La Vie en Or: Von Bredow-Werndl Conjures Kur Magic for Gold at the 2024 Olympic Games

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  
-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

German reigning Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl worked her magic with a clever Kur strategy and nerves of steel to claim her second, consecutive individual gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. 

Olympic dressage came to a conclusion on Sunday morning 4 August 2024 with the individual medal finals contested by the freestyle to music in front of a 14,000 sell-out audience which clapped and cheered for every single pair. 

From Paris With Love

Eighteen horse-and-rider combinations performed their freestyle in the most beautiful backdrop dressage has ever seen - in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.

The Freestyle Final was a celebration of how amazing dressage sport can be by matching music to the footfall of the horses. For the animal loving laymen it's the perfect introduction to the sport and even two Hollywood celebrities came to witness the sport in Versailles, albeit for just two tests. Three-times Oscar nominated actor Ryan Gosling (LaLa Land, The Notebook, Blue Valentine, Drive) and his wife, Eva Mendes (Hitch, The Place Beyond the Pines) brought their two daughters to the show, whole the day before NBC brought Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart to the venue for an appearance. The publicity this generated for the sport was priceless.

Back to business. After a hard fought battle with Denmark, Germany won its 15th team gold medal in the history of the modern Olympics the day before. However in the Grand Prix Special Von Bredow-Werndl was beaten for the first time in three years. Danish Cathrine Dufour and Mount St. John Freestyle topped the board in the Special after Von Bredow-Werndl made a few uncharacteristic mistakes in the walk-piaffe transition. Dufour established herself as Jessica's biggest rival for gold and it only added to the excitement for the finale

La Vie en Or

Von Bredow-Werndl won her first gold in Tokyo with her amazing LaLa Land freestyl and shortly afterwards she swapped those fitting tunes for a deliberately French inspired Kur with Paris 2024 in mind. 

Jessica's strategy paid off as the French home crowd in the stadium appreciated the wink to their culture and musical canon and gave the pair a thunderous applause at the end of their test.  As penultimate rider to go, Jessica  and Beatrice Burchler-Keller's 17-year old Trakehner mare Dalera BB (by Easy Game x Handryk) danced to Edith Piaf's Je Ne Regrette Rien and Padam as well as starting with Paris, Chérie. Her freestyle is arranged by Nicole Pendzich.

Werndl and Dalera were back in unison after the Special: light, refined, polished. remarkably the issues in this freestyle were identical to the ones in Tokyo three years ago: Neither the halt at entry, nor the final halt were immobile (scores between 6.5 and 8.5 (!!)), but the passage was regular and soft footed with flawless rhythm in the piaffe turns. The extensions were big with plenty of overtrack, even though it looks like those hindlegs stay out. The half pass left was far more elastic than the one to the right in which the mare swings out with the left hind leg. The piaffe that followed was sweet but could be more sitting. The piaffe turns were always very rhythmical. The extended walk had plenty of overtrack, the collected walk started out totally lateral and then improved in clarity (score between 5 - 7!!)

Halfway through the ride, Dalera again stuck her tong out against the right shank of the curb, something she started doing at the 2023 Europeans in Riesenbeck but which the judges fully ignored then and also now; one can only assume because the contact is light and the curb rein in a loop. In principle movements with a tongue out cannot score more than 5 but one will debate the terminology of "clearly" hanging out, according to the FEI Judges Manuel (page 24). The tempi changes were secure. In the canter half pass right the impulsion was slightly lost, but the extended canter was good. In the final passage she overreacted with the hindlegs to the clapping of the audience, which then quieted down, for Jessica to finish her test in style. 

The ground jury included Raphael Saleh (FRA - president and judge at C), Magnus Ringmark (SWE), Mariette Sanders (NED), Henning Lehrmann (GER), Michael Osinski (USA), Isobel Wessels (GBR) and Susanne Baarup (DEN). They rewarded the ride with 90.039%. Five judges had her first, two had her fourth (!). The scores ranged from 88.175% (Osinski) to 91.475% (Saleh).

