Rio Paralympics trot-up: five horses to be reinspected tomorrow

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.

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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.

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