June 20, 2014–The Hermès U.S. Jumping Team produced a two-round total of 27 in Friday’s Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Longines at CSIO5* Rotterdam to finish in eighth place.
Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, members of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Short List for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Lucy Davis, Jessica Springsteen, Katie Dinan, and Lauren Hough composed the American effort that went head-to-head with many of the world’s best over Santiago Varela’s 12-obstacle course.
“Obviously today was not the result we wanted; however, we need to keep days like today in perspective. Rotterdam is our first stop in Europe, and our objective for this summer is to prepare for the World Equestrian Games,” said Ridland. “The goal is to produce clear rounds and we have several combinations that were very close to producing those clears.”
Jumping in the lead-off spot for the U.S. were Davis (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Old Oak Farm’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Barron. The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final veterans collected four faults in both rounds after lowering the oxer at fence three in the first round and fence 11 in round two.
Springsteen (Colts Neck, N.J.) and Vindicat W were next up for the American contingent, lowering fences five and 10B in round one for an eight-fault total. In the second round, Stone Hill Farm’s 12-year-old KWPN gelding jumped a 12-fault round after rolling poles at the A and C elements of the triple at 10, and the vertical at 11.
Dinan (Wellington, Fla.) and Grant Road Partners LLC’s Nougat du Vallet looked on track to produce a faultless effort in the first round, but the talented competition finished eight-tenths of a second over the 82-second time allowed to collect one time fault. In round two, the 13-year-old Selle Francais gelding faulted at the water and incurred two time faults to finish round two on a score of six.
Anchoring the United States’ effort on Friday was Hough (Wellington, Fla.), with The Ohlala Group’s Swedish Warmblood mare Ohlala. In round one, they jumped to an eight-fault total after lowering rails at fences five and 10C, and returned with an improved effort in their second trip, looking on form to produce a clear round until the penultimate fence came down for a four-fault score.
France and The Netherlands finished the two rounds tied on a score of eight, necessitating a jump-off where Penelope Leprovost and Flora de Mariposa produced a clear round to earn victory for the French team. Finishing in third place behind the Dutch team was Germany on a score of 12.
To learn more about the CSIO5* Rotterdam visit http://www.chio.nl/EN.
Follow the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team here.
