-- FEI press release by Louise Parkes, edited by Eurodressage
The build-up to the 19th Pan American Games is at boiling point this week, and for Chile it is a very special moment as the country which is renowned for its stunning natural beauty, unique cultural traditions, and rich history welcomes athletes from all across the Americas for the very first time.
From 20 October to 5 November the capital city of Santiago will take centre stage as more than 6,000 of the best athletes on the continent compete across 38 sports, with qualification for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games adding an extra edge to the tension and excitement.
Who's Competing?
The countries that have previously hosted the Pan American Games are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United States of America and Venezuela. The Games always take place the year ahead of the Olympics, and in equestrian sport there are two Olympic qualifying spots on offer in Dressage, which will be hotly contested again this time around.
All three Olympic disciplines - dressage, show jumping, eventing - will be contested in Santiago. The participating nations this year include Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, USA, Uruguay and Venezuela while the two athletes from Guatemala will compete under a Neutral PS Flag.
Quillota
The 2023 equestrian venue is at the Escuela de Equitación Regimiento Granaderos in Quillota, a traditional army compound in the Valparaiso region that lies in the foothills of Chile’s coastal mountain range.
Quillota is located 126 km from Santiago city, (a 2-hour drive) and the action gets underway with Dressage next Sunday, 22 October.
Dressage
Team Canada came out on top at the last Pan Americans in Lima, Peru in 2019 pinning USA into silver medal spot and Brazil into bronze, the Canadians and Brazilians earning the two spots on offer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Canada’s Moreira Laliberté won both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special with her Sandro Hit gelding Statesman, and she was joined by Jill Irving, Tina Irwin and Lindsay Kellock to take the team title.
But it was the USA’s Sarah Tubman (née Lockman) and First Apple (by Vivaldi x Partout) who claimed individual gold with a single percentage point advantage over Canada’s Irwin and Laurencio in silver while Tubman’s team-mate Jennifer Baumert took the bronze with Handsome. The American record in the history of Dressage at the PanAms, which dates right back to the first edition staged in Buenos Aires (ARG) in 1951, includes eight team and 10 individual titles, and Tubman made it three-in-a-row individual victories for USA following a back-to-back double from compatriot Steffen Peters in 2011 and 2015.
Both Small Tour and Big Tour combinations compete at the PanAms, and the Small Tour riders were first to battle it out in the individual gold-medal-deciding Intermediate I Freestyle/Grand Prix Freestyle on the final day in Lima. Just four horse-and-rider partnerships contested the higher-level Big Tour class, but the medals were decided by the biggest scores on the day regardless of the category, so it was Small Tour contenders Lockman, Irwin and Baumert who posted those to claim the medals.
All Horses Pass Inspection
All horses pass the inspection but for four it was a nail-biting moment for the teams of Argentina, Mexico, and Brasil as four of their horses were sent to the holding box. Corsário ISG (BRA), Frans and Gentil (MEX), and San Rio (ARG) ended up passing the re-inspection and were deemed fit to compete.
Olympic Tickets on the Line
Chasing down the Olympic qualification spots this time around will be Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and Mexico, as the U.S.A. already qualified at the 2022 World Championships in Herning.
The competition timetable for dressage is:
21 October - Horse Inspection and Draw for Starting Order
22 October - Prix St Georges / Grand Prix (Team and Individual Qualifier)
23 October - Intermediate I / Grand Prix Special (Team Final and Individual Qualifier) Team Medal Ceremony
24 October - Second Horse Inspection and Draw for Individual Final
25 October - Intermediate I Freestyle / Grand Prix Freestyle (Individual Final) Individual Medal Ceremony
LIVE STREAMING: https://www.panamsportschannel.org/main
or ClipMyHorse.tv
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2023 Pan American Games