The U.S. team at the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona missed the podium Sunday, but two veterans were able to produce double-clears, while two less-experienced riders earned valuable experience.
“I’m never too excited about being fourth,” sighed coach Robert Ridland.
“I’d rather be fortieth. Fourth means you just missed the podium by one slot. We managed to do that in Aachen (August’s world championships) as well.”
In Spain, history also repeated itself for Germany, which won the world championship and now has taken the LLN title as well.
“Germany is the gold standard,” said Robert, and who could argue with that?
But it did come down to a jump-off, after Germany and Brazil each ended up with 4-penalty totals after two rounds. Germany’s 4 surprisingly came from European Champion Richie Vogel on the lovely Cloudio, who toppled a rail in the second round at the ninth of 12 fences, the oxer decorated with horse head cutouts.
That tied Germany with the ever-improving Brazil, a country I cited as on the rise before the world championships.
Brazil selected 53-year-old Rodrigo Pessoa as its representative. He had a rail at the first fence in the first round, and did the same thing in the tiebreaker.
Richie was back in the ring for the jump-off with Cloudio and didn’t make the same mistake twice. Knowing he had some breathing room because of Rodrigo’s rail, Richie was fast enough, but not at the expense of being careful. His 40.85 clocking was a bit slower than Rodrigo’s 39.48, but he was fault-free.
“Rodrigo has so much experience, a real living legend in the saddle,” mused Richie, 29.
“Unfortunately for him, the first fence came down, so that made my job a little bit easier, but there was still enough pressure to bring it home, especially after I gave it away once.”
Cloudio received the Best Horse award, presented to the horse with the most clear rounds across the qualifying legs. The gorgeous stallion, whose name reflects his gray color, is owned by Vogel and Will Equestrian GmbH.
Richie Vogel and Cloudio after clinching the LLN win.
“Cloudio jumped fantastic, not only this week but all season,” Richie said.
“He’s been the most successful horse of this League, so I think if someone deserves this win, it’s Cloudio.”
Interesting to note that while Barcelona in 1992 was Rodrigo’s first Olympics, Richie would not even be born until five years later.
Third place went to European champion Belgium, always a contender. The Belgians collected 5 penalties. If Abdel Said had not had a time penalty in the first round for exceeding the 71-second time allowed over Santiago Varela’s course, it would have been a three-way jump-off.
The U.S. was farther behind with 12 penalties. Laura Kraut (Tres Bien) and McLain Ward (Jordan Molga M) were among the nine double-clears in the class, but the other half of the team was far less experienced.
“He was totally with me the whole way,” said Laura, the pathfinder for the team, noting it was a thrilling experience to handle the huge jumps with her horse.
“The way he did it was just class,” she commented about the mount that Great Britain’s Tim Gredley had brought to the 2-star level before she started riding him.
Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Jireh had the plank down at the 1.6 meter vertical, the sixth fence, and collected a time penalty as well. It was Kristen’s first time on a team.
McKayla Langmeier, who has very limited team experience, moved a block on the tape at the water in the first round with the 9-year-old Riseling van de Gaathoeve. In the second round, she had a knockdown at the B element of the Beach Bar double and then a rail at the 1.62 meter Longines vertical near the end of the course.
Paris Sellon originally was on the team, but after the Saint-Tropez qualifier where the U.S. made the cut for the final, her horse was “a little off,” Robert said.
With just a week before the Final, the U.S. had a problem. So Robert called McLain Ward to ask if he knew anyone who could fill the slot. He didn’t ask McLain to make the trip, noting if McLain couldn’t find anyone, the U.S. would have gone with a team of three and no drop score in the first round.
But “McLain was great. He texted me at 11 o’clock at night and said `I’m coming,’ ” Robert commented.
The Germans understandably were enjoying another triumph.
“Teamwork makes the dream work, and this team did it again,” Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker reflected. “All four riders delivered super rounds today, and I’m happy that in the end Richie could make it in the jump-off.
“To win the Longines League of Nations again after the World Championship in Aachen is a great feeling. This team really deserved it, and I’m really, really happy.” Click here for results