U.S. Wins Silver at Pan Am Endurance Championships

Team USA captured the silver medal on April 15 at the 2005 Pan American Senior Team Endurance Championships in Argentina. Uruguay and Brazil won gold and bronze, respectively.

April 21, 2005 — It was a silver-medal performance for Team USA at the 2005 Pan American Senior Team Endurance Championships on April 15 in the host city of Pinamar, Argentina. Battling against the U.S. athletes for a spot on the medals stand were two South American nations–Uruguay (gold) and Brazil (bronze).


Fifty-four horse/rider combinations started the ride with 29 completing the full distance of 100 miles. The ride was held under ideal conditions.


The U.S. team started the event with eight combinations–four entering the individual competition, plus a team of four entered in the team championship. The individual competitors were Danielle Kanavy McGunigal of Viewtown, Va., riding Flash Flame; Stephen Rojek of South Woodstock, Vt., riding Finally; Stephanie Teeter of Oreana, Idaho, riding Mora Afamada; and Margaret Sleeper, VDM, of Frenchtown, N.J., riding LM Shaibum.


The U.S. team members were 2003 Pan American Endurance Champion Cia Reis of Pennsdale, Penn., riding Catch A Wave; 1994 and 1998 World Champion Valerie Kanavy of Fort Valley, Va., riding Emphatic; Dinah Rojek of South Woodstock, Vt., riding Phoenix; and Deborah DeShon of South Paris, Maine, riding AF Stogie.


Kanavy’s mount, Emphatic, was pulled from competition at the second vet check for a mild lameness, but the remaining three members of Team USA completed the test in silver-medal-winning time. Uruguay’s time of 33:40:00 set the pace for the championship, with the U.S. athletes finishing on a time of 35:26:00.


The senior individual title went to a member of the Uruguay contingent–Johana Fort riding Luna Llena. Argentineans Mercedes Tapia aboard Ras Kasal and Miguel Pavlovsky aboard Moro Tigre took the silver and bronze medal wins, respectively. Tapia’s mount took the Best Condition honors.


In the junior/young rider team competition (staged at 75 miles) it was another victory for South America as Brazil’s team of young endurance riders took the win. Argentina claimed the silver medal and Uruguay earned the bronze.


Uruguay’s Ignacio Barberouse riding Don Roque won the 2005 Junior/Young Rider Individual Pan American Championship title. Brazilians Andre Vidiz riding Kilina HVP and Mario Schioppa Neto riding WN Barasha won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

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