Canada’s Karen Pavicic & Don Daiquiri, Others at Fritzens CDI4* Looking for Olympic Start
9 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Canada’s Karen Pavicic & Don Daiquiri, Others at Fritzens CDI4* Looking for Olympic Start
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
FRITZENS, Austria, June 30, 2016–Karen Pavicic on Dan Daiquiri is in the last stage of her attempt to go to the Olympics with just three days to Canada’s qualifying deadline amidst dozens of horses and riders to have converged on this spectacular Alpine show grounds seeking to go to Rio de Janeiro.
Many of the riders and their horses such as the Brazilian family of two sisters and twin brothers have until the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) cutoff of July 18 to make the effort to represent their nation as the host of the first Olympics in South America.
Isabell Werth is here with Emilio that likely will be second to Weihegold OLD as the choice for Germany. If she wins any medal as part of her team or as an individual she will surpass Reiner Klimke as the all-time medalist–six golds and two bronzes while Isabell has five golds and three silvers. Fellow German Olympian Dorothee Schneider is also here with horses that could be backup if Showtime is unable to start.
The Dominican Republic’s Yvonne Losos de Muñiz with Foco Loco W is showing here but has already qualified as a first for her country and recovery from 2012 when she lost a start due to qualifying by Brazil in front of ground juries with three Brazil judges instead of the two normally allowed. Mexico’s Bernadette Pujals on Heslegaards Rolex, Judy Reynolds of Ireland on Vancouver W and others hoping to reprsent their country either on one of the 11 teams or the 16 individual starting places arrived to one of the most welcoming events on the entire equestrian calendar. The Haim-Swarovski family–yes, of crystal fame–prepare the facilities with grace and style to fit in with the majesty of the surrounding mountains, some shrouded in cloud and peaks capped with snow.
Karen Pavicic of Surrey in Canada’s western province of British Columbia made this journey with her Don Daiquiri after she lost her second place on Equine Canada’s Olympic ranking at the final North American qualifying event to Megan Lane on Caravella. Megan and Caravella have the 2014 World Games and the 2015 Pan Americans on their resume but the judging by one Canadian at that last show is under scrutiny by the FEI.
Elizabeth McMullin, the Canadian judge whose score for Megan and Caravella was by far the highest in this qualifying year and alevated Megan and Caravella to second place on the rankings, has come under fire even from other judges.
The FEI told dressage-news.com it was awaiting a report on the event but the status was unknown as of Thursday.
Karen and her 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding that were team mates of Megan and Caravella at the World Games and have competed extensively on both sides of the Atlantic as well as among the large contingent of Canadians that make the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida their winter destination.
Belinda Trussell on Anton has a lock on one of the places for Canada that was able to earn two starting places and not a team of at least three combinations because of a change in the Pan Am rules that enableD only one nation to qualify through that championships, and it was the United States.
Karen and Daiquiri need a Grand Prix or a Grand Prix Special score of 69.95 per cent or better to earn a ticket to Rio.
