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One, Two, Oui! Let the Games Commence! Your Follow-Along Companion Guide to the Olympic Eventing in Paris – Dressage Day 27 Jul 2024, 2:24 am

Oh yes! Here oui go! It’s Olympic dressage day in Paris and here at EN oui’ve been chinchilla-ing away to bring you all the stats, facts and form for every competitor oui’ll see up the center line. (OK, I’ll stop it now.)

For those of you who are avid followers of our live blogs (we salute you eventing nerds!), you’ll notice that things are a little different this time around. In order to adhere to the strict media rules for the Olympics, we’re not able to bring you live commentary. We can, however, keep you totally informed with regards to who’s in the ring, what their form is coming into the Games, their hobbies and favorite foods (amongst other, um, horseplay), and how they’re likely to perform in each phase based on the available data, so you’ll be securely in the know as you watch the live stream.

I’ll also be bringing you the riders’ reactions to their Olympic test, courtesy of our roving reporters extraordinaire – Sally Spickard and Tilly Berendt – who are waiting with baited/garlic infused breath in the Chat Zone. So buckle up and prepare to be hit with absolutely everything you didn’t know you need to know about the horses and riders of the Paris Olympic Games.

But it’s not going to be all about the competitors today, oh no. Show your faces eventing die-hards and get in on the EN action.

Have you sniffed out and wrangled together a watch party with all the eventing fans in your town (and any unsuspecting future fans you could find – willingly or not, it’s all the same to us)? Are there any furries, or feathereds, or scaleys along for the ride? How is your horse getting in on the equestrian frivolities in France? Do you, like me, have an Olympic flag flying on your front porch? We want to see everything. Head over to our Facebook page (which you’ll find right here) to share all your Olympic geekiness – look for the relevant post and leave a comment. Show yourselves eventing nerds! Please remember to include who took the photo, and if you’re not of the selfie variety, don’t fret – let us know how you’re celebrating the Games and I’ll try and give you a shout-out. And if you miss out due to it being basically the middle of the night in your time zone, share away anyway and I’ll try and include you at some point over the weekend. Scroll down to the ‘Fan Zone’ at the bottom of the post to see your shares.

Before we get down to official Olympic business, here are some links of interest:

▶️ The Olympic dressage test is a little different to what we’re used to seeing at CCI5*s – for one, it’s a whole minute or so shorter. EN asked the experts to come onboard to explain just what’s required of the horses and riders in this, fairly unique, test. Find out more here.

▶️ Check out everything you need to know about the Olympic eventing in Paris – and much more besides – in our Ultimate Guide.

▶️ It’s fair to say that we’ve been typing our fingers to the bone to bring you all the Paris content you can handle, and we’re not done yet. For now though, click here to view all our blood, sweat and tears thus far.

Please remember to keep this page refreshed so that you don’t miss a thing. I’ll be adding in the riders’ reactions to their test as they come in, so keep flicking through to gather all the goodies.

Scores will be included in this companion guide later, but you can follow along with the live leaderboard as things happen here.

It’s time to adjust your beret to a jaunty angle, perhaps sample a snail or two, and go eventing! Let the Games commence!

#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [EN’s Coverage]

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FIRST TEAM ROTATION

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Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21

Coming in hot ️ Julia was actually in Block 3 on the German squad list, but a superb win at Aachen a few weeks ago bumped her right up the order and she was due to come to Paris with this exciting young horse as traveling reserve. However… the withdrawal of Sandra Auffarth has meant that Julia is there to defend her Olympic title, and she’s got a pretty good shot. It’s going to be an exciting few days, that’s for sure.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Julia’s championships experience:

Individual 🥇 Tokyo 2020 – Team 🥈 Rio 2016
️ Team 🥇 & Individual 🥈 Pratoni 2022 – Tryon 2018 (Team)

Julia’s win in Tokyo made her the first woman Olympic eventing champion, and, as far as we can tell from sometimes patchy records, we believe that Amande de B’neville was the first mare to win gold.

Dressage This guy really is something special in the first phase. He put down a 23.9 at Aachen on his way to the win, and almost has a clean sweep of sub-30 scores on his card. He does tend to swing between the low- and high-20s but, seriously, what a problem to have.

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Incoming from Julia Krajewski after her ride on Nickel 22, one she wasn’t expecting having headed to Paris in the traveling reserve spot:

“To be honest, I didn’t have the Olympics marked in my calendar as ‘I’m probably going’ — it was more like, ‘Okay, that’s the Olympics, don’t book an expensive holiday then, just in case… [Nickel 22] proved in Aachen that he’s really able to play with the big boys.”

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Shane Rose and Virgil

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After a bit of a bumpy ride recently, Shane has made it to Paris and it must feel good to be sat on his old pal of many years, 19-year-old ‘Virg’, particularly given that they’re here off the back of three consecutive wins, including Adelaide 5* and the Horse of the Year Event in New Zealand – that’s some hot form right there ️

Form, Facts & Stats:
Shane’s championships experience:

Team 🥈 Tokyo 2020; 10th individually – 🥉 Rio 2016 – Beijing 2008 (Team)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team); 13th individually – Tryon 2018 (Team) – Caen 2014 (Team) – Aachen 2006 (Ind.) – Rome 1998 (Ind.)

Safe to say, Shane is one of the more battered and bruised eventers on the circuit. He defied the odds to be here after a nasty fall at home a few months ago, has had facial reconstruction in the past after being kicked by a horse, as well as having defeated thyroid cancer. He’s one tough cookie, that’s for sure.

Dressage These veterans of the sport knows his way around a championships dressage ring, that’s for sure. They put down a 31.5 at Pratoni and a 31.7 in Tokyo, and generally hover around the 30-mark in the first phase. They went sub-30 at Adelaide 5* last season, where they very nearly finished on their dressage score of 28.1, adding just 1 second of cross country time on their way to the win. They’ve just had the one run this year, due to Shane being off games, but what a run to have, winning the Horse of the Year event in New Zealand in style and finishing on their dressage score of 30.8.

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Michael Winter and El Mundo

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Mike’s here with his World Championships and Pan-Ams ride, El Mundo. They got a taste for taking home medals when they won team gold in Santiago and there’s no doubt that’s given them a hankering for more. ‘Roberto’ has been with Mike since he was a six-year-old and the pair have a really close relationship after Mike spent a good while tending to the gelding’s every need, 24-hours a day, whilst he was on box rest following an injury. Safe to say, that bond will stand them in good stead as they take on Paris.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Mike’s championships experience:

Beijing 2008 (Team) – Athens 2004 (Team)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Mike is an outspoken advocate for diversity and anti-racism in the sport, as well as speaking up for equality issues such as access to clean drinking water, education and health care.

Dressage This pair have one sub-30 score on their card, which came at the pop-up 5* at Bicton in 2021. At their three other 5* runs they’ve been low- to mid-30s – their highest is 34.6. It was a 32.3 for them at the Pan-Ams in Santiago, where they were fifth individually and won team gold. At the World Championships in Pratoni, they put down 33.3 in the first phase.

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Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M

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“Action by name and action by nature,” Sarah says about this mare on her IG account. She describes her as feisty, and a true performer with grit and determination, which pretty much sums up everything you want in an event horse, really.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Sarah’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team)
️ Team 🥈 Tryon 2018, 5th individually – Caen 2014 (Team)

Action Lady M is called ‘Lottie’ in the barn.

Dressage This pair posted their best dressage score at 4* in their most recent run so Sarah must coming to Paris full of confidence. They generally tend to swing between low- to mid-30s scores in the first phase. They finished on their dressage score of 32.9 in the 8-and-9-year-old class at Blenheim in 2022, where they were sixth.

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Mélody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire

This pair very nearly finished on their dressage score at Tokyo (if we ignore the second round of show jumping), which has got to have Melódy chomping at the bit as she bids to better her individual 17th place.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Mélody’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team); 17th individually
️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.)

