COAPEXPAN, Mexico--With two of the four riders on the U.S. team eliminated in the Nations Cup in Mexico,  the team was eliminated and thus, for the first time in over a decade, the U.S.won't qualify for the Nations Cup Final in Barcelona this fall.

Robert Ridland (Photo by Shannon Brinkman)Usually, there are three Nations Cup competitions for North American teams to qualify for the Finals, but with the Nations Cup in California cancelled due to the outbreak of EHV-1, only two remained, one each in Mexico and Canada.

Thus, having been eliminated in Mexico, and with only one qualifier remaining, even if the U.S. won in Canada, it couldn't get enough points to beat Mexico and Canada, which finished first and second respectively in Mexico.

"We knew going into the class in Mexico that we had a team of young riders on young horses,"said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland. "With young riders, these things happen."

Giavanna Rinaldi on Cosmona was the very first rider in the Nations Cup, a difficult spot for any rider, as there has been no chance to see how distances rode or how tight the time was.

Despite being first, Rinaldi had only one rail down when she met the third fence of the combination too tight - a very respectable round.

Second in the ring, Maria Costa had already had a bit of a rough trip before she fell off when Valentino VZ stopped at a fence.

 

NEXT FOR the U.S. was Tanner Korotkin, the only one of the foursome who had ever ridden in a Nations Cup.

In his first appearance in a Nations Cup, he had contributed a vital clean round to the team in Wellington that tied for second and placed third.

But in Mexico,his mount, Volo's Diamond, had a problem with the water where he landed on the tape, which seemed to rattle him, and he stopped at the next fence, and then stopped again at the same fence for elimination.

The fourth rider for the U.S.,Allish Cunniffe on Vivaldi du Thell, went despite the team having already been eliminated and produced a beautiful, clean round.

"We will still send a team to Canada,"said Ridland. "We don't just go to the Olympics and the World Championships. It's important to give experience to these young riders. It's going to pay off for us in the future."

"This was not the result we wanted, but it was definitely worth it,"he said. "This was a great group of talented young riders. They all made a huge sacrifice to go to Mexico in the middle of the Winter Equestrian Festival. I was proud of them and appreciative of their sacrifice."

The second Nations Cup in North America is in Langley, Canada, June 1-5.

The next few big events for the U.S. are the final weekend at WEF,, which includes the $500,000 5* grand prix, followed by the World Cup in Leipzig, Germany April 6-10, and then Rome is the first Nations Cup for the riders who will be vying to make the World Championships team.

The 10 riders who will go on the European tour that will decide the team for the World Championships will be named after the World Cup on April 10.

That group will include the top four riders from the Riders Ranking list, the top three horses on the Horses Ranking list not ridden by one of those four top riders, one rider who finished in the top10 in the World Cup if not already on the list and two discretionary choices,

Leading the Riders Ranking list now are Kent Farrington, McLain Ward, Adrienne Sternlicht and Margie Engle, and the top three horses not ridden by one of those four are Baloutinue, ridden by Laura Kraut, Antidote de Mars, Bliss Heers, and Argan de Beliard, Lillie Keenan.

There will be some changes to those ranking, but those seven riders appear to be fairy well set to make the European tour.