We have reports from all over Eventing Nation this weekend.   Samantha is in Kentucky at the Midsouth Team Challenge, I’m in Mexico for the Pan Ams, and Jacky Green is generously providing us with reports from Le Lion young horse championships in France.  Thanks for writing this Jacky and thank you for reading.
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From Jacky:

Luckily there was no fog Saturday morning but we had a heavy frost on the ground and icy temperatures.  As the crowds started to pour in through the gates the sun came out to welcome them. The day started with the 6 year olds and at 10.30am the forty odd starters went out to tackle their first International.

Huge crowds, a big enough track and decent waters all served to make the cross country plenty enough of a test. Whilst it looks very much on the scoreboard as though pretty much the entire field cantered round clear the second water in particular rode very tough and there were plenty of hairy rides through that as well as the arrowhead to interspace log at the end which had a fair few legs left on it. 8 minutes 45 seconds is a long gallop for young horses and quite a few finished looking tired but the fast ground and inviting fences meant they all finished with their ears pricked and looked happy. Paul Tapner held onto his lead with Indian Mill and few of the overnight placings changed much but at the end of the day these are the best 6 year olds in Europe and no one wants to see carnage in a 6 year old class, it is about the future for these guys and I think the balance was just right.

[Le Lion Scores] 

With an incredibly efficient turn around the 2 star began some 20 minutes later and it was quickly apparent that this was going to be much tougher as several course holds early on meant a nail biting wait in the warm up as the delays became longer. Strong sunshine made it a warm afternoon and after some notable scalps went early on such as Clayton Fredericks who spectacularly somersaulted over a fence on top of a mound (both he and Mr Big Cat walked away unscathed if slightly winded), fellow Aussie Bill Levett was decanted in the second water and the last combinations caused plenty of run outs slowly it seemed to begin to ride better and at the close of play there were fifteen inside the time from the 68 starters and plenty of movement up and down the scoreboard. The arrowheads on steep slopes at the end of the course were hugely influential with big drops down to them and taken on a wing and a prayer by many it seemed 50/50 whether they sprawled over them, jumped them or ducked out at the last second. The top 5 looked very polished and secure, Bettina Hoy giving her Designer a fabulous ride, Nicola Wilson on last years 6 year old runner up Annie Clover looking neat and tidy, Ruth Edge on her impressive Bojacx storming round nearly 15 seconds under time, Piggy French riding Kitealy Brief immaculately despite have sore ribs from her fall at Weston Park and then Kitty King heading affairs with the striking Zidante giving the Brits the top 4 slots going into showjumping.

Video of the Canadian riders

I have never seen more of a contrast in brilliant riding and terrible riding in one day.  On one hand all of the US and Canadians looked great out there.  Hawley and Selena picked up stops for Canada, but both of those horses were impressive most of the way around the course and both of the riders dug deep to make up the lost time.  Additionally, some of the riders from other nations had great rides including Lauren Billys, right up until her fall and Frederico Danners.  On the other hand, some of the South and Central Americans looked dangerous and we were lucky that there were not more problems out there.  John Williams’ course was brilliantly forgiving all day.

There’s no other way to describe Saturday than domination by the US squad.  Five out of five double-clears and US riders now occupy the 2nd through 6th places.  On a day when the US needed a good performance our riders stepped up and delivered big time. 

The cross-country proved influential despite the top 5 places being unchanged.  Team USA has extended their lead to just over 20 points going into the show jumping tomorrow.  Everything points to a gold medal for Team USA tomorrow.  In addition to a five rail lead, the US has 5 quality scores (all within 8 points), meaning that if one of our top placed riders slips up and goes bowling there will be two more close behind to pickup the slack.  In contrast, there is a 10 point drop from Canada’s 3rd placed score to their 4th placed score.  That being said, we all know that absolutely anything can happen on Sunday.

Remember that there are two show jumping phases–one team, one individual–so the show jumping is going to have a big impact on the competition with two rounds counting towards the individual scores. 

Jessica Phoenix has a narrow lead but three US riders are within a rail of the lead.  My feeling is that Hanni is the best jumping horse out of the top 6, but Pavarotti is fabulous as well.

A selection of other rides throughout the day 

We tried to keep track of all of the riders throughout the day, but it was nearly impossible to keep track of everyone especially considering that I was watching most of the pairs for the first time.  There were no major holds on the course and as far as I know all of the horses and riders made it back to the barns under their own power.  However, a couple of the riders took their horses well past the point of safety and exhaustion. 

The spectator situation was a mess.  Frederico Danners had one example of the bad luck caused by spectators.  His coach Tamra Smith explained to me that someone jumped up right in front of him as he was approaching the trakehner, causing the horse to spook and Frederico couldn’t get to the jump the first time.  Apparently Uruguay will be making an inquiry and I would imagine that they won’t be the only nation.  Frederico almost had the same thing happen to him on the approach to a jump later on the course but he managed to get through that jump.  In fairness, one Venezuelan got revenge for the riders by riding directly into the crowd following a runout, scattering spectators and trampling a couple (all appeared to be fine).  Stuff like that might have surprised me two days ago, but it’s par for the course down here.

