Welcome to our Olympics Sunday dressage open thread, presented by SmartPak!  Check back on this post regularly for quick updates on the most important and exciting rides of Sunday–I will be posting updates throughout the day.  Reader beware, all scores are provisional, please forgive the typos, and please understand this is written in real time.

5:04am ET — Atsushi Negishi and Pretty Darling (JPN): Sunday starts with the third Japanese rider of the competition.  Pretty Darling worked her way through an elegant test that was by far the best Japanese performance we have seen yet in the Olympics.  They scored 50.4 to jump into the top 15 at the time.

5:11am ET — Serguei Fofanoff and Barbara (BRA): Serguei was the first rider of day 2 to wear his helmet and, sadly, just the third rider of the Olympics so far to wear a helmet.  Barbara’s better phases are yet to come and Serguei will be happy to be moving onto the cross-country.

5:18am ET — Zara Phillips and High Kingdom (GBR): The Twitter world was abuzz this morning with word that the royals might come watch Zara ride.  Zara nailed her first halt and salute and High Kingdom started the test with lovely and elegant trot work.  The canter work was much the same except for a few bobbles in the changes.  Zara has the weight of England on her shoulders and the British media won’t let her forget it this weekend.  High Kingdom scored 46.1 to deliver in the clutch for a British team that needed a good score.

5:32am ET — Sara Algotsson Ostholt and Wega (SWE): Sara and the lovely mare Wega tied Ingrid Klimke for the lead with a 39.3.  The large Wega showed off huge extended movements to the judges and Sara rode with absolute precision to bring home a great score for the Swedish team.  Sara’s sister Linda rode on Saturday.  Wega has an excellent cross-country record, but it will be interesting to see how she handles the terrain.

5:38am ET — Caroline Powell and Lenamore (NZL): The veteran Lenamore looked half his age skipping around the arena and spooking at the clapping after Caroline’s final salute.  A 52.2 is a decent score for New Zealand at this point–it doesn’t move them up but it doesn’t hurt them either.  Lenamore is on the Kiwi team because of their confidence that he will jump well.

5:54am ET — Nina Ligon and Butts Leon (THA): Nina is competing in her first Olympics for Thailand at just 20 years old.  She has worked so hard with her coach Kim Severson to prepare for these Games and you could see Kim’s influence throughout Nina’s dressage test.  Nina rode with absolute composure and accuracy aboard Butts Leon to squeeze every possible point out of the test.  I couldn’t have been more impressed with how Nina handled the pressure and her use of the aids looked nearly perfect–clearly another influence from Kim’s tutelage.  The Ligons are a great example that eventing is an entire family effort and I hope they take the time to relax and enjoy the incredible experience that is the Olympics for a moment at least once this weekend.

6:20am ET — Will Coleman and Twizzel (USA): Riding down the centerline for Team USA has been a long time coming for Will Coleman and he made that dream come true this morning in Greenwich.  This might have been Will’s first Olympic ride, but he rode like a veteran and expertly directed Twizzel through each movement.  Twizzel was as relaxed and focused as I have ever seen him.  Twiz danced through that test so forward and light on his feet.  If I had to find a fault I would say that their changes could have been slightly better.  They earned every bit of their 46.3, perhaps earned an even better score in my opinion, and produced the best score yet for Team USA.

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Will Coleman and Twizzel stepped up big for Team USA with the best US score, photo by Erin Gilmore

Sara Algotsson Ostholt and her lovely mare Wega tied overnight leaders Ingrid Klimke and Butts Abraxxas of Germany for the Olympic lead at the Sunday lunch break with a score 39.3 this morning.  Wega showed off her huge extended movements to the judges and Sara rode with absolute precision to bring home a great score for the Swedish team.  Wega has an excellent cross-country record, but it will be interesting to see how she handles the terrain with a larger-bodied horse.  Sara and her sister Linda are both riding for the Swedes, who are sitting in third place in the team competition with one rider left to compete for each team.

