Steffen Peters and Ravel continued their streak of 10 Grand Prix tests undefeated today, June 28, at the Olympic Dressage Selection Trials in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., but Courtney King-Dye and Harmony’s Mythilus gave them a run for their money.

“I thought it was an incredible ride,” said Peters of King-Dye’s test. “For a moment, I thought she had it. It was very close. What a great day for American dressage. It’s the first time that two horses have scored 75 percent.”

Peters led with 75.25 percent to King-Dye’s 75.20 percent. Debbie McDonald grabbed third place with Brentina (73.04%) ahead of Susan Blinks and Mark (70.41%).

“I’m very happy with Ravel,” said Peters. “Every second he kept his perfect relaxation and suppleness. The test went so well that I trusted him too much in the last piaffe, and the transition into the piaffe wasn’t as good. But the piaffe itself was really good again. Those are 10 rides in a row for a green Grand Prix horse. I’m just beside myself.”

King-Dye has based herself with Peters for the last month in preparation for the trials, and Peters couldn’t have been more pleased that she was so competitive.

“I’ve always been a big team player. I like it when you can help your competitors and show that camaraderie and really good sportsmanship,” said Peters. “It’s serious business when we come down centerline, but as we leave the arena it’s a friendly, fun atmosphere.”

King-Dye herself was a bit emotional after her big score with “Myth.”

“The heart that horse has,” she said. “I had tears coming down my face. When they announced the score it was even more. “Myth has a heart of gold. He pushes through anything he’s feeling. He wants to be so good. It felt really good that I guided him in the right direction today, stayed on course and got a big score.”

King-Dye said her scores improved from last week because she was able to let Myth’s neck out considerably.

“I guessed that this week would be better than last week,” she said. “Last week, being the first day, I was a little conservative anyway. I couldn’t trust him enough to let his frame out. This extra week of work let me go for things more and trust that I was not in the passenger’s seat but in the driver’s seat.”

McDonald blamed herself, not Brentina, for a few mistakes that harmed her score, like picking up the wrong lead out of passage and missing the two-tempis.

“I made mistakes in places that I shouldn’t have, so I’m a little mad at myself. I couldn’t ask more of her,” said McDonald. “I think the piaffe-passage tour was great. The fact that she’s coming back, I haven’t had that much time in the ring with her, and she feels so fit and so clear—it’s just amazing. I’m thankful for everything I have right now.”

It’s looking like Peters, King-Dye and McDonald are a lock for the three-person team, but who will go as the traveling reserve is still up in the air.

At the moment, Leslie Morse is the fourth-placed rider and Blinks sits fifth, but Michael Barisone wasn’t able to compete Neruda this weekend. 

“His cheek rubbed on his molars. It’s like when you bite your cheek, it gets swollen and you keep biting it,” explained Barisone. “That’s what happened way up inside his cheek. I could feel riding him that something was wrong.”

However, Barisone isn’t out of the competition. Instead of a second Grand Prix and a freestyle, his overall score will be tabulated using his Grand Prix average with which he qualified for the trials and a freestyle score from a qualifying CDI.

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