2004 Olympic Games - Show Jumping

A Great Start for the U.S. Show Jumping Team

Text and Photos by Diana DeRosa

August 22, 2004 – Athens , Greece -- I feel like saying, “we’re back in top form again so watch out,” but at the Olympics past experience has shown that anything can happen. However, today was fantastic. We had only one rail (Chris Kappler on Royal Kaliber) and two time penalties (McLain Ward and Sapphire) with Peter Wylde on Fein Cera and Beezie Madden on Authentic both putting in totally clear rounds. It was extremely uplifting to see how strong the U.S. riders and horses were over their first course.

Peter was the first rider that went clean. When asked if he had learned anything from the 20 riders before him who didn’t go clean he talked about fence #9 and said “Part of the difficulty of the course was this line in the center with the option. There was a real question about whether you were to do four or five strides. I am also fortunate enough to have Conrad Homfeld as my friend, mentor and advisor and he was watching. When I entered I had not made the decision. We both decided I would decide as I took off from B. Depending on how the horse was going.”

Just before fence #9 was an In & Out combination #8 a-b and when the two stride in that combination rode tight for Peter “I was able to make the five strides with no problem.” Peter explained that for Fein Cera either option was possible. She “is incredibly rideable so she allows you to do whatever…. And that was really a course design problem which shows the degree of difficulty and the caliber of riders that are here.”