Mélody’s had the ride on this seventeen-year-old gelding since 2020.

Dressage They put down a 36.1 in Tokyo and added just one second of cross country time across the entire event, up until the second round of show jumping, when things kind of fell apart a little, but we’re focusing on dressage right now. They posted a 36.7 at the European Championships last season and a 35.9 at the Worlds in Pratoni, and we can see from those scores that they’re generally pretty consistently mid-30s in the first phase.

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Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake

Pan-Ams individual gold and team silver winner Caroline is making her Olympic debut with exciting talent HSH Blake. Seriously, this guy is total class. He’s been first or second in 50% of his FEI runs and has only been outside the top-10 twice. That’s the kind of quality we’re dealing with here.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Caroline was just 14 when she became a full-time eventer! She won team and individual gold at the North American Young Rider Championships in 2013 and left school the next day, continuing her education at home, but mostly riding.

Dressage This guy has only ever been out of the 20s in the first phase twice. He posted a 26.8 on his way to individual honors in Santiago, that was 3*, and has generally been 27 or 28 at 4*. How will he handle the step up to the Olympic test, which is essentially a short 5*? Eyes on

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Malgorzata Korycka and Canvalencia

Malgorzata is here to contest her first Olympic Games, but she comes with the experience of European and World Championships appearances under her belt. She’s in Paris with her Pratoni mount, Canvalencia.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Malgorzata’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.)

Malgorzata is engaged to fellow Paris Olympian, Jan Kaminski.

Dressage This pair put down a 35.7 in the dressage phase at the World Championships in Pratoni, which is about where they tend to be in the first phase – mid- to high-30s.

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Sofia Sjöborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z

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Sofia brings her World Championships ride forward on her Olympic debut, but she’ll have had a heap of advice from Olympic veterans and fellow Paris competitors Tim and Jonelle Price, who she’s based with in the UK.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Sofia’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Sofia spent three years training with fellow Paris Olympian – and former Olympic Champion – Michael Jung. Talk about learning from the best.

Dressage This pair can have a bit of a tricky time in the dressage phase, with scores this season ranging from 37.1 to 51.7. They put down a career-best score of 32.8 at the World Championships in Pratoni – what a time to break out a PB. A championships thing perhaps?

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Tom McEwen and JL Dublin

Tom knows what it’s like to take a haul of medals home from a Games, with a team gold and individual silver from Tokyo stashed away in his bling cabinet. He’s here with relatively new ride JL Dublin, who he took on from Nicola Wilson, and Tom is very vocal in his praise of Nicola’s work with ‘Dubs’ each time he’s had success with the lovely gelding. Which is a lot, really, hence they bagged an elusive spot on the very competitive British team.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Tom’s championships experience:

Team 🥇 & Individual 🥈 Tokyo 2020
️ Team 🥇 Tryon 2018; 12th individually
3️⃣ Tom is currently World No. 3

Tom was awarded an MBE from the late Queen of England following his success in Tokyo.

Dressage Since Tom took on the ride in 2022, they’ve had dressage scores ranging from 20.9 to 29.8. They were second at Kentucky 5* in the spring, where the posed a 24.6 in the first phase and third at Pau last fall, where they put down a 23.1, so their best scores do tend to come on the big occasions, like an Olympics, say. Eyes on this one

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Carlos Parro and Safira

Carlos made his Olympic debut back in 2000 at the Sydney Games and has a hattrick of Olympic experiences under his belt. The Brazilian team are in Paris off the back of a team bronze medal at the Pan-Ams last season, where Carlos and Safira played their part and gained valuable experience ahead of the test they face in Paris.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Carlos’ championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team) – Rio 2016 (Team); 18th individually – Sydney 2000 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Aachen 2006 (Ind.) – Rome 1998 (Team)

Carlos has won Best Eventing Rider of the Year awarded by Olympic Brazil three times.

Dressage They put down a 34 at the Pan-Ams in Santiago on their way to team bronze. This season they’ve had two FEI 4* runs; they scored 33.4 in Strzegom, Poland, and 34 in Sopot, also in Poland.

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Jonelle Price and Hiarado

Jonelle Price sure knows a thing or two about championships appearances, having made her Olympic debut back in 2012 at the London Games. She took home a team bronze medal that time around, and has since added another, at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022. Her Paris ride is relatively new to her, but they’ve already shown they’re a great partnership with a top-10 finish on the mare’s 5* debut.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Jonelle’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team); 11th individually – Rio 2016 (Team); 17th individually – Team 🥉 London 2012
️ Team 🥉 Pratoni 2022; 10th individually – Tryon 2018 (Team); 19th individually – Caen 2014 (Ind.); 4th
8️⃣ Jonelle is currently World No. 8

Jonelle broke her arm 5 weeks before the London Games but bounced back to make her Olympic debut for New Zealand.

Dressage This mare put down a 30.4 in the first phase on her 5* debut at Pau last season, where she finished seventh. They’re very much a low-30s pair, their best being 30.2 and highest 34.5.

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Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka

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Ryuzo has represented Japan at the Olympics, World Championships and Asian Games, where he finished fourth individually in 2018. Cekatinka was purchased especially for the Tokyo Olympics but didn’t go; Ryuzo was selected as traveling reserve with his other ride, Feroza Niewmoed, stepping up in the final phase as a substitute. But he’s here now, and ready to do it for Japan in Paris.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Ryuzo’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team) – Rio 2016 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Tryon 2018 (Team)

Cekatinka was 8th individually at Tryon WC 2018 with fellow Paris Olympian Tim Price.

Dressage This pair are capable of going sub-30 in the first phase, but they’re more likely to drop in somewhere in the low-30s. They scored 32.2 at the World Championships in Pratoni and 31.5 in their most recent run prior to Paris, the 4*-L in Ballindenisk, where they finished second.

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Emiliano Portale and Future

Emiliano’s making his championships debut and what a competition to get your first Senior call-up at. This pairing is relatively new, with Emiliano taking on the ride last season. They’ve had their fair share of success since getting together though, so it’ll be interesting to see their performance in Paris.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Emiliano has been a selector for the Italian pony team.

Dressage They’re proving to be a low- to mid-30s kind of pair, with a 33.3 in the European Championships last season and, more recently, a 31.7 in the 4*-S Nations Cup leg in Montelibretti this spring, where they finished fifth.

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Janneke Boonzaaijer and Champ de Tailleur

Janneke’s back at the Olympics for another go, this time as part of the Dutch team after competing as an individual in Tokyo. This pair didn’t have the happiest of times on their Olympic debut, after being eliminated for a technical refusal on the cross country, but they’re here to put all that right this time around à Paris.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Janneke’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2010 (Ind.)

Janneke’s sporting philosophy is one we can all get behind: “Having fun together is one of the keys to success”

Dressage They put down a score of 33 in the first phase at Tokyo and a 32.5 at the European Championships last season, but have a smattering of sub-30 scores scattered through their record also, notably in their most recent run, where they posted a 27.8.

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Karim Laghouag and Triton Fontaine

Karim’s known for being quite the character on the European eventing circuit and I have it on good authority from EN’s roving reporter, Tilly Berendt, that he’s deserving of a gold medal for being the friendliest person in the sport. He’s got tons of championships experience and was part of the bronze medal success for France at Tokyo with his Paris mount, Triton Fontaine.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Karim’s championships experience:

Team 🥉 Tokyo 2020; 12th individually – Team 🥇 Rio 2016
️ Lexington 2010 (Ind.) – Aachen 2006 (Ind.) 10th

Karim was honored with the title Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur after being part of the French team which won gold in Rio.