Germany and Australia are first and second in the team competition respectively at the break with great performances from Sandra Auffarths and Lucinda Fredericks–they are tied for 4th with 40.0.  Four Aussies are placed in the top 16 at the lunch break after a 40.0 from Lucinda Fredericks and Flying Finish.  This horse is just beginning his international career.  What he lacks in experience he made up for in rideability and that is all Lucinda needed to score a 40.0.  Lucinda’s husband, Clayton, is the anchor rider for the Australians and will ride after the lunch break.

[Olympic Dressage Scores]

We wouldn’t get the full London experience without rain and the British weather obliged this morning.  Sandra Auffarths of Germany entered the arena with the first rain clouds of the London Games forming above her head and needing a quality score to keep Germany ahead of the Australian team.  Opgun Louvo showed some spooky tension early in the test–likely due to the storm blowing in–but he made up for it with a lovely and relaxed movement through his shoulders and nearly perfect changes.  I had hoped the judges would be sympathetic about the spooks and they were very sympathetic, giving the pair a 40.0.  I will say that it’s hard for me to justify Boyd’s score of 50.7 after watching Sandra’s test score a 40.0.  Sandra’s ride gives Germany three pairs in the top 4 at the lunch break.

Four riders have ridden from each team.  Germany has the better team score right now from the perspective of the three best scores.  However, all four Aussie scores are under 47 penalties while Germany’s 4th best score is 58.5, meaning that if one of the top Germans slips up tomorrow their team score is very much at risk.  Again, looking at the top three scores of each team at the lunch break, the Swedish team is in 3rd, Great Britain is 4th, the Kiwis are 5th, and the US Team is in 6th.  However, the USA’s 4th best score is better than New Zealand’s, Germany’s, and Sweden’s by considerable margins.  Any way you look at it, Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper need to put in a good performance for Team USA this afternoon.

Riding down the centerline for Team USA has been a long time coming for Will Coleman and he made that dream come true this morning in Greenwich.  This might have been Will’s first Olympic ride, but he rode like a true veteran and expertly directed Twizzel through each movement.  Twizzel was as relaxed and focused as I have ever seen him–which is to say that is was very relaxed and focused.  Twiz danced through that test so incredibly forward and light on his feet.  If I had to find a fault I would say that their changes could have been slightly better.  They earned every bit of their 46.3, and perhaps earned an even better score in my opinion.  The 46.3 is the best score yet for Team USA.

Tina Cook of Great Britain must have felt right at home this morning when the cloudy skies opened up in a steady rain with thunder overhead just in time for her ride aboard Miners Frolic.  Neither Tina nor Miners Frolic looked bothered by the weather and they worked together for a professional effort.  The crowd gave Tina an appreciative and understanding cheer as she finished.  The judges gave her a 42.0, helping bring Great Britain closer to the Germans and Aussies.  The rain and thunder during Tina’s test was so significant that immediately after she exited the arena the officials called a 10 minute break.  The rain stopped as quickly as it arrived and the morning rides progressed with just a few showers.

Earlier in the morning, the British crowd at Greenwich, which included Prince Phillip and Princess Anne, was treated to a lovely test from Zara Phillips and High Kingdom.  Zara nailed her first halt and salute and High Kingdom started the test with elegant trot work.  The canter work was much the same except for a few bobbles in the changes.  High Kingdom scored 46.1.  Zara has the weight of Great Britain on her shoulders and the British media won’t let her forget it this weekend.  She needs to just keep the mentality that nothing matters but her rides.

Jessica Phoenix and Exponential rode for Team Canada this morning.  “Tucker” entered the arena amidst the bad weather with ears pricked but Jessica managed her lovely horse to perfection.  She rode every step of the test and squeezed out every possible point for the Canadians.  The ex-racehorse is perfectly built to skip his way around Sue Benson’s twisty and technical Greenwich course.  Jessica and Tucker are in great position to move up big time this weekend after their 54.8 this morning.

