2004 Olympic Games - Eventing

Bettina Hoy In the Lead After Day One

Such bravado held no measure for Germany’s Bettina Hoy and her Irish Sport Horse Ringwood Cockatoo posting the day’s low score of 32.0.  The big moving grey gelding looked the picture of perfection and the expression on Hoy’s face just after completing her test told the story.  Her score of 32.0 held for first place among the first day’s competition.

“He is a very experienced horse,” said Hoy.  “He knows when it matters…The judges can see when they are judging a good performance whenever it comes.”

First up after the day’s third break were Newnan, GA, resident Julie Richards and her Canadian Thoroughbred gelding Jacob Two Two.  Richards knows the pressure of Olympic competition having represented the U.S. at the 2000 Sydney Games in Australia (posting a ninth-placed finish in the Individual competition).

Gusts of wind had their own plans for the pairing.  Just as they were preparing to enter the arena, the wind wreaked havoc and spooked the horse.

A disappointed but optimistic Richards said, “Oh well!” showing her spirit and making the best of a difficult situation.  “There was a lot of ‘atmosphere’ in the air and usually he rises to the occasion.  But, I think, it caught him a little of guard.  It’s been so quiet all week,” she said.

“We’re competitors and you have to take the good with the bad,” she continued.  “I’m disappointed, because my goal here was to get under 50 in dressage.  But as a competitor you really have to take something like this and finish on it.  And that is certainly what we will do.”

The aforementioned wind combined with a noisy arena left their score at 65.4 left – in 28^th place at the end of the first day’s standings.