Dressage This pair scored 31.4 at Pau 5* on their way to second place, a relevant result in terms of what they’ll face at the Olympics. The dressage test is 5* level but shorter than a usual 5*. In Tokyo the put down a 32.4 in the first phase. They can sneak sub-30 at 4*, as they did in the 4*-S Nations Cup at Montelibretti last season on their way to third place.

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Karin Donckers and Liepheimer Van’t Verahof

It’s fair to say that Karin has been a valuable representative of Belgium over the years, with six Olympic and eight World Championship appearances. All in a day’s work, hey Karin?! She’s here with the only stallion in the field, who was fourth in the Young Horse Championships as a seven-year-old. He’s got championships experience via the Europeans in 2021, and has been a regular on the Nations Cup circuit.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Karin’s championships experience:

Rio 2016 (Ind.) – London 2012 (Team); 15th individually – Beijing 2008 (Ind.); 9th – Athens 2004 (Team); 16th individually – Sydney 2000 (Team); 9th individually – Barcelona 1992 (Team); 8th individually
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Tryon 2018 (Team); 17th individually – Caen 2014 (Team); 5th individually – Lexington 2010 (Team); 4th individually – Aachen 2006 (Team); 13th individually – Jerez de la Frontera 2002 (Ind.); 19th – Rome 1998 (Ind.) – Den Haag 1994 (Ind.)

Karin was named the 2021 Sportswoman of the Year in Hoogstraten, Belgium.

Dressage This pair tend to hover around the 30 mark, with an almost 50:50 just over, just under rate. In their last run, the 4*-S in Luhmühlen, they put down a 32.2 in the first phase; in their run before that, the 4*-S in Kronenberg, it was a 29.6. Their best score at 4* is 26.7; that came in 2022. Their highest 4* score is a 35.7 in 2021.

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INDIVIDUAL RIDERS

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Carlos Diaz Fernandez and Taraje CP 21.10

Carlos may be making his Olympic debut in Paris, but he’s got plenty of championship experience under his belt, with three World and four European Championships on his card. He’s taking to the Olympic stage with his 2022 World Championships ride, eleven-year-old ‘Taraje’.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Carlos’ championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Tryon 2018 (Team) – Caen 2014 (Team)

Carlos had a scary time at the European Championships in 2013 when a dog chased him round the cross country course for a whole minute. Puppers on leashes, please!

Dressage This pair put down a 30.5 in their most recent run, the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Montelibretti, where they finished third. They went sub-30 at the same venue in the fall, scoring 29.8 in the 4*-L and placing sixth. At the World Championships in Pratoni they scored a 32.5.

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Balász Kaizinger and Herr Cooles Classico

Balász comes to Paris with a World Championships completion in his locker, which came courtesy of his other ride, Clover. He’s piloted Herr Cooles Classico since 2022, stepping the gelding up to 4* last season. He’s here as Hungary’s first eventing representative since 1996.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Balász’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.)

Balász is pronounced ‘Balash’, in case you were wondering.

Dressage Safe to say, this pair are not here to win the dressage. They’d probably rather we just scrapped the first phase altogether and get straight down to the nitty gritty of things. But alas, dressage we must in order to earn the right to ride cross country. They put down a 48.9 in the 4*-S at Luhmühlen last month and a 43.5 in the 4*-S at Sopot in May. Since stepping up to 4*, their best score is 41.1 and their highest is 50.5.

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Miroslav Trunda and Shutterflyke

Miroslav and Shutterflyke are back at the Games after contesting Tokyo three years ago. They’ve gained World Championship experience since then, with an appearance representing the Czech Republic in Pratoni.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Miroslav’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.)

As well as being an Olympic eventer, Miroslav is a veterinarian, taking care of top-level horses and working at the race track.

Dressage This pair aren’t here to win the dressage, Shutterflyke is an out-and-out cross country girl at heart. At Tokyo they put down a 46.1 in the first phase and at the World Championships in Pratoni a 43.2. They do have scores in the 30s at 4*, but they’re high-30s.

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Huadong Sun and Lady Chin V’t Moerven Z

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Huadong comes to Paris with his Tokyo horse, with whom he was fourth at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.

Olympics horse tokyo 35.2 42 xc time 2 poles 1.6 time round 1

Form, Facts & Stats:

Huadong’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team)

This combination won team gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games last season, the first time the People’s Republic of China have taken the title.

Dressage They put down a 35.2 in the first phase at Tokyo but there have been a few competitions since then where they’ve had their hooves in the 20s, notably at their most recent FEI run, the 4*-S Nations Cup leg in Strzegom, where they posted a 29.9. It was a 37 at their run before that though, so it’s safe to say that we don’t really know where this pair are going to land.

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Ronald Zabala Goetschel and Forever Young Wundermaske

Wundermaske sure is true to his prefix – he’s 21-years-young and contesting his first Olympic Games. Ronald is a pretty amazing guy, and not just because he clearly has a program at home which has allowed for this veteran horse to stay in peak performance into his twenties. He taught himself to ride as a little kid, jumping over a fallen log to practice his cross country skills. He has confirmed that he is totally horse crazy.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Ronald’s championships experience:

London 2012 (Ind.)
️ Tryon 2018 (Ind.)

Ronald was the first rider to represent Ecuador at the Olympics when he made it to London 2012.

Dressage So far this season, this pair have put down dressage scores of between 37.4 and 49. Last season they were regularly mid- to high-30s.

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Veera Manninen and Sir Greg

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Amazingly, Sir Greg partnered Veera at the European Young Rider Championships in 2021 and now here they are at the Olympics. We can all agree that’s pretty awesome.

Form, Facts & Stats:

At 24, Veera’s certainly at the younger end of the scale when it comes to Olympic eventers.

Dressage This pair are consistently mid-30s in the first phase, posting two scores of 34 and a 36.3 this season.

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Peter T. Flarup and Fascination

Hugely experienced Danish eventer Peter Flarup is in Paris with his Tokyo ride. This is Peter’s third Games, and he’s got the experience of four World Championships under his belt too, so he knew what he was getting into when he decided to step down as the head trainer for the national eventing team to focus on getting to Paris.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Peter’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) – Beijing 2008 (Ind.)
️ Caen 2014 (Ind.) – Lexington 2010 (Ind.) – Aachen 2006 (Team) – Rome 1998 (Team)

This pair have been going arena eventing together over the winter – every little helps when you’re on the road to Paris.

Dressage This pairing scored 33.7 in the first phase at Tokyo, which has been their form there-or-thereabouts this season. They went sub-30 in he 4*-S at Maarsbergen last season, a personal best at the level, and contributing to them taking the win. But generally we’re looking at 32 or 33, they’re pretty consistent overall.

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Esteban Benitez Valle and Utrera AA 35 1

Esteban is making his Olympic debut, but he’s got World and European Championships caps in his locker. Spain were really hoping to have a team in Paris, and fought hard for it, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be and they bagged two individual slots instead.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Esteban’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Esteban was selector for the Spanish University team and was president of the Spanish University Riders Association.

Dressage Recently, this pair have been producing tests in the low- to mid-30s. They scored 33.8 in the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Montelibretti in their most recent run this year, where they finished fourth, and a 31 in the 4*-S in Strzegom at the end of last season, where they were also fourth.

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SECOND TEAM ROTATION

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Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S

This pair know what it’s like to win a team gold medal at a major championships, and I’m pretty sure they’d like another one. They’ve got a ton of experience together, with 48 FEI competitions under their cinch, despite Christoph’s relatively young age. They’re here in hot form, off the back of a win, which must be a very nice confidence boost right before an Olympic Games.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Christoph’s championships experience:

️ Team 🥇 Pratoni 2022

In 2020, Christoph took over the management of his family’s breeding operation, founded by his grandfather and known to have bred some of the world’s best Trakehners.

