Nancy Jaffer at the WEG, ready to go in the 450 Euro hat she didn't buy, loaded down with her photo vest, photo pinnie, camera and monopod.

Back in the USA, September 7, 2006 -- There are those who think the World Equestrian Games (WEG) are too big and too long; that it would be better to go back to separate world championships in each discipline, the way it was before the first WEG in 1990.

I must say I was leaning in that direction myself after two weeks of rushing around writing and photographing seven disciplines on deadline at what for me was the World Exhaustion Games.

I thought a bit wistfully about 1986, when I covered the World Show Jumping Championships in Aachen; the World Eventing Championships in Australia; the World Dressage Championships in Canada and the World Four-in-Hand Championships in England. True, that involved a lot of traveling, but none of these championships were consecutive, so I had recovery time between each competition.

Yet since I've finally caught up on my sleep, I have to say that the WEG is a good idea. It makes a marketing and media impact that could not be duplicated by separate world championships. Another benefit is its united front for horse sports, which too often have gone their separate ways and not optimized their strengths as a result.

For every person who's a specialist--a show jumper, an eventer, a reiner--and interested in nothing else, there are many more people who just enjoy horses and have learned to appreciate them in all their sizes, shapes and "professions." The WEG gives them a chance to indulge their passion and at the same time, learn about new equestrian sports with which they may not be familiar. The Aachen organizers also did a great job of providing equestrian exhibitions, the most memorable of which was the 64-stallion quadrille during opening ceremonies.

To be a true horse lover, you have to be able to see the beauty in every breed and discipline. And the WEG offers a chance to encounter the best everywhere you look. As FEI President Princess Haya put it, during the WEG we were "indulged with equestrian excellence," and believe me, it was appreciated.

Matt Mills in the midst of a spin on Easy Otie Whiz

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

What will I remember most about the 2006 WEG?

In reining, it was meeting Matt Mills, that personable young man who just missed an individual medal but had the opportunity to ride on the American gold medal team during his first foreign show. The way he handled himself was impressive. Matt is someone whose star quality should be showcased for the future as an ambassador of equestrian sport. And he looks fantastic in action, a rider with natural grace.

I also loved seeing how other countries got into being part of "the cowboy way". On a horse, wearing a 10-gallon hat and cowboy boots, you couldn't tell them from someone who grew up in Montana. Sure, the Germans had their national colors of red, black and yellow striped on their cowboy boots, and those gals from Switzerland wore the western shirts that fascinated me with their sparkle-outlined Swiss crosses (see photo below), but from a distance, all you see is the sportsman or woman, an identity that erases national boundaries.

In show jumping, it was the way Beezie Madden of the USA handled being in the lead on Authentic throughout the competition, until the very last fence of the WEG, and then how graciously she adjusted to accepting a silver medal that everyone thought should have been gold.

I loved the white stallions of show jumpers Gerco Schroeder and Jos Lansink, Eurocommerce Berlin and Cavalor Cumano, whose beauty played to the romance that most of us have with horses.

Evelyne Rothlisberger of Switzerland on Gallo Pequeno

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

But let's dump the Final Four catch-riding concept. It's too much for the horses, and the thrill is gone when the riders are all so good (as they have to be nowadays to reach the top) that the whole thing lacks the interest it once had when different nations each had their own style of riding.

In endurance, I was impressed by the way winner Manuel Vila Ubach of Spain came toward the finish line, dropping the reins and doing a little airplane thing with his arms outstretched (some soccer, excuse me, football player in Europe apparently does that too, I guess that's where he picked it up). But then after he crossed the finish, the rider turned emotional, crying and kissing his horse, Hungares. He ran the gamut of emotions in front of all of us. I just wish it hadn't been raining so more people could have seen this little drama.

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Aachen, Germany, September 3, 2006 -- They sure love their reining over here. Forget the lederhosen; just give the Germans some riders in Stetsons to watch and they're happy to cheer all day.

They've really picked up on the whole western ethos. I laughed the other day when I overheard a German reining press conference as I was working in the media center.

It was going along with unintelligible (to me) "Blah, blah, German blah blah," and then someone said in English, "It ain't over until the fat lady sings," followed by more "blah, blah" in German. I'm still smiling when I think about it.

