“I was happy with the way both horses jumped.” said Engle. “The first horse I actually felt that it was my fault Thursday when he had one and the rail he had today….I thought he’d be tired today. He acted tired when I was walking around, but as soon as he started jumping he brightened right up. I think Wapino honestly felt fantastic the first four days, and I think the ground was getting to him a little bit. He just felt a little bit stingy today on the second round. When I jumped the first fence, when he landed, I felt it. He felt great in the cooling area, and then he kind of hung back at the second jump a little more than he normally does, and I was having to kick him across the oxers a little more than normal. He was trying to jump them high, but he was a little but cautious about the landing. Whereas the other horse I didn’t feel anything at all on him. You know it’s just a lot of jumping in one week, and it’s hard on all of them.”
Day four of the trials started with a further diminished field as two horse and rider combinations withdrew leaving just 19 entries. Friday was a rest day for the athletes which they needed in order to face the two large and technical courses they would face today, both designed by Leopoldo Palacios. Trial #4’s course consisted of 15 jumping efforts with a time allowed of 75 seconds which the judges quickly expanded to 78 seconds after the first three trips. Only five riders went clear, with three carrying one time fault. With a time of 75.17, first place went to Nona Garson on Languster, a 10-year-old Danish Warmblood stallion owned by Ryan Automotive and Nona Garson. Second place went to Schuyler Riley and Ilian, a 16-year-old KWPN Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by South Beach Stables. Third place in both Trial #4 and Trial #5 went to Christine McCrea on Promised Land, a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Candy Tribble & Windsor Show Stables, Inc.
“I kept accumulating little faults, little mistakes here and there,” said McCrea. “The first couple days I was a little disappointed and a little down on the whole thing. I just decided to keep going and to ride the horse. Honest to God, the jumps finally today felt big enough that he had to try and pay attention the whole time. He’s kind of a funny horse that way…today he was totally into it, he loved it, he felt like he was having fun. It was great. I am just absolutely ecstatic. To be sitting here with these five people is just great.”
Candice King and her mount Tarco finished fourth overall in Trial #4, one of three to go clean with one time fault. “I knew that it would just depend on how everybody did ahead of me,” said King. “I knew that going into today my horse had the scope and the ability to do it. He’s a little bit young in his experience so my goal all fall and Florida was to make the B team, and I am just pleased that I did that…I think this is an endurance test and you get all the experience of Leopoldo’s courses, he asks a lot of great questions, technicality and skills, and for my horse he came out of it a much better horse I believe.”
Three more horse and rider combinations scratched before Trial #5 leaving 16 horses and 13 riders to face the course of 13 jumping efforts. The time allowed was 69 seconds which the judges again decided to increase, this time to 71 seconds. The only clear rounds both included a time fault and went to Laura Kraut on Miss Independent and Kim Prince on Couletto K James, who tied for first, with a time of 72.69. Miss Independent is a 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by the Miss Independent Group. Couletto K James is a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Overlook Farm.
Laura Kraut and her reliable partner Miss Independent were strong on Thursday and came out today ready to win. “I was really proud of her through this whole week,” said Kraut. “A couple of the rounds she had were definitely rider error, and today she really tried hard the last round. I was thinking I was better off having a time fault than a rail so I was little bit cautious at the beginning. I am just really proud of her.”
Tuesday and Wednesday were strong days for Lauren Hough and her mount Casadora despite Casadora having a viral infection just days before the competition. Despite the infection, Casadora and Hough finished fourth overall. “Not a good day today,” said Hough. “I would have to say the same as Margie, my horse felt quite foot-sore today, and I think she jumped that way because the feeling that I had in the practice area compared to what I had in the ring was quite different. She’s a flat-footed horse, and for as well as she performed the first three days, I didn’t really feel like I was riding the same horse today. I still felt like she gave a good effort. The triple combination in the second round, I don’t think she could have jumped it any better. That’s the way these things go, hopefully I am still in there somewhere.”