US Equestrian's Guide to the
2024 Paris Paralympic Games
Let the Games Begin
The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games are set to kick-off on Friday, August 31, 2024, welcoming the para sporting community to the iconic city of Paris, with equestrian competition set to be hosted in the incredible gardens of the Palace of Versailles featuring para dressage competition across the five different grades.
The 2024 Paralympic equestrian venue at the Palace of Versailles.
The 2024 Paralympic equestrian venue at the Palace of Versailles.
Team Results & Scores
The medals of Paris 2024 are unique, as with each Olympic Games, with this year's prize containing pieces of the iconic Eiffel Tower.
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U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team |
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Team: Gold |
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Individual: Gold- Hart & Floratina, Gold- Howard & Diamond Dunes, Silver- Trunnell & Fan Tastico H |
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Freestyle: Gold- Hart & Floratina, Gold- Howard & Diamond Dunes, Bronze- Shoemaker and Vianne |
Learn more about the story behind the Paris 2024 Olympic Games medals here.
How to Watch
NBC and Peacock will be streaming all of Paris 2024 with access to 24/7 coverage of all sports, including all para equestrian competition.
Paris 2024 Schedule
Para Dressage
Tuesday, September 3
9:00 a.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test A - Grade III
11:45 a.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test A - Grade II
1:45 p.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test A - Grade I
Individual Medals
Wednesday, September 4
10:00 a.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test A - Grade IV
12:55 p.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test A - Grade V
Individual Medals
Friday, September 6
9:30 a.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test B - Team Test - Grade IV
11:10 a.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test B - Team Test - Grade V
1:10 p.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test B - Team Test - Grade I
3:17 p.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test B - Team Test - Grade II
4:30 p.m. - FEI Grand Prix Para Test B - Team Test - Grade III
Team Medals
Saturday, September 7
9:30 a.m. - Grand Prix Para Freestyle - Grade IV
10:57 a.m. - Grand Prix Para Freestyle - Grade V
12:39 p.m. - Grand Prix Para Freestyle - Grade I
2:06 p.m. - Grand Prix Para Freestyle - Grade II
3:33 p.m. - Grand Prix Para Freestyle - Grade III
Individual Medals
U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team
The Team
Rebecca Hart
Hometown: Wellington, Fla.
Paralympic Appearances: 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024
Rebecca Hart is a four-time Paralympian (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janerio 2016, and Tokyo 2020), four-time FEI World Equestrian Games™ team member (Herning 2022, Tryon 2018, Normandy 2014, and Lexington 2010) and seven-time USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Champion (2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2006). She and El Corona Texel, Rowan O’Reilly’s Dutch Warmblood gelding, were the first U.S. para-equestrian dressage combination to medal at a world championship. As a member of the FEI WEG Tryon 2018 U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team presented by Deloitte, she earned the U.S. their first-ever para-dressage medal at a WEG, winning bronze in the FEI Grade III Individual Test and then a silver medal in the FEI Grade III Freestyle. Rebecca is the most veteran athlete within the U.S. Para Dressage Program and has helped the team earn medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championships in Herning.
Floratina
Nickname: Flora
Owner: Rowan O'Riley
Groom: Mackenzie Young
Gender: Mare
Breed: Hanoverian (Fidertanz x Rubina)
Foal Date: 4/4/2008
Floratina enjoyed a successful career in FEI dressage, including an appearance at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with Canadian Lindsay Kellock, as well as with Canadian Chloe Gasiorowski, before switching hands to veteran U.S. Paralympian Rebecca Hart. The pair debuted for the first time in Austria at the Stadl Paura CPEDI3* where they earned strong marks in Grade III competition. Since then, the pair have earned more than 25 wins together in both the U.S. and in Europe.
Fiona Howard
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
Paralympic Appearances: 2024
Fiona Howard’s riding career began in Great Britain. She was born and raised in England with her American mother and British father. She began riding when she was three and learned jumping, eventing, polocrosse, and polo in Pony Club. A family friend’s reining horses piqued her interest, and she shifted her riding focus when she had the opportunity to qualify for the FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders.
As part of the British Junior Reining Team, Howard was 14 and the youngest rider in the competition when she earned a bronze medal at the 2013 FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. She competed again as a junior in the FEI European Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders in 2016.
Howard immigrated to the U.S. in 2016 and rode in her first Para Dressage tests in 2021 at schooling shows. Now coached by Paralympian and 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championship medalist Kate Shoemaker, Howard returned to the FEI arena as a Grade II para dressage athlete in 2022 at the Perrigo CPEDI3* at the Tryon Summer Dressage with De Nouvelle Vie; the pair placed second in the Grade II Individual, Team, and Freestyle tests.
Howard began her partnership with Jagger in the fall of 2022. Howard and Jagger were members of the Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team and the top combination at Perrigo CPEDI3* at Tryon Fall Dressage 3.
