Very difficult when you are running around like a headless chicken.
Cross country day brought glorious weather and some epic performances were on display. The crowds were amazing and you could hear the horses coming by the roar of the crowd all the way around the course. There were people installed along the galloping lanes, not even anywhere near a fence. It was incredible and a great way to showcase our sport.
Our guys went well, but we had two mistakes by Ringwood Magister and Twizzel that would haunt us on Tuesday - moments where everything went wrong for Will Coleman and Tiana Coudray that marred otherwise solid efforts. We had the US Pit Crew in full effect, I pulled on the wellies and pulled out the sweat scraper and went back to my grooming roots. I love cross country day, and am always in awe of the horses that make it look so easy.
There were some incredible performances, Opposition Buzz, Nereo, Mystery Whisper, Lenamore, Borough Pennyz all skipped around. It wasn’t the hardest track I’ve ever walked - there have been times when I’ve walked around Burghley and felt like it was simply unjumpable. This course wasn’t like that at all, but the terrain was brutal. There were plenty of hectic rounds but the ones that went well went really well. Otis Barbotiere led the way bravely for the U.S. and superjock Mr. Medicott remained rideable for Mrs. O’Connor.
It was good, but not quite good enough - we sat in fifth and went to bed with dreams of Bronze medals. We got sucker punched first thing in the morning when Otis Barbotiere pulled up lame. He has an ankle sprain and will be fine before long - but the disappointment when he was withdrawn in the hold reverberated through the American camp.
We were devastated, meaning with Tiana’s score to count we were significantly further out of the medal hunt. Will had a great clear, picking up two time faults over a tightly measured course and we perked up slightly. Tiana had two down trying to get the time and then Karen jumped a beautifully
calculated clear on the tireless Mr. Medicott. Our hearts then broke for Mystery Whisper and Phillip as a mistake proved painfully costly as his Olympic Individual medal crashed to a halt at the liverpool. I’ve known Phillip for more than a decade and he is as clutch an athlete as I’ve ever met. A mistake like that is so uncharacteristic - there is no way to explain it. It is sport, it is a game of seconds and inches. It doesn’t matter what sport it is years of training and preparation can be erased in a split second. Everyone on our team has moments they will want back.Michael Jung won in an epic performance, the only one to finish on his dressage score with Sam. That’s what it takes to win medals but mine (and a lot of other) heart broke for Sara Ostholt when she somehow managed to send the front rail of the last jump backward out the cup and on to the floor with the lightest of taps. It turned her Gold medal dream to Silver.
The royal family was on hand to watch Zara and the Brits score Team Silver, the press wanted to be really hard on her in the mixed zone but the rest of the riders (including Phillip who was asked about it) firmly reminded her that it was a team competition.
The dressage crew is really getting going now. Of course there has been a lot of buzz around Rafalca due to her owner’s presidential aspirations but
she is cool as can be and pays no mind to NBC, ABC, BBC, NYT or any other media outlet telling her story. They rode in the main arena today and all accounts were very positive. I was at a jumping press conference today so I missed it but I watched the video of Ravel and he looks like he is going really well.Jumping horses landed today and they too look good after their time together in Holland. The riders are on good form too - we did press this morning to get it out of the way and they seem quietly confident.
Half of the officials from last week’s NAJYRC seem to be here, so far I have seen: Gillian Kyle (whose son Mark rode on the Irish Eventing Team), Jennie Lorinston-Clarke, Karen Golding and David Distler - plus Elisabeth Williams, Patricia Clifton and Maribel Alonso from year’s past.
On a last seriously important note, everyone here from the volunteers to the army have been unbelievably kind. Even when they are telling you no, they are doing it with a smile on their face. It makes all of this some much easier.
