Hagen, Germany – The Perrigo U.S. Para Dressage Team emerged victorious after a banner weekend at the CPEDI Hagen. The team of Rebecca Hart and Floratina, Fiona Howard and Diamond Dunes, Beatrice de Lavalette and Sixth Sense, and Kate Shoemaker and Vianne posted excellent scores across the FEI Para Dressage Grand Prix A and B tests, with seven out of eight scores exceeding 70%.
The relatively new partnership of Howard and Diamond Dunes (De l’Or x Wibella), a 2013 Hanoverian gelding owned by Hof Kasselman GMBH & Co.KG and Dressage Family LLC posted the team’s top combined score of the team competition, which were also the top placings for Grade II, earning a 76.264 in Grand Prix A and 77.056 in Grand Prix B.
Hart and Rowan O’Riley and Chloe Gasioraowski’s Floratina (Fidertanz x Rubina), a 2008 Hanoverian mare, had the top score in the Grade III Grand Prix Test A with a 76.5% and the second-best in the Grand Prix Test B with a 73.056%. Shoemaker and Vianne (Kastel’s Vitalis x Raureif), a 2016 Hanoverian mare owned by NorCordia USA, topped the Grade IV Grand Prix A and B tests with a 74.769% and a 74.730%, respectively. De Lavalette and her longtime partner Sixth Sense (Sir Donnerhall I x Edosta), a 2010 Oldenburg gelding owned by Elizabeth and Nicolas de Lavalette, finished second behind teammate Howard in the Grade II tests, earning a 68.046% and a 73.278%.
The team’s final score of 452.375 brought them to the top of the podium ahead of second-place team France and third-place team Italy. It was also a U.S. team record.
“This was our highest team score to date for the second time in a row,” said Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline. “It’s a credit to the hard work and dedication that these athletes and their teams put in, and it’s proof that our strategy is working. Consistency is always key to a championship build-up, and we’ve had it four international competitions in a row.”
All four combinations returned for the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle tests on Sunday with another set of winning results. Howard and de Lavalette once again went first and second in the Grade II, with a 79.023% and 76.589%, respectively. Hart and Floratina won the Grade III Freestyle with a 79.345%, and Shoemaker and Vianne scored a personal best of 78.450% to win the Grade IV.
The CPEDI at Hagen served as the final European observation event ahead of team selection for the 2024 Paralympics. Next weekend’s CPEDI at the Tryon International Equestrian Center will be the final domestic observation event, building excitement towards the upcoming Paris games.
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