2005 World Cup Finals

Freestyles in Vegas—By the Numbers

By Charlene Strickland

Las Vegas, April 24, 2005.

Fact: Tickets sold for Saturday night's World Cup Dressage Final: 11,561 (sold out).

Fact: Nine of the artistic scores were 90 percent or above.

Judges raved about the overall excellence of the rides. “This is a very high quality group here, maybe even more than you get at the Olympics,” said “O” judge, Axel Steiner. “They have 50. Here there are only 18 of the best.”

From Belgium, Mariette Withages agreed. “The level was so unbelievably high,” she said. “When one finished almost without mistakes, you say, 'This can't be beaten any more.' Then the next one did it.”

So did the spectators' wild appreciation—roars of acclaim for the crowd's favorites—affect the judges' scores? “We try not to be influenced by the public,” said Withages. “They were the best public ever, and the loudest public ever.”

And combining dressage with jumping has elevated this World Cup into the top U.S. indoor show. Ticket sales topped 100,000 for the five days, just about assuring a repeat in 2007.

Karin Reid Offield, the event's sponsor, said, “The fact we could get dressage and jumping in the same arena—we have built a huge base of support in jumping riders to watch the dressage.”

Dressage tickets had already sold out, but broadcasting the freestyles on TV will extend the audience even further. European audiences saw the show live, and in the U.S., it's scheduled for June 6 on Outdoor Life Network.

The evening also proved that the artistry of dressage could be fun. Debbie McDonald said that Brentina “pumped up” for their rock music freestyle. “She feels like she's growing about a hand. She's a showgirl!”

She added about her freestyle, “I wanted to hear the audience laugh when I was doing my ride. I even saw a few smiles in the judges' box.”

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