U.S. Team Supporters Look On at the Games. (Photo by Shannon Brinkman for USEF.)
ENDURANCE
The 100-mile endurance race was the first competition to award medals. More than 110 horses from 30 nations were presented for veterinary inspection prior to the ride on Sunday. Some 15 horses were held and re-inspected after their initial jogs. Of those, seven horses were spun, and two replacement horses were approved to compete.
All five of the U.S. horses, including the alternate, were cheered as they were inspected, and each was accepted on first inspection. The team competing was comprised of: Lindsay Graham and Monk (an eight-year-old Arabian gelding owned by Chris Martin); Deborah Reich DJB Juniper (her eight-year-old Arabian mare); Heather Reynolds and Ssamiam (her eight-year-old Arabian mare); Dr. Margaret Sleeper and Syrocco Harmony (her eight-year-old Arabian gelding); and Janice Worthington and Golden Lightning (her 10-year-old Arabian gelding).
Teams were contested by 21 countries, plus eight countries with individuals competing. This championship course consisted of six loops that traversed 60 separate parcels of land. Approximately 70% of the 100-mile track was mowed pastures and pathways, 25% farm roads and 5% on gravel and paved roads.
The day started out cool and breezy but ended up being perfect weather for an endurance competition.
The sole finisher for the U.S. was Deborah Reich and DJB Juniper. Originally the team alternate, the pair finished the race in eight hours, 42 minutes and 55 seconds, finishing in 18th place.
"We were in the front groups for about the first half," Reich said of Croton-on-Hudson, NY. "She got a little tired on the fifth loop. But then she was crewed so well that I think she got a second wind and finished the race really strong."
Heather Reynolds, of Los Gatos, CA, and Ssamiam crossed the finish line in fourth place, but were spun after "Sam" did not pass the final examination.
"If this were a horse I expected to come here and do great things with, I would probably be crying right now," Reynolds said after her ride. "But this is a young horse. I'm so proud of him right now, and I think he's an exciting horse for the future."
Three U.S. riders were eliminated during the competition: Lindsay Graham (Napa, CA) aboard Monk and Dr. Margaret Sleeper (Frenchtown, NJ) aboard Syrocco Harmony both for metabolic reasons. Janice Worthington (Scales Mound, IL) saw her Golden Lightning eliminated due to lameness.
Taking home the Individual Gold medal was Maria Mercedes Alvarez Ponton of Spain and her long time partner, Nobby, on a time of seven hours, 35 minutes and 44 seconds. This is the second consecutive WEG Gold Medal for the pair. The Silver medal went to HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al Maktoum and Ciel Oriental of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a time of seven hours, 36 minutes and 39 seconds. The Individual Bronze-medal position was HE Sheikh Hamdan Mohammad al Maktoum and SAS Alexis (UAE) on a time of seven hours, 36 minutes and 56 seconds.
REINING
It was a decisive Gold-medal day for the four members of the Adequan U.S. Reining Team as they dominated the competition to cheering audiences.
Tim McQuay aboard Hollywoodstinseltown (a six-year-old Quarter Horse stallion owned by David and Bonnie Silva), Craig Schmersal aboard Mister Montana Nic (a 12-year-old Quarter Horse stallion owned by Ericka Smith and Mister Montana Nic Syndicate), Tom McCutcheon aboard Gunners Special Nite (a six-year-old Quarter Horse stallion owned by Turnabout Ranch) and Shawn Flarida aboard RC Fancy Step a six-year-old Quarter Horse owned by Buffalo Ranch) all gave energized rides. The Team championship rounds in the FEI Reining World Championship presented by John Deere also served as the first round of the Individual Qualifying Competition.
McQuay of Tioga, TX, and Hollywoodstinseltown was the lead American riders into the ring and put down a strong performance. They went into the early lead with a score of 220.5. Schmersal of Overbrook, OK, and Mister Montana Nic also put in a strong ride to score a 223.5.
Day Two of the reining competition saw McCutcheon of Aubrey, TX, and Gunners Special Nite score a 224, putting the U.S. Team one rider closer to the Gold medal. And it all came down to the last rider.
Flarida, of Springfield, OH, and RC Fancy Step weren’t about to go in and play it safe – that isn’t the rider’s style.
He said, "Those guys had it tied up before I went. I thank Tim, Tom, and Craig for taking the pressure off of me and letting me go play. Tim was great and released that pressure, the rest of them filled in. You can see by their scores, as that pressure comes off, the rest of us guys can go in there and throw a Hail Mary pass. I just needed to go in there and show my horse. I'm not good when I just cruise around. We kind of had the Gold medal tied up as far as the team, but I'm here to do a job."
After a thrilling execution of their pattern, the final duo earned the highest score of the entire two-day competition – 227. That placed the Team atop the Gold medal platform with a final score of 674.5 after the low score was dropped, and a winning margin of 15.5 points over Belgium, who won the Silver. The team from Italy received the Bronze medal.
