They did a pattern, AKA dressage test, for the flat phase: https://fbcdn-photos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xal1/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/12047106_1076917845652960_123275180582603995_n.jpg?oh=d0b10d29149e728a9c383bd8614c39f7&oe=5699AA99&gda=1449421546_c2fb4a8d396495a33166aa9c8161b94a (I hope that worked -courtesy iJump Sports). I wasn’t there for that, but based on the scores it was not generously judged. The highest score was a 76 and there were an additional three scores in the 70s.
Gymnastic phase course:
https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12003313_10206637134101020_2000717247854048317_n.jpg?oh=ab53a28608b7eed3e14813d0079a4e90&oe=56AA3D8C
The distance in 11ab walked at 21’ when I did it after the class so I’m assuming that the 6.4 is 6.4 meters. The distance from 6b to 7a walked in 87’.
In the past, both at LAEC and last year at the Oaks, this phase was in a covered arena with less room. Having it out on the field seemed more forgiving as there were opportunities to regroup as opposed to having things spiral rapidly out of control. There was one elimination. There weren’t many stops, and several of those were clear pilot errors where the rider steadied to a fence a bit much. One of these happened to a rider trying to get the short seven from 6b to 7a who had been having a lovely ride up until then.
One disadvantage of the larger field is that you can’t really see anything. I was sitting right next to the quadruple combination, but really couldn’t see much of anything that happened on the other side of the ring, including the bounce.
Michael Williamson got the highest score and probably deserved it. He had a plan and executed it well. It would have been nice if he got it done a bit more quietly here and there, but it’s a big strong horse, and I suppose that effectiveness should count more for the USET. Eve Jobs was second with a nice ride. Miela Gross is my hero for not giving up the ride. Her horse apparently saw dead people approaching the trot jump combination and tried to stop and spin. She got him going forward and somehow over the in on an angle and then aimed him back at the second element.
There are people that I might have scored a bit higher or lower (but see note about not being able to see everything) but, looking at the scores, many of them were in the group that was low 80s/high70s so the placings are more different than the scores.
Here are the scores after two rounds:
https://fbcdn-photos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xtp1/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/12003307_10206637824798287_1944122315170512707_n.jpg?oh=d6710adcf272d260ec860bf07aaa6607&oe=5667514A&gda=1453438972_10cb618b3861f85e717821a34113eb5e
I found that by going to the show office.
Someone else can carry the flag tomorrow. I have a riding lesson and would probably make it down there just about the time that the last horse started on course for Phase 3.
As usual, I have decent notes if anyone is curious about how someone did. I also took some photos which I may or may not get downloaded tonight.
One more thing. Karen’t pants today were pinkish. Like the yellowish pants of last weekend it wasn’t a pink pink. And I have a photo.