U.S. Eventing Team Captures Gold at Pan-American Games!
With Captain Buck Davidson being the only member who had represented the United States before, the teamwork began in the dressage where they all rode into the top 10 individually...
US Team Gold
Michael Pollard rode his wife Nathalie's Schoensgreen Hanni to second, Hannah Burnett was right behind him in third on Jacqueline Mars' Harbour Pilot, followed closely by Davidson who rode Sharon Will's Absolute Liberty in the pathfinder position to fourth, right behind him was Shannon Lilley on The Lilley Group's Ballingowan Pizazz, and Lynn Symansky coaxed a masterful effort out of Donner who found the atmosphere at Club Hippica quite exciting. Their lead as a team was secure and it was never threatened.
They added zero to their dressage scores, jumping clean and fast around the cross-country course at Santa Sofia Golf Course in Mexico, and then jumping five double-clear rounds in the team show jumping round on Sunday.
"I would like to give really special congratulations to my team," said Chef d'Equipe Mark Phillips. "Five people finishing on their dressage score - that's never been done before in the history of our sport." Only the top three individuals from each nation could return to jump for
individual medals and the U.S. added two more double-clear efforts, moving Burnett into the Individual Silver position and Davidson into Individual Bronze. Pollard had two rails down and settled for fourth. Davidson, Pollard and Burnette competed at Red Hills in 2011.