2003 Pan American Games - Show Jumping

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

Round Two Brings Medals for the U.S.

Not one person in the first half of the second round was able to negotiate a totally clean course. The cleanest round was negotiated by Mark Samuels from Canada who had no jumping faults but one time fault. It was very hot during this class and although the second course was shorter than the first (10 jumps with 12 jumping efforts) the heat and the long week of jumping day after day seemed to be taking its toll on the care given by the horses to clear the jumps. Many just touched the rails and that would be enough to make them fall.

In fact Engle and Kappler both ended up with four faults in the second round at the same fence. The second fence on the course was a vertical with colorful planks set on flat cups. A touch of the rail and it easily slid off the cups.

“I angled a little too much for that fence and he was heading for the water,” she later explained. The water was on more of a direct line from the first fence but in fact the second fence required horse and rider to turn left in order to go across a jump set in the center of the arena. Instead, Perin focused on the water and Margie had to get his attention focused on the correct fence. Only an instant cost them that rail.

Chris wasn’t quite sure why he knocked that same fence down. “It was a very tricky fence. I don’t know if it was the arch or the water,” he said. Kappler was referring to an arch that framed the fence on one side.

Watring, who was the last rider to go on this final course, finally downed his first rail, but with that being the only rail he knocked all week he clearly earned his Gold Medal.