasha Baker began crying at the salute in her gold medal-winning individual test, and never stopped. This was her London partner Cabral’s final championship and the 15-year-old had proved tricky in the first class of the week, after suffering stage fright in the huge Olympic stadium. But he was a different horse in the second test, and Natasha couldn’t thank her horse enough, “for allowing me to show the world what he can do”.

7. Sergio Oliva

Brazil haven’t won a Paralympic dressage medal since Beijing 2008, but Sergio Oliva delivered what the hoards of fans were hoping for here. The grade Ia rider almost disappeared under a crowd of Brazilian friends, family, media and other supporters after receiving the first of his two gold medals, for the individual championship, and the noisy celebrations continued into the evening.

8. Sophie Wells

For four years, Sophie Wells has been haunted by the memory of losing out on the grade IV individual gold medal in London. Here she achieved her dream with her own Valerius, a 14-year-old gelding she has trained herself for a decade. Seeing her wipe away the tears on the top of the podium, gazing down at the horse with whom she has shared such a journey, was enough to make everybody glad they were wearing sunglasses.

To read the full report from the Rio Paralympic dressage competition, don’t miss the next issue of Horse & Hound magazine, out tomorrow (22 September)

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As this summer's Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro come to a close, we go behind the scenes at the 1,000 sq metre horse clinic located at the Deodoro stables, to take a look at the world-class veterinary and farriery care that was on tap for our equine athletes. The clinic included the latest pathology, endoscopy, radiography and ultrasonography technology, as well as a dispensary, emergency surgery facility with padded recovery boxes, and specialist treatment stables. The facility was manned by a 130-strong team of veterinary surgeons, anaesthetists, imaging specialists and medical professionals from Brazil and around the world

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

South African rider Philippa Johnson-Dwyer’s Paralympics ended with a blow, as she was eliminated from the freestyle on the final day of competition at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Rio.

Blood was spotted by a technical delegate at the post-test check. The blood was found on the flank of her horse Lord Louis, an 11-year-old chestnut gelding by Laureus.

“The blood found on the horse’s flank looked to have been caused by Philippa’s spur,” confirmed the FEI’s Ruth Grundy. “There’s no way of knowing whether it was a welfare issue or a mistake — the ruling has to be black and white.”

Any appearance of blood on the horse is cause for disqualification according to the FEI para dressage rule 8430.12.13, which states that if an FEI steward or the judge at C discovers fresh blood in the horse’s mouth or in the area of the spurs during the equipment check or competition, it is cause for the horse and rider to be eliminated by the ground jury.

“This was really disappointing but such is the nature of top sport — some days everything goes right, on others it all seems to unravel,” said Philippa. “It is having the courage to stand back up, dust yourself off and keep going that counts.”

This incident follows four disqualifications under blood rules in the showjumping at the Olympic Games, held the previous month at the same venue.

Continued below…

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Philippa and Lord Louis had initially appeared on the scoreboard in provisional sixth place after their freestyle in the grade III section.

They finished seventh in the individual championship earlier in the week, scoring 69.39%, and fifth in the team test on the first day of competition, with 69.92%.

Philippa, who is married to Irish para dressage rider James Dwyer, was the sole South African representative at the Paralympic dressage in Rio, riding as an individual. This is Philippa’s fourth Paralympics, having competed at London 2012 with Lord Louis, and at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 with Benedict. In Hong Kong she and Benedict made history by winning South Africa’s first ever equestrian gold medal in the individual championship, as a grade IV rider.

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When Louise Etzner Jakobsson rides, you would never know she was disabled. After an accident with a horse on the ground, the resulting brain injury means that the grand prix rider’s biggest challenge comes from within her head.

“After the accident I could only walk and canter; I couldn’t trot,” the Swedish grade III rider explains. “My brain just wouldn’t let me – it said stop, no. Imagine having a piece of iron inside your head jumping up and down with the rhythm of the trot. At first I would trot ten metres, walk again, then trot ten metres — I worked that way for almost a year.”

Even now, at the Paralympics, Louise warms up her horse, Zernard, in walk and canter, and her bronze medal-winning freestyle begins in canter.

“My horse has a very nice trot — but my brain hates it!” she says.

‘You’re crazy — I could never do that’

In 2011, Louise’s life changed in an instant.

“I was walking a horse — the nicest, coolest horse in the stables — and she got scared and jumped on me. I was stuck under the horse, then she jumped over me and I flew through the air, landing on the back of my head. I suffered bleeding on the brain three times.”

It was six months before doctors would allow Louise to ride again, and even then her family would only let her ride her gentle, elderly home-bred, whom she felt safe with.

“But then my friend Katarina Qvarnström asked me to have her horse and train him to grand prix,” says Louise. “I said you’re crazy, I could never do that. But she called me for a year and finally I said OK, bring him over. That was Zernard, that was how it all started.”

The brain injury also left Louise with reduced control of the left side of her body.

“My left arm and leg live another life and can start waving in the air. I use glue to stick my leg to the saddle, and I ride with a longer left rein so I can tuck my arm right in to my body.”

Continued below…

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At the 2015 Equestrian Gala in Sweden, Louise was named ‘fighter of the year’, by Olympic dressage rider Patrik Kittel, who met her at a clinic and was hugely impressed by her riding and her spirit.

But Louise says she doesn’t see herself as a natural fighter, although others do.

“My brother tells me I’m so stubborn that if I’m on a train and I want to go in the other direction I’ll tell the driver and be successful, even if there’s no tracks going the way I want,” she laughs.

“But yes, after a brain injury, you really do need to fight, I tell you.”

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It was another golden afternoon in Rio for Great Britain with Lee Pearson, Sophie Christiansen and Natasha Baker all topping the podium in the freestyle.

Lee Pearson went one better than his individual silver on Wednesday to claim gold with Zion, the 11th gold medal of his career.

“I do think I have the most amazing horse — I love him to bits,” he said. “I wanted to go in there powerful and go down that centre line like we owned it. I wanted to say to the judges, ‘we are here’.

“I’m in love with my team. I’m in love with the lottery. I’m in love with my family, my parents, my brothers, my groom, my partner — everybody that has kept me in the game, kept me here.”

Austria’s Pepo Puch took silver with Fontainenoir, with Denmark’s Stinna Kaastrup claiming her secind bronze of the Games with Smarties.

‘I knew we could do it’

It was a British one-two once again in the grade Ia freestyle. Sophie Christiansen scored 79.7% — the highest mark of the competition — to take gold with Athene Lindebjerg. In doing so, Sophie has defended both her individual titles from London.

“This year has been so up and down so to even get here was a feat in itself. Athene is such a young horse. I didn’t know how she would react, but she felt so relaxed with me today so I knew we could do it,” said Sophie.

Anne Dunham had to settle for silver behind her teammate once again, posting 76.05% aboard Lucas Normark, and Brazil’s Sergio Oliva completed the podium line-up in bronze.

Natasha Baker provided Britain with their third gold medal of the day when she defended her freestyle title with Cabral, at what is the 15-year-old Bujak gelding’s last championship. Dutch rider Rixt van der Horst held the lead until Natasha, the final rider of the Games into the arena, added 1.5% to finish on top with 77.25%. Steffen Zeibig and Feel Good 4 took bronze — the sole individual medal here for Germany.

“I’ve run out of tears,” said Natasha. That was our last championship test together and it was magical. He has never been beaten at a Paralympics. He deserves to go out with a bang.”

This brings Britain’s medal total from the Paralympic Games to 11, with six individual golds, four individual silvers and team gold.

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Last Sunday night, Denmark’s Stinna Kaastrup tossed and turned, wondering whether she would ever get to compete at a Paralympic Games.

Stinna’s horse, Smarties, was one of five asked to come forward for reinspection after failing the trot-up.

“It was the worst night of my life — I woke up every hour. I was in disbelief, because my horse was fine, and it scares me that one person had the power to ruin all this for me,” said 22-year-old Stinna.

Luckily, Smarties passed the reinspection and the pair went on to win two individual bronze medals. But it would not have been the first time Stinna had had the Paralympic dream snatched cruelly away.

Born without legs, Stinna started riding aged six and in 2008 began her partnership with the 14.2hh gelding Labbenhus Snoevs. The pair claimed silver at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010, then went one better to win freestyle gold at the 2011 European Championships. They were all set for London 2012 when tragedy struck.

“Right before London he got a blood clot. It was so sudden — we had just won gold and were preparing to go to the Paralympics together — then one day he just died,” remembers Stinna, tears filling her eyes. “Now I’m finally here with Smarties and I know that Snoevs is watching over us. This is for him too.”

‘One hundred difficulties’

Stinna is a fascinating rider to watch. With no legs, she uses a soft, treeless saddle with two handles, and carries a dressage whip on each side, but has nothing additional to help keep her in the saddle. She generates so much power using just her seat, and the 15-year-old Smarties simply pings around the arena.

But there have been “one hundred difficulties” to get to this point. After Snoevs, Stinna partnered the dark bay mare Steffi Graf.

“She was the sweetest soul but she couldn’t cope with the power I needed in the trot,” explains Stinna, a grade Ib rider. “She started getting scared and it cost us medal after medal.”

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At the end of 2015, Stinna made the difficult decision to let Steffi go to Norwegian grade Ia rider Birgitte Reitan, who partners Steffi here in Rio. Stinna was given the ride on former grand prix horse Smarties, and the pair took a while to get used to one another.

“Whenever I touched him with my whips he thought I wanted passage or piaffe. He passaged round our whole test at the Waregem CPEDI in April and I had never ridden a horse like that. It was like going from a Skoda to a Ferrari.

“In May I said to our national trainer, ‘Rio is not possible’, but then we were selected, and we worked our butts off all summer. Eventually it just clicked. I feel so thankful just to be here with Smarties.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

There was panic at the equestrian stadium in Rio when Canadian rider Ashley Gowanlock suffered a dramatic fall at the end of her individual championship test.

Ashley, who has cerebral palsy and competes in grade Ib — the second most disabled category — had just done her final salute at the end of her 65%-scoring test when the 15-year-old Di Scansano took fright and careered towards the stadium entrance. Ashley impressively sat a large buck, but hit the ground as the black gelding leapt the arena boards near A.

