An unscripted glimpse at the Canadian Equestrian Team's athletes, supporters & fans before, during and after major games. #CanadaStrong

Posts tagged ‘Rio2016’

Olympic Jumping Day 1

After a formal training day yesterday in the main stadium, day one of jumping competition got underway with the first Individual Qualifier.

Today definitely has the most spectators so far, but as you can see it’s still pretty sparse but hopefully that will change with each day of competition.

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Yann Candele & First Choice 15

Yann Candele was the trailblazer for Canada with First Choice 15. This is Yann’s second Olympics as he was the travelling reserve for London 2012.

First Choice 15 looked very fresh, soaring over the very large fences and giving them lots of room. Unfortunately things didn’t go as planned at the final line, which proved to be the bogey fence for many of the world’s top horse/rider combinations.

Yann did an amazing job getting through this line, both encouraging First Choice while at the same time getting out of his way, and only incurred 4 faults.

 

Tiffany Foster & Tripple X III

This is also Tiffany’s second Olympics, but she is definitely looking for a much different experience after London 2012 where her horse Victor was disqualified even before competition got started because of a small knick on his coronet caused a positive hypersensitivity test.

It’s also a second Olympics for Tripple X III, who was part of the gold medal winning British team at London 2012 with then-partner Ben Maher.

Tiffany and Tripple X III really made the course look smooth and easy. They soared effortlessly over the jumps, and nailed all the distances. They even looked stylish through that troublesome last line, and had the second element down. It really seemed like a cheap rail because it had nothing to do with the height, or the approach. It just looked like he slightly clipped the rail with his hind hoof on the descent. But no mater how you get a rail down, it’s still 4 faults. Here’s hoping that it’s enough to qualifying them for the second round because they truly looked amazingly powerful and poised out there.

Amy Millar & Heros

It’s no secret that there are very high expectations on Amy’s shoulders given her Dad’s legendary status not only in Canada, but in the world of showjumping. But anyone who has seen Amy ride knows that she is uber-talented in her own right, and her partnership with Heros has seen some amazing results this year.

They entered the main stadium looking like cool cucumbers, and that didn’t change as they worked their way through the course conquering the fences one by one.

There was one heart-stopping moment mid-way when Heros touched a rail on the way down with his hind legs, much like Tripple X III had done earlier, but thankfully it just rattled a bit in the cups but didn’t come down.

 

As happy as Amy was about her brilliant round, her dad was even happier! What a way to start off your Olympic debut. And even more impressive that Hero is one of the youngest and least experienced horses in the international field. Way to go Amy and Heros!

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Eric Lamaze & Fine Lady 5

This is Eric’s third Olympic appearance, after winning individual gold in 2008 with Hickstead, and I think what’s fair to say a disappointing London 2012 experience. In 2012, Eric had the relatively inexperienced Derly Chin de Muze. For Rio, he has the very experienced Fine Lady 5 and I think it’s fair to say it will be a very different experience for him. The pair certainly looked very in harmony with one another, and Eric put in a very masterful ride to go clear.

So that’s 2 clear and 2 4 faults for Canada after Day 1. Given the difficulty of the course, and the casualties it claimed to some very top level horses & riders, this bodes very well for the days to come!

Likely more difficult than riding an Olympic course yourself is to watch your friend, mentor and teammate ride one!

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Lots of Misses and Spills

The course set by Brazil’s Guilherme Jorge was big – bigger than the opening class in London 2012. And it took it’s toll on several big names.

Included in that list was Belgian Nicola Philippaerts on Ziverstar T. They had 2 refusals at the second element of that trick last line (with the musical notes). I was taken aback at how rough Nicola treated his horse, and Horse & Hound are reporting that the Ground Jury have subsequently disqualified him for excessive use of spurs.

Jur Vrieling of the Netherlands also ran afoul of the Ground Jury for using his whip excessively after having two refusals (at different fences). But unlike Nicola (who is competing as an individual only), Jur can continue riding as part of his team in the next round.

I’m not sure I understand the logic in that. How can you eliminate one rider for being abusive to his horse, but not the other? That’s a question the FEI should be made to answer.

