After a day of alternating downpours and fierce sunshine, Andreas Dibowski of Germany emerged at the top of the leaderboard with FRH Serve Well.
“It was my hope to be in the lead,” said Dibowski, who placed 14th at the 2004 Olympics. “It’s not a big surprise that this mare has done a good dressage test.”
But the Americans aren’t too far behind. Heidi White was the highest placed U.S. team member at the end of the day with Northern Spy. The scored 50.40 penalties, and that was good enough for 10th place.
Amy Tryon was right behind her in 11th place with Poggio, and Jan Byyny, who is riding as an individual, was in 15th place with Task Force.
“You always want a little bit better, but it was as much as I could ask for,” said White. “The canter work was super. Even though we’ve been to Rolex and Badminton, this is a different atmosphere and my first time on a team.”
White was a bit worried about her nerves when she woke up this morning. “But then I got on my horse. The minute you’re riding and on your horse, you’re happy,” she said. “Karen [O’Connor] and Kim [Severson] have been here so many times, and they’ve been so supportive. They told me to just ride.”
Byyny had a bit of a rough start to her test when audience applause startled “Jedi,” leading to a full-length arena bolt.
“Our horses aren’t used to all the applause,” she said. “But he came back to me, so it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It might have helped him a little bit. He’s a bit tired of dressage.”
Jedi was overly exuberant about his lead changes from left to right. “He was quite good in the test. That one change has been difficult for him,” said Byyny. “He tried to concentrate hard. I was disappointed in the lead changes, but there’s always next year. Of course I’ve promised him a few months off from dressage after this.”
Both White and Byyny said that the cross-country course looked quite challenging.
“The cross-country course is tough, but very fair,” said Byyny. “If you can get on your game at four and five, which is your first accuracy question, it will give you a positive feeling for the rest of the course. You have to be able to do each exercise and get it done. It’s anyone’s game.”
She added that mental concentration was going to be very important as there was no place to let down on course.
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“The cross-country is a proper four-star course,” agreed White. “But we have six serious cross-country horses. I’m glad I’m sitting on the horse I’m on.”
And while Phillip Dutton and Donna Smith aren’t official Americans, there were many fans from the United States wishing them well.
Dutton lives in West Grove, Pa. but rides for Australia and is competing at this World Equestrian Games as an individual. He was reasonably pleased with his dressage test on Connaught.
“The test was good for where he’s at right now,” said Dutton. “He’s made a huge improvement thanks to Harry Boldt [the Australian dressage coach]. He trotted quite well. I made one mistake and missed the quarterline because there was a tractor track, and I thought that was it. His changes aren’t quite reliable yet.”
Dutton thought the cross-country course looked quite testing, but was positive he was up to the challenge. He stated that he did not like riding as an individual and would’ve preferred to have been named to the team.
Smith rode in a downpour, but it couldn’t stop her from being ecstatic about her dressage test on Call Me Clifton, which left her in third place (45.40). The New Zealand native makes her home in The Plains, Va. where she is an assistant trainer for Karen and David O’Connor.
“I realized it was raining, and then I realized it was pouring, but I figured I was already wet and had better get on with it,” she said. “I lost one change and I couldn’t see as I was making the half-pass up centerline.”
This is Smith’s first time representing her country. “I’ve been looking around at the riders I grew up reading about and it’s a bit daunting to think I’m competing against them,” she said. “But I’m quite happy where I’m sitting now! He’s a very classy horse, and he’s still young and getting stronger.”
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