Alarm spread as the steward first to Ashley shouted repeatedly for help and black screens were swiftly erected around the rider. However, Ashley explained that, actually, it hadn’t been entirely necessary.

“I just needed some help standing up, but everyone came running over and that’s the problem when you don’t speak Portugese,” she laughed. “Well done to them for following protocol though.”

Ashley was taken to hospital as a precaution, but suffered no serious injuries, just bruising and a slightly sprained ankle.

Di Scansano, a son of De Niro x Rubenstein whom Ashley has been competing for just four months, was unhurt, and looked to settle quickly after the incident.

“It was totally out of character for ‘Disco’. I have no idea what he spooked at but he was genuinely scared, not being naughty,” she explained. “One minute we had been casually walking out, the next minute, not so casual. I was thinking, ‘what is happening?'”

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Because Ashley had concluded her test before the incident, and because she managed to cling on until outside the white boards, her 65.1% score was able to count towards Canada’s team score, although it was not enough to qualify her for the freestyle, for which the top third of each class contest. Ashley finished ninth in the grade Ib individual championship, with Canada finishing 13th in the overall team standings.

The three-time Paralympian, 29, finished sixth in both the individual and the freestyle in London.

While Ashley’s has been the only fall in the stadium, several horses have been startled while exiting the arena. As in London, spectators have complied with the request to show their support by waving instead of clapping, until a handler has taken hold of the horse outside the arena. Nonetheless, Sophie Christiansen’s ride Athene Lindebjerg was spooked just after Sophie gave her final salute in her individual gold medal-winning test. Sophie was unfazed, suggesting afterwards that it could have simply been the sound of commentator breaking the silence.

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Britain’s Sophie Wells had to settle for silver in today’s grade IV freestyle, as Belgium’s Michele George pipped her to gold by 0.15%.

“I can’t control the judges or what they see,” reasoned Sophie, who nonetheless was “chuffed to bits” with Valerius.

The pair performed a brand new freestyle, set to an original composition, and put everything into their floorplan, with three-time changes, half pirouettes and counter canter.

“It took a lot to get this freestyle ready this year, and he was awesome in there. I really loved riding it,” said Sophie, who won individual gold on Wednesday. “I just want to go in and do it again now.”

Michele George and FBW Rainman were foot perfect in their routine to defend their freestyle title from London. Michele was disappointed not to defend her individual title, having taken silver behind Sophie earlier in the week, but was thrilled to be back on top.

“I needed to do something to show everybody I am the best, so I am proud I have achieved the gold medal.

“I am quite overwhelmed at the moment. ‘Fuchs’ was really working with me in there and I enjoyed every second.”

This will be the last Paralympics for both Valerius and Rainman, as both are now 14.

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The line-up was an exact repeat of London, with the Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar finishing in bronze with Alphaville.

But the Dutch had already heard their national anthem ring out across the stadium earlier in the day, when Sanne Voets claimed gold in the grade III freestyle with Demantur. The winning margin was even closer than in the grade IV — just 0.05% separated Sanne and silver medal winner Ann Cathrin Lubbe of Norway.

Sanne has ridden as an individual in Rio and therefore was not part of the bronze medal-winning Dutch team. But this gold makes up for it.

“I believed when we got here that if I do everything right in the freestyle there’s no one who can beat me, and we did everything right today. I think I collapsed when I heard I’d won.”

Britain’s individual rider, Lee Pearson, will contest the grade Ib freestyle this afternoon, followed by Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham in the grade Ia and Natasha Baker in the grade II.

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It was a euphoric day in Rio for British para dressage, with Sophie Christiansen and Natasha Baker each winning individual gold, Anne Dunham taking silver and Britain claiming overall team honours.

This is the sixth consecutive Paralympic team title the Britain has won, having won gold at every Paralympic Games to have featured dressage, beginning in Atlanta in 1996.

No one could topple the British riders all day, with Sophie Christiansen scoring a massive 78.21% on Athene Lindebjerg to retain her individual grade Ia title from London. Anne Dunham secured the silver medal behind her teammate, posting 74.34% aboard the Knabstrupper stallion Lucas Normark.

“I honestly couldn’t have done any more. Athene was so relaxed and with me,” said Sophie.

Despite a totally focused test, Athene had a big spook coming out of the arena, although Sophie wasn’t fazed: “It was fine to do it after the test! Athene is such a sweetie — she was scared but she knows she still has to look after mummy.”

With Sophie Wells collecting grade IV gold yesterday and Natasha Baker winning the grade II individual championship earlier today, Britain finished the team competition on a final score of 453.3 — a full 20 marks out in front. The tightest battle was for silver, with Germany edging out the Netherlands by just three points.

“One horror all of us had was the idea of being on the first team that doesn’t actually win the gold medal,” said Anne, for whom this is a fifth Paralympic gold. “But we won it, and we won it in style. We’ve shown that we are the best prepared, best trained squad in the world. We’ve shown it again and hopefully we’ll go on to show it in future.”

British chef d’equipe Sarah Armstrong added: “We couldn’t have wished for a better result. Since London everybody has upped their game and we are very aware that there are other nations delivering sterling performances who are on our heels. We’ve got to keep looking for the tiny things that can make the difference and that has really been our focus over the past nine or ten months.”

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Brazil’s Sergio Oliva gave the home crowd something to cheer about, winning the bronze medal with Coco Chanel on 73.82%.

”I’ve worked hard for more than 12 years to get this bronze medal so for me it means gold,” said Sergio. “To get a medal in my home country is amazing. I don’t have any words. I love this. I love this moment. This is a dream.”

All five of Britain’s riders have qualified for the freestyle tomorrow, which will begin at 1pm BST. The team medal ceremony will also take place tomorrow.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

At just 18 years old, the USA’s Sydney Collier is the youngest dressage competitor at the Paralympic Games in Rio.

You’d think she’d be feeling overwhelmed and nervous about performing in the huge Olympic stadium against far more experienced riders. But for Sydney, there is a bright side to her condition:

“I had a stroke aged 11 which knocked out my ability to feel nervous or anxious or scared — it’s the silver lining. When people say they’re really nervous before competing I say, ‘just have a stroke — it takes care of all that,” laughs Sydney, a grade Ib rider. “You’ve got to look on the bright side; I can’t use my left side at all, but at least I don’t get nervous at shows!”

Sydney’s positive attitude started early — she was just seven when she was diagnosed with the extremely rare Wyburn-Mason syndrome, which can lead to brain haemorrhaging, stroke and paralysis. The condition has also left her blind in her right eye, and with just 50% vision in her left.

“The diagnosis at seven was really rough but when I got on a horse everything just faded away,” says Sydney. “I never really found my place until I started riding. I was always the girl out on the soccer field picking dandelions, but when I got on a horse I thought, ‘wow, this is what I’m meant to do’.”

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As a child, eventing was Sydney’s main goal, until the stroke — which occurred during brain surgery — set her down a different path.

“At first it was so hard — I thought I’d never be able to accomplish big things with my riding. Then I went to watch the World Equestrian Games in 2010 and discovered dressage. Until then I had only thought of it as the phase in eventing you had to get through to reach the jumping, but I realised it was beautiful. You’re always working towards something — it’s addictive. Once you get into it you never want to stop.”

In Rio, Sydney is riding her trainer Wes Dunham’s 13-year-old mare Western Rose. The Wendelin III daughter is showing Sydney the Paralympic ropes, having competed at London 2012 with USA rider Donna Ponessa.

“We really click and she looks out for me. Every day I get to ride her it is a good day,” smiles Sydney. “She’s a typical mare and her personality depends on the day, but she’s been fantastic for me here. She’s been there and done that, and is just saying to me ‘hold on, we’re going to have some fun with this’.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Natasha Baker successfully defended her individual grade II title from London, when she rode Cabral into the gold medal spot again in Rio. Natasha — the only British rider from London 2012 to have been selected again on the same horse — scored 73.4% to finish ahead of Dutch riders Demi Vermeulen and Rixt van der Horst, who took silver and bronze respectively.

After a difficult team test in which a large spook before entering the arena left ‘JP’ tense and nervy during the first half of the routine, Natasha was completely overcome at how well the 15-year-old gelding coped with the atmosphere today.

“I said to him as we were trotting round in the 10 minute box, ‘just trust me, JP’, and he did. He worked with me and was so relaxed and the whole thing felt lovely,” said the 26-year-old.

“Winning gold is a dream come true but this is his last championship, so I really just wanted to come here and show the world what he can do and I’m so grateful that he has let me do that today. I cried coming out of the arena and there have been endless tears since.”

Dutch triumph

The Netherlands had double reason to celebrate with Demi Vermeulen and Burberry claiming silver ahead of their teammates Rixt van der Horst and Caraat.

Burberry is an expressive, rhythmic horse, with a beautiful swinging trot, and their test — which earned 71.6% — was only marred by the 10-year-old Lord Loxley mare throwing her head up in one transition to walk.

“It wasn’t a faultless test but I was so pleased with the score. I just wanted to get any medal so silver is amazing,” said Demi, for whom this is the first championship on this horse.

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Britain in gold medal position at halfway stage of the Paralympic dressage in Rio

Rixt held the lead for a long time from first draw, after an uphill and correct performance. But the Gribaldi mare broke to canter in her final medium trot, pulling her mark down to 70.7%.

Sophie Christiansen will ride this afternoon in a bid to defend her grade Ia individual title, with Anne Dunham also in action for Britain.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

This may be Philippa Johnson-Dwyer’s fourth Paralympics, but she is as excited about being in Rio as though it was the first.

“It still gives me such a buzz. I’ve come to the conclusion that Paralympic Games are like potato chips — you can’t stop at one!” laughs the grade III rider, who partners her London ride here, the 11-year-old Lord Louis.

“It’s almost more exciting now because at my first Olympics, in Athens, I was so naïve. My eyes were on stalks — the horses all looked so much bigger than I expected. With my Athens ride, Benedict, I would sing to him if he was nervous — a Cher song — and on my first day in Athens I rode round all day singing that stupid Cher song just to calm me down because I was so terrified.”

