Boyd Martin spent a lot of time kicking himself for a cross-country refusal at a boat jump in the water during the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, where the U.S. team failed to qualify for a slot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
But he more than made up for it this weekend at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with the same horse, Tsetserleg, nearly a year wiser and more in tune with his rider. There was another boat jump at another water this time around, but the two were totally unfazed at that reminder.
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg at the boat obstacle on cross-country in Lima. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Boyd led the U.S. to its third straight team eventing Pan Am gold and its 10th overall, qualifying the U.S. for a berth in Tokyo, and took individual gold for himself.
He was followed closely by Lynn Symansky on RF Cool Play, who earned individual silver. They were the only two in the competition who had no jumping or time faults on Jose Ortelli’s demanding cross-country course, and thus the only two to finish on their dressage scores.
Lynn Symansky and RF Cool Play. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
With Tokyo in its sights, a lot was expected of the U.S. team.
“We came here and we were under the gun a bit, but we all stepped up and tried our hardest,” said Boyd, who moved up from second place after dressage.
“We’ve got good horses, great riders, the best coach in the world, great farriers, brilliant vets….there was no stone left unturned. Now we have to keep up the momentum, using every day we’ve got until Tokyo to keep improving… and then we’ll find out on the day, because competition is competition.”
Like Boyd, Lynn, who rode Donner at the 2018 WEG, felt redeemed.
Understandably, “We’re much happier with our performances here this weekend,” is how she put it.
It was a strong team, with each rider contributing shining efforts.
The U.S. gold medal Pan Am event team: Tamie Smith, Doug Payne, Boyd Martin, Lynn Symansky, coach Erik Duvander. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Doug Payne finished just off the podium in fourth place on Starr Witness in his first international championships. Tamie Smith, who led after dressage with Mai Baum, had an uncharacteristic refusal on cross-country and then crossed her line at a fence later in the course, an error that also carries 20 penalties. Like her teammates, she was fault-free today over a show jumping route designed by Guilherme Jorge, who also laid out the demanding grand prix show jumping course at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Having all four U.S. riders go clean in show jumping was a big plus, because that phase too often been the team’s downfall.
Lima was the last chance for Western Hemisphere teams to qualify for Tokyo, with only the top two making the cut. Finishing second to the U.S. total of 91.2 penalties was Brazil on 122.1, as Carlos Parro took the individual bronze aboard Quaikin Qurious. The Brazilians lost the 2015 individual bronze medalist, Ruy Fonseca, when he was involved in a rotational fall cross-country with Ballypatrick Srs. The horse was fine, but Ruy broke a leg and several ribs.
Canada missed the boat for Tokyo with a third-place finish on 183.7 penalties.
Those who attended the Jersey Fresh International event at the Horse Park of New Jersey in May saw both Doug and Lynn on their Pan Am horses in the 3-star Long, the equivalent of the Pan Am test. If you’re still thinking in terms of 2018 and before, that used to be the 2-star. Doug—who grew up in Tewksbury and rode with the Somerset Hills Pony Club–won that one, while Lynn was second.
Doug Payne and Starr Witness in Lima. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
A big part of the winning U.S. formula was team coach Erik Duvander, who competed for his native Sweden and oversaw the New Zealand squad before coming to the U.S. He was at a real disadvantage with the WEG last year, since he’d only been on the job about 10 months before those Games began.
That was hardly enough time to get things spinning the way he envisioned them. But as was the case with Boyd, another 10 or so months made a big difference, with everything and everyone pointing in the right direction.
When I congratulated him this afternoon, Erik stated, “I have a great team of riders and support staff that deserves all the credit.” No, not all the credit Erik; you deserve your share of the applause; I’ve seen how hard you work. And I will never forget how gracious and graceful he was at the WEG when things didn’t go the USA’s way.
In summing up the USA’s achievement, Boyd, too, expressed gratitude for all the support the team received from so many quarters, “It’s so much work–we get to wear the fancy medal, but really it’s a massive effort from a lot of people.”
The format for Lima involved the traditional number of four riders per team, with a drop score allowed. The Olympics, which will be run at a higher level, only allows three riders under a new formula for the Games that is supposed to make things easier for spectators to understand (ha!) and enable more countries to participate. But while the three/no drop score works for Grand Prix dressage and perhaps in many instances for Grand Prix show jumping, the difficulties of cross-country have made many question the wisdom of not having a drop score for eventing and instead allowing a complicated system of substitutions with attendant penalties.
The loss of Brazil’s most experienced rider, Ruy Fonseca this time around, worked out for that team only because they had three others who could continue. Besides the top three countries, only two other nations, Mexico and Argentina, finished the event as a team. That portends much the same end in Tokyo for less powerful nations in the sport.
Caption for feature photo at the top of the page: The Brazilian, U.S. and Canadian teams on the podium at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Photo credit: FEI/Daniel Apuy/Getty Images)
