The first day of jumping saw 46 groups and nine teams compete on the course set by Brazilian Marina Azevedo, the first jumping track designer in the history of the Pan American Games. The first day of championship action begins with the Schedule C speed category where errors are converted into time and penalty points are assessed based on the fastest time on the track. With four contestants, all teams except Uruguay could lose their worst result.
Eight teams are competing for the three Olympic team qualifying spots available in this competition. Defending team and individual champions Brazil confirmed their place in Paris after finishing fourth in the 2023 Longines Show Jumping Nations Cup final in Barcelona. This leaves the United States as top contenders, but Canada will also have to overcome Colombia, Argentina and Mexico, all of whom fielded strong teams.
Canada finished the first day in third place with 9.62 errors behind Brazil in first with 4.32 and Colombia in second with 7.29. One of the many surprises of the day was to see the USA in fifth place with 12.37 errors behind Argentina in fourth place with 12.01 errors. While McLain Ward on Contagious and Laura Kraut on Dorado 212 were clear, Kent Farrington’s bars on Landon and Carl Cook’s Caracole de La Roque rejection dropped them down the ranks.
The Canadian riders were disappointed to have the bars, but their times were fast enough to boost their overall scores.
Beth Underhill and Nika V. D. Bishop. (Photo by Kara Grimshaw)
Beth Underhill and Nikka Vd Bisschop were first on track and dropped one rail. “It was honestly a bit unlucky. It felt good. She left the ground and I thought she was OK,” Underhill commented after adding that she might have led the mare straight into the air to turn around afterwards and that could have been the difference.
Mario Deslauriers and Emerson. (Photo by Kara Grimshaw)
Mario Deslauriers and Emerson were the second to land a single jump as well. “He kind of made a tricky jump,” Deslauriers explained of the rail. “He’s a bit of a rogue horse, he’s not the most consistent horse in the world. You have to take what you get and go with it a little bit. He’s very cautious, wide-eyed, brave.”
Amy Millar and Truman were next, scoring a clear run. “I was feeling fairly calm today, and I didn’t mind the course,” she said when asked if she was feeling any pressure. “I kept telling myself that I’ve been riding this horse for a long time, and we’ve done a lot of things. So I kept telling myself that we’ve done harder things and we have this and we know how to do it.
Tiffany Foster and Vigor. (Photo by Kara Grimshaw)
“In fact, what I achieved was exactly my goal,” she added. “I wanted to be around 76 seconds [their time was 76.29]. I knew I wasn’t going to win, but if we keep making some mistakes and get through tomorrow, it puts us in a really good position.
“Tournaments are always interesting. Unexpected things happen, so I’ve seen some unexpected things happen,” she said with a laugh. “Coming in and doing the first day quickly always adds a different element to the whole thing as well. This shakes things up a bit. I also believe that historically, a lot will change tomorrow. You have to keep yourself competitive today and then tomorrow should be our strong choice. We have extensive and clear round jumping machines in our team.
The last to head to Canada were Tiffany Foster and Vigor, who also had a railway. “It sounds silly, but this horse is very sensitive,” she explained after noting that she is keen to start her course quickly when she is in the ring. “Sometimes there are things that are out of your control. The guy in front of me broke a barrier, so I had to jog for two minutes. I could feel him building and building and building as I walked. The extra time made Vigor more nervous than usual, so Foster took a more… More conservative in the course than she wanted.
“He’s definitely a horse that gets better as you go. I’m sure tomorrow will be better than today.”
The competition continues tomorrow in two rounds that will determine the team medals. The individual final will be on Friday.
results testis.