Nina Ligon is competing in her first Olympics for Thailand at just 20 years old.  She has worked so hard with her coach Kim Severson to prepare for these Games and you could see Kim’s influence throughout Nina’s dressage test.  Nina rode with absolute composure and accuracy aboard Butts Leon.  I couldn’t be more impressed with how Nina has handled the pressure and scrutiny leading up to the Games and she carried that focus right through into the dressage arena today.  The Ligons are a great example that eventing is an entire family effort and I hope they take at least a moment this weekend amidst the whirlwind to relax and enjoy the incredible experience that is the Olympics.

Japan quietly had an awesome morning of dressage.  Atsushi Negishi and Pretty Darling rode early today and scored a 50.4 with a really solid test. Then Kenki Sato performed the best test I have ever seen from a Japanese rider at an international competition, scoring a 42.0 and jumping into the top 10.  Chippieh was extremely relaxed and focused for his Buddhist monk rider and the result was a great performance for Japan.

The trend of bonnets on the horses and no helmets on the riders continued in the morning session.  Serguei Fofanoff of Brazil was the first and only rider of day two to wear his helmet.  Allaksandr Faminou made a fashion statement with white taped braids for Belarus.

Only a true child of Great Britain could be so excited to be watching dressage in the rain

Check out our Sunday dressage open thread, presented by Smartpak, for more updates on the Sunday morning and afternoon rides.

The wind is blowing under menacing skies in Greenwich with the final quarter of Olympic dressage set to begin when the lunch break ends shortly.  Tune in to watch the anchor rides for each team in what is sure to be an exciting series of tests.  Go eventing.

Ingrid and Butts Abraxxas, photo by Erin Gilmore

Ingrid Klimke is just a step above everyone else when it comes to eventing dressage.  Today she looked like she belonged in the pure dressage competition at the Olympics as she rode her way to a 39.3 and the overnight Olympic eventing dressage lead.  You could hardly see Ingrid move a muscle as Butts Abraxxas flowed effortlessly beneath her.  The German team is starting to flex its dressage muscle in London as we head into the second day of dressage.

Olympic dressage scores after day 1:
1. Ingrid Klimke and Butts Abraxxas (GER)  39.3
2. Dirk Schrade and King Artus (GER)  39.8
3. Mary King and Imperial Cavalier (GBR)  40.9
4. Andrew Hoy and Rutherglen (AUS)  41.7
5. Ludvig Svennerstal and Shamwari (SWE)  43.7
6. Jonathan Paget and Clifton Promise (NZL)  44.1
7. Sam Griffiths and Happy Times (AUS)  45.4
8. Chris Burton and HP Leilani (AUS)  46.1
9. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott (USA)  48.2
10. Virginie Caulier and Nepal Du Sudre (BEL)  48.3
11. Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin & Juice (CAN)  48.7
12. Aoife Clark and Master Crusoe (IRL)  48.9
13T. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere (USA)  50.7
13T. Marc Rigouts and Dunkas (BEL)  50.7
…

16T. Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz (GBR)  51.7
18. Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister (USA)  52.0
25. Michelle Mueller and Amistad (CAN)  57.0
32. Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott (CAN)  61.7
[Olympics Final Day 1 Scores]

Despite Ingrid’s great performance and Dirk Schrade’s second placed ride from the morning session, Germany didn’t quite catch the Australians in the team competition based on straight point totals thanks to the three Aussie rides of the day all finishing in the top 8.  The team situation is a bit hard to decipher at the end of today because only 7 of the teams have competed three rides.  Of those seven, Australia leads in raking total points with 133.2, Germany is second with 137.6, and USA is third with 150.9.  However, the British two-rider average of 46.3 would put them into third with the USA three rider average in 4th and New Zealand’s average in 5th.  If you looked at the two best scores of each team, Germany (79.1) would have a big lead over Australia (87.1), and Great Britain would be third with 92.6.  Remember that the Olympic team scoring format will take the best three scores from each team.

