Para-Equestrian Disrupted By Fireworks

Equestrian riding isn’t the easiest sport to take part in, but if you’re a Paralympic rider it can be even more difficult.

Well at least for most, but not Norway’s Ann Cathrin Lubbe who at age 45 was the first to take the lead in the 2016 Para-Equestrian dressage competition September 11^th.

The double Athens 2004 Gold medallist finished with a score of 72.237% finishing ahead of Netherlands Sanne Voets and Denmark’s Susanne Sunesen who placed third.

 Her ride wasn’t the easiest as it was disrupted several times in the competition due to fireworks bursts in a local town.

She (Lubbe) first rode in the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, then claimed her first title at the Athens Games in 2004, then never rode until 2012 in London.

She won the title September 13^th and while the win was a victory; it had a slight shade of sadness with it.

She reflected that “her horse had previously belonged to a student of hers, who was killed in a road accident and her parents are here so it means everything as it’s so important to me.”

Entering as the reigning grade III world freestyle champion Voets and she was just two percentage points behind Lubbe, where she mentioned “I’m really happy with that as I was hoping for a little more but for now the feeling and the test and the way my horse reacted to everything it was good. He did everything I asked and that’s the maximum we can get.”

Great Britain’s 10-time Paralympic champion Lee Pearson, riding Zion scored 75.280% in the afternoon 1B

Austria’s Pepo Puch placed second winning the team aspect of the contest with 74.000%, while Germany’s Alina Rosenberg finished third attending her first Games.

This was his (Puch) first ride at a major international on Fontainenoir his new horse and remarked “I’m happy. It was not a bad start and he’s a really nice hard working guy, with lots of thinking.”

Home page Photo by Liz Gregg for FEI