Game Faces of the 2014 World Equestrian Games

Merel Blom and Rumour Has It. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Now that the EN team has landed back in the U.S. — land of late-night pizza delivery, 24-hour gas stations and high-speed internet — we’re playing catch up on all the content we hoped to bring you in Normandy that #ArmeggedonWEG ultimately stymied. Keep checking back all day for much more from WEG, starting with a gallery of game faces from cross country.

I stood at fences 4 and 5 for most of the day, the first major question on the track that came up extremely quickly in the first minute. Horses and riders barely had time to get settled before these two massive corners, and they caused quite a bit of trouble early on. Riders who made it through unscathed looked visibly relieved, while those who had trouble strengthened their resolve.

We also started calling these the first of the “pat fences” — strategic places around the course where riders consistently gave their horses an encouraging pat, bolstering their confidence for the challenges still to come. For that reason, we especially love the photos of riders like Ingrid Klimke and FRH Escada JS and Merel Blom and Rumour Has It. Go Eventing.

#WEG2014: Website, Final Team Scores, Final Individual Results, EN’s Coverage, @eventingnation