Aachen, Germany – Competition got underway Thursday at the Aachen CICO3* with the top-notch field of 43 combinations performing both the dressage and show jumping phases at the massive German venue. The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team put forth a solid effort and sits in fifth place at the end of day one.

In the dressage phase, Lauren Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica had a lovely test highlighted by excellent trot work. She and the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare sit in 17th place after receiving a score of 43.6 from the Ground Jury consisting of Martin Plewa (GER), Sue Baxter (GBR), and Sándor Fülöp (HUN).

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Thomas Tierney and Simon Roosevelt's Fernhill Cubalawn had a flowing test, marred only by an error in the trot half-pass left when the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding broke to the canter. The pair recovered to finish with a score of 46.4 to sit in 28th place. Land Rover USEF Competition Grant recipients Lynn Symansky (Middleburg, Va.) and Donner were the pathfinders for the U.S. team on Thursday. The 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by The Donner Syndicate, LLC struggled with tension throughout the test, but Symansky rode him tactfully to score 49.9 for 37th place. Making her U.S. team debut, Colleen Rutledge (Frederick, Md.) rode her own Covert Rights well in the nine-year-old Thoroughbred Cross gelding’s first European appearance, with the help of a Jacqueline B. Mars Competition Grant through the USET Foundation. The pair had a respectable test, though lacked a bit of energy, to score 50.7 for 39th place.

In the afternoon, the competitors took on Frank Rothenberger’s tough track. Kieffer and Veronica laid down a stellar round to go double-clear. They remained on their dressage score of 43.6 and moved up to 13th place. Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn also had an excellent, faultless round to stay on their score of 46.4 and climbed the leaderboard to 18th place. Both Kieffer and Dutton received Karen E. Stives Endowment Fund for High Performance Eventing Competition Grants through the USET Foundation. Symansky and Donner had one rail and five time-faults, tallying nine faults, to put them in 36th place with a score of 58.9. Rutledge and Covert Rights knocked three rails in their round and added 12 faults to their score to sit in 37th place with a score of 62.7.

“I’m very pleased with Veronica today; she had her best performance on the flat today and was really great for the show jumping,” said Kieffer. “She’s definitely excited to be at the party and loves the atmosphere.”

Competition concludes Friday with the cross-country phase beginning at 2:00 p.m. CEST.

“The cross country is definitely going to be influential tomorrow,” Kieffer added. “Team camaraderie is great, though, and we are looking forward to tackling the course. I’m very grateful to Karen Stives for the opportunity to compete against this high standard and to Team Rebecca for supporting myself and Veronica.”

View individual and team results from the Aachen CICO3*.

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