ABU DHABI, UAE--Natalie Dean had one of only a few clean rounds in the Nations Cup on Friday and then had another clean round, but with one time fault, in the Grand Prix on Sunday at the League of Nations first competition in Abu Dhabi, Feb. 11-15.

Natalie Dean The young team of Natalie Dean, Sophie Segal, Skylar Wireman and Callie Schott placed eighth in the Nations Cup, and then Dean,, seventh, and Segal, 17th, both placed in the top 20 in the Grand Prix against a field of 50 that included a number of of Olympic and World Championships medalists.

The Grand Prix turned into a very strange competition as five of the 13 in the jump-off had time faults, which completely altered how the competitors planned their strategies and their rides.

From the starting field of 50, the top13 with four faults or less qualified for the second round against the clock.

With a big, very hard and technical course with a very tight time allowed, only two were clean, five had time faults and six had four faults.

Dean had jumped clean but with one time faults in round one, so, with riders going in reverse order of qualification, of the four faulters, four had eight faults, and two went clean in round two to stay on four faults,

Then the strategy for Joseph Stockdale and Tim Greddley of Great Britain, with three time faults and two time respectively, changed for them, as they didn't have to go for time to stay where they were, and with the ability to take their time, both went clean to stay on three and two.

Then Marco Kutcher of Germany had added 11 faults to his one time fault.

 

DEAN WAS next to go.

"Our first strategy was not to have Natalie run around the course like a banshee, just to ge faster than Marco," said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland. "But when Marco had 11 faults, I told her just to try to go clean."

"Unfortunately, she was just a little too conservative going to the oxer, met it a little too close and had it down," said Ridland.

Luciana Diniz of Spain on Vertigo du Desert then had the advantage of taking her time and finished on her original one time fault.

The two who had gone clean in round one, Olivier Perreau and Nicholas Sers of France, racing agains the clock, had four faults  in 53.44 and 10 faults respectively to finish fourth and 10th, leaving the three with time faults on the podium

Diniz won, with Gridley on Medoc de Toxandria second with two faults and Stockdale on Ebanking third on three faults. 

Niamh McEvoy of Ireland was fifth with four faults in 55.30, Gaetan Juliat of Switzeland was sixth, four faults in 56.30, and Dean finished seventh with five faults.

Segal on Boreale e Fondcombe was 17th with six faults.

"I told the girls I was very proud of them," said Ridland."Sarah and Natalie were phenomenal in the Nations Cup. Natalie had a beautiful round today and rode beautifully. It was a tough course, a real grand prix course.  It was an interesting class."

It's exceptionally difficult to get a team for Abu Dhabi.

Not only is it a long, exhausting trip for the horses, but Abu Dhabi ran against a five star event with a $500,000 grand prix at WEF and a World Cup qualifying class at the Winter Equestrian Center.

"It takes such effort and dedication to come over here," said Ridland.

And, despite their youth and inexperience, the team had finished eighth in the Nations Cup with Dean and Segal going clean in round one.

Wireman's elimination in round two had eliminated the team, but it was an extraordinary problem that eliminated her.

Meeting the third fence off stride, Wireman's Tonado had tried to jump but had crashed into the fence, scattering rails and pulling his bridle half off.

Wirelman, only 21, showed amazing poise.

No only did she wave off assistance as she rried to pull the bridle back on without dismounting, as she knew assistance would eliminate her.

"But she also make Tornado stand still in the midst of the debris of the fence, as she know the judges couldn't start the clock until the fence was replaced, and that gave her time to try to get the bridle on. I've never seen anyone before try to put a bridle on upside down."

Despite her efforts,Wireman couldn't get the bridle properly adjusted and a second stop eliminated her.

"Skylar has no groom and no team behind her," said Ridland. "She's her own groom, and her mother is her coach. It's just Skylar and her mother at a time when all the other riders have a whole team behind them."