At the Riesenbeck CAI, both Tucker and Jimmy drove well today in the marathon. After the first two phases, Tucker is standing in second place overall (he came in fourth on the marathon), and Jimmy is in tenth place overall (fifteenth on the marathon).
July 31, 2010
July 31, 2010
Iron Horse CDE (Illinois), report from Jill Ryder:
It rained overnight and so the weather has cooled off. The private farm that hosts this event is spectacular: wide open fields, quiet roads, large impressive barn and buildings (so vendors have a permanent building to spread out their wares and after the competition to host wine and cheese gatherings).
Due to the large number of entries this year, Lisa Singer was quickly invited to add to the judging panel and even the course designer, Jamie O’Rourke, stepped in to divide up the long day of dressage judging.
The marathon obstacles are easily visable and extremely well built, making this venue top-class.
July 31, 2010
World Singles Championship (Italy), report from Karen Garrett:
Bill Peacock, the final U.S. driver to compete in the dressage phase, finished in 22nd place.
the final U.S. driver on Friday, Bill Peacock, enters the arena for his dressage test (photo by Karen Garrett)
July 30, 2010
Iron Horse CDE (Illinois), report from Jill Ryder:
Despite an on-time arrival from Cincinnati to Chicago (O’Hare) and an easy luggage pickup, we were stalled at the Hertz counter because of an air show this weekend, and everyone apparently wanted to rent from Hertz to get there! Ed Young (the four-in-hand chef d’equipe) had flown in an hour earlier than me and, when I arrived, was still in line at the Hertz counter for our shared rental car!
Eventually, we set off for the Rockford area and the Iron Horse CDE. We arrived at the farm just in time for rain sprinkles and having missed a few of the four-in-hand dressage tests.
Everyone will by now know the dressage scores … I have little to add at this point.
The forecast for tomorrow is good, and the weather is not overly humid. Rain is not expected. The marathon course looks wonderful, and the obstacles are impressive.
July 30, 2010
World Singles Championship (Italy), report from Karen Garrett:
Bill Peacock and Beau scored a 57.60, bringing the U.S. team total to 119.68. There were a few left to drive after Bill, and individual and team scores had not been posted by 6:30 this evening. Bill was eighteenth after his drive and finished in the top 25; I’ll let you know all the details tomorrow. The final driver for The Netherlands scored a 53.76, so The Netherlands finished on 94.98 and were second behind Germany, who finished with a team total of 79.10. Other team scores were Switzerland with 114.17, Finland with 112.13, Poland with 109.06, France with 111.74, Austria with 106.24, Hungary with 123.10, England with 130.82, and Norway with 131.07.
I was able to have a brief chat with Robin Groves and Donna Crookston in the Wine Bar, a tent located at the end of the dressage arena near A. We talked about the marathon tomorrow, and they agreed with a comment Bob Koopman made yesterday that most of the hazards are very open BUT they have tricks in them. There are forty-two knockdowns total, so the drivers cannot just go barreling through the obstacles. Obstacle 3 has a lot of changes in elevation and looks the trickiest to drive. There are two water obstacles; one has a bridge and A is gated so that a competitor has a choice of going either over a long bridge or down a slope and through the water to B. Will report on thrills and spills tomorrow!
The Slower Road 