My relatives in Ireland (and a few bad eggs who were wooed across the waters to the isle of Britannia) frequently use a phrase I have always adored, “Over the top.” During Wednesday’s warm-up for the dressage competition there were many good and great riders in the ring. Thus, I set myself up for a great fall when I say that of the sixteen who rode in preparation for the World Cup of dressage two of them were “Over the top.”

Do I have your attention, gentle readers? Good! Now you may pick nits with me until the cows come home when I single out the U.S. rider Catherine Haddad and Mister Edward Gal of the Netherlands. No, neither they nor their mounts floated inches above the ground (well, not for more than a few seconds at most) nor did either of them walk on water. Rather, these riders and their equine teammates garner distinction due to the response they evoked from the hard-core dressage fan-atics who filled the stands.

For most of us who compete at or attend local dressage galas, the closest we come to such a warm-up session is the attention of a handful of family and friends and (perhaps) a spy from the closest competing camp. These are the people who favor riders with their consideration in the minutes before entry into the ring. On Wednesday nearly half the seats in the sizable Thomas & Mack Center were filled with paying customers. These are the people – as announcer Brian O’Connor pointed out – who know that there is as much to be learned about the sport from such warm-up as there is in watching the formal tests as they are ridden.

Back, now, to Ms. Haddad and Mister Gal: My focus upon these riders from amongst their many talented peers is provoked by the response of the onlookers. Just before three o’clock when Catherine entered the ring in the company of the equally capable Jan Brink and Tinne Vilhelmson the throng of fans burst into applause. (Brian O’Connor was moved to point out to Jan and Tinne that they, too, are loved and appreciated. He noted that this U.S. rider has been training and competing abroad so conscientiously to the point that many of us here in the homeland have never seen her ride. The Swiss colleagues nodded in acknowledgment while the fans cheered for them as well.) Catherine responded in kind as a huge smile spread across her face and she pumped her hand into the air repeatedly with exuberant waves. The assembly cheered on. Photo by Diana Derosa

A mere twenty minutes earlier Edward had come into the arena to a more subdued round of applause but within minutes his warm smiles and frequent waves to the supporters around the ring (not only teen aged girls attracted by his god given good looks, may I add) provoked ever larger gestures of appreciation from the masses. Both Edward and Catherine were “over the top.” They could have focused their energies entirely upon the task at hand – preparing for the demanding task of the coming three days – but instead they used a portion of their precious twenty minutes on the pitch to render an ample reward for the affection of the crowd.

Whatever the coming days will bring, today these two are the pick of the litter.