NZL-Jonelle Price and Classic Moet were the fastest combination in the cross country yesterday at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon. Saturday 15 September. Copyright Photo: Libby Law Photography

It’s always interesting to look at the cross country by numbers. Designer Captain Mark Phillips said he was very happy with the day. A few of our riders felt perhaps the course had been a little underestimated largely due to just how those first few combinations made it look relatively easy.

The biggest problems came at combinations at (10a, b, c, d, e, f, g) the Mars Sustainability Bay – the second water on course and a key combination at the heart of the course – and the CSX Junction (14a, b, c, d) – both of which took a toll on our own riders.

Fence 10 was the water combination with a multitude of options. The direct route featuring a big drop into the bay followed by the narrow bow of the boat and then a narrow step out with a waterfall and a very skinny arrowhead.

There were 12 single refusals throughout the combination, two double refusals, one rider fall and one elimination.

The CSX Junction at 14 called for riders to make choices – the quicker left-hand side had big corners and acute angles while the right hand also featuring corners required accuracy but had more efforts.

At 14 a number of riders picked up faults through the various combinations.

However, the beautifully presented course was certainly a picture and the efforts of organisers for the footing was not lost on the many at the TIEC. Fences featured stables, golf balls, shot gun casings, cascading water, lots of corners and skinnies, bumble bees, boats, jetties, hay, toad stills, a vodka still, squirrels and more alongside the obligatory brushes and oxers.

Let’s crunch the numbers –

  • 81 combinations started
  • 2 withdrawn before the cross country
  • 8 eliminated on course
  • 1 retired on course
  • 21 fences had a single refusal at them
  • 2 fences had double refusals at them
  • 1 rider missed a flag
  • 2 frangible pins were broken
  • 6 riders fell
  • 16 combinations came home clear and inside time
  • Jonelle Price and Classic Moet were the fastest combination at 9 minutes, 44 seconds
  • Leader Ingrid Klimke (GER) and SAP Hale Bob OLD were bang on time at 10 minutes
  • 16 countries in the teams event
  • 3 countries had a team rider eliminated

To see all the info on the cross country, head to www.rechenstelle.de  .

By Diana Dobson, New Zealand team media liaison

Photos by Libby Law Photography