Paris 2024: Team GB earns fourth consecutive Olympic team medal

In a thrilling showdown today in the Equestrian arena at the Palace of Versailles, British riders delivered superb results to win team bronze - Team GB’s fourth consecutive Olympic equestrian dressage team medal.

A team combining experience and up-and-coming talent delivered outstanding performances, with Lottie Fry (Glamourdale), Carl Hester (Fame) and Becky Moody (Jagerbomb) taking the third step on the podium on a team total of 232.492, behind Germany on 235.790 and Denmark with 235.669.

With the scoreboard reset to zero for the Grand Prix Special team medal decider, the top ten dressage teams came forward to battle it out for team accolades. With the three-group draw based on reverse order of merit from the Grand Prix qualifier, the pathfinders for Great Britain were Olympic first-timer Becky Moody and Jagerbomb - pictured below - who this week have stepped up to the team in emphatic fashion.

A late call-up from her position as team reserve provided an opportunity that 44-year-old, Yorkshire born and bred Becky has embraced. Aboard her home-bred, home-produced Jagerbomb (Dante Weltino x Jazz), who she co-owns with longtime supporter Jo Cooper, Becky delivered a new PB of 76.489%. The world number 15 and her charismatic gelding, at just ten years of age, presented a Grand Prix Special test of outstanding harmony and precision, in a metronomic rhythm with textbook frame. It was a dream ride for the pair who looked every bit at home performing on the sport’s biggest stage.

“It was pretty cool,” said Becky speaking after her test. “What an incredible stadium, and the crowd was fantastic. My horse was a total legend, so what more can I ask for on a fair Saturday morning!

“I’ve just come here to do the very best that I can do, and the team around me are amazing,” continued Becky, discussing the experience of stepping up to the team. “We are all just doing our thing and what will be will be. We all want gold of course, but we have some very tough competition, so we’re all going to just do our thing and see where it takes us.”

Becky and the noble ‘Bomb’ have won a legion of fans both at home and since making an impact overseas. About Bomb, Becky said; “He is just a total dude. He’s a lovely, lovely horse. He’s been quite spicy here this week I have to say. Carl has helped me out an awful lot - to find that inner calm, in both of us! But he (Jagerbomb) has been amazing.

“When you’ve trained them from the beginning as youngsters, I think then you do know each other very well because you’ve been through everything together - when you’ve done your first show together and your first big show together and your first Grand Prix together,” continued Becky. “He’s such a character and absolutely a yard favourite at home as he’s probably one of the best to hack, and he goes out in the field and chills out. He’s just an all-round legend.”

Becky and Jagerbomb, drawn eighth to ride in group one, held their position to put Great Britain at the top of the leaderboard going into group two. The master of British dressage, Carl Hester, was the next Brit to take to the arena, as eighth to go in the second group. Competing at his seventh Olympic Games and partnering Fiona Bigwood’s Fame - pictured below - at the stallion’s debut Games, Carl did a masterful job under pressure to produce a Grand Prix Special awarded 76.520% to bolster the team total further.

The electric atmosphere was palpable, and Fame appeared quite hot and playful, but cleverly managed by Carl, he produced beautifully active, fluent work. A break in one of the trot extensions was costly, but the half passes and piaffe-passage tour were amongst the many highlights that had the judges reaching for the higher marks.

“I had a fragile start,” commented Carl about his test today. “He was brilliant out there, and he is normally brilliant, but he was so spooky at the beginning that I couldn’t get him on the sides of the arena, and of course everything in this test happens on the sides! When I went in there, I was immediately in front of the judge when he rang the bell, and he (Fame) jumped sideways, so I smiled and said “Merci”! So, he was just a little bit nervous at the beginning but to think he came back up with all his good marks and his good points. He is a horse that anybody would love riding.”

As the competition in the second rotation of riders unfolded, it became evident that the team medal race was going to go to the wire, with Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald (Zepter) and Germany’s Isabell Werth (Wendy) each taking their turn at the top of the leaderboard. “I did think it was going to be close. Looking at the scores all year you could see how everyone was doing, how Isabell has been improving, which she’s just proved now. The Danish are very consistent and very strong.

“Becky Moody, being the newest star to hit the Olympics, has been amazing. I’m so excited for her to see her produce a performance like that. It was very emotional for me. It’s very competitive and I would not want to be one of those last riders in the next group!” smiled Carl. "Watching the team showjumping yesterday, my heart was coming out of my chest – that’s performance. The last horses today are going to be very exciting.”

With the Olympic format allocating times according to the provisional team standings, Lottie Fry was drawn third last to go in the final group of ten. Cool-headed under the greatest of pressure, there’d be no-one better to anchor the British challenge, and Lottie took the expectation in her stride to produce an outstanding performance with the mighty Glamourdale - pictured above. 

The Lord Leatherdale x Negro stallion, owned by Van Olst Horses, has power in abundance and a breathtaking range of movement. Sweeping half passes, great suspension, energy and control in the passage, along with huge, ground-covering tempi changes and a breathtaking extended canter awarded a score average of 9.7, resulted in a final score of 79.483% to slot in just behind Werth (79.894%).

“I had an amazing ride today,” commented Lottie giving her impressions of the test. “There were so many improvements from the Grand Prix, but still a few things we can improve on for tomorrow, which is exciting. But I had an amazing test. It was an amazing feeling to ride in that arena. It looks pretty sold out and we both really enjoyed it.

“I think there were definitely some highlights in the canter today – I was really happy with the changes – the extended canter of course, every time - and the pirouettes, we really nailed them today, so I was very proud.” 

Next up was Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour with Freestyle, who delivered a sublime performance for 81.216% to take Denmark into the silver medal position on 235.669, followed Jessica Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB for Germany, the final combination to go, who scored 79.954% towards a team total of 235.790 to secure team gold, with Great Britain close behind on 232.492.  

After qualifying from the Grand Prix on Tuesday and Wednesday, our three team riders will take to the Paris stage once again tomorrow morning, as the best 18 combinations in the world go head-to-head for Individual medals.

FULL RESULTS

Photos © Łukasz Kowalski