While the home nation at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) was dominant in so many disciplines, it still has a fair piece to go--as do the other European countries--in terms of reining achievement.

The individual finals today were all U.S. and Canada at the top of the heap. You had to drop down to seventh place before a European, Ann Poels of Belgium on Little Royal BH, got any of the action.

Silver medalist Tim McQuay on Mister Nicadual

© Nancy Jaffer 2006

Duane Latimer, who was tops in the team competition with Hang Ten Surprize, won the gold, but he had to produce a memorable ride--twice.

Tim McQuay, USA reining's only $2 million man, had earned an impressive score of 230 before Duane galloped into the ring. After an equally stellar ride, Duane got the same mark, and the crowd went wild. Well, actually, they went wild for every rider, so in this case, they went wilder.

The way they break a tie in reining is by having the riders perform the same test again. I wish they could have just done it on the score of the president of the jury, or something. These horses gave everything they had in the first round, and I just knew the second round wouldn't be as memorable. You didn't have to be a reining expert to figure that out.

Mister Nicadual looked tired to me the second time around; he didn't have the snap that characterized his initial go. Although he put in an unprompted lead change, I don't think that was what brought his mark down to 226. He just didn't have the brilliance of his first performance.

Canadian reining gold medalist Duane Latimer on Hang Ten Surprize

© Nancy Jaffer 2006

It was obvious by the way Duane came into the ring for the second time that his mount was ready to nail the top spot. And that's just what he did, though he was two points off the original mark at 228.

Sorry, but I considered the whole run-off an anti-climax. It really was nearly the same scenario as we saw later in the day in the individual show jumping, when the horses were forced to do an extra tie-breaker round.

Anyway, Duane led an all-star U.S. cast in the placings. Tim won the silver, of course, followed by American Aaron Ralston on Smart Paul Olena, marked at 227.5 for the bronze.

American Matt Mills was fourth, just outside of the medals with 224.5 for his performance with Easy Otie Whiz, who looked much better than he did in the team competition on Friday. Apparently, the horse had some body soreness, and the vet worked wonders on him.

Matt was 3.5 points ahead of the other American on the team, Dell Hendricks with Starbucks Sidekick. I asked Matt whether he wanted to come to the next WEG. You can listen to what he told me by clicking on the sound byte below.

Listen: Matt Mills discusses his WEG reining experience.

Matt was very impressive, extremely well-spoken and a wonderful rider. I loved watching his natural grace on a horse. Unfortunately, not all the reiners were ready for centaur status, in my view.

Well folks, I am written out. I feel like I've been in my own extra round (for about a week, actually). But it's been a great WEG and one that I hope you remember as fondly as I
will (once I get some sleep). We're going to put up a few more photos in the photo gallery on Tuesday, so check back and see more of the images from two marvelous weeks of competition.

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Aachen, Germany, September 3, 2006 -- The excitement of the World Equestrian Games (WEG) continued until the last moments of competition today, followed by fireworks and displays that marked a brilliant end to the most successful compilation of world championships ever held.

In show jumping, the individual gold medalist wasn't decided until the final fence came down, while in reining, a rare run-off was necessary to break a tie between two stars of the sport (go to the separate reining story for the details on that battle.)

The first time I saw the Final Four was in 1982 in Dublin, when the show jumping championship was a stand-alone affair. (The WEG didn't start until 1990.) I still remember the tension and thrills of watching four riders changing horses to tackle a tough course, how each animal had quirks and the way the competitors tried to cope with them. Little Malcolm Pyrah of Britain was quite descriptive in discussing his trouble with Norbert Koof's big German horse, Fire, and the class certainly kept everyone entertained.

Now, nearly a quarter-century later, I think the Final Four concept has had its day. The riders who make it into this round are all so skilled, and their horses are all so wonderful, that they are neatly interchangeable.

Only one of the four, longshot Edwina Alexander--a Netherlands-based Australian--had a rail down during her four rounds. She was riding Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum's mount, Shutterfly, when it happened. Not a disaster, but sufficient to put her fourth.

Since neither Meredith, a German; the USA's Beezie Madden nor Jos Lansink of Belgium made a mistake in the original rounds, it was necessary to go to a jump-off. Just what the horses needed, an extra go over the fences after putting in nine rounds since Tuesday.

