The first medals in para dressage were awarded at the Paralympics in Paris. The first Olympic champion in the Palace Park of Versailles is the Fidertanz/Rubin-Royal daughter Floratina (breeder: Dr Susanne Rauth, Holzminden), who carried the US-American Rebecca Hart to Gold in Grade III. The 16-year-old bay mare was successful in advanced (S*) level dressage competitions in Germany before joining the stable of Canadian dressage rider Lindsay Kellock in 2015. In 2019, Floratina won team gold at the Pan American Games in Lima/PER. Last year, Rebecca Hart took her place in the saddle and has been one of the favourites ever since with 26 consecutive victories. The 39-year-old rider suffers from Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. This is her first gold medal in her fifth participation in the Paralympics.
Keystone Dawn Chorus by Dimaggio/Escudo (breeder: S. Lavendera/GBR), who is registered with the British Hanoverian Horse Society, and Natasha Baker were delighted to take bronze. The dam of the mare from the renowned dam line of Norm came to Great Britain in 2003 via the Elite Auction in autumn. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, the pair won team gold and two individual silver medals.
In Grade II, the winner also carried the Hannoveraner foal brand. The gold medal was won by the De L'Or/Wolkentanz son DiamondDunes (breeder: Klaus-Dieter Mansholt, Jemgum), who was ridden by Fiona Howard from the USA. The eleven-year-old chestnut stallion only celebrated his international debut in March of this year - with a triple victory in Florida. Before a muscle disease made it impossible, Fiona Howard was successful internationally in the western discipline reining.
In Grade V, Best Of by Bonifatius/Maurice (breeder: Dirk Radeke, Verden-Walle) and Belgian rider Michèle George delivered an outstanding performance to take the victory. It is the third Paralympic gold after Tokyo for the 2010-born bay and her 50-year-old rider. Best Of was a guest in the Niedersachsenhalle twice: she changed hands to Dutch ownership at the 2014 Winter Auction, and two years later a buyer from the USA bought her at the auction in November. However, the mare remained in Germany and was successful with Jasmin Nussbauner and Hartwig Burfeind in the dressage ring up to St. Georg level. In 2019, the dream couple Best Of/Michèle George came together and have since celebrated an incredible 38 international victories. Championship genes are firmly anchored in Best Of’s pedigree, her third dam Antigone is the granddam of Susanne Lebek’s 2009 European Championship horse, Potomac by Prince Orac xx/Wenzel (breeder: Friedrich Lührs-Behnke, Verden-Borstel).