It was impossible to hide the excitement of U.S. Reining Chef d'Equipe Jeff Petska following the final rider. "How many times in your lifetime do you get to do something like this on national television live? They all had a ton of pressure on them, and every round they stepped up and hit it out of the park. You don't get where these guys are by backing off. We felt like we had it sewn up for this competition. All of the guys represented well and I'm proud of them. It's great to be a part of this.” he said.
The 2010 Gold medal makes it three in a row for the U.S. presence on the WEG reining stage having taken the top prize in both Jerez (Spain) in 2002 and Aachen (Germany) in 2006.
"I don't know that we'll ever get the opportunity to put together a team like this again. In 20 or 30 years, I'll look back and say that I remember that team. I think truly it'll be a hard team to ever get by," said McCutcheon.
Each of the U.S. reiners' scores qualified them for the Individual Final Competition at 1 p.m. in the Alltech Arena on Thursday, September 30. The top 15 scorers across the Team competition, along with the top five from the second individual qualifier then vied for the Individual medals.
INDIVIDUAL REINING
The U.S. upped its medal count by two on Thursday in the FEI Reining World Championship presented by John Deere at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In the Individual Final, the U.S. took Gold and Silver when Tom McCutcheon on Gunners Special Nite, owned by Turnabout Ranch, and Craig Schmersal with Mister Montana Nic, owned by the Mister Montana Nic Syndicate, had the two best patterns of the day.
Tom McCutcheon of Aubrey, TX, and Gunners Special Nite, a six-year-old Quarter Horse stallion by Colonels Smoking Gun x Mifillena, were the third of four qualified U.S. reiners to compete. They were chasing a score of 223, set by teammate Craig Schmersal and Mister Montana Nic. They completed an electric pattern and to the screaming of the full capacity arena, they heard their winning score of 228.
McCutcheon said of his pattern, "For me, to start a pattern on that, to run in and get that first stop, it starts everything off right. He stopped really strong, and I knew he felt hooked up, so I let him drop the hammer and go. Everything that I wanted him to do, he was there. He felt like he got stronger and stronger. I was really happy with him today."
While McCutcheon is now a double Gold medalist, what meant more to him than the accolades was the ability to show everyone how special Gunners Special Nite is. "I knew he was pretty special today," he said with a smile. "He's been a superstar horse who has had a lot of second places, so I was really glad for him that he could win one because he deserves it. I really wanted to do him justice."
Schmersal, of Overbrook, OK, and Mister Montana Nic, a 12-year-old Quarter Horse stallion by Reminic x Montana Doc, took an early lead with 223 and ended up with the Silver medal. Duane Latimer of Canada and Dun Playin Tag won the Bronze medal.
"I'm pretty thrilled with my horse today," Schmersal said. "He was so good out there, to go out and show as pure as he did. That's what it's about. I don't think he had a weak point. He stopped, he turned, he circled true. I asked for 110% and he delivered. He's been a part of my family for 10 years. It was special to have a horse that old come to this arena and have him come through for me like he did."
As another American double medalist, Schmersal said that first and foremost was the Team competition, and an Individual medal was something extra. "I knew it was going to take a lot to win, and I was just hoping to make the podium," he admitted. "A Silver medal is a big deal. It's pretty special to ride on both days, and we feel very fortunate."
Tim McQuay of Tioga, TX, and Hollywoodstinseltown, a six-year-old Quarter Horse stallion by Hollywood Dun It x Hollywood Jac 86 owned by David and Bonnie Silva, received a score of 222 and finished in fourth place, just a half point out of the medals.
As the last reiner in the competition, Shawn Flarida of Springfield, OH, and RC Fancy Step, a six-year-old Quarter Horse stallion by Wimpys Little Step x Doc Wilson owned by Buffalo Ranch, had a disappointing finish. Flarida's stirrup leather broke during his first sliding stop, and he had to complete the rest of his test with one stirrup. Flarida was penalized five points for touching the saddle horn with his free hand. The judges reviewed his pattern and ended up scoring him with a 207.5.
"My stirrup broke, and I got off balance," Flarida explained. "I had to go through three-quarters of the pattern on one stirrup, which is kind of hard to do. Tom was awesome today and my hat's off to him."
U.S. Reining Chef d'Equipe Jeff Petska remarked, "It was an equipment malfunction, and unfortunately that's part of showing. It's just one of those things that happens. It's hard enough to ride with two stirrups, let alone one, and Shawn did a good job and completed the pattern, so that's a big credit to him."
DRESSAGE
It was a close race for the medal’s podium in the Rolex Arena and the U.S. team gave it their best to bring home one of them. But, it was a close fourth-place finish for the squad that faced tough competition from dressage power The Netherlands and Germany.
