August 26th 2021 saw the start of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. “What a phenomenal Team USA ‘mission accomplished’ feeling coming home with a historic Team Bronze medal, two Individual Gold medals and a Paralympic record!” [quoted U.S. Team Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline]. The U.S. Para dressage team made headlines winning its greatest tally of Paralympic medals in 25 years. Roxanne Trunnell, aboard Dolton was double-gold-medalist in the Individual test Grade I with 81.46%, and in the Freestyle test with the overall highest Tokyo 2020 score of 86.927%! Her medals were the United States’ first Paralympic equestrian medal in 17 years and first gold in 25 years. She is also now the third woman to ever win a dressage gold medal for Team USA at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games! The team of Roxanne Trunnell, Rebecca Hart, with El Corona Texel, and Kate Shoemaker, with Solitaer 40 earned Bronze in the Team test to music for the program’s first-ever Paralympic Team medal. Individual 4th rider Béatrice de Lavalette, in what was to become her first Paralympics, scored 70.26% and 72.19% in both Grade II Individual tests, finishing in respectable 5th and 6th places!
