Dressage highlights Day One at The Event

Amy Tryon showed why her name deserves to be on the shortlist to represent the United States at the World Equestrian Games in September.

In just the second dressage performance of The Event at Rebecca Farm on Thursday, the Olympic medalist rode her 10-year-old bay thoroughbred Leyland to a score of 31.0, which was strong enough to hold first place in the Advanced division.

But that wasn't all.

Later in the Advanced competition, Tryon swapped seats and trotted out Coal Creek, a 10-year old dark bay thoroughbred that looked every bit Leyland's equal.

The Washington duo scored 33.7 points for third place, making it two horses in the top five for Tryon.

"There's a lot that I would like to do better and tidy up before the World Equestrian Games in September, but overall I am very pleased with my horses," said Tryon, a longtime Rebecca Farm competitor who helped the U.S. team claim the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and joined the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Eventing Team in Beijing.

Buck Davidson, the reigning horseman of the year as named by the publication Chronicle of the Horse, finished in second place behind Tryon, scoring 33 points on Titanium, a 9-year-old gray thoroughbred.

On the opening day of the ninth annual Event, the rain arrived but not for long. The field of 475 competitors warmed up across the lush acreage of Rebecca Farms, receiving last-minute advice from coaches, testing through dressage and scouting the intricate cross country course late into the afternoon.

The FEI World Cup CIC3* dressage competition begins today at 1 p.m. as riders and horses will begin their chase of the top prize of $50,000 and vital points towards the World Equestrian Games.

- Buck Davidson traveled all the way from Pennsylvania with two goals in mind.

"I want to win The Event and see a grizzly bear," Davidson said. "So I've got one thing down - I saw a grizzly bear in Glacier National Park on Tuesday."

Last year's second-ranked horseman in the country is off to a good start in his first visit to The Event. After Tuesday's bear sighting, Davidson put himself one place short of his goal heading into Saturday's cross country event.

Davidson is one of the newcomers from the East Coast who flew to Kalispell after deciding they could no longer miss the premier eventing competition in the West.

"It's funny, I called a friend of mine who wanted to go to France for an event and I said, ‘you know what, scrap France, you got to come to Kalispell. This place is unbelievable,'" Davidson said. "The Broussards are just great supporters of the sport and have done so much for it. So it's so cool that we can come and we're so thankful that they helped us all get here."

Davidson is riding two horses this week - Titanium and reigning eventing horse of the year My Boy Bobby, an early favorite in the CIC3* that will compete today and is already shortlisted on the U.S. Team at the World Games.

Rebecca Farm is a final stepping stone for Davidson and his four-legged partners. With only two months before the World Games in Kentucky, the Florida resident has his eyes set on a gold medal this September.

But first, there's this week's list, now minus a grizzly bear.

"This is what we dream of as riders, to have a facility like this, a first-class operation and good sponsors, good prize money, good crowds," he said. "It seems to me that the whole valley, as they say, seems to be into (The Event). People showed up at the airport to watch the horses come in. This is exciting, it's really exciting."

- For spectators on the outside looking in, the dressage seems nothing short of, well, unspectacular.

Don't be fooled, there's much more going on underneath the surface.

"You have to be on top of every single step and it's a combination of thinking about everything and at the same time trying to just ride by feel," David Adamo said after completing his test atop 8-year-old River King in the CCI* on Thursday.

"It's a very fine line. If you get too in your head, you're too mechanical. If you're not thinking you're late and things go wrong. You have to ride every single step."

The Event at Rebecca Farm

Thursday's Top Dressage Results

For complete results, visit www.rebeccafarm.org

Advanced

1. Amy Tryon/Leyland, 31.0; 2. Buck Davidson/Titanium , 33.0; 3, Amy Tryon/Coal Creek, 33.7; 4. (tie) Anna Collier/Upper Crust D, 35.3; Bonner Carpenter/Impeccable, 35.3; 6. Jennifer Wooten DaFoe/Nabouco de Lessey, 36.3

CCI*

1. Maris Burns/Young Gun, 47.7; 2. Robyn Fisher/Clair de Lune SE, 50.8; 3. Katherine Groesbeck/Oz The Tin Man, 51.3; 4. Tamra Smith/C.S.I., 51.5; 5. Maxance McManamy/Project Runway, 52.3

Preliminary Three-Day

1. Hannah Sue Barnett/Harbour Pilot, 30.6; 2. Cathy Wieschhoff/Simba, 33.2; 3. Tiffany Lunney/My Tuition, 34.8; 4. Jane Zanzig/Beam Me Up Scottie, 36.5; 5. Danielle Orr/Jury's Out, 39.7

