Por one last performance, it was a success. Swing Royal bowed out, with elegance, in the final of the para dressage event of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in the majestic setting of the park of the Palace of Versailles. The old horse (18 years old) is retiring. Even the rain had stopped to greet the competitor and his rider with whom he had been one for more than four years.
Their dance together, to the tune of an accordion when their competitors had chosen more common music, with the Grand Canal and the castle in sight, was a moment of grace. And it will remain so. Even if they were unable to reach the stars.
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Swing Royal and his rider, the Frenchwoman Chiara Zenati, were in total harmony. A majestic couple. The 21-year-old stood with her bust straight and followed the rhythm of her companion’s hooves. They were perfectly aligned. Chiara guided her mount with dexterity and delicacy, very focused on the music and the animal’s steps, and also on her gait underlined by a bright smile. This horsewoman had some bite!
Grace and elegance
And this perfectly controlled behavior, she accomplished it with only one hand, hemiplegia since birth preventing her from using her right arm.
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