Team average scores:
1. Australia 44.4 average (3 rides)
2. Germany 45.9 average (3 rides)
3. Great Britain 46.3 average (2 rides)
4. USA 50.3 average (3 rides)
5. New Zealand 50.4 average (2 rides)
6. Belgium 50.6 average (3 rides)
[Team Results]

If you missed any of today’s dressage, NBC sports has a replay online for US viewers, and I have heard via @USEquestrian that the NBC Sports Network will show highlights on your cable TV at 1:45pm ET, again for US viewers.  For viewers outside of the US, please check your local programming directory or you online feed provider.

[Watch a full replay of Saturday’s dressage here–from the USA]

The afternoon horses were, on average, considerably more relaxed and focused than their morning predecessors.  I would attribute that to the afternoon pairs being more experienced, and also perhaps to the teams adapting their afternoon warm-ups based on how tense the morning horses were.  Whatever the cause, the result was a big change to the leaderboard.  Five of the top six rode this afternoon.

Mary King started things off after the lunch break, and I can’t say enough good things about her ride on Imperial Cavalier.  Mary rode with such poise, grace, and calmness and Imperial Cavalier “Archie” answered with complete focus.  It looked like they were schooling at home on a Saturday afternoon rather than competing in front of thousands of fans on the biggest stage of their career with the weight of a home nation’s dreams for gold on their shoulders.  Mary gave the biggest smile of the day after her salute, drawing the biggest cheer of the day, and the third best score of the day so far–40.9.

The first three rides after the lunch break all jumped into the top four places at the time and they remain in the top 6 at the end of the day.  Jock Paget has been mentored by his veteran Kiwi teammates over the past few years and today he delivered a veteran ride with Clifton Promise.  New Zealand should be really proud of this pair tonight and Jock is quickly rising in my mind to one of the very best riders in the world.

Ringwood Magister entered the Olympic arena as the most elegant and best turned out horse of the day.  Tiana gave a smile to the judges with her first salute and with that they were off on their first phase competing for Team USA.  If I had to nitpick I would say that “Fin” was maybe moving a bit more down than reaching forward, and Tiana lost his concentration in the canter for a moment.  They didn’t produce their best test, but Tiana rode with calmness and precision to manage her horse really well.  Ringwood Magister deserved the big pat Tiana gave him after their salute and I thought they were scored fairly by the judges with a 52.0.

An interview with Ingrid after her ride:

Ronald Zabala-Goetschel scored a 53.3 with Master Rose for Ecuador.  This is a score that will be lost in the score board and footnotes of the competition, but Ronald rode a terrific test that is by far the best I have ever seen him ride.  No one stepped their game up today more than Ronald and Master Rose.

Andrew Hoy rode Rutherglen in a double bridle which gave Rutherglen a steady contact with a reliable frame.  I liked Rutherglen at Rolex this year and I loved the fact that he looked much more confident and mature today at the finale of a busy spring and summer season that has included Bramham and Luhmuhlen.  As usual, Andrew didn’t give the judges any major chances to deducts points.  Couple that with seamless, almost invisible changes and you are going to get a great score–41.7 for 4th place tonight.

Canada’s third rider of the day, Peter Barry, rode perhaps my favorite horse in the competition–the lovely Kilrodan Abbott.  Peter has built a wonderful partnership with Kilrodan Abbott and the horse rewards him each and every day with pure kindness and effort.  Peter did suffer an error of course when he forgot his extended canter, but that was the only major problem in an otherwise polished test.  Peter’s dressage has come such a long way since Canadian training camp started–I hope Peter is proud of himself and his horse tonight.

Congratulations to all of the riders on a fantastic day of representing their countries.  Check out our dressage open thread from SmartPak and our morning report for more detailed coverage of today’s action, and please join our live blog at 5am ET Sunday morning for day two of Olympic eventing dressage.

Go eventing.

Welcome to our Olympics Saturday dressage open thread, presented by SmartPak!  Check back on this post regularly for quick updates on the most important and exciting rides of Saturday–I will be posting updates throughout the day.  Reader beware, all scores are provisional, please forgive the typos, and please understand this is written in real time.

