The pathfinder to kick off the Pan Am eventing dressage phase for Canada on Friday was Karl Slezak riding Fernhill Wishes. “It was fantastic,” said Slezak after his smooth, composed ride. “I was really focused on the quality today; there were a few little blips in the accuracy, but I was really pleased with it.”
The only obvious error was a rough canter transition at C. ” I was focussing on getting that energy for the transition and didn’t really focus on the bend and then he was late, so that was unfortunate.” He added that coming down the first centreline he was feeling so good he nearly forgot to halt. The pair was rewarded with a score of 27.7 pp, which Slezak said was his best test not just at this level, but ever.
Slezak has owned the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, who hails from Fernhill Sport Horses in southern Ireland, since he was a four-year-old. The horse was carefully moved up the ranks over the years, but a planned trip to Kentucky CCI5* this spring was thwarted when Slezak broke his wrist.
His thoughts about the cross-country course? “It looks great – it’s definitely a good challenge. It comes at you right at the beginning and it’s going to be tough. You have to come out strong; then it gives you some time to get into a flow later on after minute three, which is great, but it would be nice to have that flow at the beginning! [The early part of the course] is definitely going to separate a few people.”
Slezak was thrilled to be taking part in his first international championship. “We’ve got a great team, they’re all super-supportive. We’ve had a lot of fun the last couple of weeks.”
Dana Cooke and Mississippi, a grey nine-year-old Württemberger mare owned by the FE Mississippi Syndicate [and who generally sports the FE prefix due to being sourced by Clayton Fredericks’ farm Fredericks Equestrian], were next up. Their test had a couple of wobbles but was otherwise very nice, scoring 32.7 pp. “She felt like she was moving pretty well; there was a little bit of inconsistency in the contact that I think cost me a few points.,” Cooke explained. “She was pretty responsive through most of it. In my medium canter she got a little excited at the end, but I got her to come back again. She was super.” Cooke said the atmosphere actually helped this usually steady mare. “I didn’t have to kick so much!” she joked.
Cooke noted that she almost didn’t end up with the horse because of her odd grey/pinto colouring, which was very pronounced when she was younger and she was worried it might affect her re-saleability. She tried her and liked her, “And we never ended up selling her.” She is excited to be on the ‘front side’ of these Games, as she has previously groomed for Rebecca Howard at the 2011 Pan Ams and 2012 Olympics. “So it’s a dream come true.”
(Watch for profiles of Dana Cooke and Mississippi in the October issue of Horse Sport.)
Another FE-prefixed horse, and the youngster of the Canadian team [one of only two seven-year-olds in the competition], the Hanoverian gelding FE Golden Eye was next up for Canada, ridden by Colleen Loach. The pair conducted a master course in dressage, seeming to never put a foot wrong. Their score of 26.2pp reflected that. “I’m really proud of my horse,” said a beaming Loach. “He’s only seven; this is his first big event and he handled it really well. I couldn’t be happier with him.” She noted that she enjoyed the test’s canter work the most because his springy trot is “so hard to sit to! He’s so bouncy.”
Loach acquired ‘Goldie’ as a four-year-old with help from Amanda Bernhard. “He got off the trailer and I said ‘nobody else is riding this horse!'” she said. “It’s been a pleasure training him and working with him every day. He’s very talented, he has a great mind, he’s a really special horse.”
Loach is confident that her horse will handle the cross-country course well. “I think it’s a beautiful track, and challenging enough. He’s a smaller horse [just 16 h.] and he turns easily, so he’s s good horse for this track. It’s a little bit twisty and definitely takes a rideable horse.”
Regarding her choice of partner, she explained she wanted Goldie to get some international experience as “at this level he has better possibilities in the dressage” compared to Qorry Blue D’Argouges, her 15-year-old Pan Am, Olympic, and WEG mount which she hopes to save for Tokyo should that become a reality at these Games.
Anchor rider Jessica Phoenix and the seasoned campaigner Pavarotti rounded out the Canadian team. Their lovely test earned 27.4pp. “What a boy! Pavarotti was amazing,” said a pleased Phoenix of her 17-year-old long-time partner. “It’s always so much fun to compete for Canada on that horse. He’s such an experienced competitor and he didn’t let me down today. It was one of his best tests ever.” Interesting to note that teammate Karl Slezak originally competed this horse up to Intermediate level before he was sold and eventually made his way into Phoenix’s hands.
Veterans of three Pan Am Games together, Phoenix noted, “Whenever you enter an arena like that and you go around those white boards it’s just such an emotional experience – you’re so proud to be there and you know how much hard work you’ve put into it. To be there on a horse that you have so much history with is just awesome.”
As dressage day wrapped up, the Canadians sat in 4th (Loach), 5th (Phoenix), 6th (Slezak), and 13th (Cooke), putting the team in a solid second place with 81.3, close behind the United States with 76.4. A very competitive Brazilian team rounded out the top three with 85.9 going into tomorrow’s highly-anticipated cross-country test.
“The best thing about this competition is that it’s not a dressage show for sure,” concluded Phoenix. “There is so much to be done out on cross-country and I think we have an incredibly talented group of cross-country horses. As a nation I think we’re pretty excited to get out there and get at it to tomorrow.”
Individual Standings
1. Tamra Smith, Mai Baum (USA) 22.8
2. Boyd Martin, Tsetserleg (USA) 25.6
3. Marcelo Tosi, Starbucks (BRA) 26.0
4. Colleen Loach, FE Golden Eye 26.2
5. Jessica Phoenix, Pavarotti (CAN) 27.4
6. Karl Slezak, Fernhill Wishes (USA) 27.7
7. Doug Payne, Starr Witness (USA) 28.0
8. Carlos Parro, Quaikin Qurious (BRA) 28.1
9. Lynn Symansky, Rf Cool Play (USA) 29.2
10. Carlos Lobos Muñoz, Ranco (CHI) 31.0
11. Guillermo German de Campo M., Quelite (MEX) 31.2
12. Ruy Fonseca, Ballypatrick Srs (BRA) 31.8
13. Dana Cooke, Mississippi (CAN) 32.8
Team Standings
1. USA 76.4
Lynn Symansky, Rf Cool Play 29.2
Tamra Smith, Mai Baum 22.8
Doug Payne, Starr Witness 28.0
Boyd Martin, Tsetserleg 25.6
2. Canada 81.3
Karl Slezak, Fernhill Wishes 27.7
Dana Cooke, Mississippi 32.8
Colleen Loach, Fe Golden Eye 26.2
Jessica Phoenix, Pavarotti 27.4
3. Brazil 85.9
Ruy Fonseca, Ballypatrick Srs 31.8
Rafael Mamprin Losano, Fuiloda G 33.0
Marcelo Tosi, Starbucks 26.0
Carlos Parro, Quaikin Qurious 28.1
4. Mexico 105.8
5. Chile 111.1
6. Argentina 117.1
7. Guatemala 117.7
8. Uruguay 125.5
9. Colombia 127.2
10. Peru 131.9
Complete results here.
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