Dressage Across this season and last, this pair only have one dressage score in the 30s on their record. They’ve been super consistent so far this year, with three FEI runs and 28, 28.7 and 28 in the first phase in each of them. They were all 4*-S competitions; at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022 they scored a 32.8, and at Badminton the same year they put down a 32.5. So high-20s to low-30s is where we’re looking, probably towards the higher end given that the Olympic test is 5* level, albeit a bit shorter than we’re used to seeing at Kentucky, Badminton and the like.

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Kevin McNab and Don Quidam

Kevin brings his Tokyo Olympics and Pratoni World Championships horse to Paris. He knows just how it feels to board the plane home from a Games with a medal ‘round his neck, having won team silver in Tokyo, and he’ll be gunning to improve on his 14th place individually from three years ago. They wowed with a 25.7 in Pratoni, but it was closer to their norm in Tokyo at 32.1. How will they fare à Paris?

Form, Facts & Stats:

Kevin’s championships experience:

Team 🥈 Tokyo 2020; 14th individually
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Kevin was initially named as reserve for Tokyo, but was drafted in at the last minute when Stuart Tinney’s horse was injured. He came home with a silver medal.

Dressage At the World Championships in Pratoni, this pair put down a 25.7 in the first phase, his third best score of his career. At Tokyo it was a 32.1. More recently, he’s had a bit of a mixed bag of results, going just about sub-30 at the Nations Cup 4*-S in Strzegom but scoring 38.3 in the 4*-S at Luhmühlen, his highest score since 2018. He was pretty consistent in his first two runs of the season, with a 33.5 and a 33.9 respectively.

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Karl Sleazak and Hot Bobo

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Part of the gold medal winning team at the Pan-Ams in Santiago, where they took individual 4th place, Karl and Hot Bobo are here to try and make their mark on Paris. Hot Bobo’s in hot form ️ coming to the Games off the back of a win in the 4*-S at Bromont a few weeks ago, where she put down a personal best dressage score – what a time to do it. No doubt Karl’s here full of confidence with this gutsy mare.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Karl’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Hot Bobo became a mom this year via embryo transfer. What do you call a Hot Bobo baby? Hot Tamale of course.

Dressage Hot Bobo pulled out a PB in her most recent run, the 4*-S at Bromont on her way to the win. It was a 27.6 that day for her and Karl, and a second sub-30 score since stepping up to 4*, the other one coming in the 4*-S at Kentucky last season, which they won. They put down a 32.7 at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last year, on their way to team gold and fourth place individually. They are very consistently low-30s, with a couple of welcome anomalies in their form.

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Susie Berry and Wellfields Lincoln

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Hoping for the luck of the Irish, Susie’s making her Olympic debut with ‘Slinky’. They come to Paris on good form, having finished top-10 in two out of their three FEI runs this season. She may have had her first call-up for the Games this time around, but she’s got World and European Championships experience under her belt with other horses in her string. Slinky may be one of Susie’s less-experienced campaigners, but thus far in his career he’s looking to be sound in all three phases, which has got to have Susie feeling good as she takes on Paris, and beyond.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Susie’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Susie relocated from Ireland to England in 2014 when she went to work for one of her eventing idols, Piggy March (you guessed it, her other hero is Pippa Funnell). She set up her own yard in 2020.

Dressage They posted a career-best dressage score this season when they went sub-30 in the 4*-L at Kronenberg on their way to third place – what a time to pull that out of the bag. They’ve been between 28.7 and 34.2 so far this year, with low-30s tending to be their norm.

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Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH

Don’t be fooled by Robin’s young age into thinking that he’s inexperienced, because, despite being just 26, he’s already been Swiss national champion six times. He comes to Paris for his second Olympics and brings his two-time World and three-time European Championships horse.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Robin’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team); 15th individually – Tryon 2018 (Team)

Robin and ‘Grandeur’ have been together since Robin was 17.

Dressage This pair posted a 26.8 in the first phase at the World Championships in Pratoni, very close to their personal best of 26. So they know when to pull the good stuff out of the bag. It didn’t quite happen for them at the Europeans last season, where they scored 33. So, dressage scores tend to swing from the mid-20s to the low-30s but there are definitely more sub-30 scores on their record than anything higher.

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Elisabeth Halliday and Nutcracker

Liz Halliday had the final, final hour call-up to the team from the traveling reserve spot, after the late withdrawal of Will Coleman’s second ride (his first had already been withdrawn). Liz is a fearless competitor who’s sure to relish the chance to compete with the US team at the Olympics, particularly after being part of the silver medal winning team at the Pan-Ams in Santiago.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Liz’s horse, Nutcracker, will be more commonly known to eventing fans as having the Cooley prefix, but due to the commercial laws at the Olympics it’s had to be dropped, so Nutcracker it is.

Dressage Since stepping up to 4*, Nutcracker has produced seven sub-30 dressage tests, going as low as 22.6 for a PB last season. He put down a 30.6 on his 5* debut at Kentucky, where he was eighth.

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Jan Kaminski and Jard

It’s been a bit of a late call-up for Jan and long-time campaigner, Jard, with the confirmation coming just two days before the first horse inspection. But Jan’s got Olympic and World Championship experience in his locker and has been a stalwart representative for Poland on the Nations Cup circuit, so he’s not exactly coming in without knowing what’s what. Also, now he gets to really share the whole Olympic thang with his fiance, fellow teammate Malgorzata ☝️

Form, Facts & Stats:

Jan’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2010 (Team)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.)

Jan’s fiance is also part of the Poland team in Paris.

Dressage They put down a 33.1 in the first phase at Tokyo, and a 31.1 at the World Championships in Pratoni. They’ve been a bit higher thus far this season, with dressage scores ranging from 33.1 to 38.3.

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Frida Andersén and Box Leo

Frida’s in Paris for her second Olympic call-up for the Swedish team, but she’s looking for her first completion after withdrawing before the final horse inspection at Rio. She’s bringing forward former Ludwig Svennnestal ride, Box Leo, her European Championships partner.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Frida’s championships experience:

Rio (Team)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Box Leo shares a sire with Irish Maryland winner and fellow Paris competitor, Colorado Blue.

Dressage They’re generally a low-30s kind of pair, but every so often a high-30s score slips onto their card. They scored 33.3 in the first phase at the European Championships last season but it was a 38.1 for them in their most recent run, the 4*-S at Luhmühlen. It was a 34.5 at the World Championships in Pratoni, where they finished top-20 individually.

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Laura Collett and London 52

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Part of the reigning gold medal winning team, Laura and London 52 are the only Tokyo combination in Paris. Laura has long heralded this horse as an absolute superstar and he’s totally proved himself over and over again. He’s won three different 5*s, for a start, and comes here in hot form off the back of two wins this season, but really, London 52’s always in hot form. In 40 FEI competitions he’s won 11 times and been runner-up six times. He’s been top-5 in more than half the events he’s done. Seriously ️

Form, Facts & Stats:

Laura’s championships experience:

Team 🥇 Tokyo 2020
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team)

Laura has a hattrick of 5* wins in her locker – Badminton, Luhmühlen and Pau – all with London 52. She also has an MBE, awarded to her by England’s late Queen Elizabeth.

Dressage We’re definitely not going to count sub-30 scores for this one as we’d be here all day. We can however count sub-20 scores, of which there are three. That’s right, this guy is one to watch in the dressage ring, that’s for sure. He put down a 22.4 in the first phase at the European Championships last season, and has finished on his dressage at two 5*s and very nearly finished on it at a third, all of which he won; it was a 20.3 at Luhmühlen last year, a 21 at Badminton in 2022, and a 21.3 at Pau in 2020. A 19.3 at the World Championships was the stuff of dreams, until things went awry out on the cross country course. At Tokyo, they scored a more modest 25.8 on the way to team gold. Eyes on this one

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Rafael Mamprim Losano and Withington

This combination are a recent pairing, only having been together since June last year, but they do have championships experience under their cinch courtesy of the Pan-Ams in Santiago, where they took home the team bronze. Rafael’s no stranger to the big time though, having competed at Tokyo when he was just 24 years old, so he’s well placed to show Withington the Olympic ropes.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Rafael’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team)

Rafael is only 27, but he’s got almost a century of FEI starts under his belt.