"I woke up this morning. I had a very good feeling. It's about trust now. She is enough, I am enough. We can do it," said Jessica about her mental preparation for the Kur. "It sounds easier than it is. It's difficult to enter as last one. We have proven it so often that we can do it. It's not about trying to fix anything. It's about doing what we can do. There was so much pressure from the outside. Dalera is mirroring me. If I have everything together, she has everything together."

The four-time Olympic gold medal winner Von Bredow-Werndl added at the press conference. "It's very hard to describe the atmosphere. We can never have such an arena again. It's the most incredible dance floor. I'm overwhelmed. It's a once in a lifetime experience." 

Dalera will be retired in the near future. She will do a few more smaller farewell shows and is going to be bred in 2025. 

"I don't know if I will have this feeling again," said Jessica in conclusion. "I think I'm able to produce another super star. Isabell show how it works.  I don't know if I will ever have a horse like Dalera again, but I will work on it."

Dufour Drops to Fifth

Danish duo Catherine Laudrup-Dufour and the 15-year old Hanoverian mare Mount St. John Freestyle (by Fidermark x Donnerhall) were last to go in the class and considered Werndl's biggest rival. After having beaten the otherwise undefeated pair in the Grand Prix Special, one could hear a pin drop in the massive stadium when the Dane entered the arena.

Dufour has only ridden her freestyle once before at the Danish Championships and also cleverly chose some French themes: Canadian Celine Dion, the Belgian artist Stromae ("Formidable"), and her wedding music by John Legend.  The pair had a very strong start with a square halt and top piaffe-passage. In the half pass right the mare dropped a bit in the frame. The trot work was swinging with a happy working horse even though the mouth gaped at times. There was a mistake in the rhythm in the trot extension (4 - 6.5). The collected walk looked a bit tense but stayed clear in the rhythm. The extended walk was very good.  Dufour probably rode a floorplan with the highest technical difficulty with piaffe pirouettes into canter pirouettes, all executed with patience and quiet aids. In the one tempi changes there was a double beat behind. Overall in the canter work the pair lost a bit the collection. The end halt was not immobile (her halt scores were between 6.5 and 8).

Dufour put her fist in the air but the true jubilation was not there. She walked out of the arena and when 88.093% flashed on the board she was out of the medals and landed fifth place. The judges had her between third and fifth place with marks ranging from 87.200 (Lehrmann) and 89.275 (Saleh).

"Disappointed and a bit embarrassed for not fulfilling everything we had dreamed of in yesterday’s final," Dufour took to Instagram on Monday.  "At the same time proud of our team medal with the Danish team, proud of my amazing girl Freestyle, proud to have my amazing team around me cheering, and catching me yesterday."

2.5 Left Pirouette

After the class there was a bit of internal commotion over the scoring of Dufour as she rode one 2.5 pirouette to the left, which is not allowed by the FEI rules (maximum a double pirouette). The FEI judges manual states that that pirouette should normally"not be scored higher than 5 and the scores for both choreography and DoD cannot be higher than max. 5,5." This was not reflected in Dufour's mark sheet.

Seven judges and three Judging Supervisory Panel members did not spot this big mistake. Eurodressage questioned Raphael Saleh, president of the ground jury, on this error and received an official reply from the FEI instead. An FEI spokesperson responded as following:

"We acknowledge that during Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour's Grand Prix Freestyle test, she performed an extra half-pirouette, which went unnoticed by both the judges and the Judges Supervisory Panel (JSP).

"Article 424.3.1 of the FEI Dressage Rules applies: "Unnoticed Error: If the Ground Jury has not noted an error, the Athlete has the benefit of the doubt and will therefore not be penalised for the error." Once the competition results have been reviewed and signed off by the officials, and in the absence of any formal protests, they are considered final.

