The day was soggy and grey, but the competition today in the 2024 Paris Olympics eventing dressage phase was as hotly contested as it gets. Two horse and rider combinations, Laura Collett (GBR) on London 52, and Michael Jung (GER) on Chipmunk FRH, bested the Olympic record score set in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games by gold medalists David OConnor and Custom Made (USA).OConnors and Custom Mades 19.3 score (converted to match the current scoring system) from Sydney stood for 24 years, but today Collett and London 52 earned a 17.5 and Jung and Chipmunk a 17.8, to make them both new Olympic record holders and dropping OConnor to third best.Collett and Jung are currently one-two in the standings with Chinas Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof and Australias Christopher Burton and Shadow Man tied for third on 22.0. Switzerlands Felix Vogg and Dao de LOcean are in fifth on 22.1.In the all-important team standings, Great Britain leads the pack with strong performances from all of their riders (66.7). Germany is second (74.1), France third with (81.2), New Zealand in fourth (83.0), Japan fifth (87.4) and the USA in sixth (88.9).Top rider for the USA was Elisabeth Halliday on Nutcracker; they currently stand in 19th place (28.0). Second best scorers for the USA were Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake in 25th (30.4). Boyd Martin and Federman B scored (30.5) for 26th.Liz Halliday and Nutcracker score a 28.0. Photo courtesy US EquestrianStay tuned for more to come. For more coverage, visit our2024 Paris Olympics main page.Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Eventing Dressage Recap appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

OConnor leads the way with promise of best to come The Agria Irish Eventing team lies in 11th after the opening dressage phase of competition at the Olympic Games today. Dag Alberts squad of Sarah Ennis, Susie Berry and Austin OConnor finished with an accumulated tally of 102.70 penalty points to be a little further back than they would have liked among the 16 competing nations. However, the cross-country is the traditional strength of the Irish and given the predicted testing nature of the tomorrows track, and the show jumping still to come on Monday, there is optimism within the camp that they can make up some places tomorrow. This has been the trend as Ireland travelled to Paris off the back of some excellent results, winning the home Nations Cup in Millstreet earlier in the campaign, before a third-place finish at Aachen most recently. And Austin OConnor, who scored []

Great Britains eventers have given themselves a solid lead after the dressage phase at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after posting two record-breaking scores.Laura Collett, Ros Canter and Tom McEwen lead the way with a collective score of 66.7, while Laura (pictured above) also holds the individual lead on a score of 17.5 and both of these figures are new Olympic records.USA rider David OConnors dressage test at the Sydney 2000 Games riding Custom Made, which scored 19.3, held the individual record for 24 years.The previous best collective team score after dressage was 68.6, set by Australia at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.Team standingsMichael Jung and Chipmunk FRH lie second overnight both individually and as part of the German teamGermany, who were team champions at London 2012 and are seeking a fifth gold in Paris, lies second after dressage. They are 7.4 penalties behind Team GB, the defending champions from Tokyo who are also chasing a fifth team victory.The Rio 2016 team champions, France, are 7.1 penalties behind Germany to sit in the bronze position overnight.Immediately behind the host nation is New Zealand on 83, while Japan occupies fifth on 87.4 and the USA sixth with 88.9.Less than a penalty separates them from the Swiss team, on 89.6 overnight, ahead of Australia (91.5 penalties) team silver medallists in Tokyo the Netherlands (93.7 penalties) and Belgium (100.6 penalties).Team Australia and USA also have four Olympic team golds under their belt to date, which means the fight for a historic fifth team gold is a four-way battle.Individual standingsChinas Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne Ban Bareel pull off a lovely test for bronze position after dressageLaura Collett and London 52, who were a part of the gold medal-winning team in Tokyo, have a small lead over Germanys Michael Jung.The latter rider who is one of only three eventers to win back-to-back Olympic individual golds, at London 2012 and Rio 2016 piloted Chipmunk FRH to an overnight score of 17.8.Michael is 4.8 penalties ahead of Chinas Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne Ban Bareel and Australias Christopher Burton on Shadow Man, who share third place overnight on an equal score of 22.Right behind them is Switzerlands Felix Vogg (Dao de LOcean) on 22.1 and then Britains Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo) on 23.4.Britains Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, pictured at the first horse inspection, lie sixthStephanie Landois is currently best of the French trio, lying seventh on 24.4 penalties with Chaman Dumontceau.Yoshi Oiwa for Japan occupies eight spot on 25.5 with MGH Grafton Street, while Kiwi Clarke Johnstone (Menlo Park) and Italian Giovanni Ugolotti (Swirly Temptress) round off the top end of the leaderboard, both sharing ninth place overnight on a score of 25.7.Britains pathfinders, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, currently lie 11th on 25.8 penalties.Ahead to the cross-countryTomorrows cross-country phase will be an exciting day. First out will be Germanys Julia Krajewski the defending individual champion aboard Nickel 21 at 10.30am local time (9.30am British Summer Time).Tom McEwen and JL Dublin lie 11th individually and help Team GB take the overnight leadThe course by French designer Pierre le Goupil is 5,149 metres long and the optimum time is 9 minutes 2 seconds.There are 28 fences in total and 45 jumping efforts (the second number is higher because several fences include multiple obstacles labelled a, b, c and so on).The course runs through wooded areas of the park, along the banks of and even across the Grand Canal. Around 40% of the 800-acre Park of the Palace of Versailles is forestry, and a lot of woodland had to be removed to make way for the course.View the cross-country start listSee the full team standings after dressageRead the full individual standings after dressageAll images (copyright) by FEI/Benjamin ClarkRelated contentHandy Olympic timetables to download plus how to watchParis Olympics eventing form guide: fifth gold for Team GB?Interesting facts about the equestrian venue for the Paris OlympicsOlympic eventing format: how it worksThe post Record-breaking dressage scores earn solid lead for Brits in Paris appeared first on Your Horse.