Dressage They put down a 36.1 in the dressage at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last season, where they finished 9th individually and won team bronze. They put down a PB at 4* in their most recent FEI run – a 30.9 in the 4*-S at Marbach, but generally we’re looking at mid-30s for this pair.

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Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park

Clarke and Menlo Park (oh, cool, their names rhyme!) have been together since 2021 but have quickly forged a partnership in that relatively short time, finishing in the top-15 in all but two of their thirteen FEI starts and winning a team bronze medal at the World Championships in Pratoni.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Clarke’s championships experience:

Rio 2016 (Team); 6th individually
️ Team 🥉Pratoni 2022 – Lexington 2020 (Team)

Clarke was named New Zealand Eventer of the Year in 2013 Horse of the Year Show.

Dressage This pair are well capable of a sub-30 score in the first phase, as they proved at the World Championships in Pratoni when they posted a 27.4. This season they’ve had two scores in the high-20s and a 30.8.

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Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street

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Yoshiaki is one of Japan’s most experienced eventers, having represented his nation at, now, five Olympics and four World Championships, as well as the Asian Games, which he’s won twice, in 2018 and 2006. Here’s some interesting Olympic eventing trivia: Yoshi was in the lead after the dressage in London.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Yoshi’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team) – Rio 2016 (Ind.); 20th – London 2012 (Team) – Beijing 2008 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Tryon 2018 (Team); 20th individually – Lexington 2010 (Team) – Aachen 2006 (Ind.); 18th

When he’s not going eventing, Yoshi loves listening to music and fishing.

Dressage This gelding proved he’s a bright spark in the dressage ring with former rider Pippa Funnell, and three out of four sub-30 dressage scores this season with new rider Yoshi have shown that he’s very reliable in the first phase.

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Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes

Evelina brings her Pratoni World Championships horse to Paris with some pretty solid dressage form recently that’s sure to have her feeling good about heading up the center line on her Olympic debut. Sub-30’s not outside this pair’s reach on their day – is today one of those days?

Form, Facts & Stats:

Evelina’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) – Caen 2014 (Team)

Evalina’s no one-trick pony – she’s also competed in modern pentathlon and was Italian Junior Champion in 2004 and 2005.

Dressage They went sub-30 at the World Championships in Pratoni where they put down a 29.8 in the first phase, and have scored a 29.9 at 4* this season. They’re incredibly consistent in terms of dressage scores, with their form hovering around the 30-mark.

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Sanne de Jong and Enjoy

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Sanne’s here with her homebred mare, who she started herself and with who she’s forged her eventing career. They’ve represented the Netherlands together at Nations Cups, European and World Championships and now Sanne’s at the Olympics with the horse she’s know since she was fifteen.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Sanne’s championships experience:

️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.)

Sanne’s from a sporting family – her mom competed in international eventing, her dad designed cross country courses, and her brother has represented the Netherlands in handball.

Dressage This combination scored 33.4 in the first phase at the World Championships in Pratoni, and 33.9 at the Europeans last season. They’ve very consistently low-ish-30s (EquiRatings will be sweating at my descriptions), although every now and then they’ll throw up an anomaly – a high-30s, maybe a hoof in the 40s, or even a sub-30 score. They like to keep us on our toes, clearly.

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Stéphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau

It’s a dream come true in the most poignant way for this pairing. Stéphane rides the gelding in honor of his friend, and former rider, Thaïs Meheust, who tragically lost her life in a cross country fall. It was Thaïs’ dream to compete at her home Olympics, and Stéphane is making that a reality as he comes up the center line today with Thaïs in his heart and the horse she loved as his partner.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Chaman Dumontceau’s name is usually styled with a ‘Ride for Thaïs’ prefix.

Dressage This gelding can pull some very smart scores out of the bag – a 22.8 in the 4*-S Nations Cup leg at Chatsworth last season (which he won). Hello. That was a PB by a fair stretch, but sub-30 is not a place that this guy’s a stranger to, although he can just have a hoof in the 30s. At last year’s 4*-L European Championships he put down a 31.8 in the first phase, on his way to sixth place. This season he’s had a 28.6 and a 33.3.

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Tine Magnus and Dia van het Lichterveld Z

Tine’s making her Olympic debut in Paris, although she has contested a number of Nations Cup events under the Belgian flag. She was national champion in 2022 and, with the mare she rides in Paris, was third with the team in the Nations Cup leg at Boekelo last season, helping to bump Belgium to the top of the overall standings and win the whole dang thing.

Form, Facts & Stats:

When she’s not going eventing, Tine works at her family farm in Belgium.

Dressage They scored 32.6 in the first phase on the way to winning the 4*-S in Strzegom this season, and came back out with a 32.5 in the 4*-L at Saumur. In the 4*-S at Luhmühlen, their latest FEI run, they put down a 35.2. And that tends to be the story across their record: mid-30s-ish (I can feel EquiRatings rolling their eyes).

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INDIVIDUAL RIDERS

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Sanna Siltakorpi and Bofey CLIck

This combination have been together for almost ten years, for sure a boon as they make their Olympic debut together. Sanna’s represented Finland at World and European Championships, so she at least knows a bit about the championships atmosphere as she heads up the center line in Paris.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Sanna’s championships experience:

️ Caen 2014 (Ind.) – Lexington 2010 (Ind.)

Sanna’s friend helped to fundraise so that Finland could make it to Paris.

Dressage We’re looking at low- to mid-30s scores in the first phase at 4*, but the Olympic test is a bit of a step up, with 5* movements in a shortened form. They put down a 32.3 in the 4*-L in Romania last season, where they were runners-up, and a 35.6 in the 4*-S at Strzegom in April.

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Alexander Peternell and Figaro des Premices

Alex has represented South Africa at both the Olympics and World Championships, back in 2012 and 2014 respectively, and is in Paris with relative youngster, nine-year-old Figaro de Premices, or ‘Norman’ as he’s known to his friends. They’ll be gaining a whole heap of valuable experience in Paris, with their sights on LA and beyond.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Alexander’s championships experience:

London 2012 (Ind.)
️ Caen 2014 (Ind.)

Alexander trained as a ballet dancer for 12 years and danced professionally for the National School of Arts in South Africa.

Dressage This pair are putting down scores in the mid-30s, with a hoof toward the high-30s and a toe in the 40s very occasionally, at this stage in their career together. They scored 34.8 in their most recent run in the 4*-L at Strzegom on their way to fifth place. They’ve also had a 34.9 and a 38.4 this season.

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Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof

Alex was determined to represent China at his home Games back in 2008, which he did. Three Olympics later and he’s in Paris with ‘Chocs’, or Jilsonne van Bareelhof if you want to be fancy about things. Alex has also represented China at three World Championships and three Asian Games, from which he has podium places at all three levels, most recently winning the individual title in Hangzhou last year.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Alex’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team) – Rio 2016 (Ind.); 8th – Beijing 2008 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) – Tryon 2018 (Ind.) – Caen 2014 (Ind.)

Alex was the first person to represent the People’s Republic of China in an Olympic equestrian event when he contested his home Games in 2008.

Dressage In 19 FEI competitions, this combination have posted just three scores in the 30s, that’s right, we’re looking at a solid sub-30 pairing. The put down a 23.8 in their most recent event, the 4*-S at Bramham, which is one heck of a time to pull out your best score at the level. More commonly they’re mid- to high-20s.