"Although we acknowledge this was a judging oversight and agree that ideally, there should have been a deduction, the rules do not allow for scores or rankings to be amended retrospectively."

Fluff is All Around

When it comes to FEI rules and its application, we also want to make a quick statement that at the FEI General Assembly next November, they can better just remove the fluff rule. With all the publicity marshmallows and fluff got over the past two years and consequently getting banned by the FEI, never before has it been used so often in the competition ring, even at the Olympics by some, not all, top five riders. 

Muzzles dipped in fluff or a more subtle use of fluff/sugar overdose (it's the crisp white colour and more sticky consistency that gives it away) were seen used by multiple world elite riders, also by those on the podiums.

Maybe the FEI steward should be allowed to systematically tell each groom to wipe the horse's mouth clean BEFORE entering the arena? At least then it's visibly if a horse is honestly chewing and producing real foam as a sign of bit acceptance and elastic contact (FEI manual: "Special emphasis has to be made regarding a soft and steady contact with a gently chewing mouth and an elastic poll"). Then again, why be bothered by all that sugar. If the judges put more emphasis on connection and contact and (down) score it appropriately, the problem is also solved. The ball lies in the FEI's camp. 

"La Dressage Queen"

The silver medal went to German dressage icon Isabell Werth aboard the10-year old Danish warmblood mare Wendy (by Sezuan x Soprano). With a brilliant freestyle designed by Michael Erdmann and based on the current radio mega hit "Stumbling In" (Cyril) and Barry Manilow's "Oh Mandy" Werth pulled at the strings of the heart and continues to be the greatest showman in the dressage arena.

Upon entering the stage the French announcer called her "La Dressage Queen" and Isabell honoured her title. The entry was good, but the first passage not so collected and on the hindlegs. There were a few good piaffe steps followed by more passage. The trot extensions were poor today: hectic and short (7 - 8) and in the half pass right she was not so regular in the front legs, but the test went upwards from then on. Wendy actively marched in the extended walk. The canter zig zag was very nice, the extended canter left uphill. The two tempi changes could have been straighter and there was a bobble in one tempi line (7.5 - 8). Also in one exit in a double pirouette left Wendy had the hindlegs together but in general the pirouettes were small. Werth started to play with the audience, smiling in contentment, even though the final piaffe pirouette had some back-stepping and the mare got crooked to the right in the final piaffe-passage. The rhythm was flawless though, the final halt against stretched but immobile (8 - 9). 

Isabell Werth danced herself into history as the most decorated German Olympic athlete in all sports and now has 14 Olympic medals in total: six individual silver medals (Gigolo in 1992 and 2000, Satchmo in 2008, Weihegold in 2016, Bella Rose in 2021, Wendy in 2024), one individual gold (Gigolo in 1996) and seven team gold medals.

"I have never before been at a more beautiful venue with this view and castle," said Werth at the press conference. "I only have one similar experience in the stadium and that was Aachen WEG 2006. I'm so happy and proud for our sport. Happy to have this atmosphere today. We have fantastic emotions. They came at the right time, the right competition with the right performances. The first starter had 80% already. I hope we go home with these positive impressions."

Interesting to mention is that at the 2024 the three individual gold medals to be won were all captured by Germans: Michael Jung in eventing, Christian Kukuk in show jumping, and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl in dressage.

Fry Back from the Barn for Bronze

British Charlotte Fry and Gert-Jan van Olst's 13-year old KWPN stallion Glamourdale (by Lord Leatherdale x Negro) competed right after Werth in the final group of riders and found her best form on the last day.

The pair performed their "Best of Britain" freestyle with a medley of Queen, Genesis, and the Beatles. A small hint to the Marseillaise could be heard in the pirouettes, but her piaffe-passage finish to "God Save the King" emphasised where the sentiment lies. There as no soothing French audience, Britain took the upper hand in the Gardens of Versailles, the palace where three French kings lived (Louis XIV, XV, XVI) that either fought (War of the Grand Alliance) or ran a strategic alliance with Great Britain.

