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.
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.
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Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.
