Dispatches from Langley
Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Canada
By Victor Sobrevals
Langley BC
Just before summer in beautiful BC, the weather feels spectacular; it is sunny and average temp is around 20 degrees. The ambiance at Thunderbird Show Park is worthy of celebration for the 50th anniversary. Certainly, people know how to merchandise all their goods. You see T-Bird hats and shirts everywhere
I was lucky enough to sleep at the show in a RV so I heard everything going on since 4:15 am, staff picking up garbage, people arriving early to feed horses because they go in the first class.
As soon as I came out from the trailer I realized I was just in front of Evergate Stables so I reached my friend Santiago who works for them and he gave me all the insides while having good coffee.
When you walk through FEI barns if there's a Mexican Team there's music playing and of course this was not the exception. First guy I saw was Federico Fernadez groom handwalking Davidoff a beautiful chestnut who just did San Juan Capistrano Nations Cup he said they are ready and feeling excited about Sunday.
After a while I was walking around I saw ‘sir Rodney Tulloch’ and when I say sir is because he is one of the few real cavaliers from the sport. I asked him his expectations for this Nations Cup and he replied:
— of course I'm cheering for the hometown team, I mean Canada but Mexico as well has a very solid team, they've been winning and winning and Oh my God! you should have seen Patricio at the speed class kicking and pulling and wow he really went all in; he beat Connor Swail.
Almost noon and the bets were running already at the T Bird bar, it was just random raffle numbers of all the riders in the Nations cup, I got Tiffany Foster as my rider.
Margaritas started to run out and it wasn't happy hour, the conversations at the bar were about how strange the results of this Nations Cup might be, mainly because the teams didn't have their best riders or if they do they were not doing their best.
The course designed by Peter Holmes looks big - a solid 1.60 m class. Ireland won the class, Team Canada placed second with an exceptional performance of experienced ladies Amy Millar and Eryn Ballard - not to mention Mario and Tiffany who did an amazing job providing tee shirts and hats with Ian Millar as a country superstar for the staff of Thunderbird Show Park. They all looked great supporting Team Canada.
Team USA took third place. In fourth place were Mexico with a very new team: Alberto Sanchez Cozar went first and then Tanimara Macari who hadn't her best round, Federico Fernandez did an amazing job and anchorman was Toño Chedraui. Australians took the final spot, a boisterous group who were very loud and cheerful between their rounds. Katie Laurie rode in the anchor position.
Nations Cup went in a very unpredictable way, some fallen riders, some others with 20 faults, no jump off, this comes obviously from a guy in the bleachers which in my opinion is the most easy way to prove why you are not doing it. But then, by the luck of the Irish, at 11 am the first one in the bar was Daniel Coyle wearing a hat looking like he had just walked off the set of Peaky Blinders. He didn't have the beer I offered him and, well, I guess it was the best choice for sport.
Daniel Coyle
Victor Sobrevals is a regular contributor. He lives, works and rides at Rocky Mountain Show Jumping in Calgary.