Laura strikes Gold as GB dressage team makes Olympic history (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Gloucestershire-based equestrian team win Gold at Team Dressage

12:11pm Wednesday 8th August 2012 in Cotswolds news By Tina Robins

COTSWOLDS rider Laura Bechtolsheimer became another Team GB hero this week as she helped win Olympic gold in the dressage at the 2012 London Games.

The all-Gloucestershire team, that also included Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin, not only pushed the gold medal haul past the 19 won in Beijing, but they also won Britain's first ever gold in the competition.

Staff holding the fort at the rider's Ampney St Peter yard were glued to the television as the riders put their horses through their elegant paces in the Grand Prix at Greenwich Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Groom Tom Gawler and rider Lara Griffith had kept popping indoors to catch up on results between working on the horses.

As Laura, 27, went through the test on Mistral Hojris, they watched every move like hawks, urging the pair on and wincing at any slight error.

They breathed with relief as she left the arena with a score of 77.873, putting the team two points in the lead, ahead of rivals Germany and the Netherlands.

"She had a lot to do there," said a pleased Lara. "There was a lot of pressure on her."

A short while later the tension was even greater for Charlotte Dujardin's test. But as her horse Damon Hill came to a halt, whoops of joy went up as they realised the team had won.

After that it was back to work in the yard with plans for a celebration on hold until after the individual contest today.

Meanwhile locals were looking forward to seeing a gold post box appear in the village.

The Royal Mail has been celebrating Olympian success by painting post boxes close to Team GB Gold medalists' homes. Sub-postmistress in neighbouring Poulton, Deborah Siggery, said: "It's fantastic news." Residents had been taking a keen interest in the fortunes of their local rider.