Team dressage was the first scheduled discipline of the 2015 Pan Am Games equestrian competition at the Caledon Equestrian Park, taking place over the first weekend. The Canadian Dressage Team went into this championship with a tall order: to try and win a gold medal that would assure Canada the only remaining chance at an Olympic team berth for Rio 2016. But the US has had a stranglehold on team gold for more than two decades, and with that country also looking for an Olympic qualification, it was a foregone conclusion that the US would send the strongest team it could. Ultimately, the home team advantage and one of the most talented young teams ever fielded by Canada at a major Games would bring Canada tantalizingly close to gold – not only in the team competition, but also in the individual final.
An Untested Format
The Pan Am Games have long been criticized, particularly in the disciplines of dressage and eventing, for being the only Olympic equestrian qualifying event to take place at a level below the Olympics. It’s a valid criticism and one that the FEI has sought to remedy in dressage by introducing a mixed format – a compromise that attempts to find a balance between pushing toward grand prix level without excluding the vast majority of nations in the Americas that can’t include a single grand prix horse on a team. Teams in Toronto were permitted to be entirely small tour level, but they would not be able to qualify for the one Rio team spot. Up to two grand prix horses were permitted on a team, each receiving a 1.5% bonus.
Just four countries had grand prix horses on their teams: the US, Canada, and Argentina had two each, while Mexico had one. The Dominican Republic and Uruguay sent a grand prix individual, bringing the total number of grand prix horses to nine in a field of 44. When the team scores had been tallied following the second day of team competition (intermediate I and grand prix special), it turned out that the 1.5 percent bonus had no impact on the medal distribution.
Canada’s Bid for Gold
The fact that Canada’s dressage team had come to Caledon with gold on its mind was made clear with the very first Canadian pair in the prix St. Georges test: Chris von Martels and the 11-year-old KWPN gelding Zilverstar. Von Martels rode like a veteran, not the major Games newcomer that he was. A personal best score of 75.026% put von Martels into an early lead that he held onto until teammate Brittany Fraser rode the powerful 10-year-old KWPN gelding All In to another personal best – 76.105% – the day’s second-highest score.
With the grand prix combinations competing after the small tour horses, there were many highlights at the end of the day. Megan Lane and Caravella scored the day’s drop score of 70.900%*. To put that into historic perspective, Lane’s score was half a percentage point higher than Canada’s silver medal team’s average at the 2011 Pan Am Games. Riding last for Canada was the team’s most experienced combination, Belinda Trussell and Anton. Trussell’s score of 73.440% brought Canada’s team total to 226.071 points, just four points behind the USA with 230.504. American Steffen Peters on Legolas 92 delivered the first day’s highest score of 77.240%, although his first place position was not unanimous. Ground jury president Elizabeth McMullen of Canada had Fraser and All In ranked first.
Four years ago in Guadalajara, the team medals were decided entirely on the first test, but at these Games the team competition included both technical tests. As day two got underway, the Canadians continued to hit new highs. Von Martels and Zilverstar scored a new Canadian Pan Am record of 76.210% in the Intermediate I. Fraser and All In also delivered a top performance, earning 76.079%. Lane and Caravella improved on their first day’s result in the grand prix special with a score of 72.892%, while Trussell and Anton improved so much that they too enjoyed a personal best of 76.578% and the highest single score for the Canadian team.
A shocking, mistake-riddled grand prix special test from Peters and Legolas 92, combined with the Canadian team’s outstanding performances, put Canada so close to gold they could almost taste it. “I think this Games has pushed us to a new level,” said Trussell. “To be coming away with nothing below 70 percent and highlights of 76 percent has never been done. It’s really exciting for Canada.” Peters’ weak performance was compensated for by strong results from small tour combination Kimberly Herslow on Rosmarin and Laura Graves with Verdades in the grand prix special. The Americans were ultimately successful in defending the team title with 460.506 points over Canada’s 454.938. That sole team spot for Rio was perhaps an even more important achievement than the gold medal.
An even closer battle for the bronze medal saw Brazil edge out Mexico by only two points, despite the fact that Mexico had a bonus with one grand prix combination on its team.
Ending the Drought
Not since the 2003 Pan Am Games has Canada won an individual dressage medal, but Von Martels and Zilverstar brought that dry spell to an end with bronze in the individual final, which was decided entirely on the freestyle. Zilverstar was at his expressive best in his freestyle set to the music of U2. Von Martels’ score of 79.500% set a new Canadian record for a major Games, and put von Martels into gold medal position until Peters and Graves performed their grand prix freestyles. There was a spread of just over half a point from gold to bronze, with Peters’ and Graves’ scores of 80.075% and 79.825% just barely ahead of von Martels. “I’m over the moon,” said von Martels of his bronze medal performance. “Zilverstar has been phenomenal. By a long shot we had personal bests in every test, and today was even better.” Trussell and Anton finished just off the podium in fourth place with 76.800%; they were tied with Fraser and All In, but the tie was broken in favour of the pair with the highest artistic marks.
The Canadian team’s results at these Pan Am Games are a shot in the arm that will be needed if Canada is to qualify three individuals to form a composite team for Rio 2016. Trussell and Anton have already secured one individual spot with their results in Caledon. The FEI will review the format of these Games, but it is likely that a mixed-level format will be seen again in Lima, Peru, four years from now.
*The grand prix and grand prix special scores cited in this article do not include the 1.5% bonus that was added to the team totals
RESULTS
Team Competition:
GOLD – United States (460.506)
Laura Graves, Verdades 75.080 / 77.177
Kimberly Herslow, Rosmarin 75.184 / 77.158
Sabine Schut-Kery, Sanceo (71.790) / 73.553
Steffen Peters, Legolas 92 77.240 / (72.667)
SILVER – Canada (454.938)
Chris Von Martels, Zilverstar 75.026 / 76.210
Brittany Fraser, All In 76.105 / 76.079
Belinda Trussell, Anton 73.440 / 75.078
Megan Lane, Caravella (70.900 / 71.392)
BRONZE – Brazil (414.895)
João Victor Marcari Oliva, Xamã dos Pinhais 69.184 / 69.211
Sarah Waddell, Donnelly 3 (65.632 / 67.184)
João Paulo dos Santos, Veleiro do Top 67.842 / 70.158
Leandro Aparecido da Silva, Di Caprio 69.474 / 69.026
4. Mexico (412.467)
5. Argentina (403.094)
6. Colombia (396.684)
7. Venezuela (391.052)
8. Chile (385.078)
9. Costa Rica (386.947)
10. Guatemala (391.632)
Even though Canada did not win a team gold to snag a berth in Rio 2016, they can still qualify three individuals to form a composite team. It should also be noted that the Canadian Dressage Athlete Assistance Program (C-DAAP) provided funds for all four riders to assist with preparing for these Games.
Individual Final (Freestyle)
GOLD: Steffen Peters, Legolas 92 (USA) 80.075
SILVER: Laura Graves, Verdades (USA) 79.750
BRONZE: Christopher Von Martels, Zilverstar (CAN) 79.500
4. Belinda Trussell, Anton (CAN) 76.800
5. Brittany Fraser, All In (CAN) 76.800
6. Leandro Aparecido Da Silva, Di Caprio (BRA) 73.300
7. Joao Victor Marcari Oliva, Xamã Dos Pinhais (BRA) 73.275
8. Kimberly Herslow, Rosmarin (USA) 73.175
9. Joao Paulo Dos Santos, Veleiro Do Top (BRA) 72.950
10. Jesus Palacios, Wizard Banamex (MEX) 71.525
