Spruce Meadows

In front of record crowds, the fourth day of the Spruce Meadows Masters tournament saw both the American and German flag fly above the international ring.

With nine nations represented in the $300,000 BMO Nations’ Cup, 35 horse/rider combinations took to the International ring. The Leopoldo Palacios course featured 15 jumping obstacles over 560 meters of track. After Round 1, the 2011 BMO Nations Cup winners, team France, were forced to withdraw after only two of their three riders completed the course.

It’s hard to come up with adjectives adequate to describe Rich Fellers and Flexible’s performances this spring. Words like “phenomenal,” “incredible” and “unbelievable” are trite and cliché, and honestly don’t convey the true magnitude of his accomplishments.

Calgary, Alta., Sept. 11

There seemed to be no way Hickstead was going to jump clean through the tight one-stride combination of verticals as he came rocketing into it. But he landed after the first, put in a quick pitter-pat of a stride, and then pinged up over the second vertical, flipping his hind end over it almost with disdain.

It was then that Eric Lamaze knew he had the $1,002,259 CN International Grand Prix won.

French chef d’equipe Thierry Pomel knew he had good horses and riders on his team for the $351,088 BMO Nations Cup at the Spruce Meadows Masters. He just thought he might not have quite enough of them.

For most amateur riders, taking second place in a Prix des Nations competition at Spruce Meadows (Alta.) would probably rank high on a list of proudest achievements. For Sara Jorgensen, the satisfaction was doubled—her 14-year-old daughter Abby was another member of the team.

“When we were lined up for ribbons, I couldn’t even look at her,” Sara said. “I knew I would burst out in tears if I did, so I just kept looking down at my horse and adjusting my reins. I was so full of pride. It was a really good moment.”

Nine years ago, Jeroen Dubbeldam traveled to the Spruce Meadows Masters from his home in the Netherlands to contest one of the world’s most prestigious grand prix classes. His trip didn’t quite go as planned, however.

“I was eliminated in the grand prix and didn’t even get the $3,500 for finishing. Then, I sat next to Renne Tebbel on the plane home, and he had won the class. They weren’t such great memories,” said Dubbeldam laughing.

He’ll have much better memories now.

U.S. Chef d’ Equipe George Morris said it all during the awards ceremony of the $339,515 BMO Nations Cup at the Spruce Meadows Masters: “There’s nothing better than winning the Nations Cup at Spruce Meadows. Nothing.”

This was the U.S. team’s second win in three years, but it wasn’t without drama during a typical Calgary, Alta., fall afternoon that featured bright sunshine, rain showers and a significant drop in temperatures during the two-round class held today, Sept. 11.