Cross-country is upon us at the World Equestrian Games and I hope my level of excitement translates into my writing! By now, you have probably already seen pictures of the course and read about it’s size and technicality. Such a tough course presents worries but at the same time incredible opportunities. With that in mind, here are a few quick thoughts for the cross-country:
(1) I couldn’t tell you how most the riders are going to ride the options because they don’t know for sure themselves. All the team riders that I spoke with said their teams are required to know all of the options (a good idea at any event) and that the option decisions will be made based on how the time and jumps are riding. Which leads me to my next point…
(2) Saturday is all about how hard it will be for the riders to make the time. With this course, the options are straightforward and the direct routes are super challenging–with unlimited time most everyone would get around safely. Team strategy is going to be critical and the first team to figure out the fastest way to get around clear will have a big advantage.
(3) Team USA is divided into two types of rides. Phillip and Woodburn, Buck and Reggie, and Boyd and Neville might be the best group of three XC pairs that the US has ever had. If three riders can get around, they will. Comet and Mandiba are a different type of ride and they will either make the course look easy or break our hearts. This course looks like it is set up perfectly for the US and with a little luck Saturday will work that way.
(4) Watch how each horse does at the coffin because it is the first real test on the course and maybe the hardest coffin I have ever seen. Fences 1 to 6 will be good for getting the horses settled in, but the coffin is very steep and the corner out will require perfection over the first two elements.
(5) The Canadian riders have the opportunity to be heroes on Saturday. This Canadian team is the best that I can remember and whether we are talking about the young brilliance of Steph, the resilience of Rebecca and Jessica, Hawley’s tenacity, Selena’s experience, or Kyle’s veteran leadership, Canada is ready to take a big step forward toward eventing greatness.
(6) The US and Canadian teams are at a big advantage because their first riders are 11th and 13th to go respectively. That will give Boyd and Selena time to watch a few rides and update their plans accordingly before they start their warm-up.
(7) If you don’t think the best riders in the world get as nervous as you before a cross-country like this then you are crazy. The barns on Saturday will be totally crazy with riders dealing with stress in a wide variety of ways. I’m not going to name names but you have the introverts, the pacers, the screamers, the fiddlers, the ones who take it out on their grooms, the ones who throw up, and anything else you can imagine–the most fun are the riders who combine several of those.
(8) The whole world will be watching on Saturday and our sport needs to have a good day. The word from the higher-ups for a long time has been that we can’t afford a problem at the WEGs. The course has been designed and built to near perfection, but I don’t know if the riders with less experience will take as many long options as they should. All the verticals have big ground lines but there are some hanging logs into combinations that remind me of Rolex.
(9) We will have a pretty good idea about how the day is going to go after the first 10 rides. If the first few make the time or come close then the later riders will be able to take one or two extra options and Germany will be feeling very confident with their 14 point lead. If the first few horses have either a stop or lots of time penalties then anything could happen tomorrow and only three or four teams might finish with three clean scores.
(10) We have been breaking our traffic records almost every day this week and our servers are under a good deal of strain. I am slightly concerned that huge traffic on Saturday–especially if there is big news–might crash the site. If so, please be patient and we will get things fixed as soon as possible.
(11) Now it’s your turn, what do you think about the cross-country and your country’s chances?
Go eventing.