A ‘genetic misfit’

Born into a showjumping family in South Africa, Philippa calls herself a “genetic misfit” because her first love was always dressage.

“My mother was a ballet dancer, so I’ve always said that if you put a ballet dancer to a showjumper you get a dressage rider.”

Philippa competed as a able-bodied dressage rider until a car accident in 1998 caused her to lose all strength in her right arm, and 60% of strength in her right leg.

“After my accident, having been competitive all my leg, I wanted to get back into riding competitively. But in South Africa at the time, riding was only offered as a therapy, and there was no competitive riding for the disabled.

“It was Britian’s Debbie Criddle who started my journey. She had contested the ruling about having two hands on the reins at all times in able-bodied dressage and she won. So I went to the South African federation and asked if I could compete in able-bodied competitions with one hand. That was the start.”

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While competing in Belgium in 2002 Philippa, who is now based there, met Benedict, with whom she won double silver at Athens in 2004 and double gold in Hong Kong four years later.

“Para equestrian has grown exponentially,” says Philippa, who is married to Irish para rider James Dwyer and also competes another horse, Verdi, up to inter I. “Riders are seen as athletes now, not cripples bobbling around on horses. That was my biggest learning curve — at my first disabled competition I was thinking ‘I have to ride against cripples?’ but those cripples wiped the floor with me. I had never seen riders like this in my life — not even the able-bodied riders back home were this good. It really put me in my place and gave me so much respect for people with a handicap.

“My dad says, ‘if as an able-bodied person your want to feel disabled, go to a disabled competition. Everybody’s doing everything for themselves and there’s no whining or bitching. It’s just such an amazing atmosphere.”

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Lee Pearson added another medal to Britain’s tally today, taking the silver in the grade Ib individual championship. He and Zion earned 74.1% with a smooth and very accurate performance to finish behind Austria’s Pepo Puch and Fontainenoir, on 75.1%.

“Sunday was just a bit too perfect,” reflected Lee, referring to his excellent plus-75% team test on day one of the competition. “I had to work harder today — he has so many gears in trot and I had to work harder to help him stay in the correct one.

“But I’m really proud of him to go in that lions’ den and come up with the goods and I’m over the moon with silver. I’m taking the best horse home, no matter what colour the medal.”

‘He was fighting so hard’

Pepo Puch bettered his individual bronze from London, at Fontainenoir’s first Paralympics. The Florencio I 11-year-old always produces pleasing tests but today’s was particularly relaxed and fluid. The former eventer was quite overcome by his horse’s performance, especially when he heard the result.

“He was fighting so hard and really on my side and helping me. He gave me everything and I am so proud of my Fondi.

“The only problem is with the positive feeling in the test comes emotion, and with emotion it is so much harder to control the movement of my body,” added the Austrian, who injured his spinal cord in a cross-country accident in 2008.

“We have been working so hard for four years — the first day after London was the first training day for Rio. We have so much support, but with that comes more pressure.”

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Britain in gold medal position at halfway stage of the Paralympic dressage in Rio

Denmark’s Stinna Kaastrup was the last rider into the arena, shaking things up by sneaking ahead of the Netherlands’ Nicole den Dulk and snatching bronze with Smarties. The 22-year-old, for whom this was a first Paralympic medal, has only been competing the Gribaldi 15-year-old since January this year.

The day was not without drama as Canadian rider Ashley Gowanlock suffered a heavy fall from Di Scansano. The 15-year-old De Niro gelding took fright after the final salute of their 65.1% test, letting out a large buck and jumping out of the arena. Ashley, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was taken to hospital as a precaution but suffered no serious injuries.

With Lee competing as an individual, Britain still have three team riders to contest the individual championship tomorrow before the team medals are decided. Natasha Baker and Cabral will be in action in the grade II at 2.20pm BST, with Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham riding in the grade Ia at 7.55pm BST and 8.40pm BST respectively.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

 Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

In the early hours of 4 September Britain’s Paralympic horses arrived at Rio’s Galeao airport.

This followed a lengthy overnight flight from Belgium’s Liege airport on a specially adapted cargo plane.

With Paralympic dressage competition now in full swing, we take a look at what has been happening behind the scenes thanks to social media.

See how the horses are settling into their Paralympic surroundings:

Sophie Wells gives her Paralympic ride Reece a workout in the Brazilian heat

What a night! The Paralympic opening ceremony was a sight to behold, with Team GB being led by flag bearer and dressage rider Lee Pearson

Natasha Baker gets off to a winning start

Lee Pearson says hello to his Paralympic mount in the state-of-the-art stables

Nothing can get in the way of the British support — this spectator is enterprising in his use of a broom to ensure optimal flag waving

Lee Pearson gives his horse Zion some arena practice

So this is what the athlete’s canteen looks like

The British Paralympic team doing their country proud

Sophie Christiansen spends some quality time with her horse behind the scenes

Read the full Horse & Hound Paralympic report in next week’s H&H magazine (22 September issue)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Britain’s Sophie Wells went one better than her London silver today, claiming gold in the grade IV individual championship with her own Valerius. H&H blogger Sophie and the powerful 14-year-old Flemmingh gelding gave it their all in plus-30 degree heat to score 74.85% with a faultless test that was full of expression and energy.

It was clear from Sophie’s tears on the podium how much this gold medal — her first individually — meant to her.

“There are no words out there to describe how I’m feeling right now,” said an emotional Sophie. “I’m so proud of ‘Reece’ and my support team for being able to go out there and do it when it mattered.

Sophie’s score will also have given the British team’s chances of gold a significant boost. The team medals will be decided tomorrow.

“During the test you just think about each movement as it comes but when we finished there was a surge of emotion that he just couldn’t have done anything more. I started crying and haven’t stopped since!”

‘I’ll be back, I promise’

London individual gold medallist, Belgium’s Michele George, had to settle for silver this time, finishing just fractionally below Sophie with 74.33%. Her London partner, the 14-year-old Rubicell son FBW Rainman is very correct and fluid, and Michele admitted that she was disappointed with her score today.

“He felt great and he was really working for me, so I can’t complain on that front. But if I’m honest I am disappointed with the score — I cannot understand what went wrong.

“But I can’t wait for the freestyle. I have to put it behind me and not make it bigger than it is. This time it was Sophie, but I’ll be back next time, I promise!”

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Britain in gold medal position at halfway stage of the Paralympic dressage in Rio

Repeating his bronze from London was Dutch rider Frank Hosmar, who piloted Alphaville to 72.45% — a score 2% higher than the provisional score he was initially given.

Lee Pearson will try to do the double for Britain today, competing in the grade Ib individual championship with Zion at 6.18pm BST.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

 Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

It was a Scandinavian one-two-three in the grade III individual championship in Rio this afternoon, with the medals going to Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Ann Cathrin Lubbe claimed gold for Norway — her first medal on the striking nine-year-old Donatello, a Danish warmblood by Uno Don Diego.

“I’ve been working so hard for this; I’m so pleased,” said the 45-year-old, who posted 72.87%. “The horse did so well in there — he can be a bit of a child in the warm-up but when he comes between the boards he knows it’s time to work.”

It was a particularly emotional win for Ann Cathrin, who took the ride on this horse after his former rider, Ann’s student, was killed in a car accident two and a half years ago.

“Her parents are here with us today. This medal means everything to all of us,” she said through tears.

Denmark’s Susanne Sunesen finished close behind, picking up the silver with Que Faire, matching her result from the 2015 European Championships.

Louise Etzner Jakobsson took the competition right to the wire, snatching bronze from last-draw aboard the expressive chestnut stallion Zernard. This is Louise’s first Paralympics, and first medal.

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The British team, who have no grade III riders, continue their campaign for gold tomorrow, with Sophie Wells riding in the grade IV individual championship at 3.09pm BST. Lee Pearson will also be contesting the medals, riding as an individual at 6.18pm BST.

Britain’s other team riders, Sophie Christiansen, Anne Dunham and Natasha Baker will perform for a second time on Thursday.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

When Luigi Ferdinando Acerbi missed out on a chance to represent Italy at an Olympic Games for the third time in his international eventing career, he decided it was time for a lifestyle change.

But little did he know that 20 years later he would in fact be fulfilling his dream, albeit not under the circumstances he had imagined.

“I evented at top level for 18 years, and I had competed at all the major events, bar the Olympics,” says Ferdi. “I missed out on the Olympics once when I broke my leg, and again when I broke the horse! So I thought it was time for a rest and a change, and after the Atlanta Games in 1996 I took up sailing — my other great love.”

Ferdi moved to Eygpt, where he also worked as a scuba diving instructor. In 2004, he was volunteering in the aftermath of a plane crash in Sharm-El-Sheikh when he was asked to take a group out diving.

“I took a group out but during the dive one of my clients suffered a heart attack underwater. I tried to rescue him, but I got the worse end of the deal.”

During the rescue, Ferdi came to the surface of the water too quickly and suffered an air embolism. In saving the life of another, he was left quadriplegic.

The battle that followed over subsequent years saw Ferdi recover some movement in his arms and legs, though he has no sensitivity in his legs. But it wasn’t his daughter Giulio, at the age of seven, asked to learn to ride, that horses re-entered Ferdi’s life.

“I started riding as a joke,” he chuckles. “I took my daughter to ride a pony at a friend’s, who said ‘why don’t you try getting on a horse?’ I said ‘no, no’, but then I had a beer, two beers. After the third beer I jumped on the horse — and never looked back.”

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Tales from Rio: ‘We used to draw our Paralympic horses out of a hat’

Tales from Rio: ‘I never thought I was disabled enough’

Britain in gold medal position at halfway stage of the Paralympic dressage in Rio

With the chestnut gelding Quasimodo Di San Patrignano, also a former eventer, Ferdi competed in his first international para dressage competiton in March this year, and yesterday (12 September), he took to the Paralympic stage for the first time. He scored 70% in the grade Ia team test.

“Quasimodo is 18 now, but he is still difficult enough for me to enjoy,” adds Ferdi, whose aim is to ride at Tokyo “and everything in between”.

