Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – In the first round of individual dressage competition at the XV Pan American Games, equestrian athlete Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, lies in fourth position, only 1.4 points behind the leader, Christopher Hickey of the United States. Fellow Canadians Diane Creech of Caistor Centre, ON, and Andrea Bresee of Brockville, ON, are in seventh and ninth place, respectively. All three riders are qualified for the Individual Final on Wednesday, July 18.

In Monday’s first round of individual competition, the FEI Intermediaire I test, Andrea Bresee, 32, of Brockville, ON, was the first rider into the arena for Canada. Riding Raffles, a 13-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare owned by Gina Smith and Faith Berghuis, Bresee began with a dynamic test but Raffles had an unfortunate stumble in the extended trot at the end of the ride. Combined with some small problems in the canter work, she finished with a score 64.40% to leave her in the same position as in the team test, ninth place overall.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Bresee of the stumble. She is looking forward to riding in the Individual Final on Wednesday where riders perform the Intermediaire Freestyle, a series of required movements choreographed to the music of their choice. Of her first major games experience, Bresee noted, “this has been a great experience. The team is also great, and we all get along really well.”

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