THE home nation of Denmark lived up to expectations when claiming an historic team gold medal on Sunday evening at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning.

The pressure was well and truly piled on the team of Nanna Merrald Rasmussen, Carina Cassøe Krüth, Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and they were pushed all the way by Britain, but ultimately got over the line by just 1.2 points in front of a delighted home crowd, while Germany took the bronze medal.

After Saturday’s first day, when two members from each team had completed their Grand Prix test, The Netherlands were out in front, ahead of Germany in the silver medal position and Denmark in bronze. But many of the strongest combinations came on Sunday and the medal standings were all to change. As each nation went it was nip-and-tuck all the way and impossible to predict where the medals would fall until the very end.

Fascinating

During a fascinating final session in the electric Stutteri Ask Stadium, Lottie Fry thrust the British team of Charlotte Dujardin, Gareth Hughes and Richard Davidson to the top spot when a breath taking test aboard championship debutant Glamourdale was the first to break the 80% mark when scoring 80.83%, helping the team to finish on a final score of 234.223.

The Danish team were in good shape following three scores of 76% from Nanna Merrald Rasmussen and Blue Hors Zack (76.72), Carina Cassøe Krüth and Heiline’s Danciera (76.86) and Daniel Bachmann Anderson with Marshall-Bell (76.58), however Laudrup-Dufour had to score 80.63% or higher to secure the top spot and she duly delivered with the wonderful 10-year-old gelding Vamos Amigos with stunning work throughout to end on 81.86%.

Isabell Werth was the only rider from last year’s Tokyo Olympic Games – where they won team gold – to make it to Herning and it was her score of 77.12% with the 12-year-old stallion DSP Quantaz that helped the team to bronze. She was joined on the team by eventing legend Ingrid Klimke – who was making her championship debut in pure dressage – with Franziskus, Benjamin Werndl (Famoso OLD) and Frederic Wandres (Duke of Britain FRH).

Sweden, The Netherlands and USA finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place and secured their qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Chaotic and brilliant

Talking about dealing with pressure, Laudrup-Dufour said: “I’ve been dealing with it since I did my first Championship when I was 11 years old and I’m fine with it, it just brings me closer into the zone!

“I managed to ride him to the limit but stay on the right side of chaotic and brilliant today,” she said. “He’s had a super season so far, he’s been riding a wave since Neumunster really. Leipzig (Longines FEI Dressage World Cup Final 2022 in April) was like riding on a bomb but I think that atmosphere might have matured him too,” she pointed out.

The only time Denmark had ever placed on the dressage World Championship podium was back in 1982 in Lausanne, Switzerland when Anne Grethe Jensen (Marzog), Tove Jorck-Jorckston (Lazuly and Finn Sakso-Larsen (Coq d’Or) clinched bronze.