UK Takes Lead in Olympic Dressage

By Staff Report August 2, 2012

Dressage riders Carl Hester and Laurel Bechtolscheimer chalked up two for the home team, taking the top slots in the Grand Prix test on the first day of 2012 Olympic dressage competition Aug. 2. The lone U.S. rider among the 25 to enter the arena on this day was Jan Ebeling, on Rafalca, who hovered in the top 10 until the final moments of the contest, ultimately placing 13th.

Hester rode an incredibly fluid, confident test on Uthopia, a 10-year-old KWPN stallion, earning a 77.720. Bechtolscheimer notched a 76.839 on Mistral Hojris, while Germany’s Dorothee Schneider and Diva Royal were close behind with a 76.277.

Riding Donnperignon 23-year-old Dannish rider Anna Kasparzak narrowly pushed international superstar Anky van Grunsven out of fourth and into fifth with a sparkling performance that found an opening when von Grunsven and Salinero surrendered points in the transition into the tempis .

The first dressage test is split into two days with 25 riders on each. Three of the four U.S. riders ― Steffen Peters, Tina Konyot and Adrienne Lyle ― take the stage tomorrow. Ebeling beamed after his performance, which scored a 70.243. He was clearly elated that there were no major mishaps with the eyes of the world on him and Rafalca, owned by a partnership that includes Ann Romney, wife of presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt.

Proving just how whimsical fate and the elements can be, there were two major “incidents” – one that resulted in the elimination of Canadian rider David Marcus who had the misfortune to be riding during a downpour that his mount, Capital, protested with a fit of bucking. The incident also rendered the Canadians unable to compete as a team going forward. They will now compete as individuals. After the morning’s drizzle had its outburst the sun broke through.

Less catastrophic, Swedish rider Minna Tilde and her Oldenberg stallion Santana were giving what appeared to be the performance of a lifetime when the horse spooked in the transition to the pirouette. The striking black horse is unusual in that he lost an eye in an accident and has a glass eye.

“The riders make it look so easy, but it’s deceptive,” said NBC announcer Melanie Taylor Smith. “There are a lot of buttons on these horses. Kind of like sitting in the cockpit of a 747 versus a single-engine plane,” said NBC announcer Melanie Taylor Smith, trying to convey the difficulty of the sport to a national audience has in recent weeks heard it referred to repeatedly, and rather dismissively, as “horse ballet” by Comedy Central talk show host Stephen Colbert.

The other notable performance was from Japan’s Hiroshi Hoketsu, who at 71 is the oldest competitor at the Olympics. Riding as an individual, Hoketsu appeared relaxed and at home on Whisper, a beautiful chestnut with four white socks that he trains on in Germany throughout the year. Hoketsu gave it his all yet managed only a 68.723 going up against the very best in the world.

For those riders whose nation’s managed to qualify a team, the Grand Prix test scores will count toward both individual and team totals, likewise with the Grand Prix Special on Aug. 7. On Aug. 9 the Grand Prix Freestyle, set to music, will count only toward an individual score. Dressage celebrates its 100th year as an Olympic sport this year.

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