“He’s pretty new to me, we bought him mid-summer. But I’ve known of him since he was a five-year-old,” Shchibrik noted. “He proved himself today. I couldn’t wish for more.”

Moving up one spot from their starting position, Kuwait’s Ali Al Khorafi and I (Dantos HBC x Veneur) secured the silver medal. The pair entered the final day in the fourth spot with a starting penalty score of 1.5. Despite an unfortunate rail in Round A, they delivered a crucial fault-free performance in Round B, lifting their total penalty score to 5.5 and earning the silver.

This individual medal gives Khorafi a double silver performance at the Championships, following his contribution to Team Kuwait’s silver medal win on Friday.

Khorafi was quick to praise his partner: “He has a really big heart. He tries really hard. We had an unlucky rail in the first round. I’m proud of my horse and proud of what this medal means for Kuwait.”

Bronze to Chinese Taipei

Rounding out the podium was Yun-Chi Lin of Chinese Taipei, who guided Driss de Kerglenn (Mylord Carthago Hn x Cap Kennedy*bois Margot) to the bronze medal.

UAE Pair Just Misses the Podium

Shk. Ali Jmal Nasr Al Nuami (UAE) and Cobalt Vd Bisschop Z, who began the day in fifth place with 1.65 penalties, finished just outside of medal contention in fourth overall. The pair incurred a rail in the first final round and added two time faults in the decisive Round B, preventing their ascent onto the podium.