Heidemarie Dresing Wins Bronze in the Freestyle at the World Para-Dressage Championships

Heidemarie Dresing and her Fürstenball-bred daughter Poesie received nearly 81 percent for their Grade II World Championship freestyle. To be exact, it was 80.807 percent. Only U.S.team world champion Fiona Howard, riding Diamond Dunes—who won her second gold medal of the weekend with a score of 81.866 percent—and Britain’s Jemima Green scored higher. She rode the eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding Fantabulous by Foundation to a silver medal with a score of 80.933 percent.

The scores given by the individual judges also illustrate just how close the performances were. Two of the judges ranked Howard first, while three placed her second. Jemima Green was ranked third by four judges and first by one. Heidemarie Dresing was ranked first by two judges, second by two, and fourth by U.S. judge Kristi Wysocki. However, Wysocki did not place her fellow American first either; instead, she ranked the British rider Green in first place.

Heidemarie Dresing was overjoyed when she came out of the arena—even though the mare still didn’t seem to have completely forgotten the scare from the first test during the line-up and didn’t stand as calmly as usual. The fact that she performed well in every test despite this fear is all the more reason for Heide Dresing to celebrate, as it proves just how much Poesie trusts her. “I’m so proud of Poesie. She’s such a great horse, and it’s so much fun to ride her. As for the other part, we’ll just have to keep practicing. I’m also still getting to know her better—figuring out what triggers her. Otherwise, when she comes out of the stable, she’s so calm and composed, even during the warm-up. It’s just in there (in the arena) that she had a little problem this time. But she still performs well anyway.”

The Bronze-Brandt

Helen Brandt then scored a huge success in Grade IV. In her first World Championship, she won an individual medal right off the bat with her horse Vulkan Vegas IB. With a score of 78.005 percent, she took bronze behind France’s Alexia Pittier, riding the 11-year-old Hanoverian Sultan by Sarotti Mocca-Sahne (78.645). The title went quite convincingly to U.S. rider Kate Shoemaker with Vianne. With a score of 83.305 percent, the pair danced their way to their third gold medal of the weekend.

The second German Grade IV rider, Anna-Lena Niehues riding Vive l’Amour—who had already won an individual medal on the first day—finished sixth today with a score of 76.085 percent.

Silver to Cap Off the Event

The Grade V riders were the last to enter the arena, and for once, victory did not go to the U.S. There were no U.S. riders competing in this grade at all. Instead, it was Sweden’s Lena Malmström’s moment to shine on Fabulous Fidelie, a 14-year-old daughter of Floricello. They had already competed at the 2022 World Championships in Herning, but were far from the medal positions. Last year, they took bronze in the European Championships freestyle in Ermelo. Now they are world champions. No one was able to beat their freestyle score of 79.675 today.

Regine Mispelkamp and Highlander Delight’s took home the silver medal with a score of 78.185 percent. The bronze medal went to the Netherlands, with Britney de Jong riding Caramba N.O.P., who scored 77.440 percent.