WEG 2010: Eventing - The Dressage | The Most Important Phase

Team GBR Selections Reflect The Importance Of Dressage 

The formalities of the World Equestrian Games Eventing trot-up are now over, so it's time to draw a line in the sand between each nation, and get on with the serious business of winning. Team GBR's Nicola Wilson will be the first to kick off the competition tomorrow morning at 9:00AM sharp, on her wonder horse, Opposition Buzz. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is one fabulous horse to watch go cross country, and Nicola has spent the last year improving her dressage, with much success. Her win at Barbury CIC*** sealed the decision for her inclusion in this WEG team.

Both this WEG and the last one, at Aachen, have very large arenas, more reminiscent of a sandy baseball field than a horse stadium, but judging by how well the pure dressage has gone over the last few days, I don't think this will phase the horses much more they get phased at any of the big 4 star competitions.

All the teams, and individuals have now been announced and looking through the list I don't really see any serious surprises in any of the teams. The only shock being the sad withdrawal of Kim Severson's grey due to infection, being replaced with Karen O'Connor. Reading between the lines, listening to The Captain in an audio interview, you could tell this was just one of many headaches Mark has faced in the run-up to tomorrow's competition.

WEG 2010: Eventing - The Cross Country Course

WEG Cross Country | Expect Lots of These!

Pictures have started appearing all over the web now of the World Equestrian Games cross country course for the eventing discipline, and at first glance of Horse & Hound's pictures, which must have been taken some time ago, you think "ahh, this isn't right up there with the trickiest", but these photos were taken before ponds were filled and brush fences finished!

Then you hunt around and find a few more pictures from the last few days and you start to see that this course really is up there with Badminton and Burghley, as a true championship test, in particular the main water complex (part 1, part 2). I'm little disappointed to see a lot of ideas from those two course in here, but it still looks like big step up for many of the field so should be a corker to watch.

WEG 2010: Eventing Trot-Up - Chanel or Gucci?

Only One Plait!

Hurrah! Eventing starts today with the Trot-up, and previews of the cross country course, so by now there'll have be plenty of indecision in the wardrobe department as the ladies decide whether it it's the Chanel wooly coat or the Gucci tailored jacket with the knee length skirt and long boots, whilst Mark Todd just play's it safe and wears jacket, tie and body warmer. There will undoubtedly be a few colour co-ordinated teams, I predict most notably the Americans and Canadas. I'm just as interested to see what the ground jury will be wearing, as here in the UK, it's pretty much always tweed and a bowler hat.

One thing's for sure there'll be no ugly bibs in this phase!

WEG 2010: Dressage (Not In Jeans)

Moorelands Totilas | Photo: Samantha Clark

Another day nearer to Eventing, and it really isn't too far away now.......

Today though was all about pure dressage, and for those of us not at the World Equestrian Games, a first chance to see some Kentucky action via the TV. Now normally you wouldn't catch me watching this much dressage even at a horse trials, but there was such a buzz beforehand about Totilas, and one or two others I just had to take a look. Even though I find some of these pure dressage movements a little laboured (like the canter pirouettes), I was in total awe at how athletic these horses are, and with such control.

Moorelands Totilas, ridden by Edward Gal, did live up to his reputation, and I'm no dressage aficionado or geek, but even I could appreciate the silky elegant of this horse's performance. For me this was almost over shadowed by the incredible performance of the British team who wiped the floor with the remaining competition producing personal bests to win silver. British dressage hasn't been this good since Torvil & Dean!