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EQUESTRIAN:Dutch rider beats German rival to take dressage gold

Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands riding Salinero won the equestrian individual dressage gold medal yesterday.

Isabell Werth of Germany on Satchmo won the silver and Heike Kemmer of Germany riding Bonaparte won the bronze.

Van Grunsven and Werth both made costly mistakes in last week’s Grand Prix Special, the first round of the individual contest.

Werth and her horse Satchmo scored 75.20 percent, and van Grunsven on Salinero finished with 74.96 percent. In third place was Germany’s Heike Kemmer with 72.96 percent.

Van Grunsven came to Beijing defending the individual gold she won in Athens in 2004, which she also took in Sydney in 2000.

Werth took the silver in Sydney and the gold in Atlanta in 1996.

Germany won the gold medal for the team dressage last Thursday, with the Netherlands taking silver and Denmark bronze.

Germany has won three of the four equestrian gold medals so far, with the team and individual eventing and team dressage. The US won the team jumping gold on Monday.

Yesterday’s final was the second of the two-part individual dressage contest. The first is formulaic, with 25 riders following a set routine set to music.

The second part saw the finalists performing freestyle routines set to music of their choosing.

All three leaders have said they would perform routines they have already ridden in international competition.

Werth had looked unassailable last week, until Satchmo inexplicably shied halfway through her routine and started to move backwards.

Until then, scores for each movement had been above 80 percent, but her mistake cost her around 8 percent.

While van Grunsven also faltered, her scores were not nearly as high throughout the test and Werth’s error has enhanced her chance for gold, as the final score is calculated by adding then halving percentages from both sessions — and the Dutchwoman is considered a master of the freestyle.

Dressage is a complex sport that can seem esoteric, but involves strict discipline and control as the rider puts the horse through a series of 36 movements based on cavalry training techniques developed in Europe in the Middle Ages.
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