GB dressage ride to team silver

EUROPEAN SHOWJUMPING & DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Venue: Windsor Castle Date: 25-30 August
Coverage: Live on BBC Two, the red button and the BBC Sport website (UK only) Full coverage details

Hindle was seventh in the dressage at last year's Olympics

The British dressage team produced their best performance for 16 years to claim team silver at the European Championships at Windsor on Wednesday.

The British quartet of Maria Eilberg, Carl Hester, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Emma Hindle posted an aggregate score of 221.659% to pip Germany to silver.

Favourites Holland claimed gold with a combined score of 238.59%.

In Britain's final ride, Hindle needed to score 70.5% or above to guarantee second and posted 72.94%.

Britain's performance this year eclipses the third place European finish at Hickstead six years ago and is their first silver medal since the 1993 Europeans in Slovakia.

Prior to the event, British captain Richard Davison had challenged the team to target silver.

Whilst Britain had been expected to contest the medal places, bronze was the colour predicted by most pundits.

This is the best season I've ever had. It has felt better each time and the highlight for me has been the consistency

Laura Bechtolsheimer

With the top three scores counting towards the team total, the tone was set by Hester on Liebling II on Tuesday afternoon, recording the first of three 70-plus scores by British riders.

Hester's fellow Gloucestershire-based performer Bechtolsheimer raised hopes on Wednesday morning, riding confidently to score 76.63% on horse Mistral Hojris.

Bechtolsheimer's core is a new British record, the highest total posted by a British rider in an international grand prix and a reward for Bechtolsheimer preparations for the event.

"The Olympics in Hong Kong last year made me realise there is so much more you can do in terms of your own preparations," she said.

"It's about taking control of the situation, and I am now dealing with those situations a lot better.

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"This is the best season I've ever had. It has felt better each time and the highlight for me has been the consistency."

With the Netherlands team unsurpassable in the gold medal position, Hindle, aboard horse Lancet, was left to produce an impressive ride under pressure to secure silver for Britain at Germany's expense.

"I was maybe a little too cautious, but it was job done," said Hindle.

"Being the last team rider, the pressure is on to ride a risk-free test, but on the other hand you have to do enough."

The top 30 dressage combinations from the last two days, including all four British riders, will now compete for individual medals in the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle categories on Thursday and Saturday respectively.