Described as beautiful with spendid markings, Rafalca, the horse co-owned by Ann Romney and her dressage trainer Jan Ebeling, performed again Tuesday morning, earning a score 69.302, which means they are unlikely to advance to final competition.
Typical dressage horse performance
Facing stiff competition, Ebeling and Ann Romney's horse Rafalca scored under 70 in Tuesday's Olympic Dressage competition.
Only the top 18 riders will continue on to the freestyle portion of the competition on Thursday. In the last Olympic test Aug. 2, Rafalca and Ebeling earned a score of 70.2.
Ann Romney was in the stands cheering horse and rider on, but Ebeling said he was disappointed in the score, which makes it highly unlikely they will be included in the final competition on Thursday.
Ebeling and Rafalca danced to a mix of traditional and fast-paced music, and Ebeling was clearly thrilled with their strong performance, taking off his top hat and beaming at the conclusion in Greenwich Park. Audience members bundled up for the competition, but plenty of American flag wavers were in the stands to cheer them on.
Ebeling and Rafalca face stiff competition from many of the riders, especially some of the "stars of dressage," including Britain's Charlotte DuJardin and horse Valegro, who earned a stunning 83.66 last week and hope to bring home Britain's first gold in dressage ever.
Team USA, with rider Steffen Peters and his horse, Ravel, are currently in the lead with their performance, earning 76.381, the highest score at the time of their part in the competition.