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Individual Pan Am Gold For Canada’s Leslie Reid in Dressage
Having celebrated a team silver medal win for Canada on Thursday, Reid of Langley, BC, won all three phases of the individual competition to claim the gold medal, including the final leg, the Intermediaire Freestyle to Music, where she earned a score of 76.25%. Reid’s incredibly high marks gave her a total of 222.10 points and allowed her to defeat her nearest competition, Pujals, who finished with a score of 213.40, by almost nine full points. A three-time veteran of Pan American Games competition, Reid had previously won a team gold medal at the 1991 Pan Am Games in Havana, Cuba.
“They say you are lucky if once in your lifetime you have a horse like this to ride,” said Reid, who was riding Mark, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Marie Andrews, also of Langley, BC. “I am absolutely ecstatic!”
With an outstanding Freestyle performance, Pujals moved from third to second overall. Riding Vincent, her Hannoverian stallion, the resident of Mexico City earned the individual silver medal after leading the Mexican team to a bronze medal earlier in the week’s competition.
“I was very nervous today, but I decided to just go for it!” commented Pujals.
“For me, this bronze medal feels like ten medals!” exclaimed Losos de Muñiz. “When we set out on the Pan Am path three years ago, I had a goal of finishing in the top 12. In the future, we’re going to try to improve the quality of dressage in this country and improve our results.”
Losos de Muñiz’s teammate, George Fernandez, 23, also enjoyed a strong performance, finishing tenth overall riding Joris Las Marismas.
The top five individual placings were captured by five different nations. Dr. Cesar Parra, representing Colombia, finished fourth overall riding his Hannoverian stallion Pik L while United States competitor Jan Ebeling of Moorpark, CA, was fifth overall riding Feleciano, an eight-year-old Westphalian stallion. Of the original 43 horse starting field, only the top 15 qualified for Sunday’s Individual Final.
Show jumping is now set to take the stage at the Palmarejo Equestrian Center. The horse inspection will be held Monday morning, and competition will get underway on Wednesday, August 13 and continue to Saturday, August 16. For further information on the equestrian events at the Pan American Games, please visit the Dominican Republic Equestrian Federation’s website at: www.ecuestrerd.com and the official 2003 Pan American Games website at www.santodomingo2003.com.
Dressage – Final Individual Results
Rider Country Horse Total Score
Gold Leslie Reid CAN Mark 222.10
Silver Bernadette Pujals MEX Vincent 213.40
Bronze Yvonne Losos de Muñiz DOM Inatana Las Marismas 212.00
4. Cesar Parra COL Pik L 209.97
5. Jan Ebeling USA Feleciano 206.75
6. Pierre St. Jacques USA Lucky Tiger 203.70
7. Carol Lavell USA Much Ado 202.90
8. Ashley Holzer CAN Gambol 201.27
9. Evi Strasser CAN Quantum Tyme 200.20
10. George Fernandez DOM Joris Las Marismas 197.45