www.eventingetc.com

1. Andreas Dibowski (GER-INDIV), FRH Serve Well - 40.90 (Andreas and FRH Serve Well are pictured at the left below.)
2. Megan Jones (AUS-TEAM), Kirby Park Irish Jester - 44.10 (Megan and Kirby Park Irish Jester are pictured at the right below.)
3. Donna Smith (NZL-INDIV), Call Me Clifton - 45.40
4. Frank Ostholt (GER-TEAM), Air Jordan 2 - 46.90
5. Nicholas Touzaint (FRA-TEAM), Hidalgo de L'Ile - 47.00
6. Sharon Hunt (GBR- INDIV), Tankers Town - 47.40
7. Pia Pantsu (FIN-INDIV), Ypaja Karuso - 48.50
8. Heelan Tompkins (NZL-TEAM), Glengarrick - 49.80
9. Dirk Schrade (GER-INDIV), Sindy 43 - 50.20
10. Heidi White (USA-TEAM), Northern Spy - 50.40 (Heidi and Northern Spy are pictured below at the left.)
11. Amy Tryon (USA-TEAM), Poggio II - 50.70
12. Phillip Dutton (AUS-INDIV), Connaught - 51.7

ALSO:
15. Jan Byyny (USA-INDIV), Task Force - 53.30
(40 competitors completed their Dressage on Thursday.)

Andreas Dibowski said at a Press Conference after the day's competition, "The cross country Course is a beautiful course - very fair and has many technical questions. The riders can recognize what the course Designer is trying to accomplish. My horse is very good at Cross Country. Although this is the first time that a Three Day Event has been held at Aachen, these grounds were tested a year ago at an event and improvements have been made."

Donna Smith, who lives in Virginia though she rides for New Zealand, her home land, had a super test with Call Me Clifton, who has been running at American competitions. This pair stand in thrid place.

* * * * *

After the first rotation after the Lunch Break, the leaders had changed again.

Now Australian Team Member Megan Jones and Kirby Park Irish Jester were the leaders on 44.10 and Frank Ostholt of the German Team was in second place with a score of 46.90.

Heidi White, the second rider for the American Team, scored a 50.40 riding Northern Spy. This was good for fifth place, 6.10 faults out of first place and just .20 faults ahead of her fellow team member Amy Tryon, who is 6.30 faults out of the lead with Poggio II.

* * * * *

At the Lunch Break, Heelan Tompkins, riding the evergreen 20 year old Glengarrick for New Zealand, took over the lead in the Eventing Dressage on a score of 49.80 while Germany's Dirk Schrade, riding Sindy 34 as an individual, moved into second place with 50.20. Amy Tryon, who is now third, is only .90 faults behind the Kiwi leader.

American Eventing fans will remember that Heelan rode Glengarrick to win the J.D. Reeves Trophy at Rolex Kentucky, in 1998, the year that her countryman Nick Larkin won the first United States CCI**** riding the brilliant Cross Country horse Red. (Heelan and Glengarrick are pictured at the left.)

Dirk Schrade with Sindy 43, riding as an individual for Germany, now stands second .40 of a fault behind Heelan and .50 of a fault ahead of Amy Tryon and Poggio II.

* * * * *

At the very moment Ted and I walked into the Photographers Pen, in Stadium 2, for the first day of Eventing Dressage, it began to spit rain. By the time Amy Tryon entered the arena, the last rider of the seven in the first rotation, it was slashing down rain, soaking everyone and everything, most importantly Amy and Poggio II!

Despite the difficult conditions, Amy produced a ride that made the fans in the stands think it was a glorious sunny day! (Amy and Poggio are pictured at the right.)

Poggio's score of 50.70 was 1.20 faults ahead of Great Britain's Mary King and Call Again Cavalier and 1.70 faults ahead of Hinrich Romeike and Marius Voigt-Logistik for Germany.