31 riders completed the course out of 49 starters.  21 pairs came home clear and there were 8 double-clears.   5 of the double-clears were from US pairs, 1 was Jessica Phoenix, 1 was Kyle Carter’s student Elena Ceballo ov Venezuela, and 1 was from Jesper Martendal of Brazil.  

Go eventing.

The last North American ride of the day had a big impact on the team competition when Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High of Canada had a runout at the hut on top of the main water complex.  Selena rebounded to still make the time for Canada.  Selena’s score was being counted as part of Canada’s team score after the dressage, so that stop will extend Team USA’s lead in the team competition.

The last US pair, Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz tore up the cross-country with “Mango’s” huge gallop and Shannon’s accurate riding.  Shannon’s ride capped off a fabulous day of cross-country for the US Team.

Five rides, five double-clears.  Team USA absolutely dominated John William’s cross-country course today to extend their team lead in the Pan American Games and head into the show jumping with riders in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.  It’s hard to say which US rider had the best round today, they all looked fabulous. 

6th placed after the dressage, Ruy Fonseca of Brazil had a big fall at the first water, which is a log in the water.  Horse and rider were both up, but that set Brazil’s team back, giving the USA even more breathing room at the end of today.

We’ll have final individual and team scores shortly, but the top 5 will be Jessica, Michael, Hannah, Buck, and Shannon.

With two show jumping rounds (one team, one individual) there is a long way to go tomorrow to pick the individual and team Pan American Games medals.  Because of the two show jumping rounds, it’s fair to consider the show jumping the most important phase this weekend so no one can rest on their laurels tonight. 

Go eventing.

Click on the photo for a larger image. Go eventing.

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti guaranteed themselves the overnight lead at the Pan American games by finishing clear and two seconds inside the time.  When I saw Pavarotti walking calmly for Jessie in the warmup I knew they were ready for a great round.  Pavarotti started a little strong for Jessie but he calmed down after the first few fences and jumped brilliantly the rest of the way home.  I think one of the hardest things in eventing is to make the time on a strong horse, but Jessie stepped up brilliantly under a lot of pressure to secure the individual lead for herself and Team Canada.

James Atkinson and Gustav put together a solid first round of the day for Canada to take some of the pressure off of the later Canadians.  They picked up 8 time penalties and James told me after the ride that Gustav was a bit slow but finished feeling strong.

Riding after James, Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot stormed around the course in 9 minutes and 15 seconds for a double-clear.  Hannah’s clear ride means that with a double-clear from either Michael of Shannon the US team is guaranteed the lead at the end of the day.  It’s all business from both the US and Canadian teams as the riders are alternating keeping an eye on the course and helping their team mates cool off their horses.  After her ride Hannah said that she had a bit of a bobble in the main water when she went for a long one at the bank.  But Harbour Pilot always looks for the flags and he sorted things out.  

Lynn Symansky and Donner just finished a few moments ago 20 seconds inside of the time with a double-clear.  The course has been riding great for the North American riders so far and Lynn’s ride was no exception.  She didn’t look like she had to push Donner very hard to make the time.  Team USA is 3 for 3 double-clears today.

The spectator situation here is a bit of a mess with people crossing the galloping lanes and running right in front of the horses.  The police are trying to keep people behind the rope, but there hasn’t been much luck so far.  Frederico Daners, who is being coached this weekend by Tamra Smith, had a spectator run right in front of him and spook his horse a few strides before a jump late on course.  He finished looking strong with only one stop from #12, a trakehner earlier on the course.

There have been a few falls and quite a few stops so far.  We don’t have access to scores yet, but my guess is that less than half of the riders are finishing clear.  Fortunately the course is being very forgiving to bad riding and the horses are able to sort things out in front of and over the fences.

I literally just saw a rider from Venezuela run out at #23 and then ride into the crowd.  Two spectators ended up on the ground in a cloud of dust, but I think both of them got up and limped off.  It’s that kind of day for some of the South and Central American rides.

Team USA is one good ride away from being able to celebrate a great day here in Guadalajara and Canada can already celebrate the overnight individual lead.

Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty were foot perfect and well inside the time on the cross-country to lead the way for Team USA today at the Pan American Games cross-country.  Buck was the second rider out on course and by the time he was half-way around the course the first rider had retired and the third had a stop at fence #4.  “Libby” was strong and straight the whole way for Buck.  I spoke with Buck briefly after his ride and he said he broke his stirrup three minutes from home.  He said that the time was easy to make and he was up at every minute marker. The tight and twisty course must be wheeled generously for the time to be so simple to make.  This bodes well for the USA maintaining their top team spot and Jessie to keep her lead in the individual competition.

It is a bit hard to follow what is going on with all of the riders since the announcer is speaking mostly in Spanish, but we will try to keep you posted throughout the day.  18,000 spectators are expected to show up throughout the day.  There is very little crowd control and some of the spectator tents are a few feet from the galloping lane.  Hopefully there won’t be any crowd related incidents but either way the crowd is going to be a factor throughout the day.

The media center is literally a tent on a dirt mound in the middle of the cross-country, but the Pan Am media team is being incredibly helpful getting us the internet and everything else we need.  Without Eduardo and his team we would be completely lost out here, so we are all very thankful. 