Note…since originally writing the above, the FEI has just issued this statement:

Stephan Ellenbruch, President of the Rio 2016 Equestrian Olympic Ground Jury, said: “We can confirm that Jur Vrieling has been disqualified from today’s individual Jumping competition.
The FEI’s rules are very specific -if any blood is found on the flank of a horse, the Athlete/Horse combination is automatically disqualified from the competition.
The veterinarians on site have examined the horse, Zirocco Blue, and will continue to monitor to ensure he is fit to compete on Tuesday, 16 August for the Jumping Team Round 1 qualifier event”.
*Please see FEI rule below:
Article 242.3.1 of the FEI Jumping Rules: Horses bleeding on the flank(s), in the mouth or nose or marks indicating excessive use of spurs or of the whip anywhere on the Horse (in minor cases of blood in the mouth, such as where a Horse appears to have bitten its tongue or lip, Officials may authorize the rinsing or wiping of the mouth and allow the Athlete to continue; any further evidence of blood in the mouth will result in Disqualification.)
*Please see statements below from the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation:
Rob Ehrens, Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation national coach: “I’ve been a professional rider for 27 years and I know the feeling when everything goes wrong. But this should not happen and will not happen again. While Jur and Zirocco Blue are chasing medals, this has to be handled professionally. We will use tomorrow to relax Zirocco Blue.”
Jur Vrieling: “I was encouraging him, saying ‘come on boy, don’t do this again’. I should not have given him these extra pushes. It is stupid, this happened in the heat of the moment, and it will not happen again.”

Biggest Upset of the Day

France’s Penelope LePrevost is one of the top riders in the world, and heavily favourited for an individual medal. Those hopes fell apart when Flora de Mariposa stumbled on the landing of a huge jumping effort. This pitched Penelope forward, and she never had a chance to recover. The strangest things can happen at an Olympics that would never happen anywhere else, and unfortunately the consequences can be devastating.

 

Honorable Mentions

It’s tough to pick out some non-Canadian favourites when there are so many absolutely stunningly talented horses here in Rio. But there are a couple who I loved prior to Rio, and love even more after seeing them go around the course.

Brazil’s Quabri de L’Isle (Pedro Veniss).  I first saw this horse at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and immediately had to look him up to see who he was. Aside from being gorgeous to look at even when standing, which is beautiful flaxen mane and tail, he can also jump the moon. This picture definitely doesn’t do him justice.

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Japan’s Imothep (Taizo Sugitani). This horse used to be ridden by Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and is another one who I couldn’t take my eyes off of when first seeing him at Spruce Meadows. And he still looks stunning with his new rider Taizo Sugitani. Unfortunately it wasn’t their day today as they picked up 16 faults….but I still love him.

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I just love this shot of Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Fibonacci. It’s a testament to the depth of talent (both rider power and horsepower) that Meredith was called up at the very last minute in Rio to replace Marcus Ehning whose horse incurred a minor injury after taking a stumble in yesterday’s training session.  Talk about scope! This is the water jump.

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Studying the course…

 

Lots of Canadian fans out!

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View from the media area

Let’s hear it for the ring crew! I wouldn’t fancy putting together this jigsaw fence in a hurry.

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Results

Access here

Jumping Team Round 1 & 2nd Individual Qualifier

Jumping takes a day off tomorrow to make way for the Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle, then is back on August 16th.

I’m really liking the compressed schedule, but it does make for non-stop days without much of a breather!

How does it work?

The top 60 from the 1st Individual Qualifier move forward to the 2nd Individual Qualifier. And the scores from today don’t move forward to the 2nd Individual Round. It does make for a very arduous competition since those that make it to the end are jumping up to 5 rounds (or 6 if there’s a jump-off). At these heights, that seems crazy to me and I don’t understand why they can’t better combine the Individual and Team rounds. Can you imagine asking Eventers to run another cross-country for individual medals??

As things progress, a number of individual competitors are dropped each day. All Team riders can continue to jump so long as their Team is still qualified to jump. And ALL Teams (and their members) jump in Team Round 1.

 

 

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Olympics

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The Canadian Jumpers are Here!

With a much more compact schedule for these Olympics, it’s been a challenge to keep on top of everything!

So here’s a quick blog to show some love to our Canadian Showjumpers who arrived earlier this week.

This year’s team is Eric Lamaze, Yann Candele, Tiffany Foster and Amy Millar with Kara Chad as the travelling reserve and commandeered by chef d’equipe Mark Laskin. I think they looked pretty stoked about Rio!

The horses flew out from Liege, Belgium where they have been based following their fantastic performances last month in Aachen, Germany.

Amy Millar’s Heros

 

I see what you did there….Tiffany Foster’s Tripple X III and groom Caroline Holberg

I think Yann might be just a little excited about Rio?

 

Stables suitably “Canadian-ified”

 

A pretty happy looking group! 
From left to right: Franca Maas (groom for Bellinda), Martina Natali (groom for Fine Lady 5), Caroline Holberg (groom for Tripple X III), Yann Candele, Kara Chad, Amy Millar, Karen Hendry Ouellette (Jump Manager), Virginie Castleman (groom for First Choice 15)

Arriving a few days earlier meant that everyone can get settled in, and take in a few sights before getting into serious competition mode.

