Tokyo

The U.S. Para Dressage Team finished the first day of team competition at Equestrian Park in Tokyo and will have one more rider Sunday before team medal positions are decided.

Roxanne Trunnell and Dolton led as the first team ride of the evening, contesting the FEI Grade I Team Test to Music where they received an 80.32 percent.  Rebecca Hart and El Corona Texel earned a 72.20 percent in the FEI Grade III Team Test to Music. The team will move on to the second day of competition on a team total of 152.52.

Roxanne Trunnell and Dolton in the FEI Grade I Team Test to Music. Photos Courtesy Of USEF

Kate Shoemaker and Solitaer 40 will compete in the FEI Grade IV Team Test on Sunday as the final combination for the U.S. team.

Trunnell (Royal Palm Beach, Florida) and Dolton, a 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Flintwoode Farms LLC and Karin Flint, were the first U.S. combination to head into the arena and used their momentum from their performance yesterday, where they secured the individual gold, to help jump start the team’s score. The pair produced a lovely test, earning an 80.32 percent from the judges. Trunnell managed Dolton through some tense moments as sirens wailed nearby due to an emergency response happening outside of the stadium. She was happy with how he stuck with her throughout the unexpected noise.

“He felt really good, just a little tense, but we worked through some of it during the test,” she said. “He can do more, though. He was a little tense with what was going on outside of the venue. You can’t prepare for that; it just happens, and you have to go with it, and it’s OK.”

Hart and El Corona Texel, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Rowan O’Riley, were the second ride of the night for the U.S. Para Dressage Team and saw improved marks from the judges for their FEI Grade III Team Test to Music. Hart (Wellington, Florida) and “Tex” reviewed the comments from the judges after yesterday’s Individual Test and looked to improve on those areas in tonight’s team competition.

Rebecca Hart and El Corona Texel in the FEI Grade III Team Test to Music.

“I felt really good in there. He warmed up beautifully in there today. We took all the comments from yesterday and went for a little more cadence and harnessed power,” she said. “He was a bit lit up when we first went into the ring, but I was able to get him back with me at the start and get down the centerline and he stayed with me the entire test. It was a really nice feeling.”

Team competition will continue Sunday with team medals being presented at the conclusion of the evening’s competition.

Shoemaker (Wellington, Florida) and Solitaer 40 will anchor the team and are scheduled to ride at 7:14 p.m. JST/6:14 a.m. EDT in the FEI Grade IV Team Test to Music. The competition can be viewed on NBC’s Paralympic livestream.