As with all of the results we post today, they are provisional.  Go eventing.

Welcome to cross-country day at the Pan American Games!  With just 10 points separating the US and Canadian teams and Brazil 20 points back from the Canadians, Saturday promises excitement in Guadalajara.  Right now, we don’t have definitive word on whether or not the internet is working at the Santa Sofia Golf Club, so it is a very real possibility that I won’t be able to check in again until we arrive back in town after the last cross-country ride.  We will keep you as updated as humanly possible, communication could be limited until the end of the day.

[Schedule and possibly live scores]

Schedule: Cross-country starts at 11am local time, 12pm ET.  The last horse is set to go on course at 3:48pm local.  There is not an official ride time list published online, but it is the same order as dressage, with 6 minute intervals between horses.

Buck Davidson 11:06am CT, 12:06pm ET
James Atkinson 11:36am CT
Hannah Burnett 12:06pm CT
Jessica Phoenix 12:36pm CT
Lynn Symansky 1:12pm CT
Rebecca Howard1:42pm CT
Michael Pollard 2:18pm CT
Hawley Bennett 2:48pm CT
Shannon Lilley 3:12pm CT
Selena O’Hanlon 3:36pm CT

My best advice for keeping updated on all of the action throughout the day is to follow @USEquestrianHP and @EventingNation on Twitter.  If you are unfamiliar with the Twitter, you can just click the links and watch for updates.  Joanie at the USEF provided great Twitter updates all day on Friday and I am hoping she will do the same today.  As of right now, I haven’t seen any information about a live online video feed, but we will let you know if we find one.  The COTH Forums have also had good links to PAG info all week.  Please post any good sources of PAG cross-country info your find in the comments of this post.

Good luck to all of the riders today in Guadalajara and around Eventing Nation.  As we like to say, stay safe, have fun, and go eventing. 

Fence numero uno

Good morning Eventing Nation!  My Friday turned into a game of survival and this time it wasn’t about avoiding being bored to death by the dressage.  I owe a lot of thanks to the folks who helped me work through the day, including Joanie Morris, the USOC’s Dr. Peter, and Eduardo, the eventing venue press manager.  Ultimately I’ll remember my inaugural day of Pan American dressage for all of the wrong reasons.  It’s a new day and I can’t wait to get out to the Santa Sofia Golf Course for cross-country, although word is we might not have any internet access out there today.

When the Pan American Games transitioned from a CCI3* to a CCI2*, I think a lot of people felt that the cross-country aspect of the competition would be pretty straightforward.  John Williams’ course is anything but that and we are going to see a true two-star test today, a test that some riders are I think accurately calling a two and a half star.

Cross-country starts at 11am local, 12pm ET.

Footing: The cross-country course is built literally on top of the golf course at the Santa Sofia Country Club.  The horses will be galloping in and out of fairways, greens, over cart paths (protected with dirt), as well as over portions of sod put down specifically as galloping track.  As a result, the footing is best described as inconsistent.   The fairways are perfect but the sodded areas are lumpy and at times hard.

Terrain: Perhaps the most notable characteristic of the Santa Sofia course is that it winds up and down several steep hills.  Fitness and efficient riding are going to be huge factors today.  It reminds me of Bromont’s course this year with worse footing and more terrain.

The track: Making the time is made even more challenging by the windy nature of the track and narrow galloping lanes.  From a course buildng and design standpoint, John Williams and course builder Eric Bull have done a great job.  You can tell which jumps were built by Eric and which jumps were built by the local team, but the quality of the course building is very high overall.  I wouldn’t consider the course overly big, but it is very technical and will likely cause some major issues for the more inexperienced horses and riders in the field.   

The heat: Cue CBS breaking news music and find Dan Rather.  It’s hot in Mexico.  If the sun comes out in earnest today the heat is going to add to the already significant challenges to getting home within in the time. 

Note: I don’t think there will be live feed of the Pan Am XC, but you can watch live feed of Le Lion in France here for the next few hours.

There’s one last fence that I didn’t photograph since we were running to catch a bus.  Go eventing.

Jacky Green has once again sent us a great report from Europe, this time from Le Lion young horse championships in France, for which we are eternally grateful.   Jacky works for Team New Zealand and also runs her Maizey Manor Farm in the UK and she is a regular Eventing Nation contributor.  Thanks for writing this Jacky and thank you for reading.
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From Jacky:

After a freezing night we woke to thick fog Friday morning at Le Lion which had barely started to clear at 10 am this morning which will be quite a worry tomorrow as cross country is due to start at 10 am with the 6 year old class and a delay will be inevitable if the fog is that thick again. However, when it did finally lift the day was spent in glorious sunshine and the horses looked relaxed and calm in the main arena all day, what a difference it makes when they don’t have to do their tests with flapping flags and howling winds, especially when this event only caters for 6 and 7 year olds.