“It is so fantastic to be here. It is fascinating and challenging — I didn’t think it [para dressage] was as challenging as it is. I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

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Britain hold the gold medal position after the first round of the team competition at the Paralympic dressage in Rio. With all four riders — Sophie Christiansen, Anne Dunham, Natasha Baker and Sophie Wells — having completed the team test in their respective grades, Britain top the leaderboard on a current score of 225.884.

The German team of Elke Philipp, Carolin Schnarre, Stefan Zeibig and Alina Rosenberg, are currently in silver on 218.602, while the Netherlands (Frank Hosmar, Nicole den Dulk, Rixt van der Horst and Demi Vermeulen) are just a whisker behind them with 215.558.

Natasha Baker was the final rider to contribute a British team score, posting 71.88% with Cabral to top this morning’s grade II competition. It proved to be the closest class so far, with just 0.5% covering the top four combinations, two of which were Dutch and one German.

The 15-year-old Bujak son didn’t make things easy for Natasha, spooking badly just before entering the arena and causing Natasha to have to drop her whip.

“He was really nervous,” explained Natasha. “The atmosphere got hold of him and I had to work really, really hard. But after the first handful of movements he relaxed and started working with me and the fact he settles so quickly has given me confidence for the next few days.”

This is Natasha’s debut on a Paralympic team, having ridden as an individual when she claimed her double gold in London.

Continued below…

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The second half of the team competition gets underway this afternoon with the grade III individual championship, but the next Brit in action will be Sophie Wells and Valerius in the grade IV individual test tomorrow at 3.09pm BST. Natasha, Anne Dunham and Sophie Christiansen will be in action on Thursday. The individual championship scores are added to the team test scores to decide the final team standings, as well as generating the first set of individual medals.

Britain’s Lee Pearson will have his first shot at a medal tomorrow, in the grade Ib individual championship aboard Zion. Lee, who has 10 Paralympic gold medals to his name, will be hoping to go one better than in London, where he took individual silver.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The British team have made a great start in the team competition at the Rio Paralympics, with Sophie Wells, Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham all posting excellent scores in today’s team tests.

Sophie Christiansen and Athene Lindebjerg posted a whopping 77.52% — just short of her own personal best score — to top the grade Ia leaderboard by 3.5%.

“I’m over the moon with her — she’s so young and for her to go into that loud, atmospheric arena and do that is so nice,” said Sophie of Diane Redfern’s Gribaldi mare, who is only nine. “The test felt a bit tentative — we took her round the arena slowly for her to take it all in. There’s so much more to come.”

Sophie’s preparation for the Games has been less than ideal: Athene has suffered from an infection in recent weeks and it wasn’t until the day the mare flew that Sophie knew whether she would be riding her, or her London partner, the multi-medalled 19-year-old Janeiro (Rio).

Long-time class leader Anne Dunham finished second behind Sophie with 73.95%. The striking Knabstrupper stallion can become sluggish in hot weather, but Anne was pleased with his performance in today’s 29 degree heat.

“He was fine today, although the arena did feel enormous — I felt like a tiny dot,” said Anne, who is contesting her fifth Paralympics. “I like big atmospheres — they pick me up and get the adrenaline going. Rio has been everything I expected and hoped for.”

Continued below…

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Sophie Wells was the first rider into the arena for Britain, and her 14-year-old liver chestnut gelding Valerius was on his toes to score 74.4%. They finished second in the grade IV class, with Belgium’s Michele George and Rainman just creeping ahead.

“Reece really concentrated and listened to what he had to do in there. We had no mistakes, which is important for day one,” said Sophie. “I was aiming for a clean, safe test, which we got, and I’ll be able to ask a little more in the individual test on Wednesday.”

Natasha Baker is the final British team rider to begin her Rio campaign. She and Cabral will contest the grade II team test tomorrow (13 September).

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

 Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

This year’s Rio Games marks 20 years since the inaugural Paralympic dressage, held at Atlanta in 1996. And the anniversary is of particular significance to Britain’s Anne Dunham, who remembers vividly the birth of the sport in 1996, when riders competed on borrowed horses donated by the host country.

“We arrived in Atlanta with a big question mark hanging over us,” recalls Anne, who was joined on the 1996 team by Jo Jackson, Elizabeth Stone and Dianne Tubbs. “We were chosen for our riding and our ability to ride different horses, but until we had drawn our horse out of a hat and ridden it on that first day we had no idea how the competition was going to go.”

Riders had just one hour per day over five days to get to know their Paralympic partner ahead of the competition. For Anne, that partner was a little horse called Doodlebug, “who behaved like a doodlebug too”.

“Doodlebug would go down the centre line and explode when he saw the markers. But on the final day, in the freestyle, we won the bronze medal, and came home with team gold too. It was absolutely great, albeit totally different to nowadays.

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“We set off on the plane like any other athlete, without the huge amount of luggage that comes with taking your own horse,” remembers Anne.

“But the days were far too long — from quarter to five in the morning to quarter past one at night. We had to travel a long way and the transport wasn’t nearly as slick as it is here. It was very tiring.”

At 67, Anne is the oldest athlete at the Rio Paralympics, and has seen the sport of para dressage grow exponentially, with five Paralympic Games under her belt. It was in Athens in 2004 that riders competed on their own horses for the first time.

“I set out to see disabled riding grow up, which it has done with a vengeance. Now I think it is recognised on a par with able-bodied dressage. We’ve got the skills, the horses, the trainers and, thanks to the lottery funding, the money. It’s a different world now, and it’s very exciting.”

In Rio, Anne is competing the Lady Joseph Trust and Henrietta Cheetham’s Lucas Normark, a 15-year-old Knabstrupper stallion by Ravaldi. They scored 73.95% in the grade Ia team test today (12 September).

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Ever since she watched the 1986 World Dressage Championships in Cedar Valley, Canada, Roberta ‘Bert’ Sheffield has wanted an Olympic medal of her own.

“I caught the bug aged six and I’m a total dressage geek,” admits the 30-year-old, who grew up in a hugely successful sporting family — her father is a world champion skeet shooter. “I grew up with the sporting mentality of train hard, and you get what you sew.

Bert, who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 15, spent her teenage years showing Welsh cobs, but after university landed an apprenticeship with Gareth Hughes, taking her Welsh cob Calerux Cosmonaut with her.

“It was Gareth who first suggested I try para dressage. Until then I had been aware of the para movement, but I never thought that I would be disabled enough to do it myself. I didn’t realise that I would be classed as a grade III rider — I had always thought of it being more for people with spinal injuries.

“But Gareth told me to try it and I did as I was told — because that’s what you do when you’re an apprentice!”

But as Bert’s para dressage career got underway, it wasn’t to Great Britain that she felt the most sporting affinity.

“I went to watch the London Paralympics and at the time my sporting nationality was British, but at the start of 2013 I made the decision to switch to Canada. I have dual nationality, and I’ve always felt more Canadian than British. I was brought up with Canada being very much the land of milk and honey — it was where we went on amazing holidays and Britain was where I went to school.

“Canada has always been very good for me and I had a tremendously good feeling about it — it was quite an obvious decision in the end. I had been to the final selection for the British world class programme twice and the first time I’d been told I was too old, that I was coming to the sport too late. I realised that was about the only thing about myself I couldn’t change — I could change my gender if I wanted to, but not my age.”

Continued below…

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‘It was like being on a conveyor belt’

Bert remains based in Bourne, Lincolnshire, training with Gareth, and now, exactly 30 years after first catching the bug — both dressage and Canadian — in Cedar Valley, she is contesting her first Paralympic Games with the nine-year-old Donnersohn mare Double Agent.

The pair posted 67.52% in yesterday’s grade III team test.

“We had an interesting warm-up pattern as the mare was quite tired after the flight so we kept her work really steady and calm,” explained Bert. “But she’s so fit from lots of interval training on the gallops that it was a case of when she recovers, what’s she going to do?

The first time I put my leg on her since being here was in the team test, and it’s the first test I’ve ever done on her where I haven’t had to use my sticks to back up my legs. My legs are very weak, so when I use them she usually says, ‘Yeah, but you don’t mean it’. But today it felt amazing — she just swept me along and it was like being on the conveyor belt at the airport!”

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“That was the best test he’s ever done,” exclaimed Britain’s Lee Pearson, after riding the 12-year-old gelding Zion to team test victory on day one of the Paralympic dressage in Rio.

Lee and the Flemmingh son posted 75.28% to top the grade Ib leaderboard ahead of Pepo Puch and Fontainenoir, who are considered their main rivals.

“Zion gave me everything he possibly could,” continued Lee, who has had the horse since he was a five-year-old. “He’s a big horse at 17.2hh and we were possibly a little late in some of our downward transitions but they were still balanced and flowing. We just have such a fantastic partnership.”

The gelding had a spook just prior to entering the arena, breaking into canter, but Lee wasted no time settling him back into a rhythm and proceeding straight down the centre line. Once in the arena, harmony and consistency ruled, with no score below a seven.

However, Lee’s score won’t count towards Britain’s team total, as Lee and Zion are competing at the Games as individuals. They will contest the individual competition on Wednesdsay.

Continued below…

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‘We are in seventh heaven’

Austria’s Pepo Puch and Fontainenoir retained their focus after a stressful start to their Paralympic campaign. The Florencio I gelding was spun at the trot-up on Saturday (10 September), but passed the reinspection this morning.

“It was a surprise [to be spun] but it is very important to have this level of welfare for the horses, and I was sure he would be ok at the reinspection so I was not that nervous. I had a great feeling in there today — he was really concentrating on me.

“This is the horse’s first championship, so it’s a bit like starting from zero,” added the former eventer. “Our preparation here has gone very well — we are in seventh heaven here; everything is perfect.”

Sophie Christiansen, Anne Dunham and Sophie Wells will be in action for Britain tomorrow. Sophie Wells and Valerius will be the first team member into the arena at 2.18pm BST. Anne Dunham will ride Lucas Normark at 5.18pm BST and Sophie Christiansen and Athene Lindebjerg will be in action at 8.37pm BST.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

As the 2016 Rio Paralympics swing into action, we find out a bit more about the 26-year-old British squad member Natasha Baker — from her biggest indulgence to ditching her McDonalds superstition...

