It was gold yet again for Rebecca Hart and Floratina in their final time in the picturesque stadium at the Château de Versailles, this time for their Grade III Freestyle, dancing to the music from the movie Driving Miss Daisy. And, boy did they ever dance, earning a 83.534% to close out an amazing success story for the U.S. Equestrian Team here at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Hart’s equine partner Floratina is a 16-year-old Hanoverian mare (Fidertanz 2 x Rubin Royal OLD) owned by Rowan O’Riley and cared for by Mackenzie Young. As they entered the arena and started to warm up around the outside, “Flora” broke into a bit of a spooked canter for three or so strides, but Hart calmed her quickly before they entered the ring to perform beautifully.Rebecca Hart and Floratina scored an outstanding 83.534% to win their third gold medal of the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Photo by Sarah Miller/MacMillan Photography
Hart shared praise for her horse and all who helped her in preparing to compete after their Freestyle Test. “That was so wonderful. I was a little concerned when we started cantering [around the outside of the competition arena during the pre-test warm-up]. I thought, ‘she’ll come back to me, she always does.’ It was just electric [in the stadium] and she’d been hearing all the crowds from the warm-ups. She [Flora] said, ‘Okay, I trust you.’ It was such a magical moment. Then, we hit the markers the way we needed to. I can’t thank everyone enough for this incredible week. Everyone behind the scenes―the grooms, horse owners, sponsors, Marlene Whitaker who created that freestyle for me. I just love Driving Miss Daisy!”
Performing two rides before Hart and Flora, the Netherlands’ Rixt van der Horst and Royal Fonq also scored above 83% (83.007) for silver. Great Britain’s Natasha Baker and Dawn Chorus earned bronze with 77.140%.
View the full Grade III Individual Freestyle Para Dressage results here.
Watch all of the Paris 2024 para equestrian action livestreamed or played back on demand (subscription required). For more information, go to NBCOlympics.com. For more coverage, visit our Paris 2024 Paralympics main page.
Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.
Kim MacMillan graduated from Purdue University where she majored in agriculture communications and animal science. She has been reporting on equestrian sports, agriculture, science, travel and history for over 35 years. She and her husband Allen, who is a professional photographer, have covered several World Equestrian, Olympic and Pan American Games. The MacMillans share their Northeastern Indiana farm with several much-loved horses, dogs and cats.
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