Paul Tapner (Australia) rode Indian Mill into the lead in the six year olds this morning despite being barely visible in the mist and on a score of 44 he is just 2 penalties ahead. The judges stayed pretty tough with just 6 combinations in the 40’s and equal scores being quite common with up to three pairs on exactly the same score throughout the fifties. The one star track wheels exactly bang on so it will be interesting if the 9 minutes takes its toll on some of the 6 year old horses although the ground is good to firm so will be quick. Whereas in the UK we “spike” the ground when it is hard over here they seem to have a machine that breaks up the top of the soil so it’s a bit like dry plough, it is chunky and moves a bit underfoot so perhaps not all the track will feel as smooth as the start and finish on the racecourse!

[Le Lion Scores]

In the 2 star a new name leads, Franzisca Haunhorst with Songline 2 heading affairs for Germany on a massive 39,beating German dressage supremo Ingrid Klimke into 2nd on 41. The 7 year old judges seem a bit more friendly and have nearly 20 horses in the forties and they have scored horses from the late 30’s through to the 70’s which is good use of those buttons and shows they are prepared to use the full range of marks available to them.

Tomorrow over 100 horses will start cross country and the sunshine will no doubt bring large crowds to the venue which is also something new for the young horses, many of which are at their first three day and have no experience of crowds and noise and will probably relish the quieter tracks through the woods!

Shannon Lilley moved into 5th with a 49.3

Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz put together a lovely test that showed off “Mango’s” considerable movement and precision.  I felt they deserved a better score than the 49.3 that they received, but you can be the judge in the above video.  Riders throughout the day tried to reach up and catch Jessica Phoenix, but no one could quite get to her.

Team USA had a fabulous day, and USA riders occupy the next 4 spots behind Jessica.  Canada gave themselves a bit of work to do and sit around 10 points back from the USA going into the cross-country.  The dressage was competitive from all nations and the top 20 spots are separated by 15 points going into an incredibly tough challenge tomorrow.

The judges tightened up a bit Friday afternoon and my feeling is that Selena and Foxwood High deserved a better score as well.  Selena produced a lovely relaxed test with Foxwood High.  Foxwood High has been coming on strong for Selena of late and I know Selena is excited to be riding anchor for Canada tomorrow on the cross-country.

Providional Dressage Results:

1. Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti (CAN)  43.9
2. Michael Pollard and Schensgreen Hanni (USA)  44.5
3. Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot (USA)  45.2
4. Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty (USA)  48.9
5. Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz (USA)  49.3
6. Ruy Fonseca and Tom Bombadill Too (BRA)  50.4
7. Lauren Billys and Ballingowan Ginger (PUR)  50.6
8. Rebecca Howard and Roquefort (CAN)  51.3
9. Ronald Zabala and Mr. Wiseguy (ECU)  52.0
10T. Lynn Symansky and Donner (USA)  52.2
10T. Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High (CAN)  52.2
12. Marcio Jorge and Josephine (BRA)  52.8
13. Hawley Bennett and Five O’Clock Somewhere (CAN)  53.2
14. Frenando Silva and Almil Agresive (ARG)  53.5
15. James Atkinson and Gustav (CAN)  53.7

Note: Full results should be posted here later this evening.

Using the Pan Am scoring of counting the top 3 rounds:

USA: 138.6
Canada: 147.7

No one should be surprised to see Jessica Phoenix and Pararotti at the to of the leader board.  Pavarotti is a lovely big mover and they led the Rebecca Farm CCI2* from wire to wire earlier this summer to achieve their qualifying result for the Pan Ams.  Jessica and her team believes they have sorted out Pavarotti’s over exuberance on the cross-country, but he will need to listen to the pace the Jessica sets early in order to not become tired towards the end of the hilly and “turny” cross-country course at Santa Sofia Golf Club. 

I want to apologize to Selena and Hawley for not getting their dressage videos and to the afternoon riders for not getting video interviews with them.  We’ll be sure to show everyone some extra love Saturday and Sunday when I am hopefully feeling better.  The incredibly kind USOC doctor says that I have a 24 hour bug and the worst of it should be over by this evening.  We’re still working on whether or not we will have internet access at the cross-country venue. 

Jessica Phoenix was as classy as you could possibly be in the press conference Friday afternoon.  She thanked her teammates and her support staff first and said that the entire Canadian team is ready to attack the cross-country.  When asked what it feels like to lead after the dressage, Jessica said that it is a good place to start but this definitely won’t be a dressage competition. 

Congratulations to the US and Canadian teams and all of the Pan American nations for a great day of dressage.  Go eventing.

Michael Pollard and the lovely grey mare Schoensgreen Hanni scored a 44.5 to put them into second place behind Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti with 15 rides still to compete at the Pan American Games Friday afternoon.  Michael resisted the temptation to let Hanni get too bouncy and rode her forward to create the look of a relaxed, forward, and accurate test.  After his test, Michael said that he was really pleeased that Hanni: “presented exactly what we’ve been working on with no major mistakes.“

Puerto Rico and Ecuador broke North America’s stranglehold on the top of the leader board mid Friday afternoon.  Lauren Billys of Puerto Rico and Ballingowan Ginger scored 48.9.  I had the pleasure of meeting Lauren yesterday on the buss ride to the Santa Sofia Country Club.  She was really nice and explained that she is currently taking a break from studying wine making at Fresno State to compete her horse Ginger–if only UVa had had wine making as a major.  I’m sure you have noticed that Lauren Billys’ and Shannon Lilley’s horses both start with the word “Ballingowan.”  They were purchased by the same lady in Ireland, who brought them into eventing before shipping them over to the states where they continued to compete together.  Now they are riding against each other at the Pan American Games.

