2003 Pan American Games

Day 2: Would Canada Take the Gold?

Third to go, Pierre St. Jacques rode Lucky Tiger to the best score yet. He didn’t let his Canadian heritage influence his allegiance to his U.S. teammates.

“It’s my first Pan-American Games, my first time representing a country, and my first time representing the United States,” he said. A U.S. citizen since 1999, he credited his wife, Pam Goodrich. “I owe everything to my wife,” he said. “She has trained so many Grand Prix horses, and is one of the best Grand Prix trainers in the country.“ He added that she’d urged him to buy “Tiger” after they found him in Denmark.

Tiger, in his fifth time out at Prix St. Georges, was overexcited after his excellent test. He had to be led through the out-gate, with onlookers backing up to give him plenty of space on his exit.

St. Jacques rode under gray skies--Ebeling warmed up and rode in another rainstorm. He said, “That’s a mighty rain, even more than at this year’s Gladstone!”

Ebeling rode Feliciano to the highest score of any U.S. rider: 70.40. His score was first announced as 70.05, and later adjusted. About his horse, Ebeling said, “In the last three months, he’s really advanced. In the beginning of the season, we weren’t sure we would try out, but he made a huge leap forward at every show I went to.”

That leap launched the U.S. challenge to Canada. Their Jacqueline Brooks ended up their drop score, placing the pressure on Leslie Reid. Reid earned the day’s top score of 72.15--not quite enough to best the U.S. riders.

Ten teams competed, the largest number of any Pan-American Games. Forty-three riders represented 13 nations. Mexico finished in the bronze position, less than 1 point ahead of the Dominican Republic.

Yvonne Losos de Muniz earned the second highest score of 71.80 on her mare, Inatana las Marismas. She began pursuing dressage about the same time her country won the Pan-Am Games. “Our original goal was just to have a presentable team,” she said. About her ride on Day 2, she recalled, “It is very exciting. You feel very proud riding in your own country, and you also feel a lot of pressure.”

The equestrian venue was Palmarejo Equestrian Center, located northwest of the city and far from the central city’s more popular sports areas. Surrounded by lush green hills and palm trees, the brand new site is top-class, similar to show facilities in U.S. like High Prairie Farms in Colorado.

Riders praised the stabling and the footing in the show arena. “The barns are wonderful, said Lavell. Harrison-Naness mentioned the misting fans supplied by the USET, saying, “The horses all receive fan therapy. Scooby stands in front of his fan, and he is happy.”

Images copyrighted: Terri Miller