New world champion jumper rider Jos Lansink and Cavalor Cumano

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

Back on their own horses, the riders were racing against the clock. Jos left out some strides so that Cavalor Cumano, the snowy Holsteiner stallion he rides, could make up for his lack of natural speed. He thought his clocking of 45.01 might push his rivals to make a mistake.

And Meredith did, dropping a rail with Shutterfly while finishing slower than Jos in 45.40 seconds. Part of her problem may have stemmed from the fact that Shutterfly, who hates noise, was undone by the cheering of the spectators and started rearing in the pen where the riders change saddles and go over the two practice jumps they are allowed.

The unflappable Beezie was going neatly at a nice clip without mishap on Authentic until the Rolex oxer at the end of the course. A rail rolled there, giving the title to Jos and putting Beezie second in 43.74 seconds after she had led all the way through the WEG. Cumano also displaced Authentic as the Best Horse of the finals, a title for which Beezie's mount had been headed all week.

Double silver medalist Beezie Madden and Authentic

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

Listen:
Beezie Madden discusses what happened at the oxer.

I asked Jos whether he thought the Final Four format should continue as it is, and he agreed with me that it should not. Even though he wouldn't have earned the gold if the medals had been handed out after the two rounds for the top 25 riders on Saturday, he thought that was the way it should have been done. Beezie would have been the deserving winner under that scenario, and Authentic the best horse. Jos noted that dressage has extra medals for the Special, so show jumping could go the same way and maybe have special medals for a Final Three horsemanship prize after the individual medals are handed out the previous day. (He doesn't like the idea of four riders competing).

Well, they have four years to figure that out, and we were all thinking about the next WEG today because the Kentucky 2010 people gave a press conference.

They had more than 100 folks here assessing what is needed for their own WEG. And I have to tell you, they have a hard act to follow. This WEG attracted approximately 600,000 visitors during its run, 100,000 more than was anticipated.
I asked the energetic Frank Kemperman, who ran this show, if he would have changed anything.

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Aachen, Germany, September 2, 2006 -- We all realized that barring a disaster of Biblical proportions, Beezie Madden would be part of tomorrow's Final Four show jumping test at the World Equestrian Games (WEG).

The only surprise today in regard to Beezie, as the top 25 riders jumped to earn a spot in the ride-off for the individual world championship, was that she actually incurred four faults.

But it wasn't a knockdown; Authentic, who soars neatly over everything in his unorthodox fashion, simply touched a tile at the far edge of the water jump. He's entitled, after jumping three clean rounds in the team competition. And during the second of two rounds this afternoon, he was perfect again.

Okay, so who did I think would be in the Final Four with Beezie? For sure, I picked Gerco Schroeder of the Netherlands and the storybook white stallion Eurocommerce Berlin. (By the way, if he were my horse, I would have given him a more fitting name, like Moonbeam or Sir Gallant or something, he's so beautiful. But a sponsor is a sponsor, and they're hard to find. Oh, I have a great photo of this horse that I'll try to put up in my gallery next week as we take one final look at the WEG, so you can see what I mean about this Holsteiner's rapturous looks.)

I think I'm starting to ramble here; it's because I'm so tired after this looong WEG. And I didn't jump even one fence! Gerco's horse looked to me as if he were feeling the effects of a lot of jumping. He had eight faults in the first round and four in the second to put poor Gerco down into a tie for 11th in the class. So much for him; there I was wrong.

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum on Shutterfly

© Nancy Jaffer 2006

I knew there would be a German in the Final Four mix, and it had to be a Beerbaum. So while I considered that it could be Ludger Beerbaum, I decided World Cup Champion Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (who grew up in California, by the way) would probably be the one. Meredith started riding for Germany after marrying Ludger's brother, Marcus, and she has a great horse in Shutterfly. I was very surprised when she had five faults in the first round, but she came back with a brilliant clear and others obliged by faltering to put her into the Final Four.

Jos Lansink, a native of the Netherlands who rides for Belgium now, also has a snowy Holsteiner stallion, Cavalor Cumano (at least that's a more musical-sounding name than Eurocommerce...) He got behind the eight-ball in the first round at the WEG, when Cumano had to jump in the pouring rain, but the horse showed his talent today with two clean rounds that boosted him into the finals.

