Great Britain’s Sophie Wells and Germany’s Hannelore Brenner claimed the first individual gold medals in the Para Dressage Championship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky, USA today.

Wells, who is also highly-competitive in able-bodied sport and who competed on the fifth-placed British team at the European Young Riders Championship at Kronberg in Germany this summer, scooped the Grade 4 title.  She produced a forward, flowing test with no mistakes from her chestnut gelding Pinocchio to score 71.677 which left her just over 1.5 points ahead of silver medallist Frank Hosmar from Germany while Denmark’s Henrik Weber Sibbesen claimed bronze.

PLEASED
“I was quite pleased with my test”, the British rider said afterwards. “My horse was a little difficult in warm-up, but I thought the trot-work was actually quite good.  He came against me a little bit when I picked up the canter after the walk, but then he came back to me again which was good.  When we were in here on Monday he was quite distracted by the open corners, but today he was much better.  I think he was a bit nervous and was holding himself yesterday – it was a little bit up and down.  But I’m still pleased overall with the test itself.  It was good that we had a week before to get riding and get used to the weather and the surroundings”, she added.

Advertisement