Laura Collett's 'horse of a lifetime' London 52 right at home in royal surroundings

Equestrian Eventing 29 Jul 24

Much of Versaille's gilded grandeur was made off with during the 1789 French Revolution but it was Great Britain who snatched the gold from under French noses at their Olympics.

Much of Versaille's gilded grandeur was made off with during the 1789 French Revolution but it was Great Britain who snatched the gold from under French noses at their Olympics.

Laura Collett praised her prince of a horse, London 52, as he delivered another Olympic team title - and individual bronze - in the garden of France's famous Sun King.

Louis XIV's palace seems the fitting venue for Team GB to make the top of the podium for the first time in Paris, meaning they remain the only nation to have won a gold medal at every Olympics dating back to 1896.

Collett and Tom McEwen won team gold three years ago in Tokyo and joined forces with Ros Canter to defend their title, as hosts France and Japan completed the podium.

And then Collett came back to ride her second flawless round on London 52 - whose stable name is 'Dan' - to claim individual bronze.

"Thankfully he rose to the occasion," said Collett. "He loves showing off and he thinks he's right at home with the palace in the background and everyone watching him. He's waited three years for a full stadium.

"The noise was unreal but it didn't distract him at all. He's a true professional and I think he knew what was at stake. I wouldn't wanted to have sat on any other horse.

"We knew coming here we stood a good chance because the horsepower Team GB has at the moment is second to none, we could have fielded another team with the reserves as they could have won a gold medal.

"It's quite a strange feeling winning two medals, I had about five minutes to enjoy that team gold, two Olympic medals is something I'd never even dream about."

Britain had a slender five-point advantage heading into the decisive jumping and after Canter picked up just four penalties and McEwen went clear meaning Collett had the luxury of knowing she could knock down four fences and still win.

France’s final rider whipped up the crowd as Collett entered the area, the Entente Cordiale creaking, but even her teammates were nerveless under the most intense pressure.

“I wasn't that nervous watching her," said McEwen. "She jumped amazingly, I thought I would be more nervous, I much prefer doing it myself to be honest.

“But it was a class round from Laura, and it was poetry in motion.

"We came here for team gold and that's what we are walking away."

These equestrians are made of tough stuff, Collett spent seven days in coma 11 years ago after a fall which left her blind in her right eye and now wears special googles in bright sunlight, which she certainly needed as temperatures reached 34 degrees in Versaille.

And with two medals under her belt, Collett described London 52 as her horse of a lifetime, even though he was outside her budget when first spotted in Germany.

“He’s never been the bravest horse,” added Collett. “When he was a young horse, it was about building a partnership so he trusted what I was asking him.

"When I first saw him he was very sassy but something about him caught my eye. It took some time for him to have belief in himself."

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