Ronald and Mr. Wiseguy also jumped ahead of a couple US and Canadian pairs with a 52.0.  Phillip is here coaching Ronald, his long time student, this weekend and I know they will be working together on ways to squeeze every last second out of the cross-country course tomorrow.  Currently, Lauren is 3rd, Ronald is 6th, and the remaining top 8 places are all Canadian and US riders with Jessica Phoenix still on top.  There are still about 15 horses to compete as I am writing this including two Canadians and one US pair, so stay tuned for late changes to the scoreboard. 

Some of the scores are posted online here, but they are not live: [Scores]

Rebecca Howard and Roquefort’s dressage ride changed the nature of the competition between the US and Canada.  Roquefort has been brilliant for Rebecca all year but for whatever reason the environment seemed to get him just a little too tense today.  He had several bobbles and at times was looking around and slightly hollow.  They scored a 51.3 and although I know that Rebecca will do everything to make up the lost ground in the jumping phases, the pressure is now really on Canada’s remaining two riders to put together quality tests.

Hannah’s and Lynn’s tests for USA from Friday morning:

Cross-country is tentatively scheduled to start at 11am local time on Saturday, which would be 12pm ET. Go eventing.

Jessica Phoenix with Pavarotti and James Atkinson with Gustav

Five North American pairs rode dressage this morning in the eventing competition at the Pan American Games and they occupy the top five places on the score board at the lunch break.  Jessica Phoenix of Canada was the top of the field with a beautiful ride that scored a 43.9.  Team USA occupies the next three spots with Hannah Burnett, Buck Davidson, and Lynn Symansky respectively.  James Atkinson and Gustav are in 5th with a 53.7.

Pan American Leader Board at the Lunch Break:

1. Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti (CAN)  43.9
2. Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot (USA)  45.2
3. Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty (USA)  48.9
4. Lynn Symansky and Donner (USA)  52.2
5. James Atkinson and Gustav (CAN)  53.7
6. Felipe Antonio Martinez and Navideno (CHI)  56.1

The Pan Am team scoring system is in the Olympic format with the three best scores from each country’s five riders counting.  At this very early point, counting only the top two scores for each team, the USA (94.1) has a narrow lead over Canada (97.6).

The Canadians have sent a team full of international veterans to the Pan American Games.  Not a single Canadian is getting to wear their pique coat for the first time this weekend whereas most of the US team is earning that right in Guadalajara.  The US and Canadians have a great rivalry that is both incredibly tense and very friendly.  When the riders take their job seriously but not themselves too seriously that mentality translates into a team environment where both teams can perform at their best. 

As the second North American to ride this morning, James Atkinson delivered a steady test with Gustav which, much like Buck’s test, got James’ team off to a quality start.  James and Gustav have taken a big step forward in their dressage by working with David over the past 10 days and James should be really proud of that performance.

Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot scored a 45.3.  “William” and Hannah are accuracy specialists and they need perfect accuracy to score their best.  Hannah’s score was held back from a few moments of imprecision including when William swapped leads in their medium canter.  They delivered a quality test that would make anyone back in the USA happy, but we’re at the Pan American Games and not back at the USA.  45.3 isn’t enough to put them in the lead at the end of dressage, but it’s a quality mark for the US and will put William in position to move up tomorrow.

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti were the first pair to break into the low 40’s today with a 43.9.  When Pavarotti entered the arena he was the best mover that the judges had seen so far today and Jessica showed that movement off to perfection.  Aside from being a little rushed in the walk, it was hard to find a flaw in their test.    Pavarotti reminds me a lot of Jessie’s WEG horse Exponential.  Pavarotti is a flashier mover but not as flashy of a jumper, but he has the speed for a great performance tomorrow.  However, their score is beatable with a couple of bobbles in the walk work. 

Lynn Symansky and Donner stepped their game up with a ride that was a great performance for Donner–calm and precise.  Donner was rearing briefly in the warmup, but Lynn buckled down, got back on track and delivered a score that her team can be happy with–a 52.2.

We’re focusing a lot on the North American rivalry today, but the competition is fierce between the other teams as well.  There have been some eccentric outfits to say the least, including a white military uniform, a green and yellow cross-country helmet cover with black shadbelly combo, and many more.  The crowd is full of energy and loving rooting their respective countries–the flags are flying here in Guadalajara.

There are 5 more North American rides in the afternoon session.  I’m feeling even more under the weather than I was this morning, so it’s going to be a long afternoon of dressage.  Go eventing.

We’ll update this post throughout the day as long as the live scores are not working:

Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty (USA)  9:07am CT, 10:07am ET — 48.9
James Atkinson and Gustav (CAN)  9:42am CT, 10:42am ET — 53.7
Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot (USA)  10:31am CT — 45.3
Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti (CAN)  11:20am CT — 43.9
Lynn Symansky and Donner (USA)  12:02pm CT — 52.2
Rebecca Howard and Roquefort (CAN)  1:31pm CT — 51.3
Michael Pollard and Schoensgreen Hanni (USA)  2:27pm CT — 44.5
Hawley Bennett and Five O’Clock Somewhere (CAN)  3:02pm CT — 53.2
Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz (USA)  3:44pm CT — 49.3
Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High (CAN)  4:12pm CT — 52.2

Stay tuned for much more from the Pan American Games throughout the day.