5:12am ET — Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere: First to ride of all the nations at the 2012 Olympics, Boyd and Otis gave the USA the perfect lead-off test of the Olympics.  Otis was a bit more tense than usual (who wouldn’t be) and a few bobbles marred his lovely gaits, particularly in the trot.  Otis rocked his changes and Boyd finished with a relieved smile and salute to the crowd.   The pair scored a 50.7 and moved into the provisional temporary outright Olympic lead!!!

So far, the live video feed from NBC in the USA is holding up brilliantly, although there is no commentary, and our EN live blog software is holding up as well.

5:27am ET — Video Feed and Bonnets: Chris Burton and HP Leilani of Australia have overtaken Boyd and Otis for the lead with a 46.1.  My online video froze significantly once and I had to restart my computer.  Other than that, NBC’s player seems to be working quite well.  You can pause, buffer the video, watch replays, and go live.

Bonnetts are all the rage today.  Each of the first four horses wore them.  The Olympic venue, particularly the part not visible on the online feed, is packed with stands very close to the arena.  The bonnets (might) help keep the horses less distracted by buffering some ambient sound.  I can’t fault the riders for wearing them.  Also, it’s a nice place to display your country’s flag.

5:42am ET — Barny and the Atmosphere: Quote of the morning so far for our live blog goes to Kate Samuels “Having watched the first few horses go, I feel like any horse that relaxes in the extended walk and doesn’t just gawk around at the spectators deserves a 9 at least.”  Refreshing the video player seems to be the best bet when it freezes.  Burto still leads.  Peter Thomsen and Barny did not give Germany a great first test–Barny looked bothered by the atmosphere and even bucked for Peter.  Their score of 58.5 is way over half the score that Germany won the European Champs with last year.  Ze Germans will definitely hope to drop that score.

5:57am ET — Michelle Mueller and Amistad (CAN): Amistad looked like another victim of the Olympic atmosphere early on in their test, but Michelle worked hard to improve things as the test went on.  We saw something that I think will be a trend today–tense trot work followed by a more relaxed canter work as horses settle in to the arena.  Michelle and Amistad scored a 57.0 with their best phases yet to come.

6:27am ET — Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz (GBR): Great Britain’s Olympic hopes started with a rhythmical and quiet test from Opposition Buzz “Dodie” in front of a hushed British crowd.  Even the ever-present airplanes seems to give Greenwich a reprieve.  Opposition Buzz doesn’t have the best movement, but Nicola showed her horse off well with her lovely position.  They scored a 51.7, which was a fair score that I don’t think included any home-country advantage.

6:30am ET — Linda Algotsson (SWE): First rider of the day to wear a helmet!  Linda and her horse La Fair were the first pair to look calm, almost backward, in the arena.  Linda’s sister Sara will ride for Sweden tomorrow.

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Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott lead the way for Team USA, photo by Erin Gilmore

Dirk Schrade and King Artus of Germany sit atop the leader board at the lunch break of the first day of Olympic dressage.  At some point, judges have to decide if they prefer accuracy and correctness or flashy movement.  After a less than ideal first test from Peter Thomsen, Germany needed a good test from Dirk to stay in the competition.  King Artus was extremely rideable for Dirk and, although the smaller horse doesn’t have the most movement in the world, his test was a picture of correctness.  The judges rewarded accuracy over bounce and gave the German pair a 39.8.  As mentioned, it is lunch break time in London and still very much the morning in North America.

Saturday Lunchtime Scores:
1. Dirk Schrade and King Artus (GER) 39.8
2. Sam Griffiths and Happy Times (AUS) 45.4
3. Chris Burton and KP Leilani (AUS) 46.1
4. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott (USA) 48.2
5. Virginie Caulier and Nepal Du Sudre (BEL) 48.3
6. Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin & Juice (CAN) 48.7
7. Aoife Clark and Master Crusoe (IRL) 48.9
8. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere (USA) 50.7
9. Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz (GBR) 51.7
…
14. Michelle Mueller and Amistad (CAN) 57.0

[Olympics Live Scores]

Team USA was counting on a good lead-off ride from Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere in their Olympics debut and the flashy pair delivered just that, scoring a 50.7 as the first pair to ride today.  Boyd has since suffered from being the first to go as several tests that I thought were clearly a few points inferior scored better.  If I had to throw out a number, I’d say that after watching all of the morning rides, Otis would have scored about two points lower than he did if he had ridden later.