Jos Lansink on Cavalor Cumano

© Nancy Jaffer

The only other double-clear belonged to a real longshot, Edwina Alexander, an Australian who is based in Holland with her boyfriend, horse dealer Jan Tops. I'm not sure I ever heard of Edwina before, but I do know her horse, Isovlas Pialotta, who was ridden in the U.S. by Lynne Little.

Even Edwina considered herself a no-hoper. She had packed her clothes and was going to leave tonight. Whoops, change of plans. She needs to stay until tomorrow evening to see whether she wins the world championship.

Now I have to explain what this involves, in case you don't know. In the Olympics (and just about everywhere else), you ride your own horse when you're going after a title.

In the world championships, you jump a course on your horse, then switch off with the other three riders and take their horses over the same course. There are a few other competitions that follow this format, including the U.S. Equestrian Federation Talent Search, but the one at the WEG is the highest level of this approach.

Edwina Alexander on Isovlas Pialotta

© Nancy Jaffer 2006

And it's controversial. Many people say that really, it's just the catch-riding championship of the world. It can be tricky if one horse is particularly quirky. But I think tomorrow's competition should be quite interesting. As the riders pointed out, Pialotta, Authentic and Shutterfly are sort of the same type; very elastic and adjustable, light on their feet. Since Cumano is a stallion, you can guess that he's much different, a heavier, more powerful type of horse.

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Aachen, Germany, September 2, 2006 -- After a great start, the U.S. four-in-hand driving team had a dismal finish, going from first to eighth in the course of three days.

Winning the dressage was exhilarating, but in combined driving, that's only one-third of the game. A weak marathon from all concerned on America's side meant today's cones phase was even more important than usual.

With strong teams such as Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in the race (they finished 1, 2 and 3 by the way), the only hope America had of climbing up in the vicinity of the medals (please note I did not say INTO the medals) was to have super rounds in the cones.

The best American effort in the final phase belonged to Jimmy Fairclough, who had the original discard scores in both dressage and the marathon. I was really happy for Jimmy, who has been driving in the world championships for more than a quarter-century.

He was 10th in the cones to come in 20th overall, and is confident the young team he drives for sponsor Jane Clark is coming along. Listen to him talk about it in this sound byte.

Listen: Jimmy Fairclough on his young team and his experience today.

Tucker Johnson, the highest-placed American in driving at the WEG

© Nancy Jaffer

I thought Tucker Johnson, once known as "The King of Cones," would have a great showing in this phase, but it was not to be. Here he explains why he wound up 25th today, although with his dressage and marathon added in, he came in 14th overall.
Listen: Tucker Johnson comments on his cones experience.

But the real shocker was Chester Weber, winner of the dressage, who had a lapse and went off course. He was eliminated, which meant neither his winning dressage score nor his marathon mark could be counted in the team's total.
He'll tell you what happened.

Listen: Chester Weber explains why he went off course in the cones.

Unfortunately, the expense of four-in-hand driving means very few people can afford to do it at the international level, so that means the U.S. team will probably continue to be Tucker, Jimmy and Chester. They all have things to work on, and it's hard because to really hone their skills they have to come over here, where this type of driving is a big sport. There are precious few opportunities at home to drive an advanced four-in-hand in competition, and our guys are only driving against each other.

Experience in facing down the best drivers is what makes a cool competitor, and I watched with admiration as former world champion Felix Brasseur of Belgium became the new world champion with a drive that was calculated to the second and the millimeter.

Ysbrand Chardon of the Netherlands, who lost the world driving title

© Nancy Jaffer 2006

He was right behind another former world champ, Ysbrand Chardon of the Netherlands in the order of go, and Felix's amazing drive put real pressure on the leader.

Ysbrand faltered, having one knockdown for three penalties and time faults as well, to finish 14th in the segment, but second overall. So even someone with loads of mileage and good competition nerves can have problems.

But I will always remember Felix's drive before a pro-German packed house, as he made admirers out of all of them.

Visit EquiSearch's WEG section for more stories, blogs and online diaries, and chat about the WEG with fellow fans in the EquiSearch Forum.