What is your favourite restaurant?

The “steak on a slate” and cheese fondue at Whatley Manor in Malmesbury, Wiltshire is amazing. I go around four or five times a year as it’s owned by Christian Landolt [who part-owns Natasha’s gold medal-winning partner Cabral] and it’s more of a special occasion type of place. Christian and I have the same birthday so we always have dinner there as a treat each year. Whenever I go I think I should try something different, but always end up having the same thing as it’s just so good.

What do you like watching on TV?

Rubbish TV. I like watching reality shows such as X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing as they’re easy viewing. I’m out and about competing so much I like stuff you can dip in and out of.

How do you relax?

I went to the Maldives in 2011 and it’s beyond paradise. Sun, sea, sand and cocktails, there’s nothing better. I also like spending time in London. I’m a real city girl. It’s ideal being based where I am in Uxbridge as I can pop into London easily for shopping or to meet friends for a drink.

What do you listen to in the lorry?

Usually I’ll have Capital Radio on, but if I’m on a way to a show with mum and dad then we have to keep everyone happy so we’ll go for a bit of Adele or George Michael.

What do you remember about London 2012?

It’s so clear in my mind it could be yesterday. It still feels a bit surreal though, at the time I was so overwhelmed by it all and even now watching it back I get a bit emotional. From the age of 10, winning a gold medal was all I wanted to do.

What was your first win?

When I was about 10 I won a handy pony class with a chestnut New Forest pony called Forester from the South Bucks Riding for the Disabled Association. He was a real cheeky chappy and bucked me off a few times. I also rode my first dressage test on him. He was six then and he’s still going at the RDA now, he’s an absolute legend.

What’s your biggest indulgence?

Chocolate and sweets are my go-to treat!

What advice would you give your 15-year-old self?

Every experience makes you who you are, enjoy it and have fun.

Do you have any superstitions?

When I was competing at London I had a McDonalds chicken legend before every competition, and it seemed to work. But when things went wrong at Aachen I decided it was time to pull myself together and lose the McDonalds habit. I still have a lucky conker which I had with me at the first handy pony win though — it lives in my jacket pocket.

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What would you do if you weren’t a dressage rider?

Anything where I could interact with people and have a good chat — maybe PR or media. I’d love to go into radio or broadcasting when it’s time to wind down the riding career.

Don’t miss our Paralympic preview in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (8 September 2016)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Italy’s Sara Morganti was left bitterly disappointed this morning after her grade Ia ride Royal Delight was not cleared to compete at the Rio Paralympics.

The 11-year-old mare was required to re-present this morning, after yesterday’s trot-up at the equestrian competition venue in Deodoro, but was not passed.

The four other horses reinspected this morning were all passed. They were Pepo Puch’s Fontainenoir (AUT) and Roldolpho Riskalla’s Warenne (BRA) as well as two Danish horses: Stinna Kaastrup’s Smarties and Caroline Nielsen’s Leon.

“Last night was pretty stressful after everything we’ve been through to come here,” said Rodolpho, who was very emotional when Warenne was finally cleared to compete. “This morning the stress just disappeared. It’s amazing to be here riding in this big stadium with so many people screaming and cheering.”

All five British horses passed the trot-up yesterday without problems. The ride of Belgium’s Michele George, Rainman, and Robyn Andrews’ Fanciana (CAN) were sent to the holding box, but later passed.

Sara would have been one of Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham’s biggest challengers in the grade Ia section, and her absence from competition will undoubtedly shake up the leaderboard. Sara, who used to showjump and event until progressive multiple sclerosis left her unable to walk, has been on a winning streak with Royal Delight since the 2015 Europeans.

Competition got underway this morning in Deodoro, with the grade III team test. Lee Pearson will be the first British rider in action, competing in the grade Ib team test at 6.18pm BST. Sophie Wells, Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham will ride tomorrow, while Natasha Baker will perform her team test on Tuesday.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Lee Pearson will compete as an individual in the Paralympic dressage in Rio. The British team aiming to maintain their unbeaten championship record will be made up of the other four members of the squad: Sophie Christiansen (Athene Lindebjerg), Anne Dunham (Lucas Normark), Natasha Baker (Cabral) and Sophie Wells (Valerius).

Lee, 42, who was chosen as the flag-bearer for ParalympicsGB at Wednesday’s opening ceremony, has been a stalwart of the British team since his first Paralympics in Sydney in 2000, when he also took home double individual gold. This is the first time in five Paralympics that he won’t form part of the team, but he and the 12-year-old Flemmingh gelding Zion will be strong contenders for individual and freestyle medals at grade Ib.

This means that Britain will have to wait until Monday for a team performance, as Lee is the only Brit in action on Sunday (11 September). He will perform the team test at 2.18pm (6.18pm UK time).

Natasha Baker, 26, will be competing on a Paralympic team for the first time, having ridden as the individual in London and scooping double gold at her debut Games aboard the 15-year-old Polish-bred gelding Cabral.

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Tomorrow’s action kicks off with the grade III team test, but the section will be without one of its major medal contenders. Hannelore Brenner was forced to withdraw the 11-year-old Kawango after the Siztus gelding sustained an injury just two days before he was due to fly to Rio. This was due to be the pair’s first championship appearance together, after ‘Kiwi’ picked up an injury in 2015.

Poland’s Karolina Karwowska and Emol will be the first combination into the Paralympic arena in Deodoro, at 10am (2pm UK time).

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Paralympic dressage medal contenders are among the five horses to be reinspected tomorrow

Several medal hopes are among the five horses that will be reinspected tomorrow at 7.30am (Sunday 11 September), following the trot-up at the Rio Paralympics today,

Austrian rider Pepo Puch will re-present his ride Fontainenoir tomorrow. The London 2012 gold medallist will be bidding to add more golds to his collection in the grade Ib events this week with the Florencio I gelding.

Royal Delight, the ride of Italian grade Ia medal hopeful Sara Morganti, who took gold at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, will also be reinspected tomorrow, and Brazil’s Rodolpho Riskalla will also have a nervous wait to find out if his mount, Warenne, will be cleared to compete.

Two Danish horses make up the five who were not passed today: Stinna Kaastrup’s 15-year-old gelding Smarties and Caroline Nielsen’s 12-year-old gelding Leon will also be reinspected.

All five of Great Britain’s horses — Lee Pearson’s Zion, Natasha Baker’s Cabral, Sophie Christiansen’s Athene Lindebjerg, Anne Dunham’s Lucas Normark and Sophie Wells’ Valerius — were declared fit and sound to compete.

Michele George’s Rainman was sent to the holding box, but later passed. The pair, who claimed gold in London, compete for Belgium in grade IV.

Continued below…

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The action gets underway tomorrow with the grade III team test, beginning at 2pm (UK time), and the grade Ib team test at 6pm (UK time). Britain does not have any grade III competitors, but Lee Pearson will be the first out of the blocks for the squad, performing at 6.18pm with the 12-year-old Flemmingh gelding Zion.

Sophie Wells will be in action for Great Britain on Monday, in the grade IV team test. Grade Ia riders Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham, and grade II rider Natasha Baker, will begin their Paralympic campaigns on Tuesday.

More information about how to follow the Paralympic dressage can be found here, and don’t forget to stay tuned to the H&H website for the latest news, results and scores.

Don’t miss our full Paralympic report in the 22 September issue of H&H.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

H&H's Madeleine Hill finds out a bit more about British Paralympic squad member Sophie Wells — from what her secret weapon is to her top tip for warming up

What is your secret weapon?

My special looped reins — if I didn’t have them I might as well take up Western riding! I used to ride at my local riding school, and before I discovered the magic of looped reins, I used to ride a cheeky pony that would jump and then just put her head down… I would lose my reins and fall off – this used to happen all the time!

What is your top tip for warming up?

At the big shows, where the warm up arena can be very busy — look where you are going. You don’t look at the steering wheel when you are driving! If you “plan your route” you won’t be stopping and turning at the last minute all the time trying to avoid everyone else in the warm up arena.

What is your top tip for saving time?

Be organised: on my yard all my horses each have their own designated colour so everything is colour coded — that way there are no mix ups. Valerius has red, Pinnochio blue, Fatal Attraction purple and Touchdown has pink.

What is your money-saving secret?

Don’t have horses!

What do you like to watch on TV?

I normally fall asleep. I even fell asleep watching The Lion King at the cinema with an old boyfriend — it had been a long day…

What is your earliest equestrian memory?

Sitting on a pony at a friend’s birthday party aged about three, and knowing then that this was what I wanted.

What mistakes can you now laugh at?

I once went to squad training and forgot to take any haylage — I couldn’t risk giving my horses random haylage, so I paid a taxi driver to pick some up from the yard in Nottinghamshire and bring it all the way to Stow-on-the-Wold.

What would you say to your 15-year-old self?

Enjoy the journey — you are always striving to be better and it’s easy to move on to the next thing and not appreciate small milestones.

Who was your first pony?

Crystal. She taught me a lot, namely how to sit tight and bounce off cross-country fences — not very well! Maybe I owe it to her that I started specialising in dressage so early on.

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What’s the most memorable moment of your career so far?

It has got to be London 2012. Trotting into that arena in Greenwich on my perfect dancing partner was the best feeling in the world — particularly when the crowd went wild before we had even done anything! I could probably have fallen off and they would still have cheered.

Don’t miss our Paralympic preview in the 8 September issue of Horse & Hound magazine, out now

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

More than 600 hours of sport from the Paralympics is set to be livestreamed by Channel 4.

Viewers hoping to watch British riders in their bid for medals will be able to watch some tests live on the broadcaster’s All 4 microsite.

The terrestrial Channel 4 and More 4 channels will also be showing coverage from the games, which will include parts of the para dressage competition every day from 1pm-1am with a breakfast show from 6am.

There are 11 sets of medals to be won and Britain has a strong track record. In London 2012, the squad took home 10 individual medals and team gold.

