As the para-equestrian events began this Tuesday, Fanny Delaval, national technical advisor and team leader, deciphers the issues at stake for the French delegation.
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Here we go again for magnificent images. After equestrian, it is the turn of the para-dressage to take up residence in the park of the Palace of Versailles. Let us recall that dressage is the only discipline to be present at the Paralympic Games, since 1996. Mixed, the competition consists of three events: an “individual grand prix”, which consists of a test (a sequence of figures) without music, where the movements are imposed, which lasts about five minutes; a free test with music for the eight best in the individual grand prix in each category (about six minutes); and a team test with three riders per country, their respective scores being added together to rank the teams. The riders are divided into five grades, according to the severity of their disability, from the most severe (grade I) to the least (grade V) and, depending on, they perform at a walk and a trot, or even at a gallop. The medals are awarded to rider-horse pairs. Before the competition, Release carried out an inventory with Fanny Delaval, national technical advisor and team leader.
What are France’s chances in these Games?
We have four selected, in line with the quota per country. This year, three women and one man, but the discipline is fairly equal. Winning a team medal is not really an option, so we have instead focused on the individual objective. We have a real chance with Chiara Zenati, in grade III, she has a very nice freestyle program, to music. For the other three riders, we have hopes but the foreign competition is tough. England has been a multi-medal winner for a very long time, the Netherlands has been very successful for a few years, Germany has recovered, the United States has invested a lot, particularly in the purchase of high-performance horses, Denmark is also gaining momentum, but Belgium also has very good riders, Italy too…
How is the discipline doing in France?
In France, as elsewhere, it is quite easy to do para-dressage as a leisure or amateur, much less so at a high level. The difficulty is that our para-dressage riders are not professionals, they always have to find many more solutions, to train, to finance their season. For a few years, a big effort has been made at the federation, we have set up a whole circuit at club level, a French championship, amateur, elite. After the Games, we will relaunch detection, so that the French team can renew itself.
Is the relationship with the horse special in paradressage?
As in horse riding, it is the rider-horse pair that counts. Horses must be efficient, calm and collected, as in the Olympic selection, but even more so when it comes to more fragile riders, those who are in grades I, II and III. Any horse can have impetuous reactions, for example flight reflexes. We must succeed in desensitizing them, by getting them used to what can worry them. For example, we saw it at the Olympics, competing in Versailles can be very impressive, because of the cheers of the crowd, the fervor which is also very welcome, so we had to work on this, so that the horses and the riders are not destabilized by the noise.
Every rider and every horse is a personality, a journey. The handicap is mainly reflected in the way of transmitting to the horse: the animal must learn to adapt to the handicap, understand the rider’s code, which changes according to the handicap. All horses are trained in dressage in a classical way, moreover they also participate in classical events, then there is adaptation to the rider and his handicap. Some riders progress as well in dressage as in paradressage.
What do you expect from these Games?
The Games are an important moment because they are unique. I have been in management since 2004 and I can assure you that the spirit is special and something different happens than in other competitions. The London Paralympics were magical, I tell myself that given the success of the Olympic Games, ours can be too. We have this challenge to take up, the acceptance of disability. We are still behind in this, compared to Great Britain in particular. We have to manage to free everyone from their complexes, to finally turn all these differences into a strength.
