It came down to the wire: would Anna Buffini get the final North American slot in the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals, or was it possible that Sarah Tubman could earn the trip to April’s competition in Omaha?
Although there were nine others riding to music under the “Friday Night Lights” at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the drama for those in the know involved the two formidable competitors who are also friends.
“It was a battle to the end,” said Anna.
Anna Buffini showed great composure in her must-do ride on FRH Davinia La Douce. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Sarah, second to go on First Apple before a packed house, earned an impressive 77.450 percent despite her disadvantageous spot in the starting order.
In Thursday’s Grand Prix that acted as a qualifier for the freestyle, her chestnut stallion said no in his first piaffe. In the freestyle, he was a different horse, completely cooperative. Sarah had no major holes in her scores, but her freestyle, to the music of Boston (More than a Feeling), was a little on the conservative side, with a degree of difficulty/calculated risks going from 8.3. to 8.9
Sarah Tubman just missed a trip to Omaha with First Apple. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Anna’s ride to the theme from “Top Gun Maverick” lost marks on FRH Davinia La Douce’s right pirouette, which oddly was marked from a 4 to an 8 (judges see different things depending on their position around the arena, but that was quite a spread). Her degree of difficulty for the test, however, topped out at an impressive 9.5.
“It was definitely a tricky ride.” said Anna.
In the past, that hadn’t turned out well, This time, however, “I think our partnership and the work we put together the last couple of years has really come together, so even if it is a little tricky, we can still come out with a solid test and perform well.”
After all, as Anna pointed out about her 16-year-old Hanoverian by Don Frederico, “she’s a chestnut mare. They all come out a little bit different, every single show.”
But she thinks the biggest benefit of this show is that it is a test that will have prepared her for Omaha.
“It’s such a good experience to ride under that kind of pressure when you have to deliver,” observed Anna’s trainer, Guenter Seidel, who coincidentally was Sarah’s trainer when she lived on the West Coast.
While it was close, the 28-year-old Californian’s total of 78.280 percent prevailed over Sarah’s mark, which in turn was just 0.40 ahead of third place Morgan Barbançon Bolero. That rider, representing France, had previously qualified for Omaha.
Morgan called her ride to French music the best test.
“He was really with me, I had a great ride.”
One of the judges, Clive Halsall of Great Britain, noted that no competitor was mistake-free.
At the same time, he praised them, noting, “These riders all came with the intention to do the very best they could. You could see the pressure was on and they all wanted to win this class.”
While he said judges “want to see good freestyles with risks,” there is always a risk/reward balance, as harmony needs to exist with a degree of difficulty. He noted, the riders “really went for it and tried.”
Korea’s Dong Seon Kim had a nice performance on his new horse, Galleria’s Bohemian, formerly ridden in the Olympics by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, who was on hand to help. Bohemian’s new rider was very credible to soaring music from the show “Les Miserables,” but it stopped before he did as he got a little behind at the end of the test. He was sixth on 73.565 percent.
Dong Seon Kim and Galleria’s Bohemian. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Sarah has no hard feelings toward her rival of the evening. In fact, the two had an impromptu hug when they met up after the competition.
“She’s an amazing human, rider and person,” said Sarah, who has known Anna a long time. Sarah originally was from California and now lives in Wellington, Fla., home of the AGDF.
For her part, Anna called Sarah’s ride “incredible. It could have been either of us. She deserves to go as much as I do, and I really wish she could go.”
Sarah Tubman, Anna Buffini, Morgan Barbançon . (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Sarah is moving on and long has her eye on another goal–a spot on next year’s three-member team for the Paris Olympics.
Three North Americans will be riding in Omaha: Steffen Peters, a former Cup winner who qualified in California with Suppenkasper; Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, N.J., who made the cut on Serenade MF and Anna, who had 57 points. Sarah, with 54 points, is the first reserve.
Adrienne Lyle, who was expected to qualify with the veteran Salvino, lost her shot for Omaha when the stallion popped a splint last month and she could not compete.
Anna’s father, Brian, knew that “whoever is going to represent the U.S. you’ve got to put up a good number. We were delighted Sarah did so well, and then okay, if you’re going to go, you better earn it. And she did.”
Anna’s music was remarkable. After she saw the Top Gun movie with her family, she recalled, “We were sitting at the end with tears in our eyes and I was like, `This has to be my freestyle.’ We just loved it.”
She rode it for her grandfather, James Robinson, who was an Air Force master sergeant, before he passed away last July.
Anna remembered his reaction.
“He said, `Go for it, Maverick.’ And I did.”
(Click here for results.)