Glamourdale performed his best piaffe work in the second one he did in the Kur, the passage was strong. In the half pass right he bopped the head a bit much and throughout the test the mouth should be more closed. In the extended walk the stallion not truly stretched into contact but had sufficient overtrack. There was a tiny loss of balance in a double left pirouette. The two tempi changes were huge, but in the ones there were two short changes behind (8 - 9). She rode the ones again in the joker line. The extended canter right and double pirouette right were the highlights. In the final passage, Glamourdale ran out of steam and rolled into the final halt. 

The pair posted 88.971%, placing first with Osinski (90.000%)  and fifth with Baarup (87.725%). With three more riders to go in the class, Fry did not  expect to be in the medals. 

“I didn’t watch any of the tests after mine – I knew they were really good and I didn’t want to disappoint myself when I was so happy with my ride. We were on our way back to the stables and I thought, by chance, that I’d better check the scores before we started packing up, then there was suddenly a lot of screaming going on when we realised we had the bronze," said Lottie. 

She added, "I’m speechless, it’s absolutely amazing, I one hundred percent knew he was capable of it, but to pull it off in there today and get the bronze is just incredible. The support from the crowd was amazing and the prize-giving was insane – that feeling of going round with Jessica and Isabell, two idols and huge inspirations in our sport, was just incredible."

Dinja Van Liere Fourth

Dutch Dinja van Liere and Joop van Uytert and Jan Anker's 12-year old KWPN stallion Hermes (by Easy Game x Flemmingh) landed fourth place and just missed out on an Olympic medal. 

The Dutch team anchor scored 77.764% in the Grand Prix, got 77.720% in the Special and produced a personal best score of 88.432% in the freestyle final. The pair rode to Girl Power  music (Spice Girls, Lady Gaga) that was catchy and worked really well with the piaffe-passage, the clear forté of the stallion. They began with very electric and engaged passage, as if powered by a Ferrari motor. The first piaffe was borderline edgy behind (in the Special the stallion threatened to kick to the spur, which he finally did in the canter strike off). The trot half pass right was hurried and rather short and in the piaffe turn there was some back-stepping. The extended walk was very well executed with active marching, a good stretch and relaxation. They rode a strong combination of two tempi changes, a pirouette, and then ones. Hermes appeared very obedient and willing but lost elasticity and back usage in the canter extension right. Also the extended trot was flat and quick. They had a very nice finish with good passage work and a square, immobile halt. 

"I was able to ride very well again. Hermès went super well and from start to finish it felt really good," said Van Liere afterwards. "I wanted to ride well here, of course I was going for a medal, but with such strong opponents I knew that would be difficult. It's already cool to ride here among the rest. Today I rode a new personal record, which I find very exciting. If the rest is just a little bit better, I just have to practice a little bit harder. When the audience started clapping on the last line it gave me goose bumps. When you salute with so many people around you in orange, who all came for us, that made me really proud."

"Music of His Life"

British Olympic veteran Carl Hester rode Fiona Bigwood's 14-year old KWPN stallion Fame (by Bordeaux x Rhodium) placed sixth with 85.161%.  Hester had a freestyle produced for Fame but the majority of the music did not sound familiar to my untrained ears. The heart beat in the background was a cool touch to the otherwise unemotional music which did not ruly take you on a journey. The finish was fun and recognizable with Mary Hopkins' Those Were the Days My Friend. They began with a bit of tension on the centerline, but a good trot extension followed. The piaffe pirouette was good, there were two hooves overstrep in the extended walk but no real stretch over the back. Fame tends to be tight in the neck and it would be nice to see him more open in the throat latch.  The left double pirouettes were the best ones. The line of one tempi changes was beautiful and the floorplan interesting with a combination of canter half passes and pirouettes.  They finished with a piaffe-fan. Their individual scores ranged from 83.450% (10th) to 86.575 (6th).