The first horse inspection for the para dressage takes place on Saturday (10 September) with the team tests running from 11-13 September.

Individual medal tests will then be held on 13-15 September, with the individual freestyle medals to be decided on 16 September.

The competition begins at 2pm (BST) each day, with the exception of 15-16 September, where it will start at 1pm.

Horse & Hound’s Polly Bryan will be in Rio to cover the action, with the latest news, scores, stories and video available on the H&H website.

Don’t miss H&H’s Paralympic preview in today’s magazine (8 September) and a full report will feature in the 22 September issue of Horse & Hound.

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Who are Team GBR?

All the British squad members are Paralympic veterans — Lee, Natasha and both Sophies were on the London 2012 squad and this will also be the fifth Paralympics for Anne, who made her debut 20 years ago at Atlanta 1996.

• Anne Dunham (grade Ia) with the Lady Joseph Trust and Henrietta Cheetham’s Lucas Normark, a 15-year-old stallion by Ravaldi.
• Sophie Christiansen (grade Ia) with Diane Redfern’s Athene Lindebjerg, a nine-year-old mare by Gribaldi.
• Lee Pearson (grade Ib) with David and Lynda Pearson, Gillian Chinn and his own Zion, a 12-year-old gelding by Flemmingh.
• Natasha Baker (grade II) with Christian Landolt, Phil and Lorraine Baker and Dorothy Alder’s Cabral, a 15-year-old gelding by Bujak.
• Sophie Wells (grade IV) with her own Valerius, a 14-year-old gelding by Flemmingh.

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Britain has never been beaten at a para dressage championship.

But other nations have been creeping closer during the past four years, and will be bidding to top of the podium for the first time in Rio.

We’ve crunched the numbers to find out just how likely that scenario could be — and what the Brits have to do to continue the gold run.

The main challengers are likely to be the Netherlands and Germany, who both joined Britain on the podium at the World Equestrian Games in 2014 and the European Championships in 2015.

Germany also claimed silver in London, and again at the European Championships in 2013.

On paper, the expected four members of the British team — Sophie Christiansen (Athene Lindebjerg), Anne Dunham (Lucas Normark), Natasha Baker (Cabral) and Sophie Wells (Valerius) — stand head and shoulders above the rest.

None of the four has an average mark below 70% in either the team or individual tests, which contribute to the overall team scores.

In fact, the lowest average mark — Sophie Wells’ team test average — is still a healthy 73.46%. Britain’s Sophie Christiansen boasts the highest personal best and average scores of all 12 riders across the three teams (see below).

If each rider in all three teams equalled their top score to date in each test, and the lowest average score per team is dropped, the Brits would win the gold by a country mile, with a total of 463.12. But Germany and the Netherlands would finish neck and neck, the Germans just creeping ahead with 447.03 to the Netherlands’ 446.3.

But let us assume that not every rider will recreate their personal best in the pressurised situation of a Paralympic Games, and the scoreboard could look a little different.

The Brits’ total based on the average scores of the top three riders is 451.49 – uncomfortably close to the top scores of the Germans and the Dutch, who will almost certainly pull some new personal bests out of the bag.

And if we compare the three nations’ average score totals, Britain would still lead comfortably, but the Netherlands would edge out the Germans, with 433.42 compared to 431.12.

Related articles:

• Beginners’ guide to Paralympic dressage at Rio 2016
• Major ‘fill the seats’ campaign for Rio Paralympics
• Weather, flight times and facilities: what will be the conditions in Rio for our riders?

So, if Britain perform averagely, and both other teams better their previous performances, the Brits’ crown could be in danger. But make no mistake, Britain will have arrived in Rio on the absolute top of their game, and some of their current personal bests may not be personal bests for long!

The bigger question is, who will win the wrestle for silver and bronze? There’s little to choose between Germnay and the Netherlands, plus don’t discount nations such as Denmark and Norway, who have worked hard since London and cannot be ruled out in Rio.

The numbers:

Personal best team (average)

Personal best individual (average)

Britain 463.12 (451.49)

Sophie C 77.69 (76.56) 80.91 (78.48)

Anne 75.26 (74) 76.26 (74.24)

Natasha 76.2 (74.04) 76.8 (74.17)

Sophie W 74.59 (73.46) 75.64 (74.25)

Netherlands 446.3 (433.42)

Frank Hosmar 74 (71.94) 76.83 (73.52)

Nicole Den Dulk 75.73 (71.94) 72.93 (71.75)

Demi Vermeulen 73.48 (71.54) 73.9 (71.99)

Estee Gerritson 73.68 (72.21) 73.13 (72.06)

Germany 447.03 (431.12)

Hannelore Brenner 69.73 (68.33) 69.91 (68.53)

Elke Philipp 77.39 (74.01) 77.53 (74.52)

Alina Rosenberg 74.13 (70.13) 74.08 (72.6)

Stefan Zeibig 71.86 (69.21) 72.04 (70.65)

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Para dressage rider Lee Pearson will be the British flag-bearer at the Rio Paralympic opening ceremony tomorrow (Wednesday, 7 September).

The 10-time Paralympic gold medallist was nominated for the honour in a vote by his fellow athletes.

Lee said he is “so proud and honoured” to be the flagbearer for such a “talented, strong and passionate” group of British athletes.

“Being a diverse character myself has meant that being voted by the athletes themselves has made this moment even more special,” he said.

“I genuinely feel that we are among the best prepared and supported athletes at the Paralympic Games and I can’t wait to lead my fellow team mates from ParalympicsGB into the stadium in a day’s time — I hope I don’t get blown away!”

Watch the live announcement at the Team GB house in Rio from Britain’s official paralympic broadcaster Channel 4…

Anne Dunham, Sophie Christiansen, Natasha Baker and Sophie Wells join Lee on the British para dressage squad in Rio.

All horses and riders have arrived in Brazil, with the equestrian competition starting on 11 September and running until 18 September.

“Lee has been a cornerstone of our equestrian team since he first made his debut in Sydney and has played a key role in establishing Great Britain as a leading Paralympic nation in the sport,” said ParalympicsGB chef de mission Penny Briscoe.

Related articles:

• Beginners guide to Paralympic dressage at Rio 2016
• Major #FillTheSeats campaign for Rio Paralympics
• British Paralympic squad for Rio revealed

“I was delighted to inform him that he has been chosen, with the backing of his peers in Rio, to take the role of flagbearer in the opening ceremony, and the team will be proud to march out behind him.

“I hope it is one of many memorable moments that he will take away from this Games, and wish him all the very best in his upcoming competition.”

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A campaign to fill the stands at the Rio 2016 Paralympics has received major backing after raising more than $20,000 (£15,251) in a week.

Former London 2012 marketing director Greg Nugent began the #FillTheSeats campaign on 23 August to raise $15,000 in order to send 500 Brazilian youngsters to the Games.

This followed the news that just 12% of tickets for the Paralympics (7-18 September) had been sold (news, 25 August).

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Rio 2016 Organising Committee and the Agitos Foundation — the IPC’s development arm — have today (30 August) given their full support to the initiative.

The bodies have asked that the campaign stay open so more tickets can be bought for Brazilian children and people with an impairment as a “gift from the world”.

The IPC and the organising committee have confirmed that up to 10,000 tickets can be bought by the campaign for $30 (£23) each, to include transport and food.

“The Paralympics is uniquely able to change attitudes toward disability around the world,” said Mr Nugent.

“We saw this in London and I am sure it will happen again in Brazil. But that means making sure the Paralympians compete in full stadia to help celebrate their achievements.

“Support this campaign and the world can invite thousands of Brazilian children to marvel at these amazing athletes and experience the power of Paralympic sport.”

Related articles:

• British para dressage squad for Rio revealed
• FEI ‘very disappointed’ Russian para dressage riders banned from Rio Paralympics
• Beginners’ guide to Paralympic dressage at Rio 2016

US Paralympians Tatyana and Hannah McFadden donated the first $1,000 to the campaign and Glastonbury 2016 headliners Coldplay have also pledged their support.

In a further move, the UK campaign to #savetheparalympics, which also aimed to help fill seats in Rio, has now backed #FillTheSeats and donated all funds it has raised to the campaign. This means that so far more than $25,000 (£19,090) has been raised for Rio.

“Our job is to organise great Paralympic Games in Rio but also to ensure all people have access to attending the Games,” said president of the Rio 2016 organising committee Carlos Nuzman. “This initiative will certainly help us achieve that aim.”

Any unspent money will be donated to legacy projects in Brazil and South America, focused on disability sport.

Tickets for the para dressage are still available through CoSport, the official ticket seller, for $12.29 (£9.38).

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Russia’s para dressage riders will not be allowed to compete at the Rio 2016 Paralympics after an appeal was dismissed.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee on 7 August in the wake of a report that exposed wide-scale state-sponsored doping in Russia.

This meant that all Russian athletes were barred from competing in September’s Games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) today (23 August) rejected an appeal by the Russian Paralympic Committee to overturn the ban.

Russia had three para dressage riders entered — Natalia Martyanova, Natalya Zhavoronkova and Marina Vinogradova.

“We are of course disappointed by today’s dismissal of the Russian Paralympic Committee appeal to the CAS because it means that our three Russian para equestrian athletes cannot compete in Rio, even though they are clean,” FEI president Ingmar de Vos told H&H.

“We are now assessing the impact of today’s CAS decision and, together with some of the other international federations that govern disabled sport independently, looking at what options are available to us to protect our clean athletes’ right to natural justice.”

IPC president Sir Philip Craven added the organisation has “enormous sympathy” for the athletes who will miss out on the Games.

“Today’s decision underlines our strong belief that doping has absolutely no place in Paralympic sport, and further improves our ability to ensure fair competition and a level playing field for all Para athletes around the world,” said Sir Philip.

“Although we are pleased with the decision, it is not a day for celebration and we have enormous sympathy for the Russian athletes who will now miss out on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

“It is a sad day for the Paralympic movement, but we hope also a new beginning.

