ABU DHABI, UAE--The young and inexperienced team of Kaitlin Campbell, Taylor Kain, Skylar Wireman and Lucy Davis Kennedy failed to make the second round of the first leg of the League of Nations in Abu Dhab, but they came closer than expected.
The winning Irish team (Photo from the FEI)"On paper, we ended up where we were expected to be," said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland. "We had the least experienced team. Three of the four had never ridden on a Nations Cup team, and they were competing against teams with Olympians. Our most seasoned combination with team experience was Lucy Davis-Kennedy with Ben 431 and they, too, are still a relatively new partnership. Still, we were just one rail away from being in the second round."
Ireland won on zero faults, with the United Arab Emirates second with eight faults and France third with 12 faults, followed by Germany, 12 faults, Italy, 14 faults, Great Britain, 20 faults, Switzerland 20 faults and Belgium, 56 faults.
The three teams that did not make the second round weer Netherlands, 13 faults, the U.S., 16 faults and Sweden, 23 faults.
Just fielding a U.S. team is extremely difficult.
Every weekend in the U.S. thee are two or three very lucrative four-and five star shows either in Wellington, Thermal or Ocala, including two World Cup qualifying classes.
Plus competing in Abu Dhabi involves a long time period as horses must fly first to Europe, stay over at least a day and then to Abu Dhabi a few days early, spend over a week there, fly back to Europe, then home to quarantine for a week.
It's a much easier trip for Europeans.
CAMPBELL of Temecula, Calif., on Castlefield Cornelious went first for the U.S. and had two down, one at the double verticals and one in the triple combination for eight faults..
Kain of Ommen, Netherlands on Jirenze had to go to the stick at the water when Jirenze tried to stop so had a foot in the water and both A and B of the following combination down for 12 faults and the drop score.
Wireman of Bonsall, Calif., the youngest rider in the competition, on Tornado had a rail at an oxer and Kennedy of Los Angeles, Calif., on Ben had a rail at the vertical at 7A for four faults each.
Campbell could easily have had just four faults and either Wireman or Kennedy could have been clean, which would have put the U.. in the second round.
"All four of them got valuable experience," said Ridland. "This is the only year in the four year Olympic term without a championship. We need to get as much experience as we can."
"We'll have a strong team in Ocala," Ridland said of the second leg of the competition in Ocala March 18-23.
With a couple of top finishes in the ensuing legs, the U.S. can easily be one of the eight teams from the 10 competing to make it to the Finals in Barcelona.
The Irish team consisted of Denis Lynch on Vistogran), Trevor Breen on Highland President, Jason Foley on Chedington Hazy Toulana and Michael Pender on HHS Los Angeles with chef d'equipe Michael Blake.
“It’s incredible, winning on zero is hard to do," said Blake. "We're a small nation, we’re really punching above our weight! We were resilient today. I’m so proud of my boys. They jumped seven rounds today without a fence down. The Nations Cup’s mean so much to Ireland so this really means everything.”
The surprise was the UAE finishing second as that country is not one of the10 that made the League of Nations on points but only competed as the host nation.
