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United
States Equestrian Team Leads After First Round of Show
Jumping at 2003 Pan American Games
Individually, U.S. Riders Stand Second, Third, Fifth and
Ninth
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Santo
Domingo, DR—August 13, 2003— The United States Equestrian
Team (USET) had an outstanding first day of Show Jumping competition,
capturing the lead at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, with all four riders placing in the top ten.
The US squad finished the Individual Qualifier, whose scores carry
into Thursday’s Nations’ Cup, without knocking down
a single rail. The U.S. finished with a team score of 1.66 faults
based on converted penalties in the speed class format. Mexico
is in second with 6.87 faults and Argentina is third with a score
of 13.57.
Michelle Navarro of Peru won the Individual Qualifier, negotiating
the course without fault in a time of 78.12 seconds on Osho. Second
place went to the USET’s Margie Engle of Wellington, FL,
who went clear in a slightly slower time of 78.56 with a carryover
score of .22 faults, riding Hidden Creek’s Perin, owned by
Hidden Creek Farm. Another U.S. rider, Lauren Hough, also from
Wellington, finished third on Windy City, owned by Peppercorn
Ltd, with a clear round in a time of 78.68 and a score of .28
penalties. The remaining two U.S. competitors were also impressive,
with both placing in the top ten. Beezie Madden of Cazenovia,
NY, was fifth on Conquest II, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Patton,
in a time of 80.44 with 1.16 faults; and Chris Kappler of Pittstown,
NJ, ended up ninth on Royal Kaliber, owned by Kappler and Kathy
Kamine, with 2.40 penalties in a time of 82.91.
Hough
was the first rider to go for the United States and set the tone
for the day by going clear. “I like going first,” said
Hough. “You just try to do your best and have a good start
and hope it carries through. I had one jump, the rollback to fence
ten where my horse looked at the cameraman and took an extra stride,
but my horse tried extra hard and was able to leave the rails
up. He is an amazing animal and really came through for me today.”
Engle
was the last to go for the U.S. squad, but credits her second
place finish to her teammates. “Going last was great,”
said Engle. “I was in the catbird seat because all of my
teammates were so great. They really took the pressure off me.
My horse was a little fresh at the beginning because I don’t
think I warmed him up enough, but he settled down and finished
great. It’s hard to know in the heat how fresh to leave him
because we have such a long way to go.”
USET
Chef d’ Equipe Frank Chapot was not surprised with the first
place standing of the U.S team. “There were no surprises
today, especially with our team,” said Chapot. “They
were all professional and did just what they were supposed to
do.”
The
results from the Individual Qualifier are carried forward to Thursday’s
Nations’ Cup and count in determining the team medals. The
U.S., along with the other eight nations competing, are all looking
to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
The gold and silver team medalists will earn a spot in Athens,
while the country with the best score counting all four team member
performances will also qualify.
The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization
that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest
possible standard to represent our country in major international
competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships.
To accomplish this, the USET seeks out and nurtures the development
of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides
the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest
potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908)
234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org
.