Related articles:

• FEI ‘very disappointed’ Russian para dressage riders banned from Rio
• Two Russian pentathletes banned from Rio Olympics
• Beginners’ guide to Paralympic dressage at Rio 2016

“We hope this decision acts as a catalyst for change in Russia and we can welcome the Russian Paralympic Committee back as a member safe in the knowledge that it is fulfilling its obligations to ensure fair competition for all.”

The IPC is now working with international federations to redistribute the 267 slots that had been allocated to Russian athletes.

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FEI president Ingmar De Vos has voiced his disappointment at the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to bar all Russian athletes from the 2016 Paralympics.

On Sunday (7 August) the IPC’s governing board suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee in the wake of the McLaren Report that exposed state-sponsored doping.

Although no Russian riders were implicated in the report, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the suspension means no Russian athletes can be entered to compete in September’s Games.

Russia had three para dressage riders on its nominated entries – Natalia Martyanova, Natalya Zhavoronkova and Marina Vinogradova.

Natalia is Russia’s highest-ranked para dressage rider, currently 15th on the FEI Paralympic individual rankings and 23rd in the world.

“We are very disappointed with today’s IPC decision,” said Mr De Vos on Sunday (7 August).

“Like our Paralympic athletes from all other countries, our three Russian athletes have trained hard to make it to the Paralympic Games and we are troubled that today’s announcement means they cannot participate in Rio.

“Just as for the Olympic Games, we believe the individual international federations should be given the opportunity to defend the rights of their clean athletes.

“Today’s IPC decision does not give us that opportunity. We will not embark on any reallocation process until the appeal period has expired and any potential procedures have concluded.”

The McLaren report, which was released on 18 July, found wide-scale state-sponsored doping in Russian sport.

Although it focused on the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, it also looked at the wider picture of what was happening across other sports and samples taken and tested at the Moscow Laboratory.

The International Olympic Committee ruled against a total ban of Russian athletes at the 2016 Olympics, instead leaving the decision to individual sporting federations — providing athletes met strict criteria.

Meanwhile, WADA and the British Paralympic Association have both welcomed the IPC’s decision.

Related articles:

• Two Russian pentathletes banned from Rio Olympics
• Russian riders’ Rio places hang in the balance
• Team GBR gets pro-active to ensure ‘clean sport’ in Rio

“While we have real sympathy for those individual Russian Paralympians not going to Rio who train and compete clean, it is crucial for the integrity of our sport that those involved as well as the public feel confident that all necessary measures are in place to tackle doping and the playing field is level,” said a statement from the British Paralympic Associaiton.

“The British Paralympic Association therefore congratulates the IPC on taking a clear stand based on the evidence provided to the McClaren report and their own subsequent investigation.”

A WADA spokesman added: “WADA supports the decision taken by the IPC, which we believe is in the interest of clean athletes and the clean sport movement.”

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The squad of five riders who will be heading to Rio to represent Britain at September’s Paralympics has been unveiled.

The following combinations have been selected:

• Anne Dunham (grade Ia) with the Lady Joseph Trust and Henrietta Cheetham’s Lucas Normark, a 15-year-old stallion by Ravaldi.
• Sophie Christiansen (grade Ia) with Diane Redfern’s Athene Lindebjerg, a nine-year-old mare by Gribaldi.
• Lee Pearson (grade Ib) with David and Lynda Pearson, Gillian Chinn and his own Zion, a 12-year-old gelding by Flemmingh.
• Natasha Baker (grade II) with Christian Landolt, Phil and Lorraine Baker and Dorothy Alder’s Cabral, a 15-year-old gelding by Bujak.
• Sophie Wells (grade IV) with her own Valerius, a 14-year-old gelding by Flemmingh.

Anne said: “It felt amazing to get the call – it gave me as much fizz and excitement as the very first time. There’s been such strong competition for a place on this squad.”

From this squad of five, four pairs will be chosen at a later date to form the team, while the final combination will compete as an individual at the Games.

Sophie Christiansen, Sophie Wells, Natasha and Lee were all members of the British squad that scooped 11 medals at the London 2012 Paralympics, while Rio will be Anne’s fifth Paralympics. Her first was Atlanta in 1996, when dressage made its debut as a Paralympic discipline.

Sophie Christiansen, 28, made her Paralympic debut in Athens in 2004, aged 16, and since then has racked up 21 championship medals for Britain. She will be joined in the grade Ia section, for riders whose disability most severely affects their riding, by Anne, 68, who has partnered the striking Knabstrupper stallion Lucas Normark since 2013. They recently claimed a hat-trick of high-scoring wins at the Hartpury CPEDI3*.

Grade Ib rider Lee Pearson, 42, has represented Britain at four Paralympic Games to date, accumulating 10 gold medals, as well as six world and three European titles.

Double Paralympic and five-time European champion Natasha Baker, 26, will be partnering her London ride Cabral at their second Olympics together. The grade II pair have enjoyed a great run of form recently, and are unbeaten since March 2015.

Continued below…

Related articles:

Beginners’ guide to Paralympic dressage at Rio 2016

Para dressage star retires from riding to become car salesman

‘I live life, I set goals and I keep pushing’: how one para dressage rider beats the odds

2016 is the year grade IV rider Sophie Wells’ London reserve ride Valerius gets the chance to strut his stuff on the Paralympic stage. Sophie, 26, and the 14-year-old, whom she owned for over nine years, recently posted an 80% personal best freestyle at Hartpury CPEDI3*.

“It’s very exciting and there’s an element of relief too – you work towards this for four years and selection is the first hurdle,” she said. “Now the really hard work starts! We had a really good week last week at Hartpury and I think that cemented it in the selectors’ minds.”

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Isn’t it British to be talking about the weather in Rio? But while any Olympian is focused on rivals and tactics, there’s a glut of other factors — weather included — that are far less peripheral than one may imagine.

Past Olympics abound with tales of flooded courses, volcanic terrain and horses dying in transit. Stifling temperatures in Barcelona 1992 provoked a four-year study into the effects of heat and humidity — leaving a lasting legacy in how we cool horses today — while in Mexico City 1968 riders collapsed due to the high altitude only a week before the event.

So what can our riders expect in Rio next month?

What is the flight time? 12 hours

What is the time difference? Four hours behind the UK

What is the temperature in August? Average 22°C, max 26°C (London 19°C, max 23°C)

What is the humidity in August? 75% (London 65%)

How far away is the rider accommodation from the equestrian site? 40 minutes

Where are the stabling facilities? On-site

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) is not envisaging challenging conditions in Rio.

“Acclimatisation will be relatively quick given that the Olympics and Paralympics are taking place during Brazil’s winter,” says the BEF’s Pippa Wade.

“The climate at its hottest is like a hot summer day in England, and can be much cooler.”

The British horses are set to travel at least five or six days before the trot-up.

“The flight time and time difference are not thought to be of much concern for the horses,” Pippa adds.

“In general they deal with these incredibly well, and after a day or two of rest will be ready to begin their final preparation for the Games.”

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The stabling, training areas, vet clinic and grooms’ accommodation are on-site, which is important to preserve biosecurity measures and safeguard the horses’ health.

However, the British riders will be based in the Olympic village, 40 minutes away, and will use the official Olympic transport.

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Nearly four years ago I was lying in a hospital bed with an uncertain future ahead of me. The London Olympics and Paralympics were on TV, but they passed me by in a blur of operations, pain and frustration.

Today I have an exciting future ahead as one of the 11 on the long list for the Rio Paralympics with a stunning new horse on the scene (LJT Engaarrds Solitaire – more about him below) and bundles of support.

When I sat on Buster for the first time after my accident at Lakefield RDA with Mark and Becky, the first thing I said was “It’s the best feeling in the world”. I was back where I belonged and nothing had changed! It’s a strange feeling as when I’m on a horse is the only time I can forget about the challenges I’m facing in daily life.

The support that I’ve had from an incredible number of people is humbling and I am truly grateful for this. Pammy and Charlie Hutton have let me ride a horse in Abira that is unbelievably special in so many ways.

I honestly never thought I could enjoy life in the same way after my accident, it just wasn’t going to be the same. I was most definitely wrong and I now am a great believer in the fact that life really can change for the better.

Squad Training

A couple of weeks ago I was involved in the Podium World Class squad training at the Unicorn centre (picture top). It was an incredible couple of jam packed days, including absorbing lots of information about the logistics for Rio, including your personal hand hygiene!

The two days also consisted of catching up with the team doctor, psychologist, physio, nutritionist while the saddler, farrier, vet and equine physio spent time with Abira. Abira had an interesting assessment of his gait pattern were he had markers put on various areas of his body to analyse how level he is and if he’s putting weight in one leg more than the other.

Abira felt on form in both of his training sessions with Michel Assouline, and we have hopefully got a few tricks up our sleeves to help gain some extra marks at the final trial at Hartpury next week.

Meet the new kid on the block

LJT Engaarrds Solitaire (aka Sid) is owned by the ‘Lady Joseph Trust’ and he is settling in really well at Talland. I am extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity to ride him and I’m really looking forward to getting him out and about!

Sid was previously ridden by Paralympic rider Ricky Balshaw, but Ricky has recently decided it’s time to hang up his boots and have a change of career. He is going to be hugely missed.

Sid has been feeling great and it’s just a question of having the time to get to know him properly — exciting times ahead!

Continued below…

Read more of Suzanne’s inspirational blogs:

Suzanna Hext’s road to recovery blog: Where it all began

Suzanna Hext’s road to recovery: ‘You hold the pen — write your story’

Suzanna Hext’s road to recovery blog: Life doesn’t get easier, you get stronger

A special trip home

Last week I made a very special trip home to Cornwall to see my family, friends and obviously my little terrier Tapi!

I will never understand completely what I have put my family through during the past few years. They have had to sit waiting whilst I go through numerous operations and spent months in hospital. However, I wouldn’t be where I am today without all the help, love and support they’ve given me.

I got home to find that my unbelievable parents had organised a surprise party for me. It was extremely special and lovely to share the excitement and achievement of making the paralympic long list with everyone there.

Suz

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All five riders who helped scoop 11 medals at the London 2012 Paralympics have been named in the list of nominated riders for Rio. Sophie Christiansen, Lee Pearson, Sophie Wells, Natasha Baker and Deb Criddle all feature on the long list, released yesterday (21 June).