As the most experienced rider on the US squad, Buck Davidson’s job is to lead the way for his teammates with three solid phases.  Having a good first ride takes a great deal of the pressure off the later team riders and that’s exactly what Buck did today with Sharon Will’s Absolute Liberty.  Their 48.9 is not going to be a winning score at the end of today, but it was almost the best test that Absolute Liberty can do right now, it was the best test they have ever performed, and it puts the US squad in a great position for the rest of the day.  Buck was kind enough to chat with me after his test about how he has gotten such an improvement out of Absolute Liberty’s dressage in the past few weeks:

As of right now the live “scores” are completely wrong, but here’s a link anyway: [Live Scores]

When I came to Mexico I wanted to get the full Mexican experience, but I had hoped that it wouldn’t include an upset stomach.  I’ve been strictly watching what I eat, but nonetheless I woke up this morning and knew I was in for a long day.  The USOC doc was very kind to help me out and I think I’m on the road to recovery.  He said similar symptoms are going around the athletes this week and let’s just say I’m glad my day does not include sitting the trot.  I’ll be around throughout the day with updates from the dressage as the battle between the US and Canada heats up.  Go eventing.

Team USA is under a lot of pressure to perform well this weekend and for good reason–we are sending five very talented pairs,  each of whom has a great chance to win.  The team is doing a good job of keeping things relaxed on the ground while staying focused on the horses.  Thursday was spent riding, and walking the cross-country course.   

After the jog the US riders took dressage lessons from coach Mark Phillips and then they rode in the ring acclimation session.  Each nation was given 15 minutes to ride around the main arena to acclimate their horses. 

It was great fun to watch all of the pairs putting the final polish on their flatwork.  I thought that Absolute Liberty and Donner in particular looked much improved from Morven, and in general the entire team looked to be on top form.  It’s important to remember that the key thought for today is to overemphasize the areas where the horses need improvement or special focus.  The goal isn’t to make things look perfect on Thursday, the goal is to make things perfect for Friday.

Video of the Thursday ring familiarization.  Buck gives a shout-out to his Mom at 4:19, gotta love it!
 

I spoke briefly with Hannah, Lynn, and Michael.  Lynn explained that the 8 year old Donner has moved up the levels quickly and that he has far exceeded her original expectations.  I asked Lynn about her experience of joining the team late as an alternate.  She said that “the first few days were a real challenge because my heart was in my stomach for Jon, and it was hard to be excited coming onto the team that way.”  She said that the logistical rush of getting ready helped her not worry about that as much and after the fist few days she felt really part of the team.  Lynn said that Donner isn’t the best mover but he is very accurate and if she keeps him relaxed the test could be really good.  Lynn described the cross-country as “a true test” and said that it is harder than she expected. 

Hannah mentioned that being part of such a fun team has been a great experience up to this point but that it’s going to be important to get a bit more serious and focused now that the competition is underway.  Hannah said that she needs to work on being relaxed with William in her test tomorrow.  She feels that the big atmosphere will help him show off a bit more during the test.

Michael said that the cross-country is bigger than everyone expected but that it shapes up well for the US team since all of the horses have advanced cross-country experience from Richland.  Personally, I would say that the choice of running the US horses advanced at Richland has really been vindicated by the toughness of the Pan Am track.

The way the schedule worked out I didn’t see much of Team Canada today, but all reports are that they are on really top form right now.  Don’t worry Canada, we’ll show the red and white love this weekend, even as I’m wearing my USA chest paint and American flag speedo.

OK–it’s prediction time.  Honestly, the team competition is so close right now that I might as well flip a coin.  After walking the cross-country course today I put much more emphasis on having a good cross-country horse.  The good news for both Canada and the US is that all of the horses are very solid on the cross-country.  That being said, I might give a slight edge to the US on the cross-country.  Gun to my head, I’d pick the US to win gold, Canada to win silver in a very close contest, and I expect both nations to finish way ahead of the third placed team, whoever that is.  My pick for individual gold is Rebecca Howard and Roquefort because they have been virtually unbeatable all year.  Roquefort could be in a bit of a challenge if the judges are obsessed with big movement over accuracy on Friday, in which case Hanni, Ballingowan Pizzaz, or Pavarotti might have the advantage.  I won’t pick the rest of the way down, but it wouldn’t shock me if the US and Canada finished 8 riders in the top 10.

Ride times are in Central Time:

Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty (USA)  9:07am CT, 10:07am ET
James Atkinson and Gustav (CAN)  9:42am CT, 10:42am ET 
Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot (USA)  10:31am CT
Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti (CAN)  11:20am CT
Lynn Symansky and Donner (USA)  12:02pm CT
Rebecca Howard and Roquefort (CAN)  1:31pm CT
Michael Pollard and Schoensgreen Hanni (USA)  2:27pm CT
Hawley Bennett and Five O’Clock Somewhere (CAN)  3:02pm CT
Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz (USA)  3:44pm CT
Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High (CAN)  4:12pm CT

Buck was all business reviewing his test at A, aboard a bored Absolute Liberty

Stay tuned Eventing Nation.  The whirlwind starts bright and early Friday morning.  Go eventing.