The first two riders up for the Americans both experiencing their first championships competition for the U.S. Todd Flettrich aboard Otto (a 14-year-old Danish gelding owned by Cherry Knoll Farm and Margaret Duprey) posted a score of 66.553.
“I think I had a mistake in the one tempis, and the last centerline,” said Fletterich of Royal Palm Beach, FL. “His forte is piaffe/passage. I came down the centerline, and I brought him a little quicker to the piaffe. It was an honest mistake and unfortunate.”
Second to go was Katherine Bateson Chandler of Wellington, FL, and Nartan (a 15-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Jane Clark). The duo displayed good extended canter, pirouette and passage movements. Again, the one tempis cost points. The posted a 69.617.
“I had a mistake at the end of one of my tempis. I thought I had it, and he threw an extra one in, so I had to do a change back,” said Bateson-Chandler. “I was disappointed because they actually felt the best they've felt in the ring. The two tempis felt nice."
Day Two of the Team competition saw the third U.S. rider to go – Tina Konyot and Calecto V, her 12-year-old Danish stallion. They pair posted a 69.915 for a final 16th place. An error in the pair’s final centerline movement from passage to piaffe cost them.
"I didn't ride it. It's never the horse, it's us. I love that boy so much, and he felt so good to me,” she said. "I wanted to do the best I possibly could, and I didn't do the best I possibly could," she said. Of the overall experience, she said, “It's absolutely fantastic, a great, great feeling to be on a team.”
The Team’s final duo – veteran stars Steffen Peters and Ravel – had the weight of the world on their shoulders coming into the test. From San Diego, Peters and his partner, the 12-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Akiko Yamazaki and Four Wind Farms, are one of the country’s most successful teams. But even his commanding score of 78.596 wasn’t enough to get the team to a medal. The U.S. Team ended its work on a score of 218.128 for a fourth-place finish – just over two points from the Bronze.
“The flying changes felt really good. I think the canter pirouettes were probably the best ones he's done so far in an arena,” said Peters of his mount. “He surprised me a little bit with how much he wanted to go in the canter extension. I didn't do a whole lot. I collected him in the corner and gave him the rein, and he just went like there's no tomorrow.”
Peters finished in third place individually. He said, "That's awesome. Let's face it, both number one and number two were over 80%.”
The Netherlands took the Gold medal led by Edward Gal’s astonishing performance aboard Moorlands Totilas (84.043) with a total score of 229.745. Great Britain scored the Silver Team medal (224.767) and Germany took the Bronze (220.595).
DRESSAGE: GRAND PRIX SPECIAL
U.S. dressage superstars Steffen Peters of San Diego, CA, and Ravel, owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki, returned to the ring and earned the Bronze medal at the FEI World Dressage Championship in the Grand Prix Special. They received a score of 78.542%, the best Grand Prix Special score of the duo’s career. It made history in that an American dressage rider had never won an Individual medal in Games’ history.
Tears flowed during the medal presentation. It was the culmination of years of effort.
"I have to be honest, I can tell you how many years, days, and hours it's been since Hong Kong, and I missed the Bronze medal," he said. "I never admitted that, and I tried to control myself afterwards. That it finally happened today was huge. I can't believe how lucky I am that Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang allow me to ride this horse. What he did was unbelievable."
Peters and Ravel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding by Contango x Democraat, had a third-place finish yesterday in the Grand Prix, which helped the U.S. Team finish fourth, and he was hoping to stay consistent for today's first Individual final.
"It was a cleaner test today," he explained. "He was still going for the extensions like he was yesterday. His passage felt amazing. His strength is always the half-pass in trot. It worked out beautifully, and I can't even tell you what I felt getting done with this test and then having the crowd behind me. It was just an amazing experience. I love it."
Peters' and Ravel's judge's scores were: E - Cara Whitham (CAN): 77.708%, H - Stephen Clarke (GBR): 78.958%, C - Mary Seefried (AUS): 77.292%, M - Maribel Alonso (MEX): 77.083%, B - Linda Zang (USA): 81.667%.
Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Nartan, owned by Jane Clark, were the second American duo to enter the arena. They had a good ride and the judges scored them with a total of 68.875%. They finished in 19th place. The judge's scores were: E: 70.417%, H: 68.958%, C: 67.500%, M: 67.500%, B: 70.000%.
Bateson-Chandler said that she had a better feeling about the Special. "To be honest, we concentrate 100% on the Grand Prix, so I haven't gotten to practice the Special, and I haven't had my horse for long. I've only done two other Specials with him. In that way, I'm not clean enough on the test for my riding," she said.
