Mill Spring, N.C.—Sept. 19

Wednesday’s Yom Kippur marks the end of the high holidays for the Jewish faith. The day is the most solemn holiday in the Jewish calendar and calls for a full day of fasting, which Israeli athlete Daniel Bluman participated in.

“It’s a hard first day with the fasting and everything; it’s quite difficult because of Yom Kippur,” Bluman said. “It’s not the easiest circumstance, but we’re good.”

As the temperatures climb into the upper 80s at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, Bluman will continue abstaining from both food and drink.

“They gave me a water when I came out of the ring, and it’s actually pretty tempting, but I have a son that will be born in four weeks; it’s a big year,” Bluman said. “It’s very important to me to keep to my beliefs, and I went early in the day, so it is not a big deal.”

Bluman and the rest of Team Israel have been very vocal about their goal to qualify the country for the Olympic Games. If they qualify for the Tokyo Games in 2020, it would be the first time Israel has sent an equestrian team.

Daniel Bluman and Ladriano Z laid down a clear round in the speed phase for team Israel. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

“We’re going to qualify for Tokyo. I’m very confident that we will,” Bluman said. “We’re working for that, and of course being top six here [at the WEG] would qualify us. We are going to give it our best to do it, but we’re also very realistic in how we prepare.”

While Bluman posted a clear effort aboard his mount Ladriano Z, Team Israel had a bit of bad luck when their first rider in the ring, California-based Ashlee Bond, fell off her mare Chela LS in a combination.

“The way she jumped it, there was no way I was staying on,” Bond said. “So it was heartbreaking. I felt like we had a good shot. She was flying, but that’s show jumping.”

Bond’s mare galloped off and jumped a fence on her own after Bond fell. Bond says both she and the horse are uninjured.

Chela LS jumps a fence sans rider after Ashlee Bond fell from the mare in the double. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

“She’s a good girl; she doesn’t want to do anything wrong. I will have to watch the video back to see what happened,” Bond said. “I thought I got in there good; she just hung up in the air, which she normally doesn’t do.”

Bond automatically became the drop score for Israel in the first round, and while she’s out of the individual competition, she can still compete for Israel  in the team competition. The team still has Alberto Michan on Bacara d’Archonfosse and Danielle Goldstein aboard Lizziemary to jump this afternoon.

“You have to pick the speed that you want to go,” Bluman said of the speed round course. “I don’t think there is anything that is really tricky; it’s mostly you are your own worst enemy or best friend depending the track you pick and what you want to take. I think it’s a very good round for a championship.”

Check back with The Chronicle to see how the rest of the show jumpers fare in the afternoon speed round session. Click here for live results from show jumping.

For full results from the FEI World Equestrian Games, click here.

For everything you need to know, including broadcast schedules, click here.

For all WEG coverage, click here.

We’ll be onsite for the full two weeks of WEG to bring you all the news you need to know plus gorgeous photos and insight into the competition. Be sure to check out the Oct. 8 issue of the Chronicle for detailed analysis.