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Aachen, Germany, September 1, 2006 -- "I'm an old cowhand, from the Czech Republic..."

Hmm, maybe that version of the song doesn't have hum-ability, but it fits right in with reining at the World Equestrian Games (WEG). When I think of loping along in a stock saddle, the first image that comes to mind isn't a cowpoke from Prague or Geneva, but since reining has taken Europe by storm, you better get used to it.

Europe, heck. There are plenty of other continents that are getting into the game too. Israel had a reining team at the WEG, as did Brazil, and by the 2010 WEG, you'll be seeing a squad from South Africa and probably more than one from Asia, too, not to mention Australia--the next target area for the National Reining Horse Association.

Antonio Mastrangelo, the chef d'equipe for the Italian reining team, told me when I asked what was so appealing about being a cowboy that the interaction with others who share an interest in the sport is the basis for great friendships and a special lifestyle whose appeal stretches far beyond the U.S.

But America is still on top in the sport with its roots in herding cattle (though maybe not for long, the way the rest of the world seems to be catching up). The U.S. won team gold in the discipline this year for the second time since it was first included in the WEG four years ago.

But Canadian anchor rider Duane Latimer (who not surprisingly competes regularly against the Americans) was the top-placed individual in the team competition to lead his squad to the silver medal, while Italy won the bronze for the second consecutive WEG.

Paulo Koury Neto of Brazil on Texas Playboy

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

The sport's promoters are eager to see it gain even further acceptance, but it's doing really well at the moment, with 30 percent more teams at this WEG than in Jerez during 2002.

The 15 squads on hand, which all add their own touches to the game, included an all-female contingent from Switzerland. The Swiss cross seen on the nation's flag was outlined in silvery sparkles on the traditional western shirt the ladies wore.

Practically every horse (with the exception of a Slovakian appaloosa and paints from Canada and France) is registered with the American Quarter Horse Association.

Whatever language the riders and their supporters speak, they all hoot and holler the same way their equivalents do at shows in Albuquerque or Abilene.

The biggest disappointment for me today was seeing American anchor man Matt Mills' mount, Easy Otie Whiz, not quite on his game. His sliding stops were far from classic, and the always gracious Matt conceded that the horse had a problem with the footing. To hear Matt's detailed assessment, click on the sound byte below.

ARC Golden Boy, ridden by Jeannette Krahenbuhl of Switzerland

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

Listen:
Matt Mills describes his ride in the team
competition on Easy Otie Whiz and what went wrong

Even though Matt had the drop score in the team competition, he'll have another chance to prove himself in the international arena, along with the rest of the squad, when the competition for the individual medals takes place on Sunday.

That's also the day the WEG ends. Hard to believe, seems as if I've been here forever. While I love reporting on the competition, I'm ready to go home and start resting up to prepare myself for the next WEG in 2010, which will be hosted by the Kentucky Horse Park--no overseas flight involved. Yay!

Visit EquiSearch's WEG section for more stories, blogs and online diaries, and chat about the WEG with fellow fans in the EquiSearch Forum.

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Aachen, Germany, September 1, 2006 -- I just knew it was too good to last. The excitement I felt when the U.S. was at the top of the leaderboard yesterday after four-in-hand driving dressage evaporated on a warm afternoon during the marathon, where the dream died as Germany took over the lead at the World Equestrian Games (WEG).

It was so refreshing not to see the home side dominating this sport in which they are so strong, but Americans Chester Weber (who won the dressage), Tucker Johnson and Jimmy Fairclough just couldn't keep it together through eight hazards as they went cross-country in front of a crowd of about 38,000 spectators.

As someone who has trouble getting my little car into the garage without coming dangerously close to a wall, I have unbounded admiration for anyone who would even try to take four horses and wind them tight as a spring through some of these twisty-turny obstacles.

Chester Weber, the leading American after the WEG marathon

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

When you stand within a few yards of the hazards, you get a new appreciation of the word "horsepower," and all that it means. The fantastic surge that these animals provide as they go up and down and around and around, all (generally) controlled by their drivers, is amazing. The drivers all have different ways of communicating with their horses. With some, it's a few words of command, with others, it's constant loud communication.

