In the first individual show jumping qualifier, Aug. 15 in Hong Kong, China, the U.S. jumpers posted three clears and one four-fault round. As a result of tonight’s competition, the U.S team—the only team to finish on 0 faults after dropping one score—will compete last in the team competition, which starts Sunday.

McLain Ward was especially happy with Sapphire’s clear round since the mare is suffering from a heat rash around the saddle area caused by sweating so much. “She has lumps on her side, and I can’t really put my leg on,” he said. “Another 24 hours will really help that, but it shows what a pro she is.

“She made it look easy,” he added. “She jumped beautifully and felt calm.”

Laura Kraut’s Cedric rolled the only rail of the U.S. jumpers, at fence 6C, the vertical off a tight one-stride in the triple combination. “I rode the triple a bit too strong, and he ate it up,” she said. “But I couldn’t be happier. He’s ready, and I feel confident. I hope to put it together Sunday and Monday.”

She said team coach George Morris gave instructions to go in and ride Leopoldo Palacios’ and Steve Stephens’ course without any pressure, to get confidence in the arena. In fact, Morris stopped Will Simpson from jumping too many fences in warm-up with Carlsson Vom Dach. “I was ready to jump a few more, and he came over and yelled, ‘Stop!’ three times. He was right,” said Simpson.

When Simpson exited the arena with a double clear, he said he had a thrill of a lifetime when Morris told him his round was “textbook.”

Simpson said after eight days onsite, working on flatwork, he was ready to start jumping in his first Olympic Games. “I thought I was turning into a dressage rider,” he said with a laugh.

“I’ve worked a lifetime to get here, and I’m going to enjoy it,” he added. “To have a horse who’s ready to do it, I feel so lucky. They’re rare, and to have one at the right time, I feel really blessed.”

Authentic jumped clear for Beezie Madden, who said the course was a good warm-up for her veteran. “The triple was a good gymnastic for him because he’s aggressive and it got shorter as you went through,” she said.

But she wasn’t ready to write off the Germans as still being one of the toughest teams for the U.S. team to beat. “I’m not going to get overconfident,” she said. “They took tonight lightly, and I think it will look different on Sunday and Monday.”

Just A Warm-Up For Germans
Tonight’s first qualifier for individual jumping doesn’t affect team placings—it determines the starting order for the first round of the team competition, and it contributes to the score to determine the top 35 to jump in the individual final, where, once qualified, the scores will start over at 0.

As a result, the favored Germans (Christian Ahlmann/Coster, Marco Kutscher/Cornet Obolensky, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum/Shutterfly, Ludger Beerbaum/All Inclusive) decided to use the class as a warm-up, and all four of their riders racked up uncharacteristic faults.

“We tried to save our power for the Nations Cup,” said Ahlmann, who had two rails and 2 time penalties on Coster. “We didn’t try hard to get the time.”

Beerbaum, who also had two rails and 2 time penalties on All Inclusive, wasn’t concerned with where their results put Germany in the draw for the team competition. “I’ve ridden for many years, and the Nations Cup has never been decided by the draw,” he said. “We’re going to need to be a little more awake, but the individual [qualification] is going to be decided in the bigger rounds of the Nations Cup.”

Michaels-Beerbaum said Shutterfly is always being asked to perform, so using this as a warm-up was nice for him, despite a rail and 2 time penalties. “I was riding a little relaxed and letting the fences come,” she said. “We thought that was the best tactic for Sunday and Monday, and we will know Monday night. Until we went in and jumped this today, it was hard to know what kind of form we were in. I’d like to sit down and think about my round, go over it with my husband Marcus. We have a free day to discuss it tomorrow and come up with new tactics.”

She said one of the biggest challenges has been trying to keep busy while waiting for the competition to begin. “I’ve done a lot of fitness work at the Olympic village and gone shopping,” she said.

Clears For Canada
By dropping Ian Millar’s one rail aboard In Style, the Canadian team (Eric Lamaze/Hickstead, Mac Cone/Ole, Jill Henselwood/Special Ed, Millar/In Style) posted just 1 time fault, tying them for second best (with Switzerland and Brazil) in the starting order.

“All week we were flatting, and he knew something was coming,” said Lamaze of Hickstead. “He felt really good and warmed up well. He had a lot of rest time, more rest than I’d ever give him [for another competition], but he has a lot of experience.”

Cone was thrilled with his double-clear round on Ole for Canada. “He did everything you dream they will do in the Olympics,” he said of his horse. “He trotted in like it was another competition. He hasn’t shown in six weeks, but he wasn’t rusty at all. But the fight is just beginning.”

Cone said the ring reminded him of the conditions at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Palm Beach, Fla. “The footing, the lights, and they don’t even notice the crowd, it’s so far away,” he said.

With five days of competition in the humidity of Hong Kong, Millar said the competition would be a test of strength and endurance. “The horse who stays hydrated the best is going to be important,” he said.

A Different Test
Reigning Olympic champions Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil had just 1 time fault aboard Rufus. “I allowed myself a little more time coming into the last line,” he said.

“It’s the softest first day I’ve seen at the last four Olympics, but it’s like a heat—you have to go through it,” he added. “I think we’ll see something different in the next two or three days.”

He said he wished the round did count toward the final standings rather than just toward qualifying for the final round. “This should count for something to make it a little more solid,” he said.

This format is slightly different from past Olympics, and, unlike past Olympics, the team competition will feature two different courses instead of two rounds over the same course. “The FEI decided that the best combination on the day should win, not an addition of scores,” said John Roche, FEI Director of Jumping. “It’s to bring [the sport] more in line with other sports in the Olympics, to reduce the riders step by step.”

For individual results after Round 1, click here…

For team results after Round 1, click here…