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Manuel Grave and Carat de Bremoy

Manuel is the first Portuguese event rider at the Olympics since his dad rode in Athens in 2004, and, his dad’s firmly by his son’s side in Paris, imparting all his Olympic experience as coach. He comes into the Games off the back of two third place finishes, on long- one short-format, which should have him feeling pretty confident as he makes his Olympic debut.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Manuel’s championships experience:

️ Lexington 2010 (Ind.)

In real life, Manuel is a manager at an agricultural company.

Dressage Really, we’re looking at high-30s in the first phase for this pair, although they did put down a 4* PB of 34.6 in the spring.

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Noor Slaoui and Cash In Hand

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Noor is making her Olympic debut in Paris, but she’s making history at the same time. She’s the first rider from North Africa to compete in eventing at the Olympics, the first Arab woman to compete in eventing at the Olympics, and the first ever Moroccan international eventer. What a cool, inspirational story, and exactly what the Games are all about.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Noor has worked with Australian eventing stalwart Bill Levett.

Dressage This combination’s best dressage score at 4* is a 33, and their highest is 40.6. The 33 came in the 4*-S at Kilguilkey House in Ireland last season, where they finished tenth. Their most recent run was in the 4*-S Nations Cup event in Avenches, where they put down a 39.8 in the first phase.

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Harald Ambros and Vitorio du Montet

Harald’s in Paris for his fourth Olympic Games, bringing forward former Maxime Livio ride ‘Vitorio’, who was fifth at Pau in 2021 with the French rider. They may be a new partnership, but they’ve got three top-5 finishes on their card, from six FEI runs.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Harald’s championships experience:

London 2012 (Ind.) – Beijing 2008 (Ind.) – Athens 2004 (Team)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Lexington 2010 (Ind.) – Aachen 2006 (Team); 19th individually

Open wide. Harald is a full-time dentist.

Dressage So far, this pair have been putting down mostly mid-30s dressage scores. There’s a 39 in the mix, and a 53, but their best score together came in their most recent run, the 4*-L in Baborowko, where they posted a 33.8 and came fourth overall.

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Miroslav Příhoda and Ferreolus Lat

Miroslav and Ferreolus Lat have an Olympics, World, and European Championships already in their locker, so they’re well-versed in what all this championship lark is all about. They get 10/10 for consistency across major championships in terms of dressage scores, posting exactly the same at Tokyo and Pratoni.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Miroslav’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.)

Miroslav was Czech Republic Senior Eventing Rider of the Year 2016.

Dressage It was a 33.8 for this pair at both Tokyo and Pratoni, and that consistency tracks throughout their form; mid-30s. One exception is the European Championships in Avenches in 2021, where they posted a massive PB of 27.9.

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Nicolas Wettstein and Altier d’Aurois

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Paris has always been the goal for this horse, but it doesn’t hurt that he’s gained valuable experience via Tokyo, as well as a spin at the Pan-Ams in Santiago. Nicolas is in Paris for his third Olympics, and has three World Championships under his belt to boot. Oh yeah, in ‘real life’ he’s not even an eventer – he’s actually a full time CEO of a Pharmaceutical Distribution Company.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Nicolas’ championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) – Rio 2016
️ Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) – Tryon 2018 (Ind.) – Caen 2014 (Ind.)

In 2015, Nicholas was the first rider representing Ecuador to compete at Badminton.

Dressage This combination put down a 40.9 in the first phase at Tokyo and a 38 at the Pan-Ams in Santiago. Which is pretty indicative of their general form – high-30s, occasionally a hoof in the 40s.

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FINAL TEAM ROTATION

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Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH

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He’s been Olympic Champion, World Champion, European Champion, Kentucky Champion, Luhmühlen Champion, Badminton Champion, Burghley Champion… need I say more?

Form, Facts & Stats:

Michael’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team); 8th individually – Team 🥈 & Individual 🥇- Rio 2016 – Team 🥇 & Individual 🥇 London 2012
️ Team 🥇 Pratoni 2022; 5th individually – Team 🥇 & Individual 🥈 Caen 2014 – Individual 🥇 Lexington 2010

Michael held the Olympic, World and European titles simultaneously.

Dressage Ordinarily, we tend to herald the sub-30 marks when it comes to dressage form, however, for this combination that just won’t do. Since they got together in 2019, in 33 FEI competitions, there’s nary a score in the 30s on their record – not one or any, zero, zilch, none. So I find myself counting sub-20 scores and there are eight – eight sub-20 scores! One such score came at the World Championships in 2022, where they put down 18.8 in the first phase. At Kentucky 5* that year, they finished on their dressage score of 20.1 to take the win. They set themselves up nicely for an Olympic gold at Tokyo with a 21.1 in the dressage, but we all know what happened next. I have this pair as my EN team pick for the win this time around. Have I spoken too soon? Only time will tell.

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Christopher Burton and Shadow Man

Burto’s back eventing after a hiatus spent in the show jumping ring, and comes forward for Australia with new ride this season, Shadow Man, formally piloted by Britain’s Ben Hobday. It’s a horse Chris has admired for a while, in fact, he’d already tried to buy him off Ben a while ago. When the opportunity arose, it was too good for Chris to pass up, and tempted him back to eventing. They’re here in hot form ️ right off the back of a win in the 4*-S Nations Cup at Millstreet, Ireland, where they finished on their dressage score of 25.7.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Chris’ championships experience:

Team 🥉 Rio 2016; 5th individually – London 2012 (Team)
️ Tryon 2018 (Team) – Caen 2014 (Team) – Lexington 2010 (Ind.)

Chris was given his first pony for his third birthday. Outside of horses, Chris enjoys skiing (on snow and water), golf, and playing the guitar.

Dressage They’ve been sub-30 in four of their five runs together, with scores ranging from 25.7 to 30.8 – impressive given the fact that they’ve only been together a matter of months. Shadow Man’s fancy and extravagant on the flat and has been pulling in sub-30 scores for most of his career, with the 25.7 at Millstreet a PB – what a time to pull that out of the bag, just before an Olympic Games.

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Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS

Jessie’s no stranger to representing Canada on the world stage, having competed at two previous Olympics, three World Championships and five Pan-Ams, as well as hopping the pond with the delightfully named Wabbit to complete at both Badminton and Burghley. This mare is not so experienced as long-time campaigner Wabbit, but Jessie knows her way ‘round a championships and will have her back.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Jessie’s championships experience:

Rio 2016 (Team) – London 2012 (Team)
️ Tryon 2018 (Team) – Caen 2014 (Team) – 2010 Lexington (Ind.)

We all know she’s an inspirational eventer, but did you know that Jessie has been the inspiration for a book and a song? The book details Jessie’s return from serious injury and country singer Elyse Saunders wrote the song ‘Rise’ based on it.

Dressage This mare’s showing up as a low- to mid-30s kind of gal thus far in her career. She put down a 34.6 in the 4*-S at TerraNova in the spring, on her way to second place. It was 34.6 in the 4*-S at Kentucky also. In her most recent run, the 4*-S at Bromont, she scored 32.5 in the first phase.

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Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue

Man of the hour at Maryland 5*, Austin won a million new fans when he and ‘Salty’ won their first 5* in the fall. Salty is not a horse who’s going to win the dressage, but that doesn’t matter, because he’ll darn well turn himself inside out to win the other two phases, and so far that approach to the sport hasn’t done him too badly. He was just outside the top-10 at Tokyo and after his successes last season, Austin’s got to be hoping to go even better this time around.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Austin’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team); 13th individually – Beijing 2008 (Team) – Sydney 2000 (Ind.); 17th
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team); 18th individually

Austin and Salty were originally traveling reserves for Tokyo, but stepped up last minute when Cathal Daniels’ horse wasn’t fit to compete.