We did have one team of horses make a break for it today. Those things happen. But the Americans were generally in control, though problems here and there in the hazards were costly. The U.S. squad sank to fifth behind Germany, the Netherlands (whose marathon expert and former world champion Ysbrand Chardon is leading the individual standings), Belgium and Hungary.

Driving championship leader Ysbrand Chardon of the Netherlands

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

I hope tomorrow's cones course is hard. Maybe we can inch up in the ranks if it is; our guys are generally good at cones. But we probably won't get a medal, and we have to look at how to eleavte our standing in this European-dominated sport.

Our sound byte today is Chester giving his views on what should be done to improve our performance in the sport on an international level.

Listen:
Chester Weber on how to improve results
internationally for the U.S. four-in-hands

Chester thinks we could have a bunch of four-in-hand teams on the U.S. scene by the time of the next WEG in 2010. I have to disagree. The sport is simply too expensive and time-consuming at the highest level for the average pairs driver to contemplate, let alone a singles driver--unless he or she has just won the lottery.

At the moment, the three members of our squad are the only game in town. Jim Richards started the selection process, but had to drop out after his mother became ill. Then he loaned his horses to his trainer, Thomas Eriksson, who is in third place. I wonder how we would have fared if those horses were on our side.

Karen Bassett of Great Britain is one of the few championship-level female

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

I must say the enthusiasm for horse sports here is very heartening. The marathon course (which is the same piece of ground as last weekend's eventing cross-country course) was quite crowded, and once again it's obvious that the spectators are knowledgeable and real fans, not just folks out for a stroll in the country.

They were marveling at the well-constructed hazards. The first water complex had been transformed for the drivers, though the eventers' jumps were still there, but I loved the way the horses thundered down an arched bridge to get to the water, and then went back up on their way out. It was pretty dramatic.

I spent a lot of time in the sixth hazard, a triangular affair that had strategically placed logos throughout, providing a challenge for the drivers to navigate. I looked over the shoulder of a fence judge to see her diagram of how the hazard should be handled, and it was amazing to look at the different ways it could be approached. Frankly, it made me dizzy to watch the horses go through there, and I admired the judge for being able to determine if they were doing it right, when there were so many options. I'd have to go to the videotape!

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Aachen, Germany, August 31, 2006 -- In an evening full of the unexpected, the U.S. show jumping team emerged with a silver medal that all too easily could have gone elsewhere, were it not for thrilling clutch performances by McLain Ward and the totally amazing Beezie Madden.

Since it's 3 a.m. on Sept. 1 here (but I'm using a stateside date), I'll have to make this short and sweet, and maybe fill you in a bit more tomorrow. Or today. Or whenever, right after I get three hours of sleep and get up a little after the crack of dawn to go to the four-in-hand driving marathon.

The Dutch surprised everyone (and, I think, themselves) by taking the show jumping gold medal with 11.01 faults. Gerco Schroeder, who is nearly as amazing as Beezie, clinched the world championship title for his side with his third perfect trip on the magnificent gray Holsteiner stallion, Eurocommerce Berlin.

The U.S. wasn't going to catch the Netherlands, but it could have been passed by Germany were it not for something in the unexpected category. Marcus Ehning, whose credits include the World Cup championship and being ranked No. 1 in the world, had a catastrophe of a stop at a jump that looked like a giant postage stamp.

Gerco Schroeder clinched the world championship for the Dutch team

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

We were just wondering why no horse had refused this odd fence when his not-so-experienced mount, Noltes Kuchengirl, put on the brakes and demolished the obstacle. That was the end of the German attempt to climb beyond bronze.

A clear from Marcus (who also had a knockdown at an oxer before the refusal) would have enabled Germany to drop Christian Ahlmann's 4-fault score and finish on 15.16 faults, beating the U.S. mark of 18.85. But that was not to be, and the Germans wound up with bronze and 19.16 faults.

"Overall, we can be very happy to finish third," said Ludger Beerbaum, noting his highly touted nation was only 0.01 faults ahead of Ukraine in fourth.

Germany's Marcus Ehning had a disaster on Nolte's Kuchengirl

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

"When you see the performance of the Dutch and also the Americans, they were not lucky to win, they were far better than we are," Ludger commented. It was a gracious remark, and I hope it soothed some of the German/Dutch enmity that surfaced during the dressage competition.

