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Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
– The XV Pan American Games kicked off with the opening ceremony in
Rio de Janeiro last Friday, July 13,
and the first equestrian medals have already been awarded for
dressage with the home team,
Brazil,
celebrating a well-deserved bronze. It was the first time in Pan
American history that two pure-bred Lusitanos have appeared on the
Brazilian team.
Ironically, for anyone who is
superstitious, it could be said that Friday the 13th was
an unlucky omen for the Brazilian team, who lost one horse and one
rider from their first-choice line-up due to sickness. First, the
handsome Brazilian-bred Lusitano stallion Nirvana Interagro (by
Gatão out of Capicua) bred by Paulo Gavião Gonzaga, succumbed to
illness two weeks ago and was unable to recover sufficient health
and fitness to compete, much to the disappointment of his rider Pia
Aragão. Then, a double blow for Chef d’Equipe Sabine Bilton when
Jorge de Costa had to be sidelined, his place being taken by second
reserve, Luiza Almeida Tavares – only 15 years old – riding the
Portuguese-bred Lusitano stallion Samba (by Inca).
In the face of such
adversity the Brazilian team’s podium position was a remarkable
accomplishment even though their hopes for greater glory were likely
impacted by their pre-competition losses. Quite simply, the team
achieved what many considered to be impossible – especially as it
was the first taste of international competition for Luiza Almeida
Tavares and Roger Clementino, both riding Lusitanos!
Under the watchful eye of judges
Jane Weatherwax (USA), Stephen Clarke (Great
Britain), Marian Cunningham (Peru),
Mariette Withages (Belgium)
and Salin Nigri (Brazil),
the medal-deciding class took place over the weekend in the Deodoro
Stadium of the National Equestrian Centre, some 25 minutes from
downtown
Rio.
Naturally, as Pan American
Games hosts, Brazilian expectations and emotions were running high
for their dressage team, and at the end of the first day, Roger
Clementino, riding the 13-year old Lusitano gelding Nilo VO on
behalf of Victor Oliva’s Coudelaria Ilha Verde stud farm had put
Brazil in third place out of seven competing nations with a score of
64.750 percent.
On day two, following a score of
65.400 percent from Renata Costa riding the KWPN Monty, only Luiza
Almeida Tavares remained, and her score of 64.650 percent with Samba
guaranteed
Brazil’s team
bronze medal. Wise beyond her tender years, and very aware of
rewriting history for Lusitano breeding, Tavares said: “I confess
that when I entered the ring I was nervous. But I took a deep breath
and did what I had to do. The public also helped,” by remaining so
quiet you could hear a pin drop during this final performance of the
team competition. It’s the first time in 24 years that
Brazil has won a
Pan American medal for dressage, the last also being bronze in
Caracas,
Venezuela
in 1983.
This result has certainly provided
a wake-up call for the Brazilian equestrian industry that is
witnessing an explosion of interest in dressage, undoubtedly thanks
to their home-bred population of world-class Lusitanos that are
being selectively produced for the specific purpose of challenging
the authority of warmbloods on the international dressage stage.
Another Brazilian-bred Lusitano
should also be mentioned, the stallion Oceano do TOP (by Afiancado
de Flandes, bred by ‘Tonico’
Pereira) who was competing with
Sandra Smith under the flag of
Argentina.
Although he had a slightly disappointing performance, placing 24th
with a percentage of 56.600, slightly lower than his pre-Pan-Am
results, only a few marks separated him from a top ten finish.
Brazil’s
well-deserved result now opens the door to the possibility of their
dressage team competing at next summer’s Beijing Olympic Games –
with the equestrian events taking place in
Hong Kong. Roger Clementino said,
“We arrived here and gave everything. Now we need to keep working
hard in search of a medal in
China.”
As a global shop window for
promoting sport horses, it would be a marvellous achievement to see
every member of the national team in the saddles of Brazilian-bred
Lusitanos and would certainly validate the many years of commitment
and passion of Lusitano breeders to producing the finest dressage
horses.
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