The U.S. Team is currently in second place behind Germany after the first day of the Grand Prix Dressage competition.

Lisa Wilcox, a native of Los Angeles now residing in Germany, posted a score of 68.792 and is in 8th place overall, and Guenter Seidel, a German born American citizen residing in Del Mar, California earned a score of 69.500 and is in seventh place. Their combined team score stands at 69.146. Their two other teammates, Debbie McDonald of Hailey, Idaho, and Robert Dover of Lebanon, New Jersey, ride tomorrow.

Wilcox' pride in her mount Relevant, an Oldenburg stallion, was evident and she echoed this several times. “He gave me all he had to give today,” she said.

Speaking for a moment about her personal feelings of being included on the U.S. team and making her first appearance on the Olympic stage, Wilcox smiled widely and said, “Gosh, it means an awful lot for me to be here, and I’m just very, very proud.” Candidly she added that, “I’d almost kind of given up, in the sense that I didn’t want to push Relevant. I had kind of backed off already…and it’s been an emotional rollercoaster for me. So, to finally be here, and to present what I have – my horse – is a proud moment.” Her love for her horse, and that aforementioned pride in representing the U.S., were outpouring.

Guenter Seidel and the powerful grey Bavarian gelding, Aragon, looked picture perfect as the pair entered the ring this morning. Know for his trademark clean and classic style, they posted a somewhat lower score than hoped for.

“It was a little tight today…the big thing was a couple of passages and then the first pirouette where he fell out,” said Seidel commenting on ride. “But [the other] pirouette felt good and the changes felt good. I think, overall, it’s not like I’m disappointed in any way,” he added.

Behind Germany and the U.S. are Great Britain, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands in sixth. Spain's Soto Rafael posted the day's best score with a 72.792.

The team medals, which are based only on the Grand Prix competition will be awarded tomorrow.

The scores for the top 25 individual riders after the end of Grand Prix competition tomorrow will carry over and they qualify to go on to the Grand Prix Special competition on Monday, August 23rd. Then, the top 15 ranked riders after the Grand Prix Special will advance to the final round of competition, the Grand Prix Freestyle on Wednesday, August 25th, which is a program choreographed to the riders choice of music, in which marks are given for both technical and artistic merit. The individual medals will be awarded based on the composite scores for three rides, Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle.

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Author: Maria Partlow
Organization: U.S. Equestrian Federation
Phone: Greece: 69367331136; U.S.: 859-225-6941