The U.S. had some bad moments early in the evening over essentially the same course as everyone jumped in the Cup's first round on Wednesday. (The only differences were the lack of the water jump, the substitution of the postage stamp and elimination of one other fence.)

Margie Engle dropped a rail at the second fence with Quervo Gold, but held on to make that her only fault of the night. Then Laura Kraut had two knockdowns--including the first fence--with Miss Independent, which turned up the heat on McLain, with Sapphire, and Beezie, aboard Authentic.

They each came through with style, showing the same kind of ability they demonstrated when they were half of the 2004 Olympic gold medal team.

Listen:
Beezie Madden comments on the pressure of the event

Beezie Madden once again was the heroine of the U.S. squad

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

Beezie leads the individual standings, with Gerco second and Ludger third on L'Espoir. McLain is fifth, behind the Netherlands' Jeroen Dubbeldam, who was part of another surprise six years ago when he won the Olympic individual gold medal.

The top 25 go on Saturday, and from that group, the best four ride each others' horses for the title of world champion. I didn't think it could get more exciting than tonight, but that might do it!

Between rounds tonight, I was trying to plow my way through the massive crowd, which seemed to spread and block my progress like silly putty. I finally gave up and leaned against a fence, where I found U.S. reiner Matt Mills doing the same, taking a break from looking for his family.

Reining starts tomorrow, and Matt seemed to be in awe of all he is seeing here. I asked him for his impressions, and you can hear them if you click on the sound byte below.

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Aachen, Germany, August 31, 2006 -- The U.S. is at the top of the leaderboard in four-in-hand driving at the World Equestrian Games, courtesy of Chester Weber's brilliant victory in the dressage segment and Tucker Johnson's fifth place finish there today.

But with the marathon looming tomorrow, the Americans aren't counting on any medals at the moment.

"It's a long race yet," said Jimmy Fairclough, the third member of the squad, who finished 25th and is the anchor man for the next phase of the competition.

America has 82.04 penalties, to 88.07 for Belgium and 88.19 for Germany. Those three countries seem to be the main contenders. The Swiss are not a factor with only two drivers after their Werner Ulrich had a back operation, but the Dutch and Hungarians both could threaten in the marathon.

Listen:
Chester Weber on the marathon and the team's medal prospects

German favorite Michael Freund

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

Chester felt his test wasn't as good as the one he put in at Riesenbeck earlier this summer.

"It was really heavy and deep in there," said Chester. "It was hard to get going forward."

Even so, a total of 38.78 penalties still put him nicely ahead of former world champion Ysbrand Chardon of the Netherlands, whose total was 41.22. A surprising third was Michael Freund, the local favorite who finished on 41.6 and swears this will be his last outing at the international level, and who some expected to win the segment.

Michael took the world championship in 2004, but was disqualified because one of his horses tested positive for a prohibited substance that he swears the animal picked up from a plant while grazing in a Hungarian field at the site of the competition.

World Champion Zoltan Lazar of Hungary

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

His recent demotion elevated Zoltan Lazar of Hungary to the world title, but Michael is determined to win it back. He said although he's quitting because he's been at it a long time, and he wants to depart at the top of his game, he added the situation with the 2004 world title didn't do anything toward encouraging him to stay.

Jimmy noted the key thing here is for the team to complete the competition.

"We all have to make sure we finish. In Breda, we all started out good in dressage, but Tucker didn't finish, so his dressage score got yanked out," said Jimmy.

Every driver has his or her own style, not only in how they execute their tests, but also in their look. Zoltan is dashing with his white horses and grooms attired in wine-colored embroidered livery. Chester cultivates a studied elegance.

George Bowman of Great Britain

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

But my favorite is the top-hatted George Bowman, the 71-year-old British veteran who started driving back during the Industrial Revolution, I think. This is his 16th world championship, and he came in a very credible ninth in the dressage. I can't wait to see him flying along in the marathon, especially considering that one of his horses is named Treacle. Don't you love it? Hope he isn't as slow as molasses...

