Leipzig, Germany – The Leipzig Exhibition Center hosted the first round of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final, the speed leg, this afternoon and all ten American combinations looked to get a head start on the competition. Frank Rothenberger set a scopey yet technical course that tested all 43 competitors in the 2011 Final and allowed for a number of different lines and options to be ridden. With the faults converted format, finding the correct balance between forward and efficient riding and careful jumping was the name of the game.
Margie Engle (Wellington, FL) piloted Gladewinds Farm, Garber, Griese and Hidden Creek Farm’s Indigo through the finish in a time of 65.62 seconds to stand in fifth place. Engle used all of her experience to guide the ground covering Dutch Warmblood gelding to an efficient clear round. A handy turn to the vertical at four and executing the inside turn to the ninth fence, the Rolex vertical, ensured the pair a strong result.
“I wanted to be in the top ten, and he was great. Once I started jumping he felt like he really focused on everything and rode great,” Engle said of the ever-maturing Indigo. “He’s never really gone in and gone fast in the first round so I wanted to just go medium because he tends to be high strung normally.”
