Zara Tindall just outside top 10 after Maryland 5 Star dressage: ‘I love coming to the USA’

Zara Tindall sits in 11th after her Maryland 5 Star dressage, with 11 pairs still to come forward in the final phase today (Friday, 15 October).

The British rider scored 30.4 for her test on Gleadhill House Stud Ltd’s 12-year-old Class Affair.

The chestnut took a slight fright at something as he came out of the first halt towards C, but the pair recovered quickly to pull off strong marks in the trotwork and trend in third place as they came into the walk.

Some tension in the canter brought the marks down, with lower scores in the flying changes from right to left lead and the final circle, in which the rider has to allow the horse to stretch forward and down.

Talking about making the decision to come to Maryland 5 Star after her dressage test, Zara Tindall said: “I love coming over here [to the USA]. I’ve always had a great time at Kentucky, you’re always very welcoming to us and to come to a new location, Scotty [Ian Stark] doing the course, the terrain, it’s a mixture of things. This horse will hopefully, I think, suit it.”

Zara added about the cross-country course: “It’s very hilly. Burghley has big long hills, but you do get some flat to have a bit of a breather. Here you’re up and down. It’s relentless hills and I think the horses will get really tired. We’ll have to make sure we reserve every bit of energy we can.”

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