Olympic Dressage Images–Joy, Tears, Focus & Disappointment

13 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Olympic Dressage Images–Joy, Tears, Focus & Disappointment

Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro celebrating their Olympic individual gold medal after capturing team gold, the first rider and horse to achieve the Olympic double gold since Isabell Werth and Gigolo in 1996. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
The emotion of the moment for Charlotte Dujardin winning her second Olympic gold medal, normally cool, calm and collected except the Games were at home and the results were landmark in a century of Olympic horse sports. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Tears, too, for fellow British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer on Mistral Hojris, winning the individual bronze medal after team gold. The pair's record includes gold and silver at European Championships, silver at the World Equestrian Games but in perhaps their last championship partnership emotions were high. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival, the horse she got to ride when no one else could, in her individual silver medal performance after winning team bronze. She admitted her schedule of competitions leading to the Olympics was "different" than others but the proof was in the results. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.compreparation for the
Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill was the leading combination for a Germany that won team silver instead of the gold they had won at the previous eight Olympics, but the squad of four women who never before competed at an Olympics won universal admiration and affection for their cheerful efforts to give it their best and no complaints. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Carl Hester whose contribution to Great Britain ending a century-long Olympic dressage famine was his Uthopia and his employee of six years Charlotte Dujardin on his part-owned Valegro. His humor in addition to his ability as a trainer and rider has made him one of the sport's leading personalities worldwide has created hopes that the success of Britain's Olympic team may inspire kids to pursue the same dream. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
The Union Jack clipped on the butt of Valegro ridden by Charlotte Dujardin as it was also for stablemate Uthopia ridden by Carl Hester. An amazing clipping job. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
After winning individual gold at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, Anky van Grunsven brought Salinero out of retirement to help the Netherlands team medal in London. Salinero was the oldest horse in the competition at 18 years of age, but the pair posted a score of 82.000 per cent, that was almost the same as their winning performance in 2008 but placed them sixth this year. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Kristina Sprehe of Germany, one of the new generation at age 26, who was competing Desperados in the Under-25 division a year ago but won a place on Germany's Olympic team that took silver and she finished eighth in the individual final. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Another new young talent, Denmark's Anna-Kaspazrak, at 22 years old, riding Donnperignon, a horse she has been partnered with for 10 months but made it to the individual final. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Steffen Peters and Ravel receiving a consoling touch from owner Akiko Yamazaki after the top American combination for the past four years did not finish in the top group in the individual competition, the second Olypmics for the pair in what was the final competition for the Contango gelding. Achievements by the pair have been historic for the United States and included only the second World Cup Final victory for the country, the only American to win the CDIO at Aachen, Germany, and individual medals at the World Equestrian Games. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com