Thursday, April 16, 2009 | 7:31 p.m.
Beyon the Sun:
At last summer's Beijing Olympics less than two points separated dressage gold medal winner Anky Van Grunsven of the Netherlands and silver medalist Isabell Werth of Germany.
That rivalry heated up once again Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center as the duo clashed in the Rolex FEI World Cup Grand Prix to open this weekend's World Cup Finals.
Although Van Grunsven and Werth earned trips to the medals podium Thursday, it was American Steffen Peters, aboard his horse Ravel that claimed the dressage gold with a score of 77.915. Van Grunsven and IPS Painted Black took silver with 74.170 and Werth rounded out the top-three aboard Satchmo with 73.745.
All three of these early medalists will return to action on Saturday in the Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage final at 7 p.m.
Dressage, translated from French meaning, "training," is a test of the horse's ability to execute pre-determined, required movements at 12 lettered spots along the boundary of the arena with the subtle influence of the rider. Each dressage movement is natural to the horse but combines the precision of the Marine Corps Drill Team, agility of a gymnast, and grace of a ballerina.
That's why the sport is also known as, "horse ballet." One movement is the Pirouette, a rhythmic turning in place during a walk or canter.
Judges look for accuracy of transitions, obedience, suppleness of the horse, and the riders' use of hands. Scores in the 70 percent range are considered exceptional.
The World Cup Finals will shift gears Saturday afternoon for the Las Vegas Jumping Grand Prix at noon.
American-born German rider Meridth Michaels-Beerbaum and her horse, Shutterfly, are favored to repeat as FEI World Cup Champions in horse jumping — having previously won the title in Las Vegas in 2005.
The international horse jumping competition will feature 45 riders from 22 nations, including 12 American riders.
On Friday, the team dressage competition will continue in a Pas de Deux Challenge at noon.
About 90,000 spectators are expected to attend this year's event, which is in Las Vegas for the fifth time (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009).
Jackson is a UNLV undergraduate in the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies. He can be reached at [email protected].
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