Drama abounded at Hickstead on July 29 as the U.S. team battled it out with the Germans for victory in the Samsung Nations Cup. Germany prevailed, and in so doing took over the lead in the season standings, but the U.S. team turned in a gritty performance to finish second and maintain their second-placed year-long standing.

Course designer Bob Ellis built a very testing track, and the first round claimed a few victims. Kim (Frey) Prince, on Marlou, and Beezie Madden, on Authentic each, turned in four-fault scores over the track to put the U.S. in contention. Laura Kraut and Miss Independent collected 12 faults in Round 1.

But disaster struck for McLain Ward when Sapphire backed off the second in a double of oxers over ditches and caused both of them to fall. Their elimination gave the U.S. team a 20-fault total going into round 2.

The Germans held a tight lead after round 1, with 17 faults. They\’d fielded something of a second-string team after winning the prior week\’s European Show Jumping Championships in Italy. But Rene Tebbel, Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst, Thomas Muhlbauer and Ulrich Kirchhoff held on for the win when Tebbel, in a round to decide the victory, picked up just 1 time fault to squeak past the U.S. team by just 1 point.

Ward and Sapphire didn\’t return for the second round, so the pressure was on for Prince, Kraut and Madden. They rose to the challenge, with Prince and Kraut each chalking up four-fault rounds and Madden ending the day with a clear round. Germany\’s final total was 27, compared to the U.S. team\’s 28. The Netherlands finished a distant third with 39 faults.