-- Photos © Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!
I have a confession to make: I have been cheating on dressage. As I arrived rather early in Paris to get properly settled in and photograph training after training session of dressage as part of the "familiarization process", eventing kicked off the equestrian leg of the Game simultaneously.
The first big influx for the VMC (Venue Media Centre) at the 2024 Olympics withstood the test as the big white tent behind the main stadium got flooded with people for the final day of three-day eventing on Monday 29 July 2024. Discipline specific journalists and photographers share the same space with media from the major agencies, who jump from handball to horse sport to golf in the same day. All tables and seats were occupied with sweaty people who got fried alive by the sun as no shade can be found anywhere in the stadium. Tomorrow the first leg of the Grand Prix will be ridden in 32 C°. Oh lord!
After some rainy days in Versailles, summer certainly has arrived at the Games and cross country day was blessed with spectacular, mild summer weather. No less than 42,000 (!!!) people came to the gardens of the palace of Versailles to witness incredible horse sport. Who dares to say that equestrian sport is not a popular Olympic discipline !! I don't think breakdance or wall-climbing gathers such a crowd! Animal activists were blood thirsty for injured horses and dead riders, but they didn't have their field day. While there were a few spills, none got terribly injured. Some horses looked tired by the end of the course, but a large majority of horses relished in the task of clearing a technical course in a mind blowing setting. You saw happy horses competing, even when for a few seconds or so the bit is pulled through the mouth to steer them in the right direction. Always ears pricked and going forward.
I decided to photograph the final rounds as well as the medal ceremony. It was a good test of how and where I want to be when the dressage medal ceremonies take place. I think I got quite a few great images of the eventing riders, so excuse me for making Eurodressage Euro-eventing for a day.
- Text and Photos © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)
Eurodressage is taking photos of all competitors in Versailles. No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!
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Eurodressage Coverage of the Olympic Games
