July 11, 2014 — The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Longines at CSIO5* Falsterbo took place Friday in an exciting showdown, with the U.S. team closing the competition tied for third place with Spain. Eight teams took on the 12-obstacle course designed by Christian Wiegand, including the American team of Ashlee Bond-Clarke, Catherine Pasmore, Georgina Bloomberg, and Brianne Goutal, led by Chef d’Equipe DiAnn Langer. With a total score of nine faults they were in contention for the win until the very end, and proved to be among the top competitors in the world. Germany won the competition with seven faults, and Sweden finished in second at eight faults.
Round One
The U.S. Team was second in order of the competition in round one, and nearly finished clear on the scoreboard. Bond-Clarke (Hidden Hills, Calif.) and Little Valley Farms’ Chela LS finished the first round with one rail down late in their performance, while Pasmore (Wellington, Fla.) and Pasmore Stables, LLC’s Bonanza Van Paemel cleared all of the fences, but finished with one time fault. Bloomberg (New York, N.Y.) rode Gotham Enterprizes LLC’s Juvina to the first clear round of the day for the U.S. team, and Goutal (New York, N.Y.) and Remarkable Farm LLC’s Nice de Prissey anchored the team with another clear performance.
Round Two
The Americans carried one fault into the second round, and began the round one point behind Sweden and The Netherlands, and one point ahead of Germany. The second round of the Nations Cup would prove more difficult than the first, as half of the fences on course were raised between the rounds. Bond-Clarke and Chela LS, a 10-year-old La Silla mare, performed another solid ride, with one rail down to start the U.S. team’s second round with four faults. Pasmore and the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Bonanza Van Paemel stayed strong through a tough round, finishing with nine faults. Bloomberg and Juvina, a 13-year-old Warmblood mare, weren’t able to capitalize on their first clear round and finished their second ride with one rail down for four faults.
Goutal and the 13-year-old Selle Fancais stallion Nice de Prissey closed out the second round for the Americans with a beautiful clear, and beamed with pride after her perfect day. The pair was one of three to go double-clear in the Nations Cup. “I am thrilled with today’s result,” said Goutal. “I loved being a part of this team, and I can’t describe how grateful I am to my horse, Nice, for his effort today.”
Chef d’Equipe DiAnn Langer praised her team for its performance. “I am so thrilled with this Team’s effort! Brianne was a great anchor and Ashlee, Catherine, and Georgina each rose to the occasion and pulled together as a Team and produced a great result,” Langer said. “For me, this is what Nation’s Cups are about, and I am very proud of this Team!”
Complete results are available here.
For more about CSIO5* Falsterbo, go to http://falsterbohorseshow.se/en/fei-nations-cup/.
Follow the U.S. Jumping Team here.