One year on: the Olympic dressage moments we’ll never forget

A year on from dressage taking centre stage at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, this recap looks back at the moments that defined an unforgettable competition.

Britain entered the Games under a cloud – uncertainty, pressure and scrutiny all hung in the air. But what followed was a story of grit and grace. Team GB emerged with bronze medals, wide smiles, and a wave of relief that rippled across the sport.

Set against the splendour of Versailles and bathed in golden sunshine, Paris 2024 delivered it all: drama, tension, rising stars, and reigning icons. Relive the theatre, the triumphs, and some unexpected cameos through our gallery of standout images from a landmark Olympic dressage competition.

1. Following the withdrawal and subsequent suspension of Charlotte Dujardin, travelling reserves Becky Moody and Jagerbomb stepped up to take their place in the team. It was their championship debut, and on the sport’s biggest stage. But they rose to the occasion in style, posting personal bests in both the special (76.49%) and the freestyle (84.36%).

2. One moment that stands out for Becky is standing on the podium alongside some of the sport’s greatest names.

“That was the coolest thing and the picture of us all up there is one of my top five favourite photos of all time. To look at that picture and think that these guys have been my absolute inspiration and role models was incredible, and to be there with Lottie [Fry] as well who I taught when she was a wee nipper in BD Youth, it just goes to show how things can change when you graft and work hard.”

3. In one of the more unexpected cameos of the Games, American rapper Snoop Dogg and lifestyle icon Martha Stewart turned heads as they watched the grand prix special dressed in black tailcoats and white breeches, cheering on Becky and Jagerbomb among others.

4. Lottie and Glamourdale secured a brilliant bronze medal for the British team in scoring 79.48% in the special, making it the first Games since London 2012 that Team GB have won Olympic team medals in all three equestrian disciplines following the success of the showjumping and eventing teams.

It was 32 years since Lottie’s late mother, Laura Fry, rode at the Barcelona Olympics alongside Lottie’s current teammate Carl Hester.

“The fact that I’m on teams with Carl now is very, very special,” Lottie said. “I think she’s with me all the time and riding the test with me  – I hope she’s proud.”

5. “It’s been a week of very, very different emotions, but this is a fantastic way to top it off,” Carl reflected after receiving his team bronze medal. “I think a lot of people felt that if Charlotte wasn’t on the team, then we wouldn’t be successful, so it was very important for the team to show that we could do that.”

Riding Fame, it was Carl’s seventh Games, a joint record for the most Olympic appearances by a British athlete with Nick Skelton.

6. Outside of the British camp, Abi Lyle made her Olympic debut aboard Giraldo (Arty) as Ireland’s sole dressage representative, scoring 69.44% in the grand prix.

“It went better than I ever could have imagined,” Abi said. “Arty and I went into a little bubble – I felt completely in the zone. Afterwards, it was just a wave of relief and emotion. I’ve had very few rides like that in my career, and I don’t know how many more I’ll ever have.”

7. Despite her wealth of top-level experience, Paris marked an Olympic debut for Mount St John Freestyle, ridden by Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.

The pair anchored the Danish team to a historic silver – their best Olympic dressage result to date. But it was heartbreakingly close: Germany edged ahead by just 0.12% to clinch the gold, in one of the closest team competitions in Olympic dressage history.

8. Then just 10 years old, Wendy emerged as the breakout star of the Games under the saddle of Isabell Werth – the most decorated Olympic dressage rider in history.

The pair delivered a brilliant test to claim individual silver in the Olympic freestyle on 89.61% – the mare’s third personal best in as many tests. Their music was an instant crowd favourite, opening with Cyril’s Stumblin’ In, followed by Dire Straits, and, most memorably, Barry Manilow’s Mandy – with the lyrics cheekily changed to “Oh, Wendy.”

9. The last dance – Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera signed off their extraordinary partnership with another Olympic double gold, before Dalera retired from competition after the Games. The world number ones and reigning European champions arrived in Paris unbeaten in 35 consecutive internationals – a streak that began with their individual gold in Tokyo.

They left as just the fourth pair in history to defend an Olympic individual dressage title, scoring 90.09% and standing as the only combination to break the 90% barrier at these Games.

10. Lottie and Glamourdale added an unexpected flourish to close out the competition, clinching individual bronze in the freestyle. With the margins at the top incredibly tight, a few slight mistakes left them on 88.97%, and it looked as though they might miss the podium – especially with last-to-go Cathrine and Freestyle still to ride.

Despite showcasing spectacular piaffe pirouettes into canter pirouettes and other highlights, the Danish pair also made errors, finishing on 88.09% and placing fifth.

“I didn’t want to disappoint myself, so I didn’t watch the last tests,” said Lottie. “As we were on our way back to the stables, I thought – just by coincidence – we should check the scores before packing up. And then suddenly there was a lot of screaming when we realised we had bronze! It was so exciting, and Glamourdale really deserves this.”

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