 

Groom Caroline Holberg taking Tripple X III for a leisurely stroll around the Deodoro grounds.

 

 

 

The jog took place this morning (August 12) prior to the Grand Prix Speciale kicking off. And all Canadian horses passed with flying colours….although some took the word “flying” a little too literally!

But first….let’s take a selfie

Phew! Got the beans out before actually trotting up.

 

 

 

Showjumping Schedule

August 13 – Training Session

August 14 – 1st Qualifier (Individual)

August 16 – Jumping – Team Round 1 (Individual 2nd & Team Qualifier)

August 17 – Jumping – Team Round 12 (Team Final and Individual 3rd Qualifier)

August 19 – Jumping Individual Final

 

 

 

 

 

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Olympics

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The Smile that Lit up Brazil!

The day all dressage fans have been waiting for….Day 1 of the Grand Prix at Deodoro Olympic Stadium!

Today saw 30 horse/rider combinations go down the centreline in what is Session 1 of the Grand Prix. Tomorrow will see Session 2 with another 30 rides. The outcome will then determine who are the 6 Teams who will progress onto Friday’s Grand Prix Speciale.

Again, it was disappointing to see so many empty seats. I really think this is largely down to location. Aachen (Germany) have massive stands, and they are always packed.

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Megan Lane was the 10th rider of the day, so the judges were well warmed up by the time she hit the big sandbox.  You’d never know this was her very first Olympic Games given how calm and relaxed she looked when entering the main stadium. And that smile! It never left her face, and in fact only got bigger as her ride went on.

She nailed it all – 1-tempi changes, pirouettes, extended trot, piaffe. It was fantastic to watch. The armchair critic in me would say that a little more energy and less travelling in the piaffe would have pushed her even higher, but it really was a fantastic ride and one which may even qualify her for Friday’s Grand Prix Speciale. I hope she does make it to the Speciale, because I have a feeling she will push the envelope further to get even more brilliance in the ring.

The FEI Grand Prix Special is limited to and compulsory for the best six (6) placed teams of the Grand Prix, including those tied for sixth place, as well as the eight (8) highest placed Athletes of the Grand Prix not otherwise participating as qualified team members, including those tied for eighth place. So pay close attention to how the placings work out following tomorrow’s second Grand Prix session….Canada might just get both Megan and Belinda in there!

 

Megan’s is such a phenomenal story. Caravella is owned by her family and is Canadian bred by another Canadian dressage rider – Jill Irving. Trained by Megan, he pair have methodically worked their way up the Junior and Young Rider ranks until they made their first Senior National Team in 2014 at the World Equestrian Games (Normandy). Then went on to help Canada earn a Team Silver at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

The smile of a newly minted Olympian who nailed it in the biggest sandbox in the world.
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Megan sister’s Kelley (far left) is undoubtedly Megan’s biggest fan!

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Team Canada’s Chef de Mission Curt Harnett even stopped by to watch Megan in action. Curt has a soft spot for Dressage as his wife is none other than Victoria Winter who has represented Canada at two World Equestrian Games (1998 & 2010) and multi-medalist at the Pan American Games (1995 & 1997).

 

Megan and her supergroup Evelyn Lucas celebrating in true Canadian fashion…with a cold one 🙂

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“You guys have all led me to be the person that I am here today”

The Top 5 After Day 1

The USA’s Kasey Perry-Glass had a fantastic ride in her first Olympics aboard Dublet. The duo put in a very elastic and energetic test which was rewarded by the judges with a score of 75.229%. Combined with Alison Brock’s earlier ride of 72.686, the Americans are looking great going into day 2 which will see Steffen Peters and Laura Graves perform.

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Great Britain’s Fiona Bigwood laid down a very solid test to score 77.157% and set up Great Britain extremely well for a Team Gold repeat. Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin both ride tomorrow.

For those who aren’t familiar with Fiona’s story, a freak riding accident in 2014 caused not only a concussion but lasting nerve damage to her eye. Fiona continues to experience double vision in her one eye which is why she rides with an eye patch.

The Germans certainly laid down the gauntlet when Dorothee Schneider, the last rider of the day, put in a spectacular test and was the first to crack the 80% barrier with  80.986%

Full Results

https://www.rio2016.com/en/equestrian-dressage-individual-grand-prix-day-1

Thursday Grand Prix Riding Times

Click here

Watching Online

Although CBC provided brilliant coverage of every Eventing day (including both Dressage days), the same isn’t true for Dressage. They are apparently only showing the Grand Prix Speciale and Freestyle days.