Dressage Ever since he came third at Badminton last year – where he posted a very respectable but not top of the table 31.9 in the first phase – Salty has been in the form of his life. He won the Maryland 5*, where he added just 1.2 cross country time to his dressage of 33.7, and he comes to Paris off the back of posting a career-best score – a 26.4 – which he achieved in the 4*-S at Bramham in June, where he finished second. Generally though, we’re looking low- to mid-30s in the first phase, but Salty’s on a mission to prove the saying that ‘eventing’s not a dressage competition’, and so far he’s doing a grand ol’ job.

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Felix Vogg and Dao de l’Ocean

We’re so used to seeing Felix with his stalwart 5* campaigner, Colero, but he comes to Tokyo with exciting young talent Dao de l’Ocean, who has some very impressive form on his card already, and it’ll be very interesting to watch this pair over the next few days.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Felix’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team); 19th individually – Rio 2016 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team); 14th individually – Tryon 2018 (Team) – Caen 2014 (Team)

Not a one trick pony, Felix competed in alpine skiing at junior level.

Dressage You know how I usually talk about sub-30 scores? Well, with this pair they’re basically all sub-30. They put down a 29.4 in the 4*-L Nations Cup leg at Boekelo last season, where they finished top-10, and a 26 in the 4*-S at Wiesbaden this year, which they won. The Olympic test is a bit of a step up from the 4* they’ve been competing at, but this horse sure has all the quality needed for a pretty smart score.

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Boyd Martin and Fedarman B

Boyd’s in Paris with ‘Bruno’, who he rides in memory of Annie Goodwin. This fan favorite is instantly recognizable for his big white blaze, and truly does seem to be one of the sweetest horses on the circuit. Boyd has got heaps of championships experiences but this is Bruno’s first time, although he’s been well-prepared with European trips to Pau and Luhmühlen last year to contest the 5*s, finishing eighth in each.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Boyd’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team); 20th individually – Rio 2016 (Team); 16th individually – London 2012 (Team)
️ Team 🥈 Pratoni 2022 – Tryon 2018 (Team) – Caen 2014 (Team); 7th individually – Lexington 2010 (Team); 10th individually
6️⃣ Boyd is currently World No. 6

Boyd’s well-placed for some dressage schooling, considering he’s married to dressage rider, Silva Martin.

Dressage This pair can go sub-30 but mostly hang out around the 30-mark. They put down a 31.7 at Pau last year and a 32.4 at Luhmühlen. Most recently they scored 31.7 in the 4*-S at Kentucky, where they finished up fourth.

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Robert Powala and Tosca del Castegno

Robert’s got his first senior call-up and what a first for it to be. He’s in Paris with a mare he’s brought through the international levels himself, which will be a good foundation for them as they take on their biggest challenge yet.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Robert competed in Italy as a Junior and said he wanted to move there one day – and he did.

Dressage This pair are proving to be a mid-30s kind of combination, on the whole, although they put down the highest score of their career this season, a 39.6. They came back out at the 4*-S Nations Cup in Strzegom with a more usual 35.7.

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Louise Romeike and Caspian 15

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This is Caspian 15’s first foray onto the big screen but Louise knows just what’s what at a championships, having been part of the Swedish team in Tokyo and at the World Championships in Pratoni.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Louise’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team)
️ Tryon 2018 (Team)

When Louise started out, she was a part-time eventer and full-time lingerie salesperson. Then she got the chance to work for German eventer Peter Thomsen – she was there one weekend before she resigned from her sales job and took up eventing full-time.

Dressage This pair are generally low-30s in the first phase, although sometimes their scores creep up a little; they posted a 31.7 in the 4*-S at Marbach this season and a 35.2 in their most recent FEI run, the 4*-S at Luhmühlen.

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Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo

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Well, what can we say about ‘Walter’? Runner-up at his first 5*, winner of his second, finished on his dressage at the World Championships only to be pipped to the podium because he was too fast on the cross country. Ros heralds this gelding as equally good in all three phases, a triple threat if you will. And based on his form, she’s not wrong.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Ros’ championships experience:

Team 🥇 Tokyo 2020 (as traveling reserve)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team); 4th individually – Team 🥇 & Individual 🥇 Tryon 2018
1️⃣ Ros is currently World No. 1

Ros has always been super sporty and played hockey and tennis at school.

Dressage Since getting together with Ros in 2020, it’s safe to say that Walter’s not really put a foot wrong in the dressage ring. They’ve had just one score in the 30s in 16 FEI runs – it was a 30.6 and came in 2021. He put down a PB of 21.3 at the European Championships last season, which he won, and has finished on his dressage at both a World Championships and a 5*. This guy is one to watch

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Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Castle Howard Casanova

Is there a doctor in the house? Actually, yes, Marcio is, in real life, a trained doctor. But I digress. The Brazilian Olympic team are no strangers to contesting championships together, having won the bronze medal at the Pan-Ams last season, with Marcio and ‘Howard’ taking the individual silver to boot. He’s in Paris for his third Games, whilst relative new kid on the block, Howard, is making his Olympic debut after his success in Santiago.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Marcio’s championships experience:

Rio 2016 (Team) – London 2012 (Team)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Tryon 2018 (Team)

Marcio has been named Eventing Rider of the Year three times by the Brazilian Olympic Committee.

Dressage This combination went sub-30 at the Pan-Ams last season, where they won individual silver, adding just a smidge of time penalties to their dressage score of 29.8. At 4*, they’re more a mid-30s pairing, but the test in Paris is a shortened 5*. They’ve been very consistent in their two FEI runs this season, with a 34.9 and a 34.4. They finished on their dressage score of 33.1 in the 4*-L at Sopot, Poland, last year on their way to second place.

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Tim Price and Falco

Tim’s now on a hattrick of Olympic appearances and he comes to Paris with the very experienced Falco. It’s great to see this gelding back in top form after he didn’t make it to Maryland in the fall due to needing emergency colic surgery in the run-up to the event. But all’s well and here he is, making his Olympic debut. They’ve already got two World Championships medals under their cinch – team and individual bronze, from Pratoni – and Tim’ll be aiming to add some Olympic bling to that collection.

World Championships Pratoni horse – finished on dressage of 26.2

Form, Facts & Stats:

Tim’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team) – Rio 2016 (Team)
️ Team 🥉 & Individual 🥉 Pratoni 2022 – Tryon 2018 (Team); 8th individually – Caen 2014 (Team)
9️⃣ Tim is currently World No. 9

In 2022, Tim and his wife Jonelle were the first married couple to be World No.1 and 2.

Dressage This pair finished on their dressage of 26.2 at the World Championships in Pratoni, and they added just one second of show jumping time to their career-best dressage score of 22.1 when they won Pau in 2021. They put down a 32.5 in the 4*-S at Luhmühlen in June, the highest dressage score they’ve had since June of 2019. In the five years between, they haven’t had the hint of a hoof in the 30s.

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Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne

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If you’re after an exciting combination, look no further. Kazuma’s in Paris with his Tokyo Olympics horse, the one he almost made the podium with at his home Games. This pair have proven themselves to be super consistent at major championships – their finishing score was 31.1 at Pratoni; at Tokyo it was 31.5 (31.9 including the second show jumping round).

Form, Facts & Stats:

Kazuma’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Team); 4th individually
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team); 8th individually – Tryon 2018 (Team)

Kazuma represented Japan in show jumping before making the move to eventing, basing himself with none other than William Fox-Pitt – a smart stepping stone, for sure.

