Twice is Nice for U.S. Jumping Team in CSIO4* Nations Cup, Presented by Florida Coast Equipment
The U.S. Jumping Team—made up of Karl Cook, Callie Schott, Marilyn Little and McLain Ward—earned its second consecutive victory in the $150,000 CSIO4* Nations Cup, presented by Florida Coast Equipment. Eight countries brought forth teams to compete in the Saturday Night Lights highlight event of Week 8 at Wellington International’s Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Over the 25-year history of the FEI Nations Cup Wellington, the U.S. has now won 11 times.
Teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ireland, Israel and Mexico joined the home nation in the opening round, with the top six teams returning for round two. After disappointing first attempts over tracks built by the USA’s Nick Garant and Steve Stephens, Israel and Colombia did not advance.
Cook aboard his Paris Olympic partner, 14-year-old Selle Français mare Caracole de la Roque (Zandor Z x Kannan*GFE); Little riding La Contessa, the 11-year-old Mecklenburg mare by License x Cornet’s Prinz; and Schott on 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Garant (Warrant x Verdi TN) were foot-perfect in the opening round. As a result, U.S. Chef d’Équipe Robert Ridland elected for Ward, his team’s anchor rider, to save his horse—12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Jordan Molga M (Etoulon VDl x HGT Dulf van den Bisschop)—for the second round.
The U.S. advanced to the second round on a score of zero, matched only with Ireland after Cian O’Connor, Shane Sweetnam and Tom Wachman jumped without faults. Scores of zero on the board once again came from Schott and Little for the home nation, while a rail fell for Cook. For the Irish squad’s return, Jordan Coyle and Cian O’Connor were clear, with Wachman posting four faults.
A familiar scenario in team jumping at Wellington International, the final decider came down to the last two rounds of the evening between Ireland and the U.S. A heartbreak rail at the final fence on course put a tally of four aside Sweetnam’s name, and placed all the pressure on Ward’s shoulders.
“It’s a position that I’ve grown to be comfortable in and relish, to be honest, but I think I felt more pressure because it’s a new relationship with this horse,” said Ward of Jordan Molga M, the mount owned by Michael Smith that joined Ward’s string in December and made a debut under the lights at WEF on Saturday night. “I was going back and forth on whether I should jump the first round, and decided I needed to trust our preparation.
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