Oct. 16—Guadalajara, Mexico­

When Steffen Peters watched teammate Heather Blitz nail her Prix St. Georges test on Paragon this afternoon, he declared the competition over.

“He said, ‘That’s it, that’s the winner,’ ” recalled U.S. Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons. “I said to myself, ‘I know he can ride. He’s such a mechanic.’ ”

Sure enough, anchor rider Peters guided Weltino’s Magic through a beautiful test to clinch gold for the U.S. dressage team at the Pan American Games. His mark of 80.13 percent had officials scrambling to confirm whether he’d scored a Pan American record and boosted the overall U.S. average to 74.42 percent. That score secured a decisive victory over Canada, who took silver on a mark of 70.41 percent. Colombia won out a battle with Mexico to claim bronze.

Both the Canadian and Colombian teams were thrilled—and a little relieved—with their medals. They earned those teams invitations to the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“We really needed to have our medal to get to the Olympics,” said Canadian Crystal Kroetch. “Three of us [Kroetch, Tina Irwin and Roberta Byng-Morris] are newcomers, but we had Tom [Dvorak] guiding us every step of the way, so it was great.” 

Leading The Pack         
Team veteran Peters felt thrilled to kick off his first Pan Am Games in winning fashion.

“I have to say I’m extremely happy with Magic,” said Peters. “He was wonderful in the test, but an equal thank you has to go to my teammates. [At previous competitions] I’ve had to go in with a heavier load on my shoulders. All three teammates made it a lot easier for me.”

Those teammates included Blitz, Pan Am first timer Marisa Festerling on Big Tyme and Cesar Parra, who’s riding in his first Games as a U.S. citizen aboard Grandioso. Eva Salomon served as chef d’equipe.

Forty-seven horses performed today at the Guadalajara Country Club, well over the usual maximum of 40. Spectators who stuck out the day scrambled to get to their seats on time to see Peters and Weltino’s Magic (Weltino—Diva, Diamond Boy), who performed after the final break. Those that hung around were in for a treat.

“Magic topped it today with really, really good pirouettes, very good trot work—even the trot extensions felt good, which sometimes can be a little bit his weak point,” said Peters, San Diego, Calif. “On top of that he walked really, relaxed. I was so happy about it, I actually got a little close to where I had to pick up the canter, and I almost ran out of space because I was so excited about that super walk. There wasn’t a single flaw in the test, and for that to happen when it matters the most shows how reliable and how exciting Magic is, so I’m super happy.”

Getting To Gold
One of the major decisions Gribbons had to make as technical advisor was selecting the order of riders for the U.S. team.

“I knew how I wanted to order, but between Marissa and Cesar, who would go first or second, I just had them flip a coin to decide,” she said. “It worked out beautifully. Cesar had the hardest part going first, and he did a great job setting the tone. After that it all flowed beautifully.”

Parra delivered a fluid test (69.52%), which led the pack much of the morning.

“I’m happy with what we’ve got in there,” said Parra, Whitehouse Station, N.J. “Obviously I always want higher marks, but I had the responsibility as the first rider on the team, and I take a lot of pride and responsibility in doing that. I think I delivered to my team what we needed.”

Big Tyme stayed relaxed in his first international team competition for Festerling, Moorpark, Calif. Judges Stephen Clarke, Raphael Saleh, Cara Whitham, Armando Gabriel and Lilo Fore rewarded her ride with average marks of 72.02 percent.

“I thought my ride was pretty flawless,” she said. “There was one little bobble coming into the pirouette—he almost collected too much. But I caught him really quick, and I think we got it back on track as quick as we could. Everything else I thought was really super. I couldn’t be happier and I couldn’t ask for more.”

According to Blitz, Paragon had just the right combination of energy, relaxation and obedience to lay down his second-placed mark of 75.10 percent.

“When I go in the ring, I always just completely erase my external environment,” said Blitz, Loxahatchee, Fla. “I know it exists but I don’t let it get in my head. It’s just the 20×60-meter arena like it always is, and I tried to ride with precision, letter by letter and kept in mind all the things Anne [Gribbons] has been helping me with over the last week. Her judge’s perspective is invaluable.”

Looking Ahead
The top 25 riders will return tomorrow to ride the Intermediaire I test toward the individual medals. The top 15 riders will continue advance to the freestyle on Wednesday Oct. 19, which serves as the final phase of the individual competition.

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