Laura Collett (GBR) and LONDON 52 during Eventing Dressage at the Chateau de Versailles for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. © FEI/Benjamin Clark Great Britain got off to a flying start topping both the team and individual leaderboards today, after the thrilling opening Dressage phase of Eventing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Versailles (FRA) during which multiple records were...

(L to R) Dorothee Schneider, Isabell Werth and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl celebrate the Team Dressage Gold Medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games © FEI/Shannon Brinkman Olympic Dressage has long been dominated by Germany. Because since the first edition of the team event in Amsterdam in 1928 only four countries - France, Sweden, what was then the Soviet Union and Great Britain - have ever...

Jessica Burke and Express Trend (c) Boots and Hooves Photography  Ireland’s Jessica Burke and Express Trend headed an all-female jump-off in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, which took place on Ladies’ Day at Hickstead. This historic trophy used to be an international class open to lady riders only, until a rule change in 2008 saw it change to a national title open to both men and...

The exciting talent converged on the Longines Tops International Arena for day one of the Summer Festival 2: Summer Showcase. It was a strong showing for the Netherlands on the first day of action but it was Irish rider Jordan Coyle who secured the top spot in Friday’s 4* Grand Prix Qualifier.  Winner of Summer Festival 1’s 4* Grand Prix, Khaled Almobty entered the arena...

Competition is in full swing at the Longines Tops International Arena in Valkenswaard as riders from across the globe go head to head in the Summer Showcase.  Today’s CSI4* Grand Prix Qualifier started out with a bang with the Netherlands’ Henk van de Poel first out on the grass. Fans gathered in the grandstand to watch the Dutch rider navigate the course aboard B Capotain...

