The U.S. show jumping team bounced back from two disappointments in the Meydan FEI Nations Cup league to storm to the win at the CSIO Rotterdam (The Netherlands). The second tour of riders for the United States stopped a French sweep by finishing with no faults. The British team finished third with 7 faults.
Lauren Hough aboard Quick Study, Candice King on Skara Glen’s Davos and Laura Kraut on Cedric jumped clear in both rounds.
Nicole Simpson and Tristan had a single rail in the first round and 1 time fault in the second round. Simpson’s score was good enough that Kraut didn’t need to return for the second round, but she decided to jump again to qualify for the grand prix on Sunday.
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“They were fabulous. Both the horses and the riders were fabulous,” said Chef d’Equipe George Morris. “I was hopeful of this group; they are really good riders, seasoned riders. We had some fresh faces for the horses—Davos and Tristan I haven’t seen on the international scene. I hadn’t seen them in this situation, but they are quality horses, so I was hopefully optimistic.
“It was a great Nations Cup course,” Morris continued. “[Course designer Louis Konickx] got the time exactly right, and it was technical with delicate fences and some scope—it was big enough. It was a great test for the Nations Cup.”
The U.S. team now sits third in the Meydan FEI Nations Cup standings behind France and Great Britain. They will compete at the CSIO Falsterbo (Sweden) from July 8-11. All four riders are on the U.S. Equestrian Federation long list for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
