Fair Hill, Maryland – October 25, 2003 - With the demanding phase of cross-country now complete, the Canadian Eventing Team has maintained its second place position at the 2003 Pan American Eventing Championships held October 22-26 during the CCIO*** Fair Hill International Three Day Event in Fair Hill, Maryland.

After taking second position following the opening phase of dressage on Friday, the Canadian Eventing Team successfully completed the cross-country challenge to post a two-day total score of 301 penalty points. The United States continues to lead with a score of 170 while Brazil is in third place with a score of 1372.4 penalty points.

Michael Winter of Toronto, ON, got the team off to a strong start riding Balista, a 12-year-old American thoroughbred gelding owned by Emeline Loughlin. Winter incurred just 19.6 time penalties to bring his total to 88.8 penalty points and move into twelfth position individually.

“Balista really rose to the occasion and made my job easy,” said Winter, 29, who is competing on the Canadian Eventing Team for the first time. “We came out of the training camp well-prepared, very fit, and with great coaching.”

Hawley Bennett of Langley, BC, the next Canadian out on course, took all the long options to incur time penalties, but brought it home for the Team. Her two-day total of 117.8 penalty points puts Bennett in sixteenth place individually.

“I am thrilled, my horse was brilliant the whole way through,” noted Bennett, 26, also riding for Canada for the first time in international competition. “I am used to taking all the direct routes with my horse, but riding for the Team, is was important to do everything possible to qualify for the Olympics. And it is a Team with two rookies, so that’s a lot of pressure for Mike and I!”

Anchor rider Bruce Mandeville of Puslinch, ON, had all the experience necessary, having already successfully completed the 1999 Pan American Games, 2000 Olympic Games, 2002 World Equestrian Games and CCI**** Badminton this spring riding Larissa, a 14-year-old Canadian-bred Trakehner mare. Mandeville incurred 20 jumping penalties when Larissa slipped before fence 18b and could not get organized in time to jump the obstacle. He also incurred time penalties to bring his two-day total to 114.40 penalty points and move up to fourteenth position individually.

“When she slipped, I couldn’t get my line, but other than that, she was really good,” explained Mandeville, 43, a native of New Westminster, BC. “I just want to get the Olympics! Larissa will do one more, she’s really sound and, most importantly, she loves it!”

Despite being the top Canadian following the opening phase of dressage, Penny Rowland, 47, of Orangeville, ON, was forced to withdraw her 14-year-old grey Canadian thoroughbred mare, Aberdare, during Phase C of Saturday’s competition.

“I thought she did the steeplechase well and recovered well, but on Phase C her breathing was heavy and she just got worse and worse,” said Rowland, scheduled to be the second Canadian rider on course. “We had done everything right in terms of being prepared and we don’t know why this happened. It is just so disappointing, even more so because it was for the Team. I am sorry to let them down.”

Only the best three of four Team member scores are counted towards the final score making Rowland the drop score.

Individually, David O’Connor of the United States is in the lead with a score of 51.6 riding Courting Danger. However, a fall later in the day in the CCI*** division sent O’Connor to the hospital.

“David has a broken left wrist and left ankle, and it looks like he’ll have to withdraw at this point,” said his wife and fellow Pan American Games competitor, Karen O’Connor, who currently sits in fourth position individually riding Joker’s Wild.

Darren Chiacchia, competing as an individual for the United States Equestrian Team, is currently in second position with Windfall 2 while U.S. Team competitor Will Faudree is in third place riding Antigua.

Similar to a triathlon, horse-rider combinations compete in three distinct phases held over three consecutive days. Following the conclusion of dressage and cross-country, the competitors now move forward to the third and final phase of stadium jumping held Sunday afternoon after first passing a mandatory horse inspection in the morning.

As three day eventing was not included in the Pan American Games programme in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the Pan American Championships are being organized in conjunction with the annual CCI*** Fair Hill International Three Day Event in Fair Hill, Maryland. Countries not already qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, will be hoping to earn their Olympic berth. Twenty-six horse-rider combinations representing Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States are competing in the Pan American Eventing Championships division.

The CCI*** Fair Hill International Three Day Event, held in conjunction with the Pan American Eventing Championships, attracted 70 entries including several Canadians. Suzy Pettman, 25, of Westbank, BC, is currently in ninth position riding Kilcoltrim.

Proud supporters of the Canadian Eventing Team include Abbott Laboratories, Bayer Healthcare, Boogaloo Brushing Boots, Can-Pro Horse Equipment (Bahr’s Saddlery), E.W. Tack, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Merial Canada Inc., and Phoenix Performance Products.