I think it’s time to see some competition horses here on the blog, don’t you? I ventured out of the office yesterday afternoon, in search of horsey photo opportunities … and boy did I find a good one!

rider Lillann Jebsen (Norway) being attended to by her grooms and receiving a few last words of instruction from her coach before heading into the final warmup arena

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… and all those people along the fence, facing the other way? They (and hundreds more) were awaiting the arrival of the Dutch superstar horse Moorlands Totilas …

Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas in the second of three consecutive warmup arenas …

… and being attended to by his Dutch crew (boots and wraps off, hat on, etc.) before entering …

… the third and final warmup arena

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When they left this arena and entered the Main Stadium for their Grand Prix test, the crowd erupted. While Totilas performed his test, this lovely Andalusian stallion was warming up …

Spain’s Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz on Fuego XII

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This pair waited a few minutes past what should’ve been their usual time to enter the Main Stadium to avoid the noise and the huge entourage (crew, teammates, TV camera crew …) following behind Totilas.

Gal and Totilas earned a phenomenal 84.043% and helped secure the team gold medal for the Dutch. The British won their first-ever team medal in a Dressage World Championship: a well-deserved team silver. And the Germans won the team bronze. The U.S. team finished in fourth place.

Just for the record, Fuego XII (above) finished his Grand Prix test in fifth place with a 73.957%. The top four individual placings in the Grand Prix: Gal and Totilas in first (no surprise there), Laura Bechtolsheimer (GBR) in second, Steffen Peters (USA) and Ravel in third, and Isabell Werth (GER) in fourth.

After leaving the Dressage warmup area, I walked back down Nina Bonnie Blvd — past all the golf carts decked out in the flags of various countries — and into the Equine Village area. Where I saw this …

some serious trick riding

about to enter the Clinicians’ Corral for a demo … I think he’s going to have to duck!