Diary from Athens - And so it ends...
Saturday, August 28, 2004 The final day of competition at Markopoulo Equestrian Centre provided a lot of excitement, much of it due to the new format whereby the top 45 show jumping competitors from the week start with a clean slate to determine, over two rounds, the individual medals. It also showed just how much of a roller coaster this sport can be. Read More
Diary from Athens
Jan Mansfield Thursday, August 26, 2004
A day off from equestrian competition – and just three more days until the Olympic flame in Athens is extinguished. A good day to pass on some bits of information and trivia that haven’t yet made it into this diary. Read More
Diary from Athens - Grand Prix Freestyle
Jan Mansfield Wednesday, August 25, 2004 There was showmanship, there was brilliant horsemanship, there were glitches – and they all made Freestyle day at the Markopoulo Equestrian Centre today an incredible event. The spectator stands were full with huge patches of orange, or red, or blue – depending upon the partisanship of the group in each area. Read More
Diary from Athens - Showjumping Part II
Jan Mansfield Tuesday, August 24, 2004 It was a matter of who would blink first in a jump off for the Team
Silver Medal this evening between the U.S. and Sweden. And it came down to
the last rider for each team, when all previous riders had put in clear, quick
rounds. With the U.S. over seven seconds ahead at that point, Sweden
decided to take the Bronze, which they were very happy with, and save their
horses for Friday. Read More»
Diary from Athens - Showjumping Part I
Jan Mansfield Tuesday, August 24, 2004 There was a clear winner in this morning’s first round of the team competition and 2nd qualifier in show jumping. It was German course designer Olaf Petersen and the very challenging course he set that had fences crashing and horses’s shoes flying all around the stadium. American Peter Wylde, who went clear with Fein Cera the first day but had three down today, said it was one of the hardest Nation’s Cup courses he has ridden. Read More
Diary From Athens - Another Day
Jan Mansfield Monday, August 23, 2004
The wind blew up again today and caused some problems in the dressage arena, especially for Ulla Salzgeber and Rusty. His usual error-free performance was marred by late transitions and difficulties with the flying changes, along with a spook in one corner. Nevertheless I’m sure their score of 74.840% would be gladly accepted by most dressage riders. Read More
The final day of competition at Markopoulo Equestrian Centre provided a lot of excitement, much of it due to the new format whereby the top 45 show jumping competitors from the week start with a clean slate to determine, over two rounds, the individual medals. It also showed just how much of a roller coaster this sport can be. 
There was showmanship, there was brilliant horsemanship, there were glitches – and they all made Freestyle day at the Markopoulo Equestrian Centre today an incredible event. The spectator stands were full with huge patches of orange, or red, or blue – depending upon the partisanship of the group in each area. 
It was a matter of who would blink first in a jump off for the Team
Silver Medal this evening between the U.S. and Sweden. And it came down to
the last rider for each team, when all previous riders had put in clear, quick
rounds. With the U.S. over seven seconds ahead at that point, Sweden
decided to take the Bronze, which they were very happy with, and save their
horses for Friday. 
There was a clear winner in this morning’s first round of the team competition and 2nd qualifier in show jumping. It was German course designer Olaf Petersen and the very challenging course he set that had fences crashing and horses’s shoes flying all around the stadium. American Peter Wylde, who went clear with Fein Cera the first day but had three down today, said it was one of the hardest Nation’s Cup courses he has ridden. 
