2003 Pan American Games - Show Jumping

A Silver and Bronze for Kappler and Engle; Puerto Rican Mark Watring Claims The Gold

By Diana De Rosa

“It’s the boost that our country needed,” commented both Chris Kappler and Margie Engle after they claimed an Individual Silver and Bronze Medal, respectively, in Show Jumping. “But I have to hand my hat to Mark. He rode spectacularly all week,” added Kappler. He was referring to Puerto Rican Mark Watring who had claimed the Gold Medal on Saturday, August 16, 2003 in the Individual Finals at Campo Ecuestre Palmarejito in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for the 14th Pan American Games. Mark had only dropped one rail in five classes.

For the U.S., three of our four riders competed in the Individual Finals including Engle, Wellington, FL, riding Hidden Creek’s Perin; Beezie Madden, Cazenovia, NY riding Conquest II and Kappler, Pittstown, NJ, on Royal Kaliber. Lauren Hough, Ocala, FL, aboard Windy City would not be competing. Just two days earlier our riders had claimed a Team Gold Medal.