Don’t canter

The Pan American Games eventing competition officially started this morning at the Club Hipica with the first horse inspection.  51 horses jogged this morning and 2 didn’t make it through to the dressage.  Here are a few quick notes from the jog…

The US and Canadian horses looked wonderful and all were passed quickly by the ground jury.  More importantly, I give top marks to both countries for the jog outfits.  Team USA was all red, white, and blue, including patriotic silk scarves for the lady riders.  Canada opted for a more subtle approach but of course they looked fantastic as well.  Sadly there were no cowboy hats at the jog.

A few horses from other countries definitely looked less than perfect at the first horse inspection.  Ritual and his rider, Novis Borges of Venezuela, were held but passed on reinspection.  Colombia had two horses held.  Qetzal Coati and Santiago Medina failed upon reinspection and Quinto passed with Juan Carlos Tafur.  Mexico had three horses sent to the holding box.  One, JOS Aquiles, withdrew immediately with what I was told was an open wound.  Monterrey, ridden by Erik Arambula, and Prometeo Equus, ridden by Carlos Cornejo, both passed upon reinspection.  There might have been a bit of hometown love from the ground jury there, but it’s good to see that Mexico will have a team of four riders in the competition.

In general, things moved smoothly and without incident at the jog, but there was a general feeling of waiting for something stupid to happen.  The horses were closely packed together walking around before the jog and some of the horses were rearing and kicking out close to packs of other horses.   Meanwhile a nearby rolling machine was packing the dirt for the holding area.  Several horses ran away with the riders down the jog strip and kicked out at the ground jury and the crowd, which was tightly packed around the entry to the strip.  As I said, nothing went wrong but it was certainly the most exciting jog I have ever watched and continues the theme of mildly organized chaos that is defining these Games.

Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty

Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz

Lynn Symansky and Donner

Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot

Michael Pollard and Hanni

Hawley Bennett and Five O’Clock Somewhere

Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High

James Atkinson and Gustav

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti

Rebecca Howard and Roquefort

I enjoyed seeing a lot of familiar faces at the jog.  Quite a few familiar North American names are coaching South and Central American teams.  Kyle Carter and Peter Gray are teaming up for the Venezuela coaching responsibilities.  USEA President Brian Sabo is coaching the Mexican team.  Derek Di Grazia is coaching his student Lauren Billys and Ballingowan Ginger for Puerto Rico.  Phillip Dutton is coaching Ronald Zabala Goestchel for Ecuador.  Ronald is riding the great four-star horse Mr. Wiseguy and they quietly have potential to break into the medals if the cross-country course is hard enough.

A less than traditional approach to the first horse inspection

Jose Ortelli Junior is riding his talented advanced horse JOS Aladar for Argentina.  Jose’s father is here this weekend serving as event director.  Ruy Fonseca and Tom Bombadill Too might be familiar to Eventing Nation readers from their performance at the London Olympic Test Event in July.

The jog at the Club Hipica is held on a dirt strip which is forgiving compared to concrete or sand.  The US and Canadian horses would have looked good regardless of the surface but I’m not as sure about a few of the other horses that squeaked through.    

49 pairs from 13 countries will move on to the dressage on Friday.  I’m off to the cross-country course at the Santa Sofia Country Club for a look around.  Go eventing.

Steffen Peters saluting the crowd after his victory

The red, white, and blue dominated the dressage competition at the Pan American Games from start to finish.  After winning the team competition by a huge margin, the US riders took the top three spots into the final round of the individual competition today and finished with a podium sweep.  Heather Blitz did everything she could to put the pressure on her team mate Steffen Peters, but Steffen and Weltino’s Magic rose to the occasion and held on for the gold.  Marisa Festerling and Big Tyme finished in third for the USA.  Heather’s test with Paragon was something to remember, including a walk in and a walk off from the first salute, big beautiful movements, and a lovely patience through the test by Heather.

FTW:

Canada had two strong rides in the freestyle this afternoon, ultimately taking 4th and 5th.  Thomas Dvorak and Viva’s Salieri performed a consistent test that lacked the big movement required to break through into the medals.  Tina Irwin of Canada performed a lovely test with Winston that started with the Chariots of Fire theme song.  Anything that involved Chariots of Fire is awesome, particularly freestyles.  A lot of the horses in the freestyle looked a bit overflexed, but Tina did a great job of keeping Winston in front of her hand and he was even a bit above the bit at times.  They jumped from 10th after the first round to finish in 5th.  My judge’s remarks would read “beautiful horse!”

[Final Individual Scores]

I have to give dressage as a sport a lot of credit for making what is essentially a pretty boring event as spectator friendly as possible.  Making music part of the freestyle tests is brilliant and really gets the crowds involved.  During the breaks they blasted pop music, which, although at times terrible, also kept the crowd happy and moving to the music.  There’s a reason it’s called “pop music.”  Any entertainment expert will tell you that if you can give people something moving to look at and blast music they enjoy you’ve won half the battle.  Just ask MTV. 

