Edward Gal of the Netherlands won the gold medal in grand prix special dressage at the World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park on Wednesday.
Gal, aboard Moorlands Totilas, finished with a score of 85.667 for his second gold of the event. He also won the Grand Prix dressage competiton earlier in the week.
“I felt Moorlands Totilas was much more relaxed today,” Gal said. “He gave me a fantastic feeling. It is so difficult to explain. You have to ride him to feel it, and I won't allow that. He's such an amazing horse. I don't think I will ever get a horse like that [again].”
Gal, 40, said he was just as thrilled to be wearing both the team and individual Grand Prix Special gold medals. “Totilas felt a bit more relaxed today than yesterday, so I could ride him a bit more, and it worked out great. I am very happy,” he said.
Gal tried to describe the felling of riding Totilas, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion. “It’s so difficult to explain.
You have to ride it to fell it, and I will not allow that,” he said with a smile. “He has so much energy and so much power, but you always have the feeling that you can control it. And he doesn’t want to make a mistake, ever. I don’t think I will ever get to ride another horse like him.”
“Normally the freestyle is my best test, but I hope I can show it under the lights on Friday night,” said Gal. Today’s attendance was 31,026.
Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer had a score of 81.708 to take the silver, followed by Steffen Peters of the United States at 78.542 for the bronze
For Peters, aboard Ravel, it was a measure of redemption after missing out on a medal in Hong Kong at the 2008
eijing Olympics.
“I can tell you pretty much exactly how many years, days and hours it's been since Hong Kong, where I just missed the bronze medal,” said Peters, who wiped away tears during the awards ceremony. “Only my wife knows how tough that was; I never really admitted that. To have it finally happen today was huge. I just can't believe how lucky I am to have [the owners] buy a horse like this. What he did for me today was just unbelievable.
Edward Gal, commenting on a rumour that Totilas has been sold to the USA “I've heard those rumours too, but I can confirm there is nothing going on!”
The Dressage World Championships climax with the musical freestyle on Friday night, starting at 7:00 p.m. The 15 highest-scoring riders from today’s Grand Prix Special have qualified for their final ride of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.