MUD, GLORIOUS MUD

It rains a lot in England. Rain makes mud. Mud adds a new dimension to driving off‑road writes Deborah Sandford, West Coast PR Product Manager and Equestrian Specialist, Jaguar Land Rover North America.

This just might have given the U.K.‑based Team GBR an edge when they took on and narrowly beat the U.S. Event Team in a Land Rover Test Drive Challenge we staged this week at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestian Games in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Brits, I guess, are used to driving in the mud.

The Challenge was intended to be a bit of fun during the Games; a light‑hearted competition between the two nations, which are both supported by Land Rover. In it, the teams traded their customary single horsepower ‘ride’ for a 375‑horsepower Land Rover LR4 and slithered around a specially‑designed off‑road test track we’d set‑up at the Kentucky Horse Park.

But we forgot that these riders, by nature, are true competitors and had come to the Games to win. It didn’t matter whether it was cross‑country riding or cross‑country driving. Without exception, they had the bit between their teeth.

Run under standard equestrian cross‑country rules, each rider drove one timed lap of this extremely challenging and mud‑filled course. Time penalties of 10 seconds were added to their score for touching a gate and 20 seconds for each missed gate.

It was exciting stuff. With five‑of‑the‑six riders having completed their round, just four seconds separated the two teams. Then the U.K.’s legendary equestrian Mary King, a four‑time gold medalist in World and European championships and five‑time Olympian, stormed through the course putting the Brits 46 seconds ahead.

While the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have been running all week, the headline event kicks‑off this weekend when the very best teams from around the world, including the U.S. and British teams, compete in the pinnacle of equestrian sports – Dressage, Cross‑Country and Jumping.

Land Rover has a major presence in Lexington, being the Official Luxury Automotive Sponsor of the Games and also the proud title sponsor of the U.S. Event Team. We’ll be there watching the action.

Remember, this Sunday, straight after the Ryder Cup, NBC Sports will be broadcasting five hours of highlights and live coverage of the Games. Don’t miss it; you can bet Team U.S. will be looking for payback.