Howard debuted with several new mounts in 2024 on her journey to hopeful team selection for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. With Diamond Dunes, Howard impressed in both the U.S. and Europe, earning victories across the board in Grade II competition. The duo have steadily continued to improve their marks, which currently sit above the 74% mark in all tests, earning them a spot on their first Paralympic Team for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Diamond Dunes
Nickname: Dunes
Owner: Dressage Family LLC & Hof Kasselmann
Groom: Helen Claire McNulty
Gender: Gelding
Breed: Hanoverian (De L'or x Wibella)
Foal Date: 4/4/2013
Diamond Dunes is a newer mount for Fiona Howard with the pair debuting in March of this year in Ocala, Fla., at the World Equestrian Center. The duo have seen their scores steadily increase with each outing, making their mark in Grade II competition. The pair have had a successful season in Europe with outings in Manheim and Hagen, collecting numerous wins.
Kate Shoemaker
Hometown: Wellington, Fla.
Paralympic Appearances: 2020, 2024
Kate Shoemaker earned her first world championship medal as a member of the U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) Tryon 2018, earning bronze in the FEI Grade IV Freestyle. Her additional accomplishments include being named as the FEI WEG Normandy 2014 alternate; the 2015 USEF CPEDI1* Para-Equestrian Dressage National Champion; and the Adequan®/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North team, individual, and freestyle gold medalist.
Shoemaker made her Paralympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as a member for the bronze medal-winning U.S. team. Shoemaker also secured team bronze and won individual silver at the 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championships hosted in Herning, Denmark.
Vianne
Nickname: Vianne
Owner: Norcordia USA
Groom: Katherine Barrett
Gender: Mare
Breed: American Hanoverian (Vitalis x Raureif)
Foal Date: 6/6/2016
Vianne started her career with able-body athlete Hope Beerling, making her debut at the FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Ermelo, NED in 2023 as a seven-year-old. She was scouted as a potential mount for Paralympian Kate Shoemaker and the duo made their first CPEDI start in February of 2024. The pair have been nearly unbeaten in their career together so far in Grade IV competition, with numerous scores recorded above the 70% mark, with the duo currently ranked as one of the top para combinations in the world.
Roxanne Trunnell
Hometown: Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
Paralympic Appearances: 2016, 2020, 2024
Roxanne "Roxie" Trunnell is a Paralympic individual gold medalist for Grade I and as part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. Para Dressage Team from Tokyo 2020. She is a three-time Paralympian (Paris 2024, Tokyo 2020, and Rio de Janeiro 2016) and three-time FEI World Equestrian Games™ U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team member (Herning 2022, Tryon 2018 and Normandy 2014). At the WEG Tryon 2018 she and Dolton won the bronze medal in the FEI Grade I Freestyle.
Fan Tastico H
Nickname: Fanta
Owner: Karin Flint
Groom: Rafael Hernandez-Carillo
Gender: Gelding
Breed: Oldenburg (Fuerstenball OLD x Weltmeyer)
Foal Date: 5/5/2017
Fan Tastico H joined Karin Flint's string of para mounts for Roxanne Trunnell in late 2023. The duo made their competition debut together in March of 2024 in Grade I earning impressive scores in the Para Grand Prix A & B tests. The duo marked a career high score of 79.375% in the Para Grand Prix Test B at the Tryon CPEDI in June, securing their number one ranking among the U.S. para combinations in 2024.
Hagen CPEDI3*
The U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team had their first Observation event at the Hagen CPEDI3*, where European-based combinations competed before an international judging panel.
Tryon CPEDI3*
For the U.S.-based combinations, the CPEDI3* at Tryon International Equestrian Center served as the home observation event, the final competition for team applicants prior to the Short List selection, which included the top four ranked combinations based on results.
Paris 2024 Paralympics
The U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team horses arrived to the venue at Versailles on Thursday, August 29, with competition set to get underway for all five grades on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Para Dressage
U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team
The U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team will feature four different athletes across four grades at the 2024 Paralympic Games hosted in Paris, France.
The team will be supported by Chef d'Equipe Michel Assouline, Team Leader Laureen Johnson, Team Veterinarian Kim Snyder, Human Physiotherapist Dr. Joanna Frantz, and personal care assistant Tina Wentz.
Reflections on Past Paralympics
By: Zach Girard
“It was quite an eye-opener."
- Dale Dedrick
Para dressage athlete Dale Dedrick is no stranger to managing multiple things at once. She has maintained her involvement with horses for most of her life, even while becoming an orthopedic surgeon and a faculty member at the University of Michigan.
Dedrick competed in para dressage with her horse Bonifatius in the 2012 London Paralympics. However, the qualifying process came with myriad difficulties as she dealt with limited resources, unfamiliar venues, and a horse she described as “spicy.” Bonifatius is currently owned by Vanessa Shayan, having previously been owned by Dedrick, Rosalind Kinstler, and Hope Hand.
