7 out of 10: that’s the number of His Majesty’s representatives in the Top 10 on the leaderboard this evening. So it goes without saying that they outright dominated the first event in the competition and, in fact, it was a great demonstration from the British female delegation, placing five riders in the Top 10. Tonight though, it’s Tom McEwan that holds the reins of the competition in the provisional ranking. Riding JL Dublin, he performed a brilliant test: flawless, accurate, and one that really stood out from the crowd. His compatriot Rosalind Canter, current double European Champion, follows hot on his heels with her first horse Izilot DHI, not far from Pippa Funnell, one of the most qualified riders in the delegation. The New-Zealanders were the only ones to muscle in on the British hegemony. Jesse Campbell, Tim Price and Samantha Lissington ended the day in 4th, 6th and 9th place respectively. Austrian rider Lea Siegl and Swiss rider Nadja Minder put paid to the Anglo-Saxon leadership streak, taking 10th and 14th place. Gaspard Maksud is still the first French rider, now in 24th place, less than 10 points behind the leader.
Rosalind Canter’s (pictured above) impressions after her dressage test: “I knew I wanted to show him the camera, but I knew I needed to get a straight approach the first time, but as I was coming down on my approach, the cameraman decided to take his coat off which was not very helpful, hence why I shouted at him! – I don’t think he understood a word of English but anyway he carried on doing it! Anyway, he was already a bit spooked in the arena familiarization at that, but I think the coat coming off – I mean Isaac doesn’t like men at the best of times, let alone one on a stand taking a coat off right in front of him! Yes, I was delighted, I always say that there’s more to come, at certainly at the beginning and I was a little safe because he definitely had his eyes all over the place, and thankfully we didn’t have to go too close. I was really pleased with his 8m-circle because I thought that’s when he might have had a whip off, but he’s an amazing horse, isn’t he? He’s 10 and he’s a weak 10-year-old so there’s definitely more to come. “
Against the backdrop of the other events and entertainment at the Domaine de Sers tomorrow, is the cross-country competition, in which the slightest mistake could completely shake up the provisional ranking. With a penalty of 20 points for a refusal, anything can happen, especially since fewer than 20 points separate the first and last horse-rider pairs.
Full results after dressage can be found here
Schedule (local time)
Saturday 28 October
- 9h45-10h30 Pony Derby
- 11h30-17h Cross country test
- 17h-18h Amicable sale of sport horses
- 18h10-19h30 4 Nations Horse-ball Tournament
- 20h-21h Andy Booth exhibition
- 21h Live broadcast of the Rugby World Cup Final
Sunday 29 October
- 10h-11h20 4 Nations Horse-ball Tournament
- 11h45-12h45 Horse inspection
- 13h-14h Amicable sale of sport horses
- 14h30-16h30 Show jumping test
- 16h45 Prize giving ceremony
For the cross country start list, click here
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