Four-time Olympian Steffen Peters qualified Tuesday for a run at an individual medal.
The 18 highest scoring individuals in the team dressage competition advance to perform a freestyle test on Thursday, with movements and music of the rider's own choosing, similar to freestyle ice skating or the floor exercise in gymnastics.
The Carmel Valley resident rode his horse Ravel to score 76.254, making him the top U.S. rider and qualifying for the freestyle event.
Germany and Britain both have their three riders in the top eight, which also includes current world leader Adelinde Cornelissen from the Netherlands riding Parzival.
After Tuesday's Grand Prix Special, Britain's Charlotte Dujardin was in first place on Valegro with 83.286 percent; Cornelissen was second with a score of 81.968 percent and Britain's Carl Hester on Uthopia was in third place with 80.571 percent.
Scoring for the individual medals starts from scratch on Thursday.
Get Olympic updates: iPad App | iPhone App | Android App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