Junior. Open Training A

1. Lynden Fasso/Dene Court, 25.9; 2. Katherine Anderson/Special Edition, 28.6; 2. David Ziegler/Peninsula Top Man, 28.6; 4. Zoe Spring/Ringo Star, 29.1; 5. Sydney Reynolds/Painted Flyer, 30.5

Junior Open Training B

1. Serena Gonzalez-Gandolfi/Pacino, 26.8; 2. Kaylyn Schaber/Ben Cruise, 27.7; 3. Patience O'Neal/Picassa, 28.6; 4. Erin Eisner/Erin's Luck, 30.0; 5. Avery Klunick/In It To Win It, 31.4

Senior Open Training A

1. Sarah Lorenz/Southern Vintage, 25.5; 2. Earl McFall/Wrigley, 27.7; 3. Patricia Cava/Playin' It Cool, 30.5; 4. JoAnn Keller Green/Olievia, 34.1; 5. Jennifer Card/Cavalry, 34.6

Senior Open Training B

1. Kathryn Daniel/Amelia, 30.5; 2. Michel Pestl/Airlington, 30.9; 3. Lauren Ferguson/Likit Good, 32.3; 4. Kelly Prather/Jack of Hearts, 33.2; 5. Stephanie Kappes/Bravo, 34.1

Senior Open Training C

1. Therese Russell/Dante, 25.5; 2. Stephanie Goodman/Yes We Can, 25.5; 3. Dorothy Hamilton/Decorum, 31.8; 4. (tie) Julie White/Aughisky, 32.3; Lisa Marie Fergusson/Uni Sprite, 32.3; Valerie Ferraro/Carrot Cake, 32.3

Senior Open Training D

1. (tie) Stephanie Waterman/Lubenstow, 26.8; Brynn Hamel/Hettie, 26.8; 3. Erin Spohr/Bravo; 4. Jennifer McFall/High Times, 28.6; 5. Katherine Groesbeck/Zigarette, 29.1

Junior Open Novice

1. Nina Sylvester/Dominique, 28.5; 2. (tie) Amber McCluskey/WB Corre Con El Viento, 29.0; Katherine Cole/Vatino, 29.0; 4. Anna Weatherford/Inspired Edition, 29.5; 5. Alex Reed/Orion's Bold Belle, 31.5

Junior Open Novice B

1. McKenzie Miller/Saturday Night Live, 25.5; 2. Sierra Mathias/Regal Exit, 29.5; 3. Michelle Eld/Seamus, 30.0; 4. (tie) Emily Pestl-Dimmit/Manolo, 30.5; Madeline Crabtree/Hudson Bay, 30.5

Junior Open Novice C

1. Rebecca David McIsaac/Rills Carrick Fergus, 27.5; 2. Anna Stein/Count Down, 29.5; 3. Chase Shipka/Loreal, Because I'm Worth It, 33.0; 4. (tie) Gigi Herron/Black Magic, 34.0; Christine Nye/Grammy Nominee, 34.0; Jennifer Winters/Mustang GT, 34.0

Senior Open Novice A

1. Carmen Mesbergen/Berlioz II, 26.5; 2. (tie) Emily Bates/Unlawful to Pass, 30.5; Denise Norton-Brost/Wunder-bred, 30.5; 4. Laurie Allred/Goldquest, 31.0; 5. Susan Goodman/Nicely Dun, 32.5

Senior Open Novice B

1. Melissa Hyde/Sienna, 24.5; 2. Boyd Martin/Outlandish, 29.5; 3. (tie) John Kappes/Cricket, 31.5; Colleen Christie/Billy Montana, 31.5; 5. Jens Larsen/Mangabay, 32.5

Senior Open Novice C

1. Lauren Ferguson/Miles Away, 28.5; 2. Jennifer Johnson/Alma Boy GS, 31.5; 3. Ashley Crawford/Hadley, 33.5; 4. Christine Moorman/Chloe, 34.0; 5. Annika Swan/Pizazz, 37.0

Senior Open Novice D

1. Mandy Daniels/Ferro's Willamina, 25.5; 2. Alexis Lind/Klassic Keno Blue, 29.0; 3. Ellen Guthrie/Ideal Life, 30.5; 4. John H. Camlin/Americus, 32.0; 5. (tie) Caroline Bombar-Kaplan/Jenrall, 32.5; Phil Town/Tyrin Oak, 32.5

Schedule

Today: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.- Dressage, all FEI Levels. National Horse Trial Levels Dressage continues. Cross-Country phase begins at 8 am. National Horse Trials Novice and Training Levels.

Saturday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.- Cross-Country phase all day. All FEI Levels. National Horse Trial Levels continue.

Sunday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.- Show Jumping phase, all levels. Awards ceremony at end of each division.