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.
