Closing ceremony finale via London 2012.
And just like that, though it seems only yesterday John was reporting live from the “Greenwhich” test event, assuring us the park would “serve horses, riders, and fans well at the Olympics” despite ongoing protests, the London Games are over.
Thanks to friends on-site at the Olympics—SmartPak, USEF, Horse & Hound, the Chronicle and ProEquest amongst many others—we now know, at least vicariously, how awesome Greenwich turned out to be.
“If there’s any other Olympic venue with a backdrop like the one in Greenwich Park, I haven’t heard of it,” Erin Gilmore wrote in a recent ProEquest blog:
The best part of Greenwich was that it became the athlete’s village for the equestrians. The riders stayed in hotels just outside the entrances, meaning that when I walked up the street in the morning to the venue, I was suddenly walking next to Ian Millar and was able to wish him good luck. When I went out for dinner with a friend after an “early” end to the day, Steffen and Shannon Peters sat down at the very next table. And the morning that I stopped at a pub outside the gates for breakfast, the coach of the Saudi show jumping team sat down next to me and struck up a conversation.
Not to mention competitors like Nina Ligon and Reed Kessler taking us inside the Games via social media like never before.
And though our US equestrians came home without medals, and we’ll go back to work today without further need of honed NBC-livestream-window-minimizing skills, I think we’ve got a lot to look forward to, in terms of renewed determination and revamped strategy, anticipating Rio in four years.
Of course, our cheering isn’t done – the Paralympics open in London on the 29th, with equestrian competition slated for the 30th. Go Paralympians. [Schedule]
This Weekend in Eventing USA…
A twist on our normal event reportage: I’ve compiled the weekend’s advanced, intermediate and preliminary division winners and ranked them by score. It’s perhaps unfair to compare different venues, but nonetheless interesting to see how scores stack up around the country…
Horse & Rider – Event and Division (Location) – Score
Advanced:
1. Kristi Nunnink & R-Star – Woodside A (Calif.) – 43.1
Intermediate:
1. Lisa Marie Fergusson & Uni Sprite – Fair Hill OI (Md.) – 30.0
2. Erin Renfroe & DeCordova – GMHA OI (Vt.) – 30.4
3. James Alliston & Ben – Woodside OI (Calif.) – 41.2
4. Ann Bower & Rejuvenate – Otter Creek OI (Wis.) – 51.20
Preliminary:
1. William Coleman III & Zipp – Fair Hill OP-B (Md.) – 22.9
2. Tristen Hooks & Learning To Fly – Woodside PR (Calif.) – 28.6
3. Ryan Wood & McLovin – Fair Hill OP-A (Md.) – 30.0
4. Corinne Ashton & Bubblesphere – GMHA PH (Vt.) – 30.9
5. Lauren Henry & Florestan du Serin – Woodside JR/YR-P (Calif.) – 32.0
6. Erin Kellerhouse & Parfait – Woodside OP (Calif.) – 32.6
7. Marcia Kulak & Yoscha Bosche – GMHA OP (Vt.) – 34.4
8. Emily Fields & Dauntless Heart – GMHA JYOP (Vt.) – 37.0
9. Carolyn Quinn & Chelios – Stanton Farms OP (Idaho) – 38.9
10. Ann Bower & Prospero – Otter Creek (Wis.) – 46.40
Full Results: [Fair Hill] [GMHA] [Otter Creek] [Stanton Farms] [Woodside]
Nancy Jaffer weighs in on US equestrians’ “New Medal Plan”-warranting performance: “The highest-placed American rider in all the disciplines was show jumper Rich Fellers, eighth on Flexible after his team ended up tied for sixth. In the most surprising and disappointing finish, Steffen Peters — fourth at the 2008 Games on Ravel — came in next-to-last in the individual dressage finals, where he was 17th in the freestyle on Thursday as equestrian competition ended its run at Greenwich Park.” [Star-Ledger]
It has always been the plan, though perhaps increasingly bittersweet since making Team GBR dressage medal history, that Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester’s mounts Valegro and Uthophia would go up for sale after the Olympics. [Independent]
What affect will the sales have on Team GBR’s future Olympic medal prospects? “British dressage will be looking to Charlotte, Carl and Laura with beginning Grand Prix horses that have taken a back seat for the past year or Michael Eilberg with the breathtaking Woodlander Farouche, only six years old, or other combinations not yet at the fore as prospects for Rio.” [Dressage News]
The science of looking ahead: “What researchers did acknowledge is that elite athletes use their eyes differently from the rest of us. Three factors vary: the way the direct their gaze, the way they make predictive eye movements and the fact that they focus on important relevant features for longer than non-elite athletes.” [Fran Jurga]
The New York Times likens Pentathlon’s equestrian phase to speed dating: “The riders then have a critical 20 minutes to get to know their horses: to learn if they are bossy or open-minded, and whether they like a kick now and again or want to be left to their own devices. There will be a little sweet-talking, a few jumps and, said Donna Vakalis, a Canadian pentathlete, perhaps a few surreptitious breaths into the horse’s nostrils as a gesture of understanding. Then athlete and horse will head off together on the hope that the date does not end in disaster.” [NYT]
Unfortunately for Korean pentathlete Hwang Woojin, disaster ensued, and the Deadspin headline says it all: “Horse Goes Nuts During Equestrian Portion Of Modern Pentathlon, Turns It Into Wild Bronco Rodeo Competition.” Three cheers for Woojin, who remounted and finished the round. [With Video]
Susan Oaks of Ireland cleared a record 5ft, 9 in fence—sidesaddle—over the weekend. [Horse & Hound]
Found on Facebook: US Hartpury Roundup
Sinead: Tate amazing!!.. finished 8th out of 97 starters..mortified about the prize giving in zebra socks.. Picking out the american should be easy!
Sharon: Reg was so happy to be out eventing at Hartpury! I was pleased with his dressage, and there was a lot of room for improvement, so I’m hoping the scores will keep going down. He show jumped like a champ, with one unlucky rail. We were held on the cross country, but he was super and very happy to be doing it, even a little strong! I’m running up so many hills everyday and doing a million pushups so I won’t get exhausted riding him!!
Allison: So a day of ups and downs at Hartpury! Arthur was very good show jumping, we had one down (probably should have done the forward six instead of the steady seven) but he was very careful, rideable and much more relaxed in the ring. On xc I had a runout at the first corner which I am so mad at myself for. I haven’t had a mistake like that in a loooong time. In an odd way I think it was good to have a bit of a wake up call before Burghley as I still don’t have my heart 100% in it after the lead up to the Olympics. On the bright side he was full of run, fit and confident. I was worried about the spooky first water that a bunch of horses were stopping at — cascade waterfall into the water — but I rode it confidently and he jumped it beautifully. Need to get my awesome focus back!
Sinead and Tate at Hartpury:
