It was disappointment on top of heartbreak for U.S. dressage during the final day of Grand Prix competition Wednesday, as six-time Olympian Steffen Peters put in a test that didn’t come close to breaking 70 percent, uncharacteristically finishing on a lackluster 66.491 percent with his veteran mount, Suppenkasper.
“That was tough,” said a discouraged Steffen after his turn in the packed stadium, where spectators busily waved hand-held fans to ward off the oppressive heat.
“He was a little too much on fire. He’s been in places like this before and I thought right up to the walk I had him,” Steffen recounted.
“Then he got more and more excited, even on the last extension. He was drifting a little right. He saw something on the short side and that gave him from behind so much energy for the last passage. I knew that could be trouble for the last piaffe. He’s 16 years old and still has endless energy. I sit almost a little bit in a two-point (position in the saddle) even that was not working today. Unfortunate, very unfortunate.”
Suppenkasper, who gained fame and followers as the “Rave” horse from his 2021 Tokyo Olympics freestyle, got marks as low as 2 and 3 for some movements. On the final center line, he looked odd, with his right front leg pointing awkwardly before he got himself together for a halt where his marks ranged from 2 to 5.
This followed Tuesday’s shocker, when Marcus Orlob was putting in a promising test with Jane when the judge stopped him, pointing to a tiny scratch on the mare’s right hind fetlock. The mare must have scratched herself when she spooked and whirled around after entering the arena, but Orlob had her in hand once he went between the white fences and she was performing well when the judge intervened. The scratch only showed because her fetlock is white. If it had been black, like her body, it wouldn’t have been noticed. With only three members to a team and no drop score under Olympic rules, the U.S. was eliminated.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper.
Three-time Olympian Adrienne Lyle, the third team member, had a nice test Tuesday with Helix, a horse she has been riding only since January, but their score of 72.593 percent didn’t make the cut for her to be among the 18 riders who will compete for individual honors Sunday in the Freestyle. She finished twentieth. Steffen was fifty-first.
“I deeply share Steffen’s disappointment with his ride today, especially taking into consideration what this combination has done for this sport, the country and worldwide, bringing so much positive engagement to our sport over the past few years,” said Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig.
“It became obvious to me during their test, Mopsie was not himself. After returning to the stabling, he was taken care of by his team and our team USEF veterinarian and he is starting to feel more himself, which is the important thing.”
So far, it’s an understatement to say it hasn’t been a lucky Games for the Americans.The eventers had a couple of mishaps and missed a medal and now dressage is finished without that squad even qualifying for the team competition Saturday in the Grand Prix Special. It never had a chance at medals anyway, but there was hope the U.S. could finish in the top five or six of the 15-nation field.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle.
World number one and defending Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl of Germany and TSF Dalera BB predictably finished first in the Grand Prix on a score of 82.065.
“It was a fantastic feeling inside the arena and breathtaking to see how the audience carried us into the ring,” said Jessica.
“I’m happy because I had some hiccups in the Grand Prix at the German Championships in Balve, which was the rehearsal for here. But sometimes when the rehearsal is bad then the performance is good, and that’s how it worked out.”
Dalera, light and lovely as always, is 17, and the question of retirement will soon be answered. So enjoy watching this star in her last Olympics. She is really a treat. The 10s among her marks came in piaffe and a transition. She got a 5 in the collected walk, so she’s not perfect, although you’d likely get an argument from many of the spectators about that.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark, who just missed the podium in Tokyo when she finished fourth, is second on Charlotte Dujardin’s former ride, Freestyle (80.792).
Freestyle hasn’t been competing at the top of the sport much recently. So Cathrine explained, “My plan today was to not push her but just see what she offered. When I picked up the first passage I said to her `You just give me whatever you want and then I’m just gonna say what we are supposed to do.’
“So I’m really proud of her, and I think it was a perfect start for me and her at the Games here in Paris,” said Cathrine, who took team gold and double silver at the FEI World Championships in 2022 with Vamos Amigos.
Talking about building an understanding with Freestyle, she explained, “the main thing has been to really create a proper friendship with her, not just like pretending, but really see if she could allow me in there, which she did quite quickly.
“I was quite amazed. Animals are amazing if you treat them well and show them trust. Another key word for me has been respectful leadership. Because in some way, I had to be the leader to show her around in a dressage test. But at the same time, respect where she’s coming from, because she’s a skilled young lady. She has done a lot and she has been educated amazingly, and she is a performer.”
Germany’s Isabell Werth came in third with 79.363 aboard her new mount, Wendy de Fontaine. All scores now go back to zero for the next competitions.
Of Wendy, Isabell commented, “She was so focused and so with me that it was amazing. We have only done six or seven Grand Prix, but it’s so amazing how we are growing together and how honest she is to me.”
Isabell, competing in her seventh Games, is determined to help the young mare develop, improve and reach her maximum potential.
“You can only do that in competition, so Aachen (where Wendy was a star) was really helpful, with three competitions there. She is only a 10-year-old horse and as they get older, they get more muscles, they get more power, they get more experience, so everything works together. Riding her is really a pleasure.”
Fourth in the Grand Prix was Britain’s world champion Lottie Fry and Glamourdale (78.913). She was in the unenviable position of being the pathfinder for Wednesday’s group of riders.
“To go first on day two is always a little bit more challenging, but he was absolutely incredible in there,” said Lottie, who noted that because of the heat, going early could be considered an advantage.
“I had a great ride, a great feeling, and he just loved it. I think you could see that by his face at the end when everyone is cheering for him. He just loved every second of it, and was taking it all in. It’s really an honor to ride down the center line at the Olympics in Paris and I think what we’ve done has put us in a really good place as a team.”
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale. (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
“We had a little moment in the rein-back, (she was marked at 5.9) which was a shame, but apart from that, I couldn’t fault it – he really gave everything. He’s improved a lot, he’s got much stronger, and when he was in there, he just performed at his best, and I couldn’t ask much more.”
Britain is third in the team standings, behind Germany and Denmark, but that’s just a way to gauge the countries’ strengths, since they start from scratch in the next two competitions. The other teams that qualified for Saturday’s Special for the team medals are the Netherlands in fourth, followed by Sweden, Belgium, France, Austria, Finland and Australia.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl topped the dressage standings on Wednesday with TSF Dalera BB.
Show jumping begins Thursday with the USA’s strongest team in Paris taking the field. Olympic team gold medalists Laura Kraut (Baloutinue) and McLain Ward (Ilex), are on the squad with first-time Olympian Karl Cook (Caracole de la Roque), subbing for Olympic veteran, Kent Farrington (Greya). The last-minute change had to do with an allergy-related situation with Greya, and considering there is no drop score, the decision was to be “erring on the side of extreme caution” with the switch, said coach Robert Ridland.