The other Team USA pair to ride this morning, Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott, were one of many morning pairs to be afflicted by the tension-inducing Greenwich main arena.  Karen used all of her five Olympics worth of experience to show off Mr. Medicott’s impressive athleticism and the result was an appealing test that left a few points on the table.  Mr. Medicott scored a 48.2. That is the fourth best score of the morning and I thought it was generous by one or two points.  Team USA should feel confident so far with one of their top two dressage pairs–Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister–set to ride later today.

The Australian team had to fight their way to London the hard way–they needed to qualify five individuals to compose a team after losing to Japan at the Blenheim qualifier last year.  But they proved that they are very much here to compete for gold with two impressive tests this morning from Chris Burton and Sam Griffiths.  Burto and HP Leilani knocked Boyd off of the top of the leader board with a 46.1.  Sam Griffiths was just added to the Aussie team on Thursday when Megan Jones had to withdraw Allofasudden due to injury, but they made the most of their opportunity by scoring a 45.4.

At the lunch break, 8 of 14 teams have competed two riders.  The Aussies lead with 91.50, Germany is second with 98.30, the USA is third on 98.90.

From riders to horses to coaches to vets to selectors to fans, Canada has one of the best true teams in eventing.  That great team leads to consistent quality at international events.  Michelle Mueller and Amistad gave Team Canada a very solid performance in their first team ride.  Amistad got quieter and quieter for Michelle throughout the test and she looked really proud of him after their halt.  Amistad is a great jumping horse and Michelle should expect to rise up the leader board over the next two phases.

The excitable mare Gin & Juice gave Hawley Bennett-Awad her full attention and Hawley should be really proud after their test, which scored a 48.7.  Gin & Juice showed some tension and shortness in her frame, which held back her score slightly.  Canada has invested a lot in this pair and that investment paid off well today.  I did think that Otis’ test was a few points better, but that’s the curse of going first.

The atmosphere in the Greenwich main arena has been giving most horses something to think about other than their riders.  The horses leave the warm-up and walk through essentially a solid purple hallway and then out into a main arena that is packed tightly on three side but the tall bleachers.  Much of the trot work this morning has been marred by tension, but the riders seem to be able to get better scores in their canter work as the horses settle into a more fluid and relaxed gait.  Jonelle Richards of New Zealand provided an exception to this rule when her horse Flintstar blew up in the canter work.

The quality of the live video streaming from NBC here in the States has been very high.  NBC has a ton of cameras around the arena and the video player itself has a lot of functionality including pausing, buffering, and returning to live feed.  Multiple people on our live blog have reported the video freezing, but refreshing the player seems to fix that issue so far.  There is no commentary on the NBC feed, but I have heard from Samantha that the BBC coverage features commentary by Ian Stark and Mike Tucker.  Can you say “jealous!”

Bonnets are all the rage today in London.  Almost all of the morning horses wore them.  The idea is that the bonnets help muffle the sound slightly, helping the horses to stay calm.  Even though the crowd has been very quiet during the tests (they are instructed by the announcers no to clap until after the final salutes), there have been planes circling overhead, the occasional child screaming, and other distracting sounds at Greenwich.

Unfortunately, there have been considerably fewer helmet sightings this morning, with Linda Algotsson of Sweden as the first rider to wear her helmet.  Linda’s sister Sara rides for Sweden tomorrow.  The only other rider of the Saturday morning session to wear a helmet was Marcio Jorge of Brazil.

Check out our dressage open thread from SmartPak for more detailed coverage of the morning action, and please join our afternoon dressage live blog as you watch the action on your computer.  Mary King and Imperial Cavalier are first to ride after lunch.

Go eventing.

