Oh Me, Oh My

After the finish of the first day's Dressage Test, the American rider with the highest score was Jan Ebeling riding Anne Romney's Rafalo; today, after another 25 horses have competed, the US leading rider is Steffen Peters on Ravel in 6th place.  Tina Konyat, on Calecto V, is in 27th, and Ebeling has fallen to 30th.  Adrienne Lyle and Wizard did not qualify for the Special or Freestyle.   Great Britain is leading Germany and the Netherlands in Team competition; Denmark is fourth, and the US is fifth.  And, unfortunately, there is an alleged abuse report against Patrik Kittel, of the Swedidh team, of using rollkur on his mount, Scandic.  (Rollkur is defined as "flexion of the horse's neck achieved through aggressive force" and banned by equestrian's world governing body. Fans have alleged Kittel has continued to use the method since the ban.)
  I have had a blast watching Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte swim, I've been cheering on Missy Franklin (a local girl), and Taylor Phinney.  I've thoroughly enjoyed the cycling, beach volleyball, and synchronized diving competitions.  So far, the high point for me was seeing Gabby Douglas (aka "the Flying Squirrel") take the Gold in All-Round Gymnastics.  That 16-year-old is a superb example to girls every where! - And so are her team-mates!
  I am home, other than walking doggies, until Wednesday.  It will be nice to settle in with Lovey and Nedi and relax with them.  I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Olympic Standings - Individual Eventing

The official results for both individual and team Eventing dressage rides have been posted. As my earlier post reported, the team standings are: 1st place - Australia; 2nd Place - Germany; 3rd Place - United States.

For individuals:
1st place - Lucinda Fredericks, of Russia, on Headley Brittania
2nd place - Karin Donckers, of Belarus, on Gazelle de la Brasserie
3rd place - Ingrid Klimke, of Germany, on Abraxxas
4th place - Megan Jones, of Australia, on Irish Jester
5th place - Rebecca Holder, USA, on Courageous Comet

Karen O'Connor, whom Jeff and I met at Events in Virginia, is currently in 16th place on Mandiba; and former champion Mark Todd of New Zealand is in 30th place with Gandalf.