TOKYO, Japan--The U.S. Para Dressage Team finished the first day of team competition in fourth place at Equestrian Park in Tokyo, Japan, and there will be one more ride for the U.S. tomorrow before team medal positions are decided.
Roxanne Trunnell and Dolton led as the first team ride of the evening, competing in the FEI Grade I Team Test to Music where she received an 80.321 percent, while Rebecca Hart and El Corona Texel earned a 72.206 percent in the FEI Grade III Team Test to Music.
The team will move on to the second day of competition on a team total of 152.527.
Kate Shoemaker and Solitaer 40 will compete in the FEI Grade IV Team Test tomorrow as the final combination for the U.S. team.
AFTER THE first day of team competition. Canada leads on 211.699 with Singapore second on 200.792, followed by Great Britain, 159.254, U.S., 152.527, Denmark, 152.676, Italy, 145.289 and Austria, 127,552, the top seven of the 15 teams.
Trunnell of Royal Palm Beach, Fla. on Dolton, a nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding, was the first of the U.S. team to compete and used their momentum from their stellar performance yesterday, where they secured the individual gold, to help jump start the team’s score.
She produced a lovely test, earning an 80.321 percent from the judges.
Trunnell managed Dolton through some tense moments due to an emergency response happening outside of the venue and she was happy with how he stuck with her throughout.
“He felt really good, just a little tense, but we worked through some of it during the test,” said Trunnell. “He can do more though. He was a little tense with what was going on outside of the venue. You can’t prepare for that; it just happens, and you have to go with it and it’s okay.”
Hart of Wellington, Fla., on El Corona Texel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding, was the second ride of the night for the U.S. Para Dressage Team and had improved marks from the judges for their FEI Grade III Team Test to Music.
“I felt really good in there," said Hart. "He warmed up beautifully in there today. We took all the comments from yesterday and went for a little more cadence and harnessed power. He was a bit lit up when we first went into the ring, but I was able to get him back with me at the start and get down the centerline and he stayed with me the entire test. It was a really nice feeling.”
Team competition will continue tomorrow, August 29, with team medals being presented at the conclusion of the evening’s competition. Kate Shoemaker of Wellington, Fla., on Solitaer 40 will anchor the team and is scheduled to ride at 7:14 p.m. JST/6:14 a.m. EST in the FEI Grade IV Team Test to Music.