On eventing show jumping day at the Pan Am Game in Lima, Peru, Canada’s eventing team faced another setback when Dana Cooke’s horse Mississippi was not presented for the final inspection in the morning. It appears the mare had scraped her elbows, which required a few stitches and although she was sound and ready to go, there was some concern that she might open them up in the show jumping phase so the decision was made to withdraw her.
The rest of the team came through in spades, with three flawless clear rounds to maintain Canada’s third-place position and lock down the bronze medal. Colleen Loach’s youngster FE Golden Eye had plenty to look at in the big atmosphere of the show jumping arena, but got the job done. “He was looking, but he was careful,” said Loach. “He jumped as well as I could have hoped. He’s young, so he’s going to be a little spooky still, but I was happy with that.”
Karl Slezak and Fernhill Wishes followed, looking fresh and still full of mettle after the previous day’s cross-country test. “He’s a fantastic jumper; he’s always so level and that probably was one of his more lively rounds,” said Slezak. “He came out feeling like a million bucks – he didn’t feel tired at all. For him to kind of be up on the last day, that’s good. He did what I wanted him to do and that’s all I can ask for.” After a well-deserved break, Fernhill Wishes will be aimed at Kentucky in the spring.