The Slower Road

After two days of competition, the dressage phase of this year’s FEI World Pair Championship is finished.

Standing in first place individually after dressage is Germany’s Carola Diener, with a score of  35.58 penalty points; in second place: Beat Schenk (Switzerland), with 36.22 points, and in third: Austria’s Georg Moser, with 40.19 points. The highest-placed U.S. driver is Joe Yoder, who’s standing in sixth place overall, with 44.03 points.

In the team standings, Germany is in the lead, followed by Switzerland in second, and the Netherlands in third. The U.S. team is in a good spot heading into tomorrow’s marathon phase, standing in fifth place.

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Here’s Leslie Hernandez’s report from yesterday evening:

Today was the first official day of competition, dressage to be exact. Misdee Wrigley was the first American to go. The leader of the day had a score of 35.58! Not too shabby!

There were lots of very nice horses and drivers, and some interesting turnout choices. For instance, two of today’s female drivers had their grooms wear hats that matched their own. Everything else about the groom’s outfit was pretty traditional; very different look.

Some of the dressage tests were lovely, others not as well executed. There was only one error of test, a driver from Great Britain with a pair of Welsh Cobs. The breeds of horses run the gamut from every type of Warmblood to Lusitanos and Lippizan. The oldest competitor, at sixty-eight, drove today as did the youngest, Anna Sandmann. She is only fifteen!

There are a few vendors at the event. Harness makers, carriage dealers, even a dog boutique! A petting zoo sprawls down one side of the grounds with donkeys, birds, and geese to name a few. While the food elsewhere has been delicious, we were unimpressed with “The American” sandwiches we had for lunch. Two wieners and french fries on a baguette doesn’t really hit the spot.

The first day of dressage is now complete, with thirty-five of the sixty-nine competitors having driven today. In first place so far is Carola Diener (a member of the German team), with an impressive score of 35.58. Two of the five judges had her in first place, and the other three judges had her in second place. One of the Swiss team’s drivers, Beat Schenk is currently in second place, with a score of 36.22. (Interestingly, three of the five judges had him in first place.)

If you’d like to study all the dressage scores for yourself, you can find them at either www.hoefnet.com or www.hippoevent.at.

The only American driver who went today was Misdee Miller. Her score of 52.86 puts her in eleventh place after today’s first day of dressage.

guest post by James Miller:

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The 2011 World Pair Championship journey for Kathrin Dancer, Misdee Miller, and Joe Yoder began at the Sunshine State Games in Ocala, Florida, seven months ago and has finally reached its peak in Conty, France!  These three U.S. representatives spent their spring and summer campaigning at qualification events throughout the United States and Europe and have logged countless hours of training and preparation at the quaint European base camp of Dreieich, Germany, with U.S. coach and former driving World Champion, Michael Freund. 

These world-class driving competitors boast grooms and navigators who have participated in numerous championships themselves and have sacrificed their time with family and the comfy confines of their respective homes to help this American Team reach its daunting goal of placing in this 2011 World Championship.

This group of American drivers has been charged with the duty of dropping individual goals and coming together as a unified force. Each team member will contribute unique strengths in the three phases of combined driving and has prepared to bring his or her best effort to the collective score. Fortunately, they find themselves poised to compete behind the superior leadership of Freund, chef d’equipe Chester Weber, and his supporting cast of Marie DeRonde and Elizabeth Staller. This platoon, consisting of more than fifteen people, nine horses, and six carriages are at the dawn of battle ready to prove their appointment to the team!

The Americans arrived in Conty on Monday afternoon and have spent the past two days constructing camp, prepping horses, building team strategies, and frolicking with fellow competitors from around the world. The pressure will rose today, as the competitors prepared their horses for today’s horse inspection. There was a display of nearly 225 horses, as competitors from twenty-four countries trotted their immaculately coifed four-legged companions in front of the competition jury with hopes of no disqualification. Once this phase is complete, the teams will prepare one carriage and a pair of horses to represent their countries in the sure-to-be spectacular ceremonial parade at the opening ceremonies.

The weather this morning has the sensation of a cozy fall day in Kentucky but with the scent of fresh-baked croissants filling the air. As the dew dries from the rising sun, your American team is busily preparing for their first day of tests, and each one of them is beaming with pride and gratitude as they contemplate this awesome honor you have bestowed upon them.  Their hearts are pounding, their chests are swollen, and their thoughts are unified: U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!   

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NOTE: All horses passed today’s horse inspection.

The 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championship starts tomorrow with the first horse inspection and continues through Sunday (as usual: dressage tests will be held on thursday and Friday, the marathon on Saturday, and the cones competition on Sunday).

We have three roving reporters stationed in Conty, France (site of the world championship) who have promised to send daily reports and photos, so stay tuned!