Olympic records were broken during the team and individual eventing dressage competition today at the Palace of Versailles, located about half an hour southwest of Paris, during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Home to several generations of French kings, and now the venue for equestrian sports in the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the iconic chateau and manicured gardens served as a beautiful backdrop behind letter A of the dressage arena. Though rain fell the entire day, crowds still mostly filled the stands by midday and few left early.For the first time in recent memory, and perhaps ever, the eventing dressage competition was completed all on one day. Sixty-four horse and rider combinations from 27 different countries cantered down centerline from 9:30 a.m. until just after 6 p.m.There were six groups of 10 riders each and one final group of four riders, with each separated by breaks to groom the ring footing. Judges for the day were: Christina Klingspor from Sweden at C; Robert Stevenson from the USA at E (in his Olympic judging debut), and Xavier le Sauce from France at M.The dressage test ridden was the Olympic 5* Short Test, specially designed for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo to produce a shorter trip around the boards for a viewer-friendly experience and a more compact competition schedule favored by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and television networks. The test takes only about three minutes and 50 seconds to complete versus the old test, which took over six minutes. It is intense because all of the required movements have to be packed into such a short time.For more coverage, visit our2024 Paris Olympics main page.First to compete was the reigning Olympic gold medalist (from Tokyo 2021), Germanys Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21. They earned a good score of 26.9 (which put them in 15th at the end of the day), setting up the day for a game of how low can you go.Five riders later, the first U.S. rider, Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake one of only three 9-year-old horses in the competition (the youngest age allowed by the FEI in Olympic eventing) took their turn scoring 30.4, very respectable for such a young combination. Although Pamukcu and Blake were individual gold medalists in the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games, this was an Olympic debut for both. They ended the dressage phase in 25th place.2023 Pan American Games gold medalists Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake lay down a 30.4 in the dressage phase of eventing at the Palace of Versailles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo courtesy US EquestrianPamukcu talked about her focus, The big goal is I want to be a team score. I am here to give the best, consistent dressage test, the best, consistent cross-country, and the best, consistent show jump round. So, the whole goal for this weekend is not individual performance, it is team performance. Team medals are more important than anything else, especially looking toward Los Angeles [in 2028]. Blake is my best friend. I take him for hacks. I am with him nearly every single day. I adore him and he adores me.Two riders after Pamukcu, Great Britains Tom McEwan and JL Dublin lowered the top score again, earning 25.8 to take the early lead and later in the day putting them in 11th after dressage.The next U.S. rider to compete was Elisabeth Halliday and the 10-year-old Nutcracker, who were last to go in the third group right before the lunch break. Also competing in her first Olympics, Halliday is known for laying down great dressage scores and they did just that, garnering a 28.0 to move them into fourth at the time. By the end of the day, they were in 19th individually.Liz Halliday and Nutcracker exit the ring after scoring a 28.0. Photo by Cealy TetleyHalliday and Nutcracker had moved from the teams traveling reserve spot onto the team less than 48 hours ago due to Will Colemans horse developing a foot abscess. She was elated after her ride, yet said she felt devastated for Coleman, having experienced that type of disappointment before.She said she went through a range of emotions leading up to competing for the team, I went from shock to oh my gosh to OK, now Im just a competitor again. I am absolutely thrilled with how my young horse performed in there. He has actually taken a big leap forward in his work in the last two weeks.Then, a few scores in the high teens and more in the 20s started dropping with some regularity. The third rider out after the lunch break was Laura Collett from Great Britain riding her long-time partner London 52. Great things were expected from this pair who had won the 2022 Badminton 5* Horse Trials and were members of the British Team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. And, boy, did they deliver! As instrumental strains of The Beatles hit Yesterday appropriately played in the background, their test was nearly foot perfect and beautiful to watch. When their mark of 17.5 was posted, the crowds cheered and they were in the history books as the best-ever Olympic eventing dressage score. They eventually topped the leaderboard at the end of the day.Laura Collett celebrates aboard London 52 after setting an Olympic record with a score of 17.5 in eventing dressage. Photo courtesy FEI/Benjamin ClarkSeveral more horse and rider pairs posted impressive scores in the 20s, then Germanys Michael Jung, a four-time Olympian, and his Tokyo 2021 mount Chipmunk FRH stepped into the ring. Great expectations for them were fulfilled as well and they notched another fabulous score, just below Colletts, a 17.8 and another Olympic record-breaking score. After Jung and Chipmunk, more 20-something scores dropped, too.The final U.S. rider was Boyd Martin on Fedarman B, riding in honor of Fedarmans previous owner Annie Goodwin, who died in a riding accident. Martin is representing the USA in his fourth Olympic Games. They put in a nice test, slightly marred by a couple of bobbles in canter flying changes to earn 30.5. Still, it was a good start for them looking toward cross-country tomorrow.Boyd Martin and Fedarman B score a 30.5. Photo courtesy US EquestrianMartin summarized their test, Awesome test except for two moments which were disastrous. I really feel like Bruno went in there and was such a champion; he was with me every step of the way. But, our left-to-right lead changes in there were a bit of a muddle. In the lead up to this event, we had been getting those really good at home in training. Today the atmosphere was electric out there and he got a bit of anxiety and I think I mistimed my aids a little bit. I feel like I gave my all today and it would have been awesome to have four great changes, but I feel like we still came out of it with a respectable score. Other than the flying changes, I feel like it was our best work ever. I feel like it [the cross-country] is a hell of a course out there, but I feel like my horse is custom made for it.One rider, Emiliano Portali of Italy riding Future, was unfortunately eliminated today in the equipment check after their test. They had earned a score of 30.5 but unfortunately they must have had a piece of equipment that didnt comply with the rules. However, they will be allowed to run cross-country tomorrow for their team, but the team is assessed a penalty of 100 points because of their elimination.Find a complete list of the individual eventing results after the dressage phase here.In the team competition, eyes were on the scoreboard and calculators were out, as national federations figured and refigured their standings during the day. Each team has three horse and rider combinations, with no drop score, so a lot is riding on each members performance.The British Team has so, so much depth and they showed it today, posting the best score of 66.7. Standing in second after dressage is Germany on 74.1 and third is the French Team, which rose to the occasion in front of their home crowd scoring 81.2. Not far behind, New Zealand is fourth with 83.0 and fifth is Japan (87.4). The USA stands in striking distance in sixth place on 88.9.Find complete eventing post-dressage team results here.Tomorrows cross-country begins at 10:30 a.m. and runs to 3 p.m. Central European Time (4:30 a.m. U.S. East Coast Time, 3:30 a.m. U.S. Central Time, 2:30 a.m. Rocky Mountain Time, 1:30 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time). NBCs Peacock and NBCOlympics.com will livestream the competition from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time.Individual and team cross-country orders of go and results, as well as obstacle descriptions and a cross-country course map, can be found at these links: Team IndividualThanks toCareCreditfor our spring and summer equestrian coverage.The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Olympic Records Broken & Team Standings After Eventing Dressage appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.