Hopefully the outcry today will mean they will have a change of heart, in which case check it out here:
http://olympics.cbc.ca/schedules/related/discipline=EQ/event=EQX001000/phase=EQX001900/videos.html

The following link has apparently been working for many folks, but do be careful. There are a number of pop-up windows enticing you to click on them or “login”. Ignore these, and apparently the livestream feed from BBC works great

http://www.olympicstreams.me/equestrian/402585/1/dressage-grand-prix—day-1-morning-session-live-stream-online.html

Olympic Heartbreak

It was heartbreaking to watch what happened to Dutch Team Rider Adelinde Corneslissen and her beautiful Parzival.  Near the very beginning of her dressage test, you could see Parzival’s tongue hanging out, and it almost looked like he might have somehow got his tongue between the bits. It was actually remarkable how well he was still performing, and a true testament to the special bond between this horse and rider. During the free walk, Adelinde excused herself from the ring, looking visibly disappointed. She then took to Facebook to provide more information on what the last 48 hours has been like for her. Kudos to Adelinde for her horsemanship.

This was to be Parzival’s swan song, after winning so many medals with his partner Adelinde including Silver and Bronze at the London 2012 Games, and Gold at the 2010 Kentucky World Equestrian Games.

 

Videos!

Not sure if these will work, but here you go.

The Netherland’s Edward Gal & Voice

 

 

Belinda and Anton On Deck!

In tomorrow’s Session 2, it will be Belinda’s turn to shine with Anton. This pair have had a fabulous 2016 season, culminating with personal bests and Canadian record-breaking scores.

They ride at 10:00am Rio time.

Go Canada Go! 

Gunshots Still Ringing

After the scare a few days ago when a bullet came through the media tent, gunshots could again be heard throughout the day, and apparently another bullet was found on site. However since the Olympic Shooting venue is nearby, I’m not sure if that was the source of the gunfire?

Kasey Perry-Glass told the Chronicle of the Horse that the noise did bother her gelding, but saying that “He hung in there really well for me, especially with all the guns going off.” (read the full interview here)

The practice of learning how to ride through gunfire is a skill that I’m pretty sure was dropped many moons ago when nations stopped using a cavalry in active warfare. Although maybe it might be a good idea for future Games to get some tips from the Mounted Police!

 

Canada’s Eventing Team taking in some Olympic basketball action

 

 

 

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Dressage Takes Centre Stage

With the Eventing medals now tucked away in their new owners’ pockets, attention now turns to Dressage. Competition kicks off tomorrow (August 10).

Full Riding Times Schedule for August 10 & August 11

Download riding times –> ORDERTOGO_2016_08_09_GrandPrix

August 10 – 11:36AM Rio time – Megan Lane & Caravella
August 11 – 10:00am Rio time – Belinda Trussell & Anton 

Both Belinda (Trussell) and Megan (Lane) have had the advantage of being in Rio for a few days now with their horses, so they’ve had a chance to get comfortable with the surroundings and see the sights.

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And of course march in the Opening Ceremonies! (read blog here)

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Being there early means Anton and Caravella are now well acquainted with the show grounds, with Belinda and Megan having an opportunity to ride in the warm up rings as well as familiarization sessions in the main competition arena.

Although care must be given when arriving early at a Games as some riders can have a tendency to override their horses. More time can mean more opportunity to dwell on things and let nerves get the better of you – especially when you are sharing the training rings with the best-of-the-best in the world. It’s even more difficult when most of these riders are used to riding several horses a day on top of coaching duties..and of course every day life. Being at a Games really does put you into an artificial “bubble”, where you only have yourself and your main equine partner to focus on. That can be great! As long as you don’t fall into the trap of over-focusing.

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MLane-Caravellaphoto by Kelsey Rae

Look at that backdrop! 
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photo by Kelsey Rae

The Jog

The horse inspection for the dressage horses took place on cross-country day, and both Caravella and Anton passed with flying colours. And the horses were sparkling thanks to the hard work of Lynsey Rowan (Anton) and Evelyn Lucas (Caravella).

Megan will be the 10th rider down the centreline tomorrow’s Session I (Tuesday) , riding immediately after Denmark’s Anders Dahl & Selten HW and will be followed by USA’s Allison Brock and Rosevelt.

This is great as no one likes to go first, and particularly with Dressage as more often than not it takes the judges a few rides to get comfortable with their scoring (although I doubt you’d ever get a judge to admit that on record!)