“I’m really happy, it’s possible the best freestyle I’ve ever done," said Hester. "It had a high degree of difficulty, I didn’t make a mistake and I love this music. I had input and I wanted something that means something to me, it’s fun and I was riding to the music for a change instead of just riding lines.”  

“Fame was the best he’s been all week today, I’m so proud of how he performed. It was a wonderful ride. In front of a crowd like this you’re not just riding for yourself you’re here to entertain them – you need a good performance and you want them on your side. You want people to enjoy it and I think they did."

The Bomb

Denmark's Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Rudolf Spiekermann's 13-year old Westfalian Vayron (by Vitalis x Gloster) landed seventh place with 84.850%. They performed to music from the movie Pearl Harbor and had their best test of the week with slightly improved piaffes (less crossing behind). The best one was the last one. They also rode the canter half pass - pirouette combo and their strongpoint in the test were the tempi changes. 

Denmark's individual silver medal winners Nanna Skodborg Merrald and 16-year old Oldenburg gelding Blue Hors Zepter had new music made (Relax, Let's Dance, Shout, Enjoy the Silence, Amadeus, Sweet Dreams) which fitted the horse well but the big and powerful chestnut does not look as fit and fresh as he did in 2023. The piaffe and passage are still wonderful but there were issues in the tempi lines and the contact became stronger. With 83.293% they were ninth.

British Becky Moody placed eighth with 84.357%. Her Tom Jones freestyle was catchy and fun and Moody probably became the break-out star of the Olympics in Paris. Her classic riding, correct training and examplary contact with the bridle were a delight. She had her horse properly in front of the aids moving uphill in front. It was a pity that the walk is not so reliable as Jagerbomb (by Dante Weltino x Jazz) jogged in the collected walk and had limited overtrack and relaxation in the extension. The half circle with two tempi changes followed by a diagonal with ones were wonderful.

“It’s good fun music and there’s a good story behind it, my really good friend and groom Kim Masson told me about three years ago I should use Tom Jones...I was like ‘absolutely not’ and she persisted and persisted – I caved in and as soon as I got it back I thought it was actually really cool. It’s fun to ride to, the horse likes it, the crowd like it and it’s stuck!” 

In Conclusion

The 2024 Olympic Games in the palace gardens of Versailles were an absolute highlight for equestrian sport. Sell-out crowds for every single test in all three disciplines with the eventing cross country bringing over 42,000 spectators afoot proved to the IOC that equestrian sport - with gender equality and long standing history - deserves its place on the Olympic roster. 

The dressage format with the group system and ranking draw worked really well for the Grand Prix. The Special was exciting for the team competition and the freestyle opens the doors to a mainstream audience that can enjoy and revel in the sport. 

Of course the format of equestrian sport can be improved in the future with a sharper eye on animal welfare. Why not only snaffles in ALL three disciplines? If you can't pilot a horse in a snaffle, maybe it shouldn't be competing at the highest stage in sport? Also the stewarding needs to be more serious. Noseband tightness checked with a taper gauge BEFORE a horse goes into the arena and mouths wiped.  More importantly the stewarding needs to be equalized across the disciplines. In dressage one looks at a microscope at the mouth and noseband, yet in show jumping the horse's tack is hardly checked and monstrous bits are allowed. These different criterions do not work to the benefit of the sport and the FEI could easily implement a standardization.

These were my fourth Olympics and with every cycle my excitement and enjoyment for what happens in the Olympic arena has grown instead of diminished. I don't think we will ever get to experience a more beautiful venue than at Versailles and I can't wait to see how Temecula/Galway Downs is going to top that in 2028. They have a spectacular, mountaineous background and I hope that picturesque backdrop will be prominently featured instead of covered up by tents and stages.  Bring on Los Angeles 2028. I'll be there!

- 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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