October 9, 2010 — Great Britain continued its historical domination of the Para Dressage World Championships by taking the team gold October 8, and sweeping all three individual medals in the Grade I-A division, as well as the individual gold and silver in grade I-B. These medals bring to seven the total British medal count in para dressage at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Leading the British charge was Sophie Christiansen, 22, who took individual gold in the grade I-A test with a score of 76.100 percent and provided a crucial score for her team. Joining Christiansen on the all-Britain individual medal podium were Anne Dunham with silver (73.200 percent) and Emma Sheardown (71.900 percent) with bronze.
Also mining British gold was grade I-B rider Lee Pearson, 36, who performed a nearly flawless ride on the handsome bay Gentleman to score 76.435 percent. British rider Ricky Balshaw, 23, joined him on the podium to accept the silver medal (72.870).
Dunham, Pearson, Christiansen and grade II rider Jo Pitt, 31, contributed scores to the winning British team performance (395.456). Team silver went to Germany (390.277), and team bronze went to Denmark (418.389), which edged the Netherlands (417.480) late in the day.
Danish rider 16-year-old Stinna Tange Kaastrup’s score of 70.174 percent clinched team bronze for Denmark and also garnered her individual bronze in grade Ib.
Sophie Wells, 20, took individual gold in the grade IV individual test, aboard the flashy chestnut Dutch Warmblood, Pinocchio. Her score of 71.677 percent gave her the definitive lead over the Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar (silver), and Denmark’s Henrik Weber Sibbesen (bronze).
In the grade III individual test, the final standings mirrored those of the grade III team test, with Germany’s Hannelore Brenner and her chestnut Hanoverian mare Women Of The World taking gold (72.400 percent), over Denmark’s Annika Lyke Dalskov on Preussen Wind (71.067 percent) and Australia’s Sharon Jarvis on Applewood Odorado (68.867 percent).