This was a great start for the American Team whose second member, Heidi White rides Northern Spy at 2:24 (Local Time) this afternoon. (Jan Byyny and Task Force, who compete as individuals, also do their Dressage today at 4:24 PM.)

Romeike started out getting excellent scores; however, his canter work was not up to standard and his final score dropped him behind Britain's stalwart veteran of Olympic and WEG Teams Mary King and Call Again Cavalier. Call Again Cavalier was formerly the ride of Caroline Pratt, who was killed at Burghley a few years ago. (Mary and Call Again Cavalier are pictured at the left.

A sad incident took place in the first rotation. Denmark's Morten Haugaard was having a nice test with My Hamlet when the chestnut gelding suddenly went hopping lame behind. Morten immediately pulled up walked around for a bit. Then Angela Tucker, who is the President of the Ground Jury, came out of the Judges Box to have a conversation with Morten who then retired. My Hamlet walked out apparently sound. Whether he had caulked himself or what had actually happened was not clear.

* * * * *

The Following is from the USEF News Release:

Eventing: Day One

Three Americans put in their dressage tests on Thursday, Washington’s Amy Tryon, South Carolina’s Heidi White and Virginia’s Jan Byyny. Each of these ladies laid down solid performances, in spite of Mother Nature’s dreary welcome to Games competition. Forty international riders participated in today’s dressage test, and 38 are expected to do so on Friday.

Of the 39 horse-and-riders that rode their tests during day one, Andreas Dibwoski and FRH Serve Well (Germany) sit in the lead at first of two days’ dressage (score: 40.9). Australian Megan Jones and Kirby Park Irish Jester are second (44.1), with New Zealander Donna Smith and Call Me Clifton at third (45.4). Denmark’s Morten Haugaard and My Hamlet were retired during their test when the horse never recovered from being spooked.

First up for Team USA was the pairing of Olympic Bronze-medalists Tyron and her 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Poggio II. Taking to the test in a complete downpour, the pair ended their effort in first at the end of the initial seven riders in the day’s first section. By day’s end, they sat with a score of 50.7 and 11th place.

Tryon was happy with her dressage test and said, “The layout of the course is spectacular, and it’s serious all the way home.”

The second American to ride was Heidi White, who did so under more amenable skies. White put in a beautiful dressage test and a score of 50.4 (sitting at 10th place), but it was Saturday’s cross-country course that had her attention. Asked to comment on the course that lies ahead for the team of U.S. eventers, White said, “It’s a good course for us, lots of gallops and jumping. The layout of the course is spectacular, and it’s serious all the way home…what really got my attention was the double brushes at the end.”

Of her afternoon dressage test, White added, ““It was as good as we can get. I can always be better but I’m really pleased.”

Third up for the Americans were Jan Byyny and her 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Task Force who posted a score of 53.3, and sit at 15th place going into cross-country. An “energy burst” and some flying lead changes seemed to be today’s stickler.

On the cross-country course that lay ahead, Byyny said there was a lot out there to do. “I think it all looks doable…you just have to set your tone, and ride your plan,” she said.

Task Force bolted down the long side just outside the arena moments prior to starting her test, surprising the rider. However, she felt positive about the test, with a few exceptions, namely, lead-changes. “It was a lot of atmosphere for him…Our horses are not necessarily used to a big applause when they come in. It’s a great thing, but not something they’re used to,” she said.

Making her World Equestrian Games debut, Byyny said, “It’s an honor and I’m as excited as anything to be here...I think people sometimes don’t realize that how long an effort it is, and I’ve had him [Task Force] for six year.”

Back to Saturday’s cross-country, she echoed the same sentiments as other riders in characterizing it as hard, but very fair, with the initial test of getting on your game with the earliest of accuracy questions.

Friday’s forecast is calling for more of the same – 100% chance of rain and continued cool temperatures. Saturday’s cross-country course is sure to keep everyone guessing, especially with more rain expected, as to just who will make it through in the lead heading toward Sunday’s jumping phase.