2003 Pan American Games - Show Jumping

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

Beezie Has a Refusal in Round 1 While Kappler Garners One Rail Down

A few more riders and Beezie entered the ring. It looked like she would be a repeat of Margie as Conquest II was clearing all the jumps but suddenly just a few fences from the end of the course her horse put the brakes on at the last fence of a triple combination, the next to last fence on the course. Beezie circled and attempted to rejump the fence, but Conquest II would have not part of it. She proved to be the first and only rider that was eliminated. A bit of a disappointment but better that this happened in the Individual competition.

Finally just one rider away from the last rider in the class, Chris Kappler and Royal Kaliber entered the arena. They too put in another strong performance but a downed fence kept them in the second spot.

It was a skinny fence and Chris said that as he “jumped the left side (Royal Kaliber) noticed the cameraman and hit the fence with his hind leg.”

Only one rider to go in Round 1 and that was Mark Watring riding a gray mare named Sapphire. As they had done in all the prior rounds, they continued to put in another clear round and ended up being the only rider in the initial starting field of 42 riders that had not dropped one rail.

Mark went into Round 2 with his score of .83. Kappler maintained his second position with a 6.40 and Margie was on his heels with 8.22. Then it was Mexico’s Federico Fernandez on Bohemio (12.75), Gerardo Tazzer (who along with Margie and Mark was one of only three riders who negotiated the first of the two rounds clear) with 12.75. Tazzer had moved into that position from the 27th spot in the order. Teammate Santiago Lambre (MEX) aboard Marcos W was next (15.32), then Bernardo Resende from Brazil (15.80) riding Fort de Neuville.

These top seven riders would be joined by 25 more to compete over the final round which would determine the Medal Winners.