"I am thrilled with my horse," Bateson-Chandler said of Nartan. "He's about the most honest animal ever. That horse tried his heart out. I've never had a ride like that where a horse was so honest and tried so hard. His temperament is his biggest strength. He has a really super passage. He has incredible extended canter; that always picks me up some points. He has an incredible extended walk. The piaffes are getting better and better. He has a lot of strengths!"
Tina Conyot and her Calecto V scored 68.625% to finish in 20th place. Her scores from the judges were: E: 63.333%, H: 69.375%, C: 70.625%, M: 69.375%, B: 70.417%.
“I lost a lot of points on my first passage where he was a little bit skipping behind, but that's something that I created with that horse when he didn't have any hind leg at all and since we're only into this Grand Prix for the past year and a half - so we're quite green at it - we have good Grand Prix and not so good Grand Prix,” she said. “The opening of it was just not very good, and after that it sort of evened out and got better and better. I had a beautiful canter tour. I was very happy with that."
Konyot is a rare owner/rider, and she is proud of how she has brought Calecto V along in the past four years. "He's my friend," she remarked. "Nobody wanted him four years ago, and I made him. Today I made him a champion, so I am very proud of that. It's a great honor to be riding on the American team when you've created something that nobody thought anything of."
The top 15 riders from the Special will advance to Friday's Grand Prix Freestyle competition; Peters and Ravel will be the only American combination.
EVENTING
There was a last minute change to the lineup of the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team the day of the horse inspection. Veteran event rider Karen O’Connor was named as a member of the four-rider U.S. Team when Tipperary Liadhnan was withdrawn for veterinary reasons.
It turned out that Kim Severson’s horse had developed cellulitis and was being treated with hopes that the infection would heal in time for competition. However, that was not the outcome and the pair was forced to relinquish their spot. Team selectors had high hopes that the pair would add great odds to the chances of a Team medal, which remains their priority.
“In the best interest of the horse’s welfare, we made the difficult decision not to run him,” said Chef d’Equipe Mark Phillips.
So, the final roster of the U.S. Team is:
Buck Davidson/34/Riegelsville, PA/BallyNoe Castle RM/10/Irish Thoroughbred/G/Carl and Cassandra Segal
Phillip Dutton/47/West Grove, PA/Woodburn/14/NZ Thoroughbred/G/Ann Jones, Mardie Faucette and Acorn Hill Farm
Boyd Martin/31/West Grove, PA/Neville Bardos/11/Australian Thoroughbred/G/Windurra USA, LLC
Karen O'Connor/52/The Plains, VA/Mandiba/11/Thoroughbred/G/Joan Goswell
The following horse/rider combination has been named to represent the U.S. as an Individual:
Becky Holder/41/Palmetto, GA/Courageous Comet/14/Thoroughbred/G/Tom and Becky Holder
All five American horses looked fit and sound Wednesday morning at the horse inspection, where 82 horses were presented. Fourteen teams will be competing for Team Gold at the World Eventing Championships.
DRESSAGE PHASE – DAY ONE
The FEI Eventing World Championships, presented by Reem Acra, are officially underway at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Eighty horses passed the veterinary inspections on Wednesday, and the first 40 performed their dressage tests Thursday. With such decorated riders as Mark Todd of New Zealand, William Fox-Pitt and Pippa Funnell of Great Britain, and Ingrid Klimke of Germany taking to the arena today, the spectators were in for a treat.
Two of the five riders representing the United States performed their tests yesterday under sunny Kentucky skies. Boyd Martin, who is on his first U.S. Team, rode Windurra USA LLC’s Australian Thoroughbred gelding Neville Bardos to a score of 49.5, sending them to a three-way tie for 14th place. The test was characteristic for the pair: clean, precise and well-ridden.
"I was really happy with Neville," said Martin. "He was on the verge of exploding as we circled the arena. But he kept his cool and went in and did his personal best in dressage."
Buck Davidson also presented BallyNoe Castle RM today in the dressage. Both Davidson and BallyNoe Castle looked great as they navigated through their test. BallyNoe Castle's flashy trot work earned him a score of 47.0. The pair sits in 11th place.
"He was very good," said Davidson after his ride. "He's got a very good trot, but sometimes he gets a little nervous in the walk and canter. But today it felt like he held it together very well. I was really happy with him."
Davidson's father, the legendary American eventer Bruce Davidson, who claimed the World Championship here in 1978, is here supporting his son, although the younger Davidson claims his father is "way more nervous than I am."
The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team now rests in fifth place after Thursday’s competition, with a score of 96.50. They're behind Germany (83.80), Australia (91.00), Sweden (91.70) and Great Britain (93.20).
Friday, the last 40 horses and riders will complete their dressage tests, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Karen O'Connor is scheduled to ride at 11:06 a.m.; Becky Holder rides 1:42 p.m.; and Phillip Dutton rides at 4:06 p.m. O'Connor and Dutton are riding for the U.S. Team; Holder is competing for the United States as an individual.
ENDS