There was a packed house for the driving dressage, the first time that has ever happened at Aachen. You have to say that this WEG couldn't have been much more successful as far as attracting a crowd. Walking back by the jumping arena, I saw people camping out on the rail to get a good vantage point four hours before the second round of the Nations' Cup was to begin.

That's enthusiasm.

Read about the first day of driving dressage competition: Driving Dressage Begins at 2006 WEG.

Visit EquiSearch's WEG section for more stories, blogs and online diaries, and chat about the WEG with fellow fans in the EquiSearch Forum.

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Aachen, Germany, August 30, 2006 -- Everyone with any insight in the show jumping world always knew that Beezie Madden has what it takes. In the years when she didn't make Olympic and World Championships teams, it was obvious her success in that area was only a matter of time.

And that's exactly how it worked out. She rode on the gold medal team at the Olympics two years ago, and today she turned in her second flawless performance at the World Equestrian Games, taking Authentic to a perfect trip in the first round of the Nations' Cup.

It's a cliche to say that Beezie makes it look easy, but she does. This is a woman who is a natural, a help to the horse, a female centaur who moves as one with her mount.

"Beezie's one of my heroes," chef d'equipe George Morris said after the class.

He admires the way she rides the classic forward seat.

"She exemplifies that done correctly, not as it's often done at home in a grotesque fashion," commented George, who doesn't like to mince words, as you may have noticed.

"Plus, she has great determination and great strength, but at the same time, great empathy for the horse. A very, very unusual horsewoman."

Beezie does not have a monopoly on consistency here, though. While she kept her lead from yesterday's speed class by virtue of having the fastest time there, Canada's Eric Lamaze remained in second place with Hickstead as his team self-destructed, while the Netherlands' Gerco Schroeder retained his hold on third place with the exciting gray stallion, Eurocommerce Berlin, leading the way to his nation's first-place standing.

The U.S., meanwhile, is third behind that great show jumping power, Ukraine, which is ranked second. Ukraine? Well, actually it's a squad composed of Belgian and German riders who were assured of a slot in the WEG if they rode for this new country. So the names of the riders are not Ukrainian and are quite familiar: Jean Claude Vangeenberghe, who got tired of the way his native Belgium picked its teams; his countryman, Gregory Wathelet; Bjorn Nagel, a veteran of a German team that is so deep he never would have had a chance to ride for it here; and Katharina Offel, who I don't know but am told is also German.

Eric Lamaze and Hickstead

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

So the Dutch lead on 7.01 penalties, followed by Ukraine (did I mention it has a Swiss chef d'equipe, Phillippe Guerdat?) with 13.17; the U.S. with 14.85 and mighty Germany with 15.16. Though the Dutch have a little breathing room, Ukraine, the U.S. and Germany do not.

The second leg of the Cup will be run tomorrow night, but only the top 10 teams return over a similar course to tomorrow's lengthy test. The water jump is being excised because it would look different to horses who start in daylight than to those that start at night with the water reflecting off it.

The rest of the U.S. squad did not do as well as Beezie. Margie Engle and Quervo Gold improved on their inauspicious start in the speed round by toppling just one rail, while Laura Kraut (Miss Independent) and McLain Ward (Sapphire) did the same. That took McLain, who had been fourth, out of the top 10 down to 14th. Laura, meanwhile, is 42nd and unlikely to make Saturday's top 25, while Margie is 57th, better than her 88th place from Tuesday, but not good enough no matter how you look at it.

George is expecting more from his riders tomorrow. To hear what he has to say, click on the sound byte below.

Listen:
George Morris on what he'll say to the team for Round 2

One thing that should help the U.S. squad is the team spirit. Beezie will tell you how close this group is, a key factor when the chips are down. Just click on the audio link below to hear what she has to say.

Listen: Beezie Madden talks about team spirit

Gerco Schroeder and Eurocommerce Berlin

© 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

I loved the jumps we saw today, especially the globe, rings of flags from all the countries participating, which you can see in the photo of Gerco Schroeder (and how do you like his jacket in that wild orange color I mentioned yesterday?). The flags are etched in metal, adjacent to a fence that give the longitude and latitude of Aachen. I wish my bus driver today had the latitude and longitude of Maastricht, the Netherlands, where I am staying. We took a tour of the countryside before I made it back to my hotel.