Van Grunsven, however, was not overly pleased with her performance. 'I'm a little disappointed about my stupid mistakes and happy about the rest,' said Van Grunsven, who scored 74.96 per cent. 'But everybody knows I don't give up until the end so we have to focus on the next test.'

Werth, too, made an error when her horse began to go backwards at the first piaffe.

'I was a bit upset and then the most important thing was to get him back as soon as possible,' said Werth, who scored 75.2 per cent. 'I don't know what happened out there. I have to watch the video to see and analyse.'

Sitting in third is Germany's Heike Kemmer, who was pleased with her test and looking forward to a shot at a bronze medal. 'I'm really happy with my ride,' said Kemmer, who scored 73 per cent. 'I hoped to score 74, but ... I'm third and that makes me really happy.'

Of her chances to win an individual medal, Kemmer said: 'If I get a medal, I'm really happy for sure. [But] I have other really good riders behind me and they want to fight, too.'

Mexico's Bernadette Pujals scored a 71 per cent on her test and Russia's Alexandra Korelova scored 71.4 per cent. However, Nadine Capellmann, who was part of the German team who won gold, finished 17th and did not qualify for Tuesday's finale.

American Steffen Peters finished fourth and said his horse, Ravel, met his expectations perfectly. 'I couldn't be happier,' Peters said. 'He goes in there, puts a very clean test without any faults, it's just great.'

For the spectators - by the end the stands were half full - who braved the complexities of pure dressage under last night's continuation of a full moon, Tuesday's Grand Prix Freestyle should, at the very least, reward them with a routine aimed at highlighting a horse and rider's strengths.

Using figure skating as an analogy, the freestyle is very much like the long programme, where a horse and rider combination weave together different dressage elements to their own selection of music - be it piano or Pink Floyd.

But as the best of the competitors appeared at the end of the night, others, who performed their tests earlier, waited eagerly to see if their scores would stand strong enough to advance them for one final round.

'It depends on the other performers,' said Spanish rider Juan Manuel Munoz, who competed sixth. 'I am on the limit with my score.'

Munoz, who scored 68.16 per cent, finished just outside the cut.

Individual dressage grand prix special

1 Isabell Werth (Satchmo) (Germany) 75.200

2 Anky van Grunsven (Salinero) (Netherlands) 74.960

3 Heike Kemmer (Bonaparte) (Germany) 72.960

4 Steffen Peters (Ravel) (US) 71.800

5 Alexandra Korelova (Balagur) (Russia) 71.400

6 Bernadette Pujals (Vincent) (Mexico) 71.000

7 Hans Peter Minderhoud (Nadine) (Netherlands) 70.920

8 Courtney King (Mythilus) (US) 70.800

9 Emma Hindle (Lancet) (Britain) 70.440

10 Kyra Kyrklund (Max) (Finland) 69.720

11 Tinne Silfven (Solos Carex) (Sweden) 69.240

12 Nathalie Zu Sayn Wittgenstein (Digby) (Denmark) 69.120

13 Jan Brink (Briar) (Sweden) 68.960

14 Andreas Helgstrand (Don Schufro) (Denmark) 68.800

15 Ashley Holzer (Pop Art) (Canada) 68.760

16 Juan Manuel Munoz (Fuego XII) (Spain) 68.160

17 Nadine Capellmann (Elvis VA) (Germany) 67.240

18 Laura Bechtolsheimer (Mistral Hojris) (Britain) 67.160

19 Hayley Beresford (Relampago) (Australia) 66.320

20 Kristy Oatley (Quando-Quando) (Australia) 66.080

21 Marc Boblet (Whitni Star) (France) 65.640

22. Anne van Olst (Clearwater) (Denmark) 65.320

23 Michal Rapcewicz (Randon) (Poland) 65.120

24 Patrik Kittel (Floresco) (Sweden) 64.360

25 Hubert Perring (Diablo St Maurice) (France) 62.680