The next two equestrian disciplines are going to post a much bigger test for Team USA.  The eventing jog starts in the morning.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed for cowboy hats for the US and flannel shirts for the Canadians.  Go eventing.

While we were enjoying the early rides at the dressage freestyle on Wednesday afternoon I ran into a few familiar faces including Peter Gray, Roger and Ann Haller, and Kyle Carter.  Kyle is coaching Venezuela’s rider, Elena Ceballo, this weekend.  Many thanks to Kyle for giving a great interview that touched on a few consistent themes I have encountered from chatting with people throughout the day.  A few quick notes…

(1) The US and Canadian teams have both been looking really good schooling this week, but people mention Canada as the team that is looking particularly special on the flat right now.  As Kyle said, I think a lot of people expected Canada to look a half step below the US on the flat, but that doesn’t appear to be the case in the dressage schools this week.  That observation has been made to me from both sides of the aisle as well.

(2) John Williams’ cross-country course is a very legitimate 2* track.  The coaches of the South and Central American teams might be having an extra Modelo tonight from what people are saying about the course.  One of the biggest challenges for course designers at an event like this–other than not getting mugged–is to design for such a wide variety of skill levels that will be riding the course.  I can’t wait to get out there and check it out tomorrow. 

(3) The Club Hipica is not in the nicest part of town.  Someone told me with a straight face last night “you drive until you get to the cement factory and turn right.”  Word is that when the horses are trailered to the country club on Saturday for the cross-country, they will travel in a military escorted convoy that includes helicopters.  Despite the sparse environment, it sounds like the venues themselves are pretty well put together and everyone is in good spirits.

Go eventing.

Hola Eventing Nation and welcome to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Pan American Games!  I’m not sure who regrets the fact that I never took Spanish classes in school more right now–me or the fine folks of Guadalajara.  The good news is that if I find an ancient Roman document here and my life depends on translating it I will be well served by my four years of high school Latin. 

Riders always say that traveling abroad to compete poses often frustrating and exhausting challenges unlike anything that competing at home can prepare you for and I’m getting a first hand feel for that this week.  Traveling to Fair Hill and getting set up at the media center last weekend took me a four hour drive and a friendly welcome with a sign in sheet.  Getting to the media center in Guadalajara took me nearly a day including a two hour drive, a five hour flight, an hour check in at the airport, an hour drive to the hotel, one hour of dinner, three hours of emails, five hours of sleep, and another two hours to get to the media center and clear the accreditation system.  Of course, the process for the horses and riders is considerably longer and more complicated. 

The best news so far is that I am staying at the Fiesta Americana hotel along with most of the USEF support staff and many other equestrian personnel.  Our friends at the USEF have been incredibly kind in helping me to figure out where everything is, how to get there, and everything else in between.  Without their hard work and impressive organization the chaos that is the Pan American Games would be overwhelming for me and I am sure the riders as well.

I am very thankful that the eventing competition is being held a week after the Pan American Games started because many of the organizational issues have been sorted out over the past week.  A friend of mine who arrived last week summed up the situation in three sentences: Taxis do not always know where they are going regardless of what they say. Police should be avoided at all cost. Rules at the venues change daily.  I can verify two of those already, although thankfully I have not met the police. 

Speaking of the police, they are everywhere.  And the police in Mexico carry army guns.  The solution against the gang violence that is plaguing Mexico appears to be to flood Guadalajara with police carrying assault rifles and driving Dodge Chargers.  By all accounts this strategy has proved successful and everyone I have spoken with feels pretty safe.  I haven’t quite gotten used to seeing men walking around everywhere with M4’s.

Thankfully I have been able to gather a fair amount of information about the eventing venues and competition.  There are two eventing venues, both of which are separate from the pure show jumping and dressage venue.  The Club Hipica is the main eventing venue with the stabling.  Club Hipica will host the jogs, the dressage, and the show jumping.  Club Hipica is about 45 minutes away from the hotel, depending on traffic.  The cross-country venue is at the Santa Sofia Country Club, which is an hour west of the hotel.

Schedule:

Thursday–First horse inspection at Club Hipica
Friday–Dressage at Hipica
Saturday–Cross-country at Santa Sofia
Sunday–Final horse inspection, show jumping at Hipica

Remember that the Pan American Games competition is in the Olympic format.  Up to five pairs compete for each nation.  The best three scores count and there are two show jumping rounds.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is likely going to be a duel for gold between the US and Canada.  I am working on figuring out if there will be any live online video of the competition, so stay tuned for updates on that. 

The internet is questionable at best at the venues so stay tuned if only to see how crazy I am by Sunday.  Visionaire and the rest of the EN Team have things on lock down back home in the States and I will be around throughout the rest of the week and weekend with all of your Pan American Games eventing fun and insanity.  

The plan is to stay in Guadalajara this afternoon and catch the pure dressage individual freestyle finals tonight.  Last, but very much not least, I want to give a big Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mom, Nancy.  Like many eventers, I can say with certainty that I wouldn’t be anywhere in this sport without my Mom.  Go eventing.