The traditional horse inspection marked the start of this first day in the 5* competition. Only 48 horse-rider pairs will be on the start list for this year’s CCI5*L in Pau, as English rider Timothy Cheffings did not present his horse, and American rider Caroline Martin decided not to present Islandwood Captain Jack a second time, after the horse was sent to the holding box by the judges. Everything went swimmingly for the French riders as all their horses were accepted.
Dressage: a foretaste of the upcoming tests
On the first day of the competition, the first seventeen competitors performed their dressage tests. The provisional ranking comes as no surprise to seasoned spectators. Multi-medallist (Olympic, World and Europe) Rosalind Canter on Rehy Royal Diamond took the lead with a very aesthetic test, scoring 27.5 points. Her compatriot Tom McEwen, was the first rider to perform the dressage test on his first horse BraveHeart B, and ranked a close second. World number two Jonelle Price (NZL) completes the podium with a well-performed test, despite Grappa Nera’s slight faults on the canter.French rider Gireg Le Coz on Aisprit de la Loge came in fourth with 30.4 points, a slight disappointment for this horse-rider pair, who were doubtless expecting a better test after their win at the CCI4*-S in Lignières a month ago, where they finished with a score of 28.2 points. The remaining French riders were no less disappointed. The three riders had difficulties keeping their horses calm in the main arena at the Domaine de Sers, but everything is still possible as the thirty-one other horse-rider pairs are yet to perform their dressage tests tomorrow.
