Engle, Kessler Top Olympic Trial

By Staff Report March 24, 2012

Reed Kessler and Margie Engle ended the first leg of the 2012 Olympic trials in a tie. Each had one rail on the final day of jumping and finished the four-round contest with 12 points. They decided to forgo a jump off, sparing their horses after an arduous week of competition, splitting the winner’s share of the $200,000 in prize money and sharing the title National Champion.

“Four rounds in basically three days is a lot,” Engle said. “These were a lot of big courses. What’s important is having some horse left.” The trial took place as part of the $200,000 USEF National Show Jumping Championships March 21, 22 and 24 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL.

The result saw Kessler, 17, claim her first title and Engle, 53, crowned National Champion for the third time. The event, which took place in front of a crowd of 7,000 spectators at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, also served as the USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games.

“This way there’s no loser,” continued Engle, who piloted Indigo, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Indoctro, owned by Griese, Garber, Hidden Creek and Gladewinds. Kessler, whose mount Cylana is a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Skippy II x Darco, said she left the decision up to her trainer, Katie Prudent. “For Katie it immediately made sense, and I agreed,” she noted. “We have the jog first thing in the morning, and they have been jumping huge tracks all week.”

Alan Wade of Ireland set the courses for all four rounds of a competition that saw 37 starters and was down to 20 competitors for the final night.

In addition to her winning ride aboard Cylana―a horse she’s only had for about five months―Kessler (Armonk, NY) rode Mika to the first of three clear rounds tonight. The duo carried 13 faults into the final round and finished on just that, landing in a three-way tie for third with Mario Deslauriers and Urico and Rich Fellers and Flexible.

Kent Farrington and RCG Farm’s Uceko also jumped a clear round over tonight’s course and finished on an 18-fault total to earn the fourth place prize overall.

Beezie Madden and Abigail Wexner’s Cortes ‘C’ were the only other pair to clear the course for round four. The pair carried in 20 faults and remained at that score for the overall standings, tying for the fifth with Laura Kraut and Teirra (owned by Stars and Stripes).

Engle, who is based in Wellington, FL, won the 1988 and 2008 USEF National titles. Tonight she rode with her usual determination, but managed to punch out the front rail of the eighth fence.

“It was a good course,” Engle said. “It was kind of what I expected. My horse felt great. The rail was my mistake―I rushed the turn, was worried about the time and pushed him past it.” Of Indigo’s performance she said, “I’m so proud of him. He has so much blood and so much heart he just digs deep and tries every time. He gives everything he has.”

A veteran of the 2000 Olympic Games and 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games, Engle knows that the road to any championship is long one, but she believes in Indigo and what the they have accomplished together.

“You have to go along and do the best you can and see what happens,” Engle said. “The horses proved they were consistent.”

Kessler has never so much as jumped with a Nations Cup team and her success at the USEF Olympic Selection Trials came as something of a shocker, despite her considerable experience in team competition at the Junior and Young Rider level.

She is an alum of the European Young Rider Tour and the USEF Junior Jumper National Championships Prix des States, in addition to North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC). “I just can’t even believe I am sitting here,” Kessler said at the press conference immediately following the event. “I can’t describe how much I’ve learned about my horses and myself throughout these trials.”

A ranked “long list” of all the horse and rider combinations who made it to Trial 4 and wish to remain eligible for the Olympic Games will be published in the next two days. It will include the four combinations that were named before the Trials began: McLain Ward and Sapphire; McLain Ward and Antares F; Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo; Laura Kraut and Cedric. All are veterans of the gold medal-winning 2008 Olympic team.

Ward has been sidelined with an injury and just this weekend got back in the saddle for the first time since January, when he broke his knee. Madden and Kraut were freed up on their top horses so they could test other mounts.

To remain in consideration, all of these combinations are required to compete in two of four USEF Observation Events. These events will be held at the Del Mar Horse Show (CA) Kentucky Spring Horse Show (KY), the Devon Horse Show (PA) and at Spruce Meadows (CAN). The selection process for the 2012 Olympics differs from that of years past, since the U.S. did not make the cut for the FEI’s Super League tour of Europe. Prior to the 2012 edition, the USEF National Championship was last held in 2008.

Joanie Morris and Jennifer Wood contributed to this report.

Those wish to view the Trials on-demand, visit www.usefnetwork.com.

Short URL: https://theequestriannews.com/?p=9143