David Marcus of Campbellville, ON, was eliminated during the opening phase of dressage competition on Thursday, August 2, at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Competing during a heavy downpour of rain, Marcus, 31, of Campbellville, ON, was mid-way through his Grand Prix test when his mount, Chrevi’s Capital, spooked and went off course. Marcus was not able to regain his horse’s attention within the 10 seconds allowed under the rules, and was eliminated from competition by the head of the ground jury, Stephen Clarke of Great Britain.
“He was trying so hard in the first half of the test but, at that moment, something triggered him,” said Marcus of Chrevi’s Capital, a 12-year-old Danish Warmblood owned by Deborah Miculinic. “I am not sure if it was the camera in the corner swiveling to see him, or the umbrellas, or the amount of rain he was dealing with. He just got scared, ultimately. I don’t know what I could have done differently. I don’t blame him at all. It is just an unfortunate circumstance.”
Marcus, 31, continued, “Anyone who is involved with horses has gone through something like this in their career. It is just unfortunate that it was here at the Olympics. I feel terrible for Canada, for my team, and for everyone who has been so supportive of me. This is life with horses, and we can put it all in perspective by knowing that both Capital and I are going home healthy. He is going to have a long career in front of him.”
Marcus and Chrevi’s Capital ranked second on the Canadian Olympic qualifying leader board to be named to the three-member Canadian Olympic Team for Dressage.
Miculinic of King City, ON, said, “We are very blessed to have been given this opportunity and we don’t take that for granted. We had an incredible experience and we are truly grateful. We will be there to cheer on our teammates tomorrow.”
With the elimination of Marcus, his teammates Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON, and Ashley Holzer of Toronto, ON, are eligible to continue competing as individuals.
For more information, please visit http://www.davidmarcusdressage.com/.
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