Erin Gilmore, EN’s good friend and now official guest writer, is on scene at Greenwich Park.  Erin was kind enough to write to us today from the hills of Greenwich.  Thanks for writing this Erin and thank you for reading.
—-

From Erin:

I’m sitting here at the top of a hill in Greenwich Park, tapping this message out on an iPad.  There are a few workers putting the final touches on bleachers and galloping lanes, and riders are walking the cross-country course in small groups.  There’s a complete media center back down near the main stadium, but at the moment, this lush green corner of the Park has sucked me in.  It’s not crawling with the thousands of people expected to turn up on Monday for cross-country; it’s not busy with the sound of galloping hooves flying by.  In fact it feels like the very opposite of a venue that’s about to host an Olympic level equestrian competition.

Maybe it’s the jetlag talking (14 hours on planes and trains), but while looking out over the city of London, it was, more than anything, Greenwich Park’s silence that made the biggest impression today.

Of course, that will all change tomorrow.

Today, I felt lucky to be here, and that feeling will surely repeat with every day of Olympic competition that passes.  I also feel incredibly lucky to be writing for Eventing Nation, since any self-respecting journalist knows that one hasn’t truly made it until EN John asks you to contribute.  I didn’t think my time would ever come, as I’m more a “you people are CRA-zy” eventing spectator, rather than a legitimate eventing expert.  And, I’m a show jumper to boot. But when John asks, you answer, here I am all the same.  Look for my inexpert but highly entertaining reports from London throughout the week.

Back to the cross-country course.  Once I was able to tear myself away from the spot on the hill, I walked most, ok fine some, of the course in order to gape at the many enormous tree trunks and other solid obstacles constructed specifically for horses and riders to hurl themselves at.

That’s right, you people are CRA-zy!!

The course is everything that you’ve been hearing; big, hilly, technical, hilly, and oh yes, did I mention the hills?  I found Will Coleman near the top of one at fence 20, sitting on a tree branch while he retied his shoelaces.  Cool as a cucumber, he casually remarked, “we knew it was going to be like this, so we’re not surprised.  Our horses are as fit as they can be.  We feel ready.”

Will said this while gazing calmly at fence 20, a four-foot suicide drop (that’s what we show jumpers call it) that is followed by a skinny brush about five strides later.  There will be some prime photo ops here on Monday, as downtown London looms in the background.

The other fences I saw were slightly less terrifying but impressive all the same.  Captain Mark Phillips and Phillip Dutton also had the “we’re ready for this” game face on when I passed them by, and then there was this entertaining French rider taking a practice jump at that terrifying down bank.

See, they do have a sense of humor.

Back down near ground zero, the stabling area, practice arenas and main stadium are nothing if not intricately designed.  Everything everywhere is lined with very important white fences to keep horses in, people out, let horses go up ramps, let people drive tractors in, and so on.  All very functional though and unless there is a monsoon I can’t image there will be an issue with the footing, which appears to be in perfect shape both in the arena and throughout the cross country course.

The platforms are interesting.  I’m from California and can’t help but wonder how they’d hold up if an earthquake hit.

Let’s be honest, it is pretty weird to see a horse chillin’ on a raised platform four foot high in the sky.

For now I need to go banish my friend Mr. Jet Lag with a little sleep, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with a few more images from today.  Well done Great Britain, the views are gorgeous, and they’re sure to only get better.  All the horses have passed the jog, the weather is perfect for riding (crossed fingers), and I can’t wait to watch some eventing dressage in the morning.

William Fox-Pitt chats away as he turns Lionheart toward one of the practice rings for a hack.

A minute later these riders, one French, one Italian, turned around and galloped all the way up this track.

Team USA was all business in their team course walk with Coach Mark Phillips today.  Although Sue Benson’s course isn’t terribly big, it is very technical.  The riders will be focusing on literally every stride their horse will make to take the most efficient and fastest route through the twists and turns of Greenwich Park.  Photos courtesy of Boyd.

