Germany topped the team results to secure their 26th team gold medal at the European Dressage Championships in Crozet after a nail-biting finish that came down to the final two riders.
Team anchor Isabell Werth and Wendy De Fontaine produced 79.22% to outscore Lottie Fry and Glamourdale’s 75.83%, sealing the title for Germany with a total of 229.644.
Britain had to settle for silver on 226.785, with Denmark taking bronze on 223.385 – rounding out the top three in the European Dressage Championships team results.
“That was really heavy,” said Isabell. “Everyone said before it was so open – and at the end it really was, but it was fun and intense too.
“Lottie had it in her fingers. I didn’t watch her; I was waiting around the corner. It was really close, and it could have changed at the end. It worked, but it doesn’t mean it was clear.”
Isabell was full of praise for Wendy’s performance under pressure, with the 11-year-old mare’s score just fractionally below the 79.36% she scored in the grand prix at the Paris Olympics.
“She was fantastic,” Isabell said. “She was really focused, and I tried to make it a test without mistakes. She gave me a pure passage and really nice piaffe – I was really, really happy with her.”
She also said the Crozet atmosphere – which seemed to unsettle a few – suited Wendy: “She likes it. She enjoys it. For her, it’s not a problem.”
Looking ahead to the individual medals, Werth admitted the competition is wide open. “It’s super open. One mistake can make a difference. That makes it even more exciting.”
She added that her partnership with Wendy is still developing, with fewer than a dozen shows together under their belts. “I’ve only done about 10 shows with her, so I’m still running behind in terms of experience, getting to know her and fixing things. That’s also why today made me really happy.”
Isabell – who already has nine individual European golds to her name – will bid for another podium finish in tomorrow’s grand prix special (29 August), the first of the individual competitions which starts at 10am local time (9am British time).
Although no medals are awarded for the grand prix itself, she sits second on the leaderboard behind Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle (80.82%), with Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus close behind in third (79.08%).
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