Equestrian Preview

Great Britain has been dominant recently inside the equestrian arena, though Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands will be pushing for the podium in London. 28 Aug 2012

Great Britain and Germany will likely battle it out for many of the podium spots in the five classifications across the three disciplines: individual championship test, individual freestyle test and mixed team test.

Dates: 30 August – 4 September

Venue: Greenwich Park

Number of Athletes: 78

Medal Events: 30

Ones to Watch: Lee Pearson (Great Britain)

London’s oldest royal park, offering views of the River Thames and St. Paul’s Cathedral, will play host to the dressage competition at the Paralympics, in which the host nation’s Lee Pearson is expected to steal the show.

Great Britain and Germany will likely battle it out for many of the podium spots in the five classifications across the three disciplines: individual championship test, individual freestyle test and mixed team test.

Pearson, in grade Ib, is the most decorated rider in Paralympic history, having won nine golds at the Games in addition to accumulating 19 world and European championship medals.

“It’s a bit strange for me,” Pearson said. “I am excited but I am more nervous because I have a lot of pressure to do well. The ideal situation would be two individual gold medals and a team gold but that’s obviously down to the Gods, lady luck on the day and how my horses perform.”

He will be joined by 10 other British riders – the most for any delegation – including double Beijing 2008 gold medallists Sophie Christensen in grade Ia and Anne Dunham in grade IV.

Great Britain dominated the equestrian arena with five gold and 10 overall medals at Beijing 2008 and there is no reason they cannot repeat their success on their home soil.

Meanwhile, Germany’s high flyers include returning Paralympic champions Hannelore Brenner in grade III and Britta Napel in grade II. They have stood a notch below Great Britain on the podium for the past eight years and will look to rectify that in London.

“It would be a dream if we could knock them off their throne. We were often very close," Brenner said of defeating the British.

Also, be sure not to miss Austria’s Pepo Puch, who is world No. 1 in the latest FEI individual rankings as a member of grade Ib, and will confront Pearson for the first time in the competition circle in London.

The Netherlands, with Frank Hosmar in grade IV, and Denmark, led by Caroline Cecilie Nielsen in grade II, could have several riders pushing for the podium and challenging the favourites.

A final feel-good story of the Games will be Lee Frawley, who will be the first athlete to ever represent the US Virgin Islands at the Paralympics when she enters Greenwich Park with her horse, Rhapsody.

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