“We persevered and we kept trying because I didn't have any money to get anything else,” Dedrick said.
Dedrick started at small horse shows and para dressage clinics, using her scores to qualify for larger shows. She eventually qualified for the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships and CPEDI3* in Saugerties, N.Y., in 2011.
In Saugerties, Dedrick achieved a “childhood dream” of being interviewed by a reporter from The Chronicle of the Horse.
“I thought, ‘In my world, people do not just walk up to you from The Chronicle of the Horse and want to interview you,’” Dedrick said. “I always thought it would be thrilling to maybe see my name in some horse show results. But now I'm being interviewed, so it was quite an eye-opener.”
Throughout her journey, Dedrick learned to give herself grace when dealing with mistakes. She specifically recalled a CPEDI competition in Mexico where, due to altitude sickness and confusion brought on by riding a borrowed horse in an unfamiliar situation, she ended up facing the wrong direction at the end of her freestyle performance.
“I started to laugh because it was just so absurd. So I turned the horse around, gave my biggest smile to the judge, saluted again, and left,” Dedrick said. “It just shows you that you can do all kinds of things terribly wrong and still come out on top.”
After qualifying for the Paralympics, Dedrick entered the “whirlwind” of preparing passports and transporting herself and her horse to London. As for the actual Paralympic competition, though, Dedrick reflected that it was, in many ways, another horse show.
“In many respects, it's no different than any other horse show you've ever ridden in, but the emotional pressure on both of you is enormous,” Dedrick said. “I don't think there's any real way to plan for how much that's going to hit you.”
In addition to the increased pressure, Dedrick pointed out the “very cool side benefits” of connecting with international athletes.
“Because the whole thing was centered in the city of London, we could stay in the athlete village,” Dedrick said. “We ate in the main dining hall with athletes from all over the world in all kinds of specialties.”
Due to worsening heart problems, Dedrick now competes in carriage driving and combined driving instead of dressage. Still, her ability to change plans and adjust to new situations persists, as she said that driving has turned out to be even more fun than she expected. Currently, Dedrick owns a Morgan gelding, FVFP Regal Enforcer (“Chip”).
“I don't miss the time I get to spend with my horse, because I still go to the barn; I still bring him in and groom him and give him his treat,” Dedrick said.
“Keep knocking on doors."
- Donna Ponessa
Para dressage athlete Donna Ponessa has been riding horses since the age of nine, starting out as a groom and working student at a hunter/jumper barn. She switched her competitive focus to wheelchair tennis after being diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica and being turned away by training barns due to her disability. At one point, Ponessa was ranked the #2 wheelchair tennis player in the United States; however, she eventually realized her true passion was riding.
“The disease kept coming out of remission, and I kept going into the hospital,” she said. “I was in the hospital from ’91 to ’93 and came out with a tracheostomy and everything. That was when I realized that that I wasn't going to live forever, and I missed riding.”
Ponessa started para dressage with international dressage competitor and trainer Sharon Schneidman, quickly falling in love with it.
“I started riding with an able-bodied person; she knew dressage and I knew wheelchairs, so we made it work,” Ponessa said. “It was Sharon Schneidman who told me that I had the raw talent to become a competitive para dressage rider, and that was all I needed to hear.”
Ponessa said that finding the right equipment for her para dressage career involved “a lot of trial and error.” Additionally, she said she was unprepared for the culture shock that came with competing internationally as she qualified for the Paralympics.
“There's a lot more pressure. That was the most stressful time of my life,” Ponessa said. “Everybody was like, ‘Wow, the Olympics were stressful. The Paralympics were stressful.’ For me, the selection trials were the most stressful because you knew everything was on the line right there.”
Ponessa competed in the 2012 London Paralympic Games on Western Rose (owned by Wesley Dunham), placing sixth in the Grade Ia individual championship and eighth in individual freestyle. She said the Games were “awe-inspiring and magical” and “the accomplishment of a lifetime.”
“I remember going around the corner and looking up into the stands and seeing American flags and people chanting ‘U.S.A.’ I just reached down, and I scratched the horse, and I said, ‘Rosie, we did it. We really did it,’” Ponessa said. “You're so busy that it just doesn't dawn on you what is being accomplished.”
Ponessa said that her experience at the Paralympics strengthened her tenacity.
“Sometimes people without disabilities have a plan A, maybe a plan B, and a plan C. Sometimes I'm on plan Q, R, S, T,” Ponessa said. “You just keep trying, and you keep knocking on doors, and you keep at it. Even when it seems insurmountable, you go for it, because you fail 100% of the times that you don't try.”
Ponessa also attributed her success to her sponsors and support system.
“When I couldn't figure out a way, they chipped in and used their connections and made it happen,” Ponessa said. “You can't do it in a vacuum. It took a village to get me there. If it weren't for my village, this would have never happened.”
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