How to watch in Canada!

CBC is providing fantastic picture-quality live streaming at http://olympics.cbc.ca
Although it is a little dry as there has been no commentary.

If you’re in the UK region (or have a VPN), BBC has been doing brilliant commentary for Eventing and I suspect this will continue for Dressage. http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/rio-2016

The Big Guns!

 

Let the dancing begin! 

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What a Day! Olympic Cross Country

Holy smokes what a day it was today! Olympic Eventing cross country took centre stage, and it was really great to see lots of people out on course watching compared to the lacklustre audiences for the 2 dressage days.

As predicted by many, the course really shuffled up the leaderboard. While I’m by no means an Eventing expert, watching today reminded me of the  types of courses you would see back in the 80’s and 90’s. Both horse and rider had to be very fit, very brave and very determined.

It was incredible to see many very seasoned riders and horses run into trouble. Who would have thought that the likes of Tim Price, Montgomery Clark and Karin Donckers wouldn’t finish.

Canada’s Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance were again the trailblazers. At the best of times it’s a very challenging position to be in, but at an Olympic Games over a course like this make it even more so. Jessica didn’t have the advantage to see how the course was riding in order to make adjustments to her plan. Instead, she went out there and attacked it with Don  Leschied’s dynamo mare. Talk about true grit and fierce determination. It was obvious watching these two over the course that nothing was going to stop them for attacking and eating up this Rio course.

Although they did pick up 40 jump penalties and 35.60 time, they showed their teammates that the course was conquerable, and brought home valuable information to help Kathryn, Colleen and Rebecca refine their strategies.

Last minute adjustments before heading into the start box
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True grit and determination…this is what sets the good eventers from the great
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Kathryn Robinson

It was certainly a bummer for Kathryn Robinson and Let it Bee, who were eliminated on course. They looked great at the start, but it wasn’t meant to be their day today. Thankfully both of them are healthy and will fight another day.

Flying out of the start box
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Bummer to be eliminated, but we can’t wait to see you again Kathryn!
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Colleen Loach

Colleen Loach and Qorry Blue d’Argrouges looked like cross-country machines. Although they also incurred 40 jump penalties and 45.20 time, that really betrays how good they looked every time I could see them. And I loved how even at the end of the course, Qorry’s ears were pricked way forward almost as if he was saying “Ok, what else Mom?”

It was really hard to believe that this was the first 4* experience for this duo. The future is blindingly bright!

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Jumping all stylish like a hunter!
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Those ears though!
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Cooldown
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Rebecca Howard

I can’t imagine the pressure that Rebecca Howard was feeling as she headed towards the start box, knowing that with Kathryn’s out of the game, she had to make sure that they completed the course in order to keep a team result for Canada. Even more so when her Olympic debut in London 2012 was cut short due to a fall on course.

That’s one of the biggest differences when riding at an Olympic Games…. it’s not just about your individual performance, it’s about making decisions in the best interest of the team.

If Rebecca was feeling pressure, she sure didn’t show it. Her and “Rupert” tackled the course like the pros they are.  They added only 12.4 time penalties and jumped up to 15th position heading into the final day.

Heading out of the start box.
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The look of pure concentration and focus.
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On the way home!
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Yay!!
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I’d be celebrating too after successfully taking on the most difficult Olympic course in recent history!
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Video of Rebecca’s last few fences on course courtesy of CBC

Showjumping Day

The final day of Eventing Competition takes place tomorrow morning starting at 10am Rio time (9:00am EST).

Follow the live results at:
https://www.rio2016.com/en/equestrian-standings-eq-eventing-individual

And watch the lifestream on Olympics.cbc.ca

Go Canada!!

Shout Outs

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures, but I had to give a shout out to 2 combinations.

  1. Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa and The Duke of Cavan: If look up the word “relentless” and “determination”, you’ll see this guy’s picture. No was never an option for him going over this course. Even if the distance or angle was awkward, he just kicked on and let his horse do the rest. And his horse rose to the occasion every. single. time. It was quite something to see
  2. Chile’s Carlos Lobos Munoz and Ranco: If I had this horse during my Eventing days, things may have turned out a lot differently (ie. I wouldn’t have switched to Dressage). Not only does Ranco have the cutest face ever, but he looks like the most honest horse around who loves his job.

The Cooling Stations
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The Legend

I couldn’t end this blog without a pic of my Eventing hero – New Zealand’s Mark Todd. He truly gave a masterclass in riding over the course. The man’s leg never EVER changes position. Perfectly balanced at all times.

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