Olympic News: McDonald and Brentina Finish Olympic Journey With A Fourth Place Finish After the Freestyle
8/25/2004 By: By Brian Sosby
Let the music play! The artistic impression created by the Musical Freestyle in dressage has gained fans worldwide since its inclusion in the Olympic program. This afternoon’s dressage riders were anxious to share their interpretive and stirring performances with a dressage stadium of fans ready to rock, swing and waltz. The list of riders had been shortened to the top 15 scorers from the combined first two rounds (Grand Prix and Special). From classic to techno, and from pop to show tunes, the crowd tapped its collective feet and swayed to an afternoon of music and the final day of dressage at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
The Freestyle is judged on a long list of technical marks, including the artistic impression made by the horse and rider combination. Rhythm, energy, choreography, inventiveness and degree of difficulty are all among the considerations that the Ground Jury uses in determining the final percentage scores.
At the end of the 15 riders, it was a medals podium without a member of Team USA upon it. Coming in fourth, just one percentage point off the Bronze medal, was Idaho’s Debbie McDonald and Brentina.
Guenter Seidel and Aragon (owned by Dick and Jane Brown) were second among the competitors and first among the three members of the U.S. team to perform. They finished the Freestyle with a score of 73.80%. Their combined score after all three events (Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle) was a 14th place and 71.447%.
“I was happy with it. He [Aragon] started the one tempis at the beginning and they were supposed to be twos,” said Seidel. “So, I said to myself, ‘You better try for the twos.’”
He commented that he prefers to keep his routines on the less complex side, instead working to perfect those moves he chooses. With that said, Seidel was very pleased with his horse and his performance.
“This is a pretty electric atmosphere. And he [Aragon] has proved he can handle it,” he said. Seidel’s choice of music was a compilation of movie themes and songs from soundtracks, including Backdraft and First Knight.
Overall, he said of his Olympic experience, “I feel that we (the pairing) are a year early. It was a good experience and the judges know him now. Now, it’s just getting consistent with that.”
It was a sixth place finish for a sixth Olympic appearance for Robert Dover, this time competing FBW Kennedy (owned by Jane F. Clark), who went 10th among the 15 riders going in. They finished their work on a combined three-event score of 74.713% to a musical selection of big band and swing music.
A couple of small errors on his one tempis were, according to Dover, his problem. Coming into the ring, his horse was somewhat nervous and lost his concentration. Dover said it was the back side of the ring that caused the distraction. Nonetheless, he said that the day was a lot of fun and that he couldn’t be more happy with his mount. It was a difficult Freestyle presentation by all standards.
“There is nothing that is not difficult in my Freestyle. I go from one thing to the next to the next,” he said. “It comes immediately. The only relaxed moment is the walk-in for Kennedy.”
“His first halt is always easy,” he continued. It’s the last halt that gives a bit of a concern for Dover and the horse. “His last halt was never difficult until California, for me. When the crowds started cheering in California it scared him once, and now he is waiting for that. He’s just waiting for everyone to start cheering.”
Dover found himself a bit ahead of his music during the first part of the test he said. Knowing his music to the note, he did extremely well in making a quick recovery. No one in the audience could notice, though, and he received a warm reception from the international crowd as he left the dr