Two riders have been named with two horses — Sophie Christiansen is listed with her multi-medalled London ride Janeiro 6, as well as her newer mount Athene Lindebjerg. H&H blogger Sophie Wells has Valerius nominated in addition to C Fatal Attraction.

The full list of nominated combinations in alphabetical order are:

• Natasha Adkinson (grade Ib) with Sweet Caledonia (eight-year-old mare by San Remo)
• Natasha Baker (grade II) with Cabral (15-year-old Polish sport horse)
• Heather Bennett (grade III) with Zavailantika (12-year-old mare by Rhodium)
• Sophie Christiansen (grade Ia) with Janeiro 6 (19-year-old gelding by Jacquare) and Athene Lindebjerg (nine-year-old mare by Gribaldi)
• Deb Criddle (grade III) with Akilles (16-year-old gelding by Amiral)
• Anne Dunham (grade Ia) with Lucas Normark (15-year-old gelding by Ravaldi)
• Nicky Greenhill (grade III) with Gregorian Chant (12-year-old gelding by French Kiss)
• Susanna Hext (grade II) with Abira (16-year-old gelding by Don Perignon)
• Erin Orford (grade II) with Dior (13-year-old mare by Dimaggio)
• Lee Pearson (grade Ib) with Zion (12-year-old gelding by Flemming H)
• Sophie Wells (grade IV) with Valerius (14-year-old gelding by Flemming H) and C Fatal Attraction (nine-year-old gelding by Fidertanz)

One notable absence is that of Beijing Paralympian Ricky Balshaw, who announced his retirement from the sport to become a car salesman earlier this month.

Continued below…

More Olympic team news…

Beginners’ guide to Paralympic dressage at Rio 2016

And the fourth British dressage team member for the Rio Olympics is…

Zara Phillips misses out on Rio Olympic place

Among those with a chance of representing Britain at championships level for the first time is H&H blogger Suzanna Hext, for whom it is almost four years since the accident that left her with life-changing injuries. She described the news that she had been nominated as “completely surreal”.

The final selection of five riders will be made on 14 July, following the Hartpury CPEDI3* (6-10 July), the last opportunity for those in the running to impress the selectors.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Paralympic medal-winning dressage rider Ricky Balshaw has announced he is retiring from the sport and stepping down from the British squad.

“For the last eight months my heart hasn’t been in the sport as it once was,” Ricky told H&H after posting an official statement about his retirement on his Facebook profile on 25 May.

The 29-year-old said he “was getting to the stage where I want different things from life”.

Earlier this week (Tuesday, 31 May) he started his new job as a sales executive for Furrows Ford in Shrewsbury.

“I’m still dealing in horse power,” joked Ricky, who was jubilant after securing his first sale on the second day of his new job.

Ricky has been competing since the age of 14 on the senior British para team, so knew his CV wasn’t going to be ideal for securing a new career.

“I’ve always had an interest in cars, so looked online, found a job, rang them and found the guy on the end of the phone had sold me my first car,” he said.

Fate also played a part in securing Ricky’s place on the British para team.

In 2000 aged 13 he collected a raffle prize from Jane Goldsmith, who was the para team coach and she invited him to the trials. There he secured his team place becoming the youngest ever rider on the senior team.

Riding in the grade Ib classification, Ricky represented Britain in Beijing in 2008, winning the silver medal with Deacons Georgi. He has represented Britain at the European Championships, World Equestrian Games and Paralympics, winning medals at all three events.

Continued below

‘I live life, I set goals and I keep pushing’: how one para dressage rider beats the odds

Para dressage rider Edward Chanin: ‘Getting back on a horse was the best therapy ever’

Beginners’ guide to Paralympic dressage at Rio 2016

The highlight of his dressage career was winning silver with Deacons Georgi in 2008 and meeting Anna Brown, his personal coach who is now his girlfriend.

The low hit two weeks after Beijing when Ricky fell from a young horse he was riding and was dragged.

“The moment I opening my eyes I could feel electricity coursing through my torso and knew I had done some damage,” he said.

Ricky has suffered a good many injuries during his riding career, breaking ribs, his back, knee and cracking his skull.

“From the high of Beijing to the being face down in dirt made me realise how horses ground you. They are good levellers,” he added.

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What’s the format?

Athletes are classified across five grades, according to the impact their disability has on their ability to ride. Grade Ia is for those who are most severely impaired and grade IV is for those who are the least impaired.

Britain will field a squad of five riders from across the grades in Rio, with four making up the team and one competing as an individual.

All combinations, whether they are competing for a team or as an individual, will perform three tests: a team test, held on the first two days of competition, from 11-13 September; an individual championship test, from 13-15 September, and a freestyle test to music, which will take place on 16 September.

How does the scoring work?

The results of the team and individual tests are combined to calculate the team standings, with the best three scores counting, while the individual and freestyle tests determine the individual medals.

How many medals are there?

There are 11 sets of medals up for grabs in Rio. Medals are awarded for each individual class across the five grades, and for each freestyle class, as well as for the overall team competition. The final four of the six days of para-dressage competition will include medal ceremonies.

Who are the main contenders?

Britain has reigned supreme over the sport for two decades and is the defending Paralympic champion, having won team gold at London 2012. The squad also clocked up 10 individual medals in London, and with five British riders — Sophie Christiansen, Lee Pearson, Anne Dunham, Sophie Wells and Natasha Baker — currently in the top 15 world rankings, Team GBR’s chances look as strong as ever.

Britain topped the podium once more at the 2015 European championships in Deauville, but snapping at their heels was the Netherlands, who displayed their strength in depth by claiming eight individual medals too. They look to be a force to be reckoned with in Rio, as do Italy, Belgium and Germany.

Stay up to date with H&H

A full report from the Paralympics will feature in the 22 September issue of Horse & Hound, as well as a Paralympic preview in the 8 September issue. Stay up to speed with news, scores, video and all things Paralympic on H&H’s dedicated Rio 2016 microsite, as well as at www.horseandhound.co.uk.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Updated: 4pm on Wednesday, 23 March 2016

Ireland’s biggest names face a tough battle to be chosen their country’s sole showjumper at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Ireland controversially failed to qualify a team for Rio after the Cian O’Connor “arena party” incident at Aachen, and so relies on one individual spot earned by Bertram Allen’s performance through the FEI’s special Olympic rankings system.

However, no country is obliged to send the rider who won the place.

Cian, the 2012 bronze medallist, says he is determined to win the selectors’ backing over higher-ranked riders such as Bertram Allen, Dennis Lynch, Dermott Lennon and Conor Swail.

He told H&H: “I have a proven record to deliver on the big day and showed that again last week in the Nations Cup at Wellington on an unknown horse.”

Britain, Holland and Germany are the only European nations to qualify full teams in all three disciplines.

Britain also recently secured a fifth individual spot for its para-dressage squad.

Qualification differences between disciplines

Other countries’ individual rider entitlements were finalised last week, highlighting the disparity between allocation criteria for jumping and the other two disciplines.

Belgium, winners of the 2015 Furusiyya Nations Cup final and stand-out team on the European top league Nations Cups, also failed to qualify a jumping team for Rio after a below par performances at the European Championship. They will have just two individuals at Rio, one likely to be Olympic league leader Gregory Wathelet.

However, in dressage and eventing, nations are permitted to qualify multiple individuals who can then form extra “composite” teams. Denmark has four riders in dressage. With three eventing riders through each, Switzerland, Russia and Italy will swell that team contest to 14 nations.

Brazil, as host, automatically competes in all three sports. Allocation of places for the Americas has been weighted towards the south: in showjumping, Venezuela and Colombia have two riders each, and Peru and Uruguay one. But despite being Pan-Am silver medallists, Canada has not qualified a dressage team and sends just two individuals.

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The final dressage list has been confirmed after the FEI announced on 22 March that the results from the CDI3* grand prix special at Lier in Belgium (2 March) included nationalistic judging in favour of a Ukrainian athlete, Inna Logutenkova, by two Ukrainian judges.

As a result of this, the results from that class were scratched from the Olympic and world rankings. Inna has still claimed an Olympic individual slot for Ukraine with Don Gregorius, although her ranking with her other ride. Fleraro, has taken a major downturn.

The other riders through include Ireland’s Judy Reynolds, who secured her Olympic berth with an Irish record dressage freestyle score of 79.7% at Qatar’s CHI Al Shaqab.

Riders who should face little domestic competition for their country’s slot include British-based Chinese eventer Alex Hua Tian, and Portugal’s Luciana Diniz, the world ranked number 10 showjumper.

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Tickets to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games are now on sale in the UK.

The games will take place in the Brazil capital between 7-18 September with the para dressage competition running from 11-16 September.

The British Paralympic Association (BPA) has appointed Travel Places as its official authorised ticket reseller (ATR) to create travel packages for the games.

The company, which also handles travel operations for the British team, has worked with the BPA at a number of previous games, including Beijing 2008 and Sochi 2014.

Visitors can apply to buy tickets for each sport though the website and also have the option of booking their travel and accommodation with the company.

To book tickets, applicants must fill out a request form that the company will then submit to the Rio 2016 organising committee.

Great Britain has a strong record in Paralympic sport, finishing in the top three on the medals table at the past four games.

Our para dressage riders currently hold the World, European and Paralympic team titles.

They have won the team competition at every Paralympics since the event started in 1996.

At the London 2012 Paralympics, GB riders topped the medal table with five golds, five silvers and one bronze.

In September this year, the team successfully defended their European title at the championships in Deauville, France, and the squad brought home a total of 11 medals.

“It’s incredibly exciting that supporters of the team can now start making their travel plans to Rio for the Paralympic Games next year,” said Penny Briscoe, ParalympicsGB chef de mission for Rio 2016.

“It promises to be an exciting festival of sport and I’m sure it will prove to be an unforgettable event for athletes and fans alike.

“We are proud of the support that we enjoy from our fans – I’m sure that the other nations will envy the backing that we receive both from the crowds in Brazil and from those watching back at home, and it will provide added motivation for our athletes on the field of play.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now