Carl Hester and Laura Bechtolsheimer should’ve been jubilant after the first day of dressage in front of their hometown crowd with Great Britain well into the lead.
Is there any eventer out there better than Michael Jung? Two clear show jumping rounds at the Olympic Games earned him the individual gold, making him the only event rider to ever hold the title of World Champion, Olympic Champion and European Champion all at once.
Sue Benson intended to separate the Olympic winners from the also-rans by making the time tough to get on her twisty, hilly course in the center of Greenwich Park, and the cross-country results proved mission accomplished when Germany’s Ingrid Klimke on Butts Abraxxas tied with Sweden’s Linda Algotsson Ostholt on Wega for first place on double-clear rounds.