Katie Whaley 6th After Marathon for Team USA at Pony World Driving Championships

It was a day of highs and lows for Pony Team USA Today on the marathon at the Pony World Driving Championships in Minden, Germany.  A significant change in weather made for a brisk morning.

First to start was Miranda “Randy” Cadwell. Randy was somewhat disappointed with her dressage score, but had hoped to gain ground in the tightly placed division with a fast marathon. Indeed, she posted the fastest times of the day in each successive obstacle until Obstacle 7, The Rodeberg Saloon. Storming up a steep incline through gate C she had to make a last minute change in her driving plan. Her carriage hit a post and she was ejected, hitting a cross post. Randy was seen in hospital, and we are relieved to report she, her navigator Matt Harmon and pony Leyla are all fine.

Tracey Morgan drove a consistent but somewhat slower marathon to add 116.18 penalty points to her dressage score, dropping her from 6th to 21st. She is currently 17.29 points behind the leader. Tracey is a very strong cones driver and will look to move up with a double clear cones round tomorrow.

Katie Whaley ended the day on a high note for the US. Driving steadily and consistently she finished up the marathon with the fourth fastest time in the last obstacle. A solid performance leaves her in 6th place, but she has gained ground on the top three and is most certainly within striking distance of a medal.

Cones begin tomorrow at 8:30 local time (2:30 EST) with the top ten in each division showcased in the afternoon. For complete living scoring go to www.hoefnet.nl.

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