United States Eventing Association

It’s an all-American boys’ club at the top of the leaderboard after the first day of dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event with compatriots Michael Pollard, Will Faudree and Doug Payne snagging the top three spots.

Despite the chilly and breezy conditions of the morning, Michael Pollard piloted Mensa G, a 16-year-old gelding (Colonial Affair – Fire the Secretary), to a 49.5 in the gelding’s first Rolex appearance. Despite the horse’s “Rolex Rookie” status, Pollard was not surprised to be in the top spot – but no less thrilled with the result.

“He’s won the dressage in the past at other places,” Pollard of Dalton, Ga., explained. “He’s a horse that can put in a very good test.”

“On dressage day, you can’t win it but you certainly can lose it,” he said. “I’m not likely to stay in the lead [after the second day of dressage competition] but it’s a competitive start.”

When asked what the last thing he did before entering the arena was, he laughed. “Panicked! At Pau [CCI**** in France] I had the horse up too much. I tried to ride him up and out [at Pau] but it just made it look like he was above the bit, so today I put him a little bit deeper before I went in the ring. I didn’t mind making a mistake but didn’t want to make the same one.”

Pollard credits his wife Nathalie, a previous dressage leader at Rolex, for “keeping it real” in the pair’s preparation for the event.

“I have Nathalie at home telling me it’s bad all the time, so she keeps it very honest!” he joked.

Jennifer Mosing’s Pawlow and Will Faudree (Hoffman, N.C.) are only three-tenths of a point behind Pollard with a 49.8.

“[He] is a very experienced horse, he’s been at this level for a while now,” said Faudree, who placed sixth with the horse at Rolex in 2013. “When I went around the outside of the ring, I went for a medium trot and he stepped into canter, so I was a little conservative in the first medium trot. I left points on the table in the very first counter canter loop - he sucked behind me. Then [the following] change was clean, but flat.”

Despite a very good test, Faudree acknowledged for all three riders that riding early on Thursday morning can be difficult, “especially on a horse than benefits from atmosphere,” as the lackadaisical Pawlow (Marcuzzi—B.C. Illusion) does. “With this horse the more atmosphere there is, the less I have to kick.”

“He is a lazy horse and he knows when I drop my whip, so I did it at the last possible second,” said Faudree, as whips are not permitted in the dressage portion at this level. “I have to flail around on him to keep him going. I have to do a lot of trot-to-walk transitions to get him hot and in front of my leg.”

Doug Payne (New Hill, N.C.) had a good showing on Crown Talisman, owned by Payne and Amelia Ross, but is withdrawing from the remainder of the competition with plans to go to Saumur CCI*** in France. He was awarded a Land Rover competition grant to travel and compete at the event from May 22-25.

Payne maintained his entry status at Rolex after finding out about the grant with the objective to further both his and his horse’s education. Payne, who competed at Rolex once before on his former mount, Running Order, said that he used the test to give the 11-year-old, who has not yet competed at the four-star level, some experience in an electric environment.

“It was the absolute best thing [to complete the dressage phase] for the horse’s future and for mine, said Payne. “I wanted to make the most of it and put as much pressure on myself as I normally would.”

All three riders made no qualms about admitting the difficulty of Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course, which they will have another full day to prepare for, as the second half of the field rides dressage beginning at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Faudree, in anticipation of his early cross-country ride time, said, “I’ll be glad to be having mimosas with Doug at 11:45 on Saturday.”

View full results and ride times.