Click for Team USA course walk photos: (more…)

Team USA’s Boyd Martin and, as Boyd sometimes affectionately calls Otis, the ‘Flying Frenchman,’ will be the first to ride dressage in the Greenwich main arena on Saturday morning.  The rest of the North American dressage ride times:

Saturday:
Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere (USA) — 10:00am local (5am ET)
Michelle Mueller and Amistad (CAN) — 10:40am local (5:40am ET)
Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott (USA) — 12:08pm local (7:08am ET)
Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin & Juice (CAN) — 1:02pm local (8:02am ET)
Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister (USA) — 3:18pm local (10:18am ET)
Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott (CAN) — 4:12pm local (11:12am ET)

Sunday:
Will Coleman and Twizzel (USA) — 11:20am local (6:20am ET)
Jessica Phoenix and Exponential (CAN) — 12:00pm local (7:00am ET)
Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper (USA) — 2:38pm (9:38am ET)
Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master (CAN) — 15:18pm local (10:18am ET)

Team Great Britain’s team order is Nicola and Mary on Saturay, then Zara, Tina, and William on Sunday.  I pity the Swedes, who have to ride after the British, because that Greenwich venue is going to be rocking with every British final salute.

[Full List of Olympic Dressage Order and Times, via @UKEventingBlog]

The order of rides within a team is announced by the teams after the first horse inspection.  The decision requires a lot of strategy and consideration of both dressage and cross-country order.  I think the US team in particular has done a brilliant job picking their order.  Our two best cross-country riders are set for first and last, meaning that we should get a good lead-off ride from Boyd and then the next three riders can go out counting on a clutch ride at the end from Phillip.  Tiana is placed really well in the middle position because it maximizes the chances of getting at least one clear round before her and guarantees that she can head out counting on two good rides to follow from Will Coleman and Phillip.  If you, like me, believe that that judges are slightly more conservative with their scores early in the competition, then Boyd has a real challenge in front of him to impress the judges early on Saturday.  Phillip, on the other hand, has the opportunity of a lifetime to ride late on Sunday (after two Italians and a Polish rider) and wow the judges with Mystery Whisper’s impressive movement.

Team Great Britain’s team order is Nicola, Mary, Zara, Tina, and William.

Who rides last?  None other than the great Mark Todd.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Go eventing.

Team Canada looks awesome and they didn’t even need Ralph Lauren’s help, via @HBEventing

We already know that all of the horses presented at Greenwich this morning passed.  There were a few holds, most notably Kilrodan Abbott and Peter Barry, but everyone made it through on reinspection.  The Horse and Hound’s jog recap has some notable quotes regarding Sue Benson’s Greenwich cross-country course.  The British Team seems slightly disappointed that the cross-country track is not more difficult, with Yogi telling H&H:

“It’s how we expected — not that big jumping-wise, but we don’t know what the effect of the terrain will be, and that is very much the key. It is very up and down and twisty, and it is hard to say whether the time [10min 3sec] will be gettable…British spectators should not be surprised if we are a little behind after the dressage, but hopefully we can claw that back in the jumping.”

Caroline Powell told Horse and Hound:“It’s beautifully built, but the hills will be seriously hard on the horses, and I think it will be very difficult to get the time.”

[Horse and Hound Recap, Photos from Team USA’s jog are up on the USEF Network, Fashion review from Dappled Grey, Chronicle Jog Recap]

Hawley Bennet and Gin ‘N Juice jogging:

Click here for much more from the first horse inspection: (more…)

The Olympic cross-country course is officially open for walking!  Our friends at the Horse & Hound have published photos of every fence on Sue Benson’s beautiful Olympic track.  As we saw at the test event last year, the Greenwich course is going to be defined by undulating hills, tight turns, and Sue Benson’s classic commitment to technicality.  Add 50,0000 spectators packed into an already tight cross-country course and the riders should prepare themselves for an experience unlike any other.  My first reaction to the photos: riders, get ready to ride some narrow fences.  Check out the fence by fence photos:

[Photos of every Olympic cross-country fence from Horse & Hound]

Another notable link from this morning: More team USA photos on Boyd’s blog

Go eventing.