Para-Dressage Freestyle Day Rocks Versailles

US athletes win two more golds and a bronze on the final triumphant day of the 2024 Paris Paralympics

By Kim MacMillan
Photos by Sarah E. Miller/MacMillan Photography

The para-dressage competition at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games concluded on a high note—literally—with music filling the air during the eagerly anticipated finale, the September 7 individual freestyle medal finals. The top eight para-dressage athletes in the world in each of the five FEI classification grades (40 total riders) and their mounts danced in front of a packed house at the equestrian venue on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.

The day’s events were prefaced by a second horse inspection, and unfortunately Brazilian athlete Rodolpho Riskalla’s horse, Denzel, was not accepted for competition. As a result, Irish rider Sarah Slattery moved from the waiting list to the competition order with her mount, Savona. The Paralympic para-dressage ground jury green-lighted the other 39 horses.

All four of Team USA’s riders had qualified for the freestyle: Kate Shoemaker (Grade IV) and Vianne, a 2016 Hanoverian mare (Vitalis x Ramiro’s Bube) owned by Norcordia USA and cared for by Katherine Barrett; Roxanne Trunnell (Grade I) and Fan Tastico H, a 2017 Oldenburg gelding (Fürstenball OLD x Weltmeyer) owned by Karin Flint and cared for by Rafael Hernandez-Carillo; Fiona Howard (Grade II) and Diamond Dunes, a 2013 Hanoverian gelding (De L’Or x Wolkentanz) owned by Dressage Family LLC and Hof Kasselmann and cared for by Helen Claire McNulty; and Rebecca Hart (Grade III) and Floratina, a 2008 Hanoverian mare (Fidertanz 2 x Rubin Royal OLD) owned by Rowan O’Riley and cared for by Mackenzie Young.

The US contingent had arrived in France on a mission. They had their sights set on medaling, and medal they did: Going into the freestyle, they’d already won the historic first US Paralympic para-dressage team gold plus two individual golds (Howard and Hart) and an individual silver (Trunnell). But they weren’t done yet, and it was incredibly fun to watch them ride their freestyles, all set to well-loved movie soundtracks.

First to go for the USA, Shoemaker was intent on redemption with Vianne after an uncharacteristic spook lowered their score in the Grade IV individual competition and knocked the pair out of the medal hunt. In the freestyle, Shoemaker and “Vi” floated around the arena, delivering a lovely test to music from Forrest Gump. Their score of 80.900% earned them the Grade IV freestyle bronze medal.

Shoemaker, who was riding in her second Paralympics, was full of emotion as she talked about her freestyle performance.

“I could not keep the smile off my face,” she said afterward. “From the moment after the first halt, I was just like, ‘I’m here with my favorite horse in the world,’ and I was overcome with so much joy and this peace. It was an answered prayer this morning. I just asked for peace, and I feel like it was really a God-filled ride for me today.”

Shoemaker admitted to feeling pre-ride jitters until she began her warm-up. “I was so nervous before my ride—probably the most nervous I’ve ever been, because of not having had the opportunity to be on the team this week, which honestly was my goal coming into these Games. I’m so proud of them that they got it [the gold medal] done, but it left me with this feeling that today was my last shot for these Games.”

The Grade IV freestyle gold medal went to the Netherlands’ Demi Haerkens on Daula, on a score of 83.390%. The silver medalist was Anna-Lena Niehues and Quimbaya 6 of Germany (80.900%).

In the Grade V freestyle, Belgium’s Michele George on Best of 8 won their second gold medal of these Games with a score of 81.470%. Germany’s Regine Mispelkamp and Highlander Delight’s captured silver (79.550%), and Sophie Wells of Great Britain on LJT Egebjergaards Samoa won the bronze (75.445%).

Next in the scenic main arena were the Grade I freestyles. Performing to music from The Lion King, three-time Paralympian Trunnell and Fan Tastico H laid down a solid but somewhat more subdued test than earlier in the week. Their score of 77.307% put them in fifth place, just 0.44 point shy of the bronze medal. At age seven “Fanta” is a young horse and shows much promise for the future.

Trunnell, the Grade I 2021 Paralympic individual gold medalist on Dolton, said of her freestyle: “I liked his serpentines today; he really seemed to loosen up in those. It wasn’t his best test today, but he really tried. It’s been really great being here. My dad, mother, sister, and Fan Tastico’s owner, Karin Flint, are all here to support me.” 

With his phenomenal, metronome-perfect walk, King of the Dance was king of the Grade I freestyle, claiming the gold medal on 82.487% with Latvian rider Rihards Snikus. The pair had won their grade’s individual gold earlier in the week. The Grade I freestyle silver medal went to Italy’s Sara Morganti on Mariebelle (81.407%), and the bronze went to Great Britain’s Mari Durward-Akhurst on Athena Lindebjerg (77.7475%).

In the Grade II freestyle it was US rider and Paralympic debutante Howard’s turn to dance. She and Diamond Dunes, already double gold medalists at Paris 2024, made it a hat trick by winning their freestyle on 82.227%. Riding to music from Avatar, they were the only pair in their group to top 80%.

“When I came into these Games, I just wanted to put down the best tests I could,” Howard said afterward. “It was my first Paralympic Games, and I just wanted to do my best and help out the team. But this has gone above my expectations. On the third day, you have to dig a little deep because my muscles are definitely tired, but I have such a great partner in Diamond Dunes. He knows his job. He gave me everything, just like the past two times. I couldn’t have asked for any more.”

On the podium with Howard were Grade II silver medalist Georgia Wilson of Great Britain on Sakura (79.374%) and bronze medalist Heidemarie Dresing of Germany on Dooloop (76.127%).

Closing out the competition for the USA with a bang was five-time Paralympian Rebecca Hart, who like Howard had already visited the gold-medal podium twice this week. Mount Floratina spooked before they entered for their Grade III freestyle, but Hart got the mare back and they put in a seemingly effortless test to music from Driving Miss Daisy. Last to go in the class, Hart had a nail-biting moment before her score was announced: Could she top Dutch rider Rixt van der Horst’s leading score of 83.007% on Royal Fonq? Hart could and she did, winning her third gold of these Games on 83.534%.

“That was so wonderful,” Hart said afterward. “I was a little concerned when we started cantering [in the warm-up], but I was like, ‘She will come back to me; she always does.’ It’s just electric [in the arena]. I told her she was fine. She went, ‘Are we OK?’, and I said, ‘Yes, we’re fine,’ and she said, ‘OK, I trust you,’ and it was such a magical moment. I got her back under control and gave her a pat. I told her she was a good girl, and I could feel her take a breath. Then we hit the markers the way we needed to.”

Van der Horst had to settle for silver. Great Britain’s Natasha Baker on Dawn Chorus earned bronze with 77.140%.

A Record-Smashing Games for the USA

The US para-dressage team took home a total of seven medals from Paris 2024, smashing their previous achievement of three medals each in Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2021.

After the medal ceremonies, US Equestrian president Tom O’Mara introduced the US athletes to various dignitaries from France and the USA in attendance before the riders were whisked off to make an appearance at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s USA House in Paris.

Within hours of the final para-dressage medal ceremony at these Paralympics, the riding arenas were quiet and workers were busily packing up and tearing down the temporary grandstand and buildings that had been erected on the Versailles gardens grounds. In a few months’ time there will be no trace left of the equestrian venue, but the US athletes’ and horses’ magnificent accomplishments will go down in US equestrian history.