The dressage at the Asian Games has finished and Nina Ligon and Chai Thai of Thailand are leading the individual competition with a 40.6 and Japan is leading the team competition. Our US readers of course know Nina because she is based out of Central Virginia, where she rides with Kim Severson. Terri Impson, also riding for Thailand and based in the US, has sent us her report from China after placing 11th in the dressage. The Thai team is in 2nd place going into the CCI1* XC, which is scheduled for Friday. Thanks for writing this Terri and thank you for reading. [Individual Results, Team Results]
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From Terri Impson:
Dressage day is finished and the Thai Team is sitting in second place just two points behind the Japanese going into x-country. We’re pretty psyched! There was a big crowd watching the dressage and the weather was perfect. Nina Ligon took the day with a beautiful test on Chai Thai scoring a 40.6 and our Germany based Teammate was third with a 42.7. Windy had an enthusiastic test helped by the early large crowds and the MUSIC (!) that started after our first halt, to end up 11th.
Our team was allowed in the “kiss and cry” section to root our teammates on. When you were done riding your test, you handed your horse to the groom in bit check and would do a brief interview. At the rider briefing they stressed that no matter how your test had gone that you must look happy and thrilled to be there. My interviewer said “We think that your horse is so beautiful when he leaps into the air with his white tail!” I smiled and said thank you. I saw one Hong Kong rider not even off her horse yet and they were taking off her bridle to look at the bit!!
Amongst the humor everything ran like clockwork, and the scoreboard was so cool— the three judges scores were automatic and the percentage score would change as the test went on, you hoped higher, and the leader score was underneath so you instantly knew where you were on the board.
Speaking of scoring… there was some disparity with the judge from Japan. She was 10% lower on many of the top rider’s total scoring; often two points lower on every movement than the other two judges. I wonder if our sport, like figure skating, will eventually have to find a way around those politics. On another note the Saudi’s have moved in to our barns with their Jumpers — they were in a separate quarantine in Aachen. Wow… to watch $1.2 million and up in horse flesh walk down the aisle not one under 17.2–it’s a different world.
Two of our horses were clipped tonight, mostly because the heat as it is supposed to go back up and the show jumping will be in the afternoon. But first, the Cross tomorrow!!!!
Thank goodness for galloping! Go eventing!
