Dressage - Day Two
Dressage - Day Two
Apr 26th, 08
Holder Keeps the Lead after Day Two of Dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Farnam After two full days of Dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Farnam, Becky Holder remains in the lead. The gap is closing after day two of Dressage that featured the remaining 21 riders who rode their Dressage test on a windy day that left many horses flustered by flapping flags and blowing dust. A crowd of just under 20,000 witnessed that with a 39.3 Holder was tough to catch. However, Heidi White and Phillip Dutton made valiant efforts leaving them in second and third place respectively. "I’m really excited to be in the lead, but that is this moment," commented Holder. "Tomorrow is an entirely different one, and I will jump one jump at a time and put them together with good work in between. Hopefully that’s going to bring me in with a clean round and under the time." Holder admitted she was "sweating bullets" all day and despite walking the cross-country course many times she did make time to watch the final afternoon ride. White closed the gap early in the day on her mount Northern Spy scoring a 40.6 crediting him for his strong canter work and consistent scores at the walk. This is the fifth time the pair has competed at this event, and they are anxious for tomorrow’s course. Dutton and his second of two mounts, Connaught rode last today scoring an impressive 41.3 - enough to secure them third place after Dressage. Overall Dutton was pleased with today’s performance despite the trouble the pair has had with their lead changes in one direction. He has been runner-up at this event five times and is also ready to prove that experience counts. Young rider Emilee Libby and her mount Cahir also had a day worth mentioning. The pair, who finished 21st here last year, are currently sitting in fifth place after their extremely accurate Dressage test. The duo received a round of applause leaving the arena, and Cahir kept his composure unlike many of the seasoned horses in today’s test. The three leaders after Dressage commented on the complexity of Mike Etherington-Smith’s cross-country course that they will tackle tomorrow. "The cross-country course fits him very well," said Holder. "I like the changes early on; it gives the horses a chance to get out and get galloping." Holder added that there are beautiful shapes to the fences and that the course asks many fair questions with good ground lines and footing. "I am excited to take a good shot at it." White is also happy to be sitting on her mount going in to tomorrow’s test of endurance. "We’ve developed a huge partnership over the last year, but it’s never easy and I’ll admit it’s hard," said White. "I’m more nervous today probably than I think I’ve ever been because it’s a big year and there’s a lot on the line and the expectations over the years are greater on us. At the same time you have to enjoy it as well, and I’m just really lucky to be back here on that horse again and look forward to riding him tomorrow." Dutton will tackle tomorrow’s course on both of his mounts and is well aware of where he’ll need to respect this course. "There’s no one area that’s super challenging," he said. "I think it’s a combination of the whole course. It all has to be jumped, and one area can put more pressure on a horse and then you can have trouble later on. The key is to try and increase my horses’ confidence and try and read how they’re going…I really think that #4A and #4B is sort of a "welcome to a four-star"." Safety is a major priority every year, and this year’s cross-country course is no exception. Course designer Etherington-Smith has made a conscious effort in making this year’s course even safer than in years past. "We have been looking at this safety issue for a long time—the construction, the shape, the post line and the materials used for the fences have changed a great deal over the years," stated Smith. He went on to talk about the new ideas and thoughts that course designers share and discuss to make the courses fun, fair and safe. On a lighter note, the winners of The Dubarry Best Dressed Award from the first horse inspection were Stephen Bradley and Julia Steinberg. Heather Johnston and Jeannie Blancq Putney Georgetown College Equine Scholars Program http://equinescholars.georgetowncollege.edu/