Riders and coaches of the medal-winning teams of Germany, Netherlands and Denmark celebrate on the podium during the awarding ceremony of dressage team final of Beijing 2008 Olympic equestrian events in the Olympics co-host city of Hong Kong, south China, Aug 14, 2008.

The team of Germany celebrate after receiving gold medals of dressage team final of Beijing 2008 Olympic equestrian events in the Olympics co-host city of Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 14, 2008. Germany won the Olympic team dressage gold medal, their 7th successive Olympic title, in Hong Kong Thursday night.?

Powerful Germans won the Olympic team dressage gold Thursday night at the Shatin Equestrian Venue, bringing the total number of the golds they got in the event to three.

They won two gold medals in the team and individual eventing earlier.

Germany took the team dressage gold medal, their 7th successive Olympic title, holding off a strong challenge from the Netherlands.

The victory holds special meaning for the German team because their show jumping gold medal in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games was stripped after the International Equestrian Federation announced it had disqualified rider Ludger Beerbaum and horse Goldever for a doping offense and awarded the gold medal to the United States.

The silver medal went to the Netherlands and the bronze came to Denmark.

Germany's best three riders earned an average of 72.916 percent ahead of the Netherlands with 71.750 percent. Denmark secured third place with 68.875 percent.

"I was very happy with the canter but had small hickups in trot and both piaffes were not quite right. Three mistakes make 70 percent. Normally Elvis (the horse) is good for 73 or even 74 percent. They were only small mistakes, but at the Olympics this is not good enough", Nadine Capellmann, one of the German team riders, told reporters.

On her horse being distracted, Capellmann said "I don't know why my horse looked to the side twice. I think something happened on the left side, and that distracted him."

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2008)