Saturday,
November 5, CCI**, w/out Steeplechase, Cross Country Day
Unofficially,
the top three competitors after the Dressage Phase all ran double clears Cross
Country and remain in their overnight positions with one notable exception.
Bonnie
Mosser rode Happy Valley to a confident and steady double clear to 
remain
in third place. Their score remained 44.4. (Bonnie and Happy Valley are pictured
at the right at the first fence in the Farmyard.)
Mara
Dean held on to second position with the chestnut gelding Jos Ambition, on a classic
double clear. Mara showed all the form that took her to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic
Games as an individual and led to a fifth place finish there. Jos Ambition's two
day score remained 44.1.
Emily
Beshear and Three Wishes galloped strongly around the CCI** course, designed by
David O'Connor for the Young Riders Championship last summer, to retain her overnight
lead on a score of 42.0. (Emily and Three Wishes are pictured at the left below
jumping the fence off the island at the last water.)
Then
the Eventing Gods, who had smiled so broadly on Emily and Three Wishes,
turned, as they so often do, on Woodburn, Emily's second ride, who had stood tied
for third with Bonnie Mosser.
Everything
went super well until the Farmyard, the two fences on a half circle turn, just
before the last Water, and then, without warning - SPLAT! Woodburn hooked the
second of the two Farmyard fences, a corner with a slight drop, went to his knees
and unceremoniously decanted Emily. Emily had her wind knocked out and was a bit
slow to get up; but, was able to walk off and get a Gator ride home - no ambulance.
One
could almost hear the Eventing Gods saying "Gotcha!"
The
pictures of Emily's fall from Woodburn, at the right and below, illustrate how
fortunate Emily was to walk away.
Woodburn
himself did not fall; but Emily had a rough one!
Others
who turned in double clears included Karen O'Connoir and Mr. Ripley for 48.3;
Michael Pollard and Dr. Tom Latham's Voltaire for 49.8; and Karen O'Connor with
the diminutive (14.2 hands) Theodore O'Connor, who out jumped most of the bigger
horses in the competition.
Emily
should be fine, if a bit stiff, to ride Three Wishes, the leader after two Phases,
in the Show Jumping on Sunday
*
* * * *
To
continue the saga "The Return to Competition of Kim Severson," all
Kim 
did
on Saturday was to ride two double clear Cross Country rounds to move up to third
with Choo Choo McGoo in the Open Preliminary "C" Section; and move into
the lead in the Open Preliminary "D" Section with her mother, Jackie
Severson's, mare Wall Street Whisper. (Kim and Choo Choo McGoo are pictured
at the right jumping the skinny after the water.)
The
Leaders after the Dressage Phase Were:
1.
Emily Beshear, Three
Wishes - 42.0
2. Mara Dean, Jos Ambition - 44.1
3. Bonnie Mosser,
Happy Valley - 44.4
4. Karl Slezak (CAN), Foxwood Spencer - 45.3
5. Karen O'Connor, Mr. Ripley - 48.3
6. Donna Smith (NZL), Clifton
Retro - 49.2
7. Leslie Chelstrom, Brio - 49.5
8. Michael Pollard,
Voltaire - 49.8
9. Karen O'Connor, Theodore O'Connor - 52.5
10.
Wendy Southam (CAN), Ruba Z - 52.8
11. Craig Thompson, Orion - 55.8
12.
Dorothy Crowell, Radio Flyer - 56.4
24
competitors ran double clear Cross Country. All of the top 12 above ran double
clear.