Dressage Mr consistent, Vinci de la Vigne posted a 25.9 in the first phase in Tokyo and a 25.9 at the World Championships in Pratoni. And if you can take your attention away from that interesting fact for a minute, you’ll notice that he’s pulled out two drool-inducing dressage scores at two major championships. This combination is one to watch, not just between the white boards, but across the whole competition

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Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly Temptress

Photo by Eventing Nation.[/caption]

This fabulously named mare is just as you’d imagine she’ll be; feisty, extravagant, fearless – she’s one cool lady, that’s for sure. She probably wouldn’t be the easiest to manage, and Giovanni’ll have his hands full, but she’s brimming with talent and is an exciting one to watch.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Giovanni’s championships experience:

️ Caen 2014 (Team)

Giovanni has worked with Australian eventing legend Andrew Nicholson.

Dressage This pair regularly post sub-30 dressage scores although they did creep over the line at the European Championships last season with a 30.6. Their best score came in the 4*-L at Boekelo in 2022, where they put down a 24.4 in the first phase, before Giovanni had an agonizing fall at the final fence.

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Raf Kooremans and Radar Love

This partnership really is brand new, with just six FEI runs this season together. Getting to Paris was very much the motivation behind the pairing, and here they are, at the Olympics. They seem to be getting on well together so far, with a win, a second, and a fifth place under their cinch already.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Raf’s championships experience:

️ Tryon 2018 (Team)

Raf switched from representing Belgium to the Netherlands through his Dutch father.

Dressage This pair went sub-30 in their first competition together, putting down a 27.3 followed by a 29.4. Admittedly, these scores both came at 3* and the Olympic test is 5*, albeit a shortened version than we’re used to seeing, although they did score 28.3 in the 4*-S at Bicton in May.

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Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe

This guy leaped onto everyone’s radar when he won the Nations Cup event at Boekelo last season after finishing on his dressage of 25.4 (Diabolo Menthe, not Nicolas, we already knew about him). In his last ten FEI competitions he hasn’t been outside the top-5.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Nicolas’ championships experience:

Team 🥉 Tokyo 2020; 6th individually – London 2012 (Team); 17th individually – Beijing 2008 (Ind.) – Team 🥇 Athens 2004 (Ind.) 8th – Sydney 2000 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Aachen 2006 (Team)

Nicolas had a French sports center in Saint-Clement-de-la-Place named after him in 2007.

Dressage In 15 FEI competitions this horse has had a dressage score in the 30s on just three occasions – yes you read that right – and each one of those was variations on 31. Mid-20s is where he’s been at recently, with a 25.3 and a 26.7 at his two FEI runs this year. He’s as yet untested at 5*, which is where the Olympic dressage test lands, but there’s no doubting this gelding’s talent on the flat (and, if you’re wondering, he’s just as good in the other two phases too).

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Lara de Liederkerke-Meier and Origi

Lara’s coming in hot off delivering Belgium’s first ever 5* win at Luhmühlen ️ This pair have been in great form this season, with two fourth places and a fifth, after finishing up last season with a fourth and fifth place too. Origi is just a 10-year-old, and, although not the youngest horse in the field, is at the less-experienced end of the scale. He was top-10 at the Young Horse Championships in 2021 and has made the climb to 4* since then, finishing up at the Olympics with those five top-5 placings under his cinch.

Form, Facts & Stats:

Lara’s championships experience:

Tokyo 2020 (Ind.)
️ Pratoni 2022 (Team) – Tryon 2018 – Caen 2014; 18th Individually – Lexington 2010
4️⃣ Lara is currently World No. 4

Lara’s parents were both eventers, so she got a double whammy of eventing genes

Dressage This combination had their best score at 4* when they went sub-30 at Wiesbaden with a 29.9, on their way to 4th place. Generally they’re in the low-30s; they scored 32.7 in the 4*-S at Luhmühlen in their most recent FEI run.

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Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands 26 Jul 2024, 11:01 pm

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With last night’s opening ceremonies, the Games have officially BEGUN! And boy, what a trip that opening ceremony was. I found myself Googling a few things fellow inquiring minds might also be curious about including ‘are the Minions French?’ (Answer: The animation studio Illumination is based in Paris) and ‘will the Olympic cauldron stay in the sky?’ (Answer: it will come down during the day and go back up at night!)

But my personal favorite part (and if I had to guess, probably also the favorite part of every horse girl watching)? That cool-looking mechanical horse that galloped down the Seine River with the hooded torch bearer aboard. Honestly, that looked like the smoothest ride down the river all night. OK Celine was pretty inspiring, too.

Now, onto business. It’s the first day of the eventing competition in earnest and by the time most read this dressage will be well underway! You can catch up on today’s action in our Follow-Along Companion Guide, which Cheg will be updating throughout the day with scores and rider reactions.

Meanwhile, two other big events on the eventing calendar are also running this weekend. Millbrook has packed Advanced and Intermediate entry lists as many familiar pairs kick off their fall season with a first upper-level run back after their big spring goal events. In the UK, Burgham’s CCI4*-S is well underway and Kentucky winners Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent have thrown down a sub-twenty dressage score.

U.S. Weekend Action

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Ride Times] [Scoring]

UK International Events

Burgham International (Northumberland) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Major International Events
#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [EN’s Coverage]

Links to Start Your Weekend:

Thoroughbred blood still courses through top contenders at Paris Olympics

Apparently Martha Stewart will be joining Snoop Dogg at Versailles to do dressage commentary

Charlotte Dujardin: What Happens Next?

The 2024 USEA Classic Series Continues at Rebecca Farm

American Horse Racing Should Be Watching The Fallout From Britain’s Dressage Olympic Scandal

Heat Alert: Clarification and Recommendations for Participants and Competition Managers

Sponsor Corner: Eventer Allie Knowles trusts the protection of her horses’ legs to the Equilibrium Tri-Zone Impact Cross Country Boots. Breathable, flexible, lightweight– these boots offer incredible protection with none of the typical of downsides of overheating and holding onto water.

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Morning Viewing: In case you need to explain why you’re so pumped this weekend to any non-horsey friends, this video might help!

Phillip Dutton and Possante Lead the Advanced Division at Millbrook Horse Trials 26 Jul 2024, 5:07 pm

The 2024 Millbrook Horse Trials kicked off yesterday with lower level dressage at Riga Meadow Equestrian Center at Coole Park in Millbrook, NY. There are more than 400 total entries competing at Millbrook, from Beginner Novice to Advanced level. Today the upper level horses cantered down the centerline, while the lower levels headed out on cross country.

In the Advanced division, veteran Olympian Phillip Dutton of West Grove, PA and Possante, a 2013 KWPN gelding owned by the Possante Group, took a solid lead with a fluid, accurate test to lead the division of 39 starters on a 25.5. Irish rider Michael Nolan, riding the 2015 Irish Sport Horse Carrabeg Hulla Balou, owned by Susan Martin, is second (28.2) and Meghan O’Donoghue is third with her own Thoroughbred gelding, Palm Crescent.

Dutton also rode Denim, owned by Ann Lapides, Caroline Moran, Annie Jones and Neill Sites, to 11th after dressage (31.1) and his daughter Olivia and Sea of Clouds, a 2011 Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Sea of Clouds Partnership, are currently 16th (31.8) in the Advanced division.

“We’ve had Possante for a bit over a year and a half,” said Dutton. “I had a slow start with him but he’s kind of coming into his groove now and shaking out to be a really top horse. He’s got a lot of charisma, a bit of bling, and carries himself well. He’s a good jumper, still a work in progress like all of it, but I hope he’ll have a good, educational day tomorrow on the cross country.”

Dutton said that he’s been riding Denim since he was a six-year-old and said that though he’s a bit younger, he has more experience than Possante. “We had a couple little errors in the dressage, but I was actually quite pleased with him,” he said. “It’s his first advanced for a while. It’s good to be up in Millbrook with him, especially with this great weather. We’ve had a lot of friends and owners from the Millbrook area and used to teach a lot of the kids who grew up here, and it’s fun to come back.”

He noted that while it’s a little nerve wracking to watch his own daughter compete at the Advanced level, he’s pleased to see