Thursday evening's dressage Grand Prix event took place with kinder temperatures. Team and individual dressage riders competed to pass the Grand Prix class. Scores around the 68 percent range were the minimum requirement to reach the next level, and every rider needed to take more risks to raise their scores.

The physical build of each horse affects its ability to perform some moves required for dressage. Horses with a higher build and longer hind legs have difficulty lowering their hindquarters, and therefore struggle to perform pirouettes.

Denmark's Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein put on a strong performance with her horse, Digby. This particular horse had beautiful forward and rhythmic movement, supported by the horse's compact physique and low bodyweight.

There were very smooth transitions, creating a performance that was solid and fluid, but not dynamic, because the horse's legs were a bit closed and strides were not quite even. Her score fell short of beating German rider Heike Kemmer's high score of 72.25 from Wednesday.

It was interesting to see Denmark in the top rankings for dressage, as the Danes have never won a team medal at the Olympic equestrian games.

French rider Julia Chevanne's horse gave the illusion of elegance. Its long legs and white-sock markings could distract the judges from seeing precisely its articulations. The horse tended to extend with its forelegs rather than the hind legs, which are more difficult to articulate.

Again, the German team held its own. Nadine Capellmann and her horse, Elvis Va, were in the building as part of a very strong team. This horse was more elastic in its natural strides with some problems in the passage movement. The rider successfully corrected the rhythm of the horse's steps for a fine performance.

A disappointing performance from US rider Debbie MacDonald resulted in her falling short of qualifying for the next round. Both horse and rider looked visibly disappointed after their performance, which was not up to their usual standards.

Often times, performance results depend on how horse and rider cope with the competition environment. It takes years of training for the equestrian athletes and their horses to reach the Olympic level.

Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands is competing in her sixth Olympics. She guided her horse into steady and correct movements.

It was a very controlled performance with plenty of elevation in passage and gait. Both horse and rider had a natural chemistry that showed responsiveness and high articulation in the movements, landing the pair a favorable result.

(HK Edition 08/15/2008 page1)