The U.S. Show Jumpers Think They Have Their Best Team In Years
If Royal Kaliber returns, second place at Aachen (Germany) could be a harbinger of good things to come in Athens, writes Molly Sorge.

Each rider on the U.S. Olympic show jumping team waxes poetically about the remarkable team spirit, camaraderie and confidence that has characterized their final weeks of preparation in Europe for their trip to Athens. Even before that, at the finish of the selection trials in May, Peter Wylde enthused, “I think this is an incredibly strong team, one of our strongest teams in a long time.”

At the CSIO Aachen (Germany) on July 14-18, the U.S. team cut their teeth on top international competition and earned an important second place behind the German team in the Samsung Super League Nations Cup. And they did it with the team’s alternate, Alison Firestone with Casanova, since superstar Royal Kaliber was injured two weeks before Aachen and couldn’t start.

Beezie Madden and Authentic put in a key clear second round under considerable pressure to secure the second place, as did McLain Ward and Sapphire. They had each had 4 faults in the first round. Wylde and Fein Cera had a clear first trip and lowered only the back rail of an oxer in the second round. Firestone was the drop score with 8 faults in each round.

The team finished just one rail behind Germany that day, but the Germans were using that Nations Cup as a selection trial for their team and superstars Ludger Beerbaum and Marcus Ehning weren’t on the team, having already secured their Olympic spots.

Wylde and the game mare Fein Cera are the most known entity on the U.S. team. Wylde earned the individual bronze at the 2002 World Equestrian Games on “Cera,” and she took the best horse title there after the individual final. After four years of competing together against the best in Europe, there’s not much

this pair hasn’t seen, and they bring a wealth of experience to the team.

Wylde plans Cera’s schedule meticulously with major championships in mind, and he knows well how to get her to be her very best at key moments.

Cera’s strong suit is jumping big courses, which makes her a reliable Nations Cup horse. And she’s added more speed to her resume in the last two years. If she turns in a quick round on the first day, she and Wylde should be in a good position to qualify for the individual final, where everyone starts over with 0 faults.

Royal Kaliber and Kappler were named to the team with a subjective bye, enabling them to skip the selection trials. With a solid record, including fourth at last year’s Grand Prix of Aachen and the individual silver at the Pan Am Games (Dominican Republic), they have good international miles. But Royal Kaliber’s schedule has been light this year.

Kappler showed him lightly in Florida, winning one big class and placing in a few others. They then took fourth in the $75,000 Grand Prix of Devon (Pa.) in May. And at the Hachenburg (Germany) CSI at the end of June, they were seventh in the grand prix after Royal Kaliber slipped on a turn and Kappler circled. That slip resulted in a slight strain in his left hind leg–not enough to make him lame, but enough to make Kappler scratch him from Aachen. Right after Aachen, Kappler said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Royal Kaliber’s recovery.

“We’re really pleased with how the leg looks. All the heat and filling are out it. [Chef d’Equipe] Frank [Chapot] wants us to keep plodding along and going slowly, and in two weeks we’ll see where we are,” Kappler said. “If, in the next two weeks, there’s no significant change in the leg as we increase his work, and he comes back quickly and well,

we might look into doing a small class somewhere,” he added. “But he’s always been a very straightforward horse. Even if we don’t show him, there are some great fields here [in Germany] where we can take him and have some good schools. And there’s a warm-up class at the Olympics, where we’d be able to get in the ring and jump around.”

Royal Kaliber’s talent can’t be questioned–he’s a powerful, careful jumper who exudes class. And Kappler is as cool and deadly accurate as they come. But they could be a bit rusty when they walk into the ring in Athens, even though Kappler did ride Primeur to fifth in the Grand Prix of Aachen.

Madden is another rider who never shows a chink in her armor, with a steely, quiet confidence. She’s found a new star in Authentic, who jumps with a panache and aplomb that belies his young age of 9. Madden has carefully strategized Authentic’s progress to the top level, and he got good mileage at European indoor shows last fall. He was third in the grand prix at Hachenburg, and handled the challenges of Aachen with poise and style. He’s also a very fast horse, which will help in the individual speed leg at Athens.

Authentic won the selection trials with just 8 faults over the six rounds, and 4 of those were a foot in the water, also their only mistake in the Nations Cup in Aachen. He usually clears the top rail of any jump by a foot.

Ward’s Sapphire is also only 9, and even at Aachen she exhibited some green moments. But Ward has had the Olympics in his sights ever since he realized just how good Sapphire is. He’s tried very hard to give her the mileage and good experiences to build her confidence.

Sapphire has all the jump, carefulness and heart that she’ll need in Athens. If she can overcome her lack of miles, she’ll be a force to be reckoned with. And, as he pointed out, innocence is sometimes bliss–Sapphire has never been defeated by a course.

Should Royal Kaliber not be up to the challenge of Athens soundness-wise, Firestone and Casanova are more than ready to substitute. Firestone has plenty of Nations Cup team experience, including the 1998 World Championships and the 1999 Pan Am Games, and Casanova competed on the Swedish team at the 2000 Olympics. Before the Nations Cup at Aachen, they finished sixth in a big class during the week with a clean jump-off, behind Europe’s biggest names and over an enormous track.

Team Members

ROYAL KALIBER: dk. b/br. s., 13, Dutch-bred Dutch Warmblood by Ramiro Z–Fiedonja, Voltaire, owned by Kathy Kamine and Chris Kappler.
CHRIS KAPPLER: age 37, Pittstown, N.J.

FEIN CERA: b. m., 13, German-bred Holsteiner by Landadel–Cera, Cor de la Bryere, owned by Turnabout Farm.
PETER WYLDE: age 39, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

AUTHENTIC: b. g., 9, Dutch Warmblood by Guidam–Katellxx, owned by Team Authentic.
BEEZIE MADDEN: age 40, Cazenovia, N.Y.

SAPPHIRE: ch. m., 9, Belgian Warmblood by Darco–Idjaz, owned by Double H Farm & McLain Ward.
McLAIN WARD: age 28, Brewster, N.Y.

CASANOVA: b. g., 14, Swedish Warmblood by Cortez–Alpenkicka, owned by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone.
ALISON FIRESTONE: age 27, Uppervill