Olympic equestrian dressage grand prix results: August 11
Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin is a standout in the equestrian dressage grand prix. Team U.S.A. is on fire, placing third in the team standings
At the conclusion of the second day of the equestrian grand prix dressage Charlotte Dujardin for Great Britain on Valegro leads with the high score of 85.071. The German team stands first with a total score of 81.424. Team U.S.A. dressage sits in third place, scoring 76.971. The individual placings of riders on Team U.S.A. are Laura Graves on Verdades, 5th; Steffen Peters on Legolas 92, 6th; Kasey Perry-Glass on Dublet, 17th; and Allison Brock on Rosevelt, 25th. Team U.S.A. is qualified to move on to the Grand Prix Special Friday.
There was no denying the overall excellence of Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. The pair are returning London Olympic individual gold medalists and were on Great Britain’s gold winning team for dressage. If they retain the form shown today, Charlotte and Vallegro will be unbeatable in the remaining dressage competitions.
Top individual scores
- Charlotte Dujardin, Great Britain 85.071
- Kristina Broring-Sprehe, Germany 82.257
- Dorothee Schneider, Germany 80.986
Top team scores
- Germany 81.295
- Great Britain 79.252
- United States 76.971
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Dressage viewing hints
The angle reached by the horse’s raised forearm should be ideally matched by the angle of the horse’s hind leg between the hock and the ankle — in that aspect the legs’ elevation should look parallel. In the piaffe, the horse’s hindquarters should sink and round a little bit, that’s called coming under. What you don’t want to see in any maneuver is brilliant movement in the forelegs and lesser shuffling in the hind legs.
Geometry and symmetry count, too. If a horse is too circle, then the circle needs to be round with no flat sections. A straight line, either down the center or across the diagonal of the arena, must be unwavering. Halts are square, meaning the front and rear legs are even and still. In a perfectly square halt, whether you are looking from the front rear or sides, you see only two legs. There is no wiggling, shifting, or movement of any kind after a square halt.
When the test is finished, the rider salutes, then gives the horse a pat and often a hug. The reins are loose and the horse walks relaxed from the arena.