Mill Spring, N.C. – The second day of dressage for the eventing discipline came to a conclusion Friday at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) Tryon 2018. Two U.S. combinations performed their dressage tests in Tryon Stadium, laying down excellent tests to send the U.S. contingent into Saturday’s cross-country day. The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team sits in third place following the first phase of the world championship.
The home crowd was enthusiastic when Lynn Symansky (Middleburg, Va.) and Donner entered the arena, but The Donner Syndicate, LLC’s 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was all business despite the noisy atmosphere. The pair delivered an obedient, accurate test to earn a score of 28.3 to sit in 17th place on the leaderboard.
“He was pretty good. It was cool to just go in and rely on him to do his job in the dressage ring now,” Symansky shared. “I have never had the ability to go in there and pick up marks on his movement alone, so I try really hard not to give away any points. I mean there is always more to be had but the horse has so much heart and so much try and he really just gave me his all today and I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Z had a lovely test to help boost the team’s score with a score of 27.6. The 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Thomas Tierney, Simon Roosevelt, Suzanne Lacy, Caroline Moran, and Ann Jones is a rising star for Dutton, and he delivered under the pressure, putting him and Dutton in a tie for 12th place.
“I said early on that he is such an improving horse. He loves to work, loves to train; it is real exciting. I couldn’t be more pleased with how he was in there.”
Three U.S. combinations performed their dressage test on Thursday. Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Tsetserleg, Christine Turner’s 11-year-old Trakehner gelding, sit in 8th place after the first phase with a score of 27.1. Individual combination Lauren Kieffer (The Plains, Va.) and Vermiculus Jacqueline Mars’s 11-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding, received a score of 32.6 to currently sit in 48th place. Will Coleman (Charlottesville, Va.) and Tight Lines, The Conair Syndicate’s 11-year-old French Thoroughbred gelding, received a score of 35.6 for 64th place.
Competition continues Saturday with the cross-country phase beginning 11:00 a.m. ET on the White Oak Course and will be streamed live on FEI TV.
Quotable
Symansky on the support while competing on home turf: “He is a little more used to [cheering and clapping] now. I do appreciate the crowds being quiet; it helped a lot on jog day. I love it! It gets me wanting to perform more but he just gets a little unsettled by noises and a little claustrophobic. The ring is actually great because you don’t feel that the crowd is right on top of you. There is some room to get them settled even if they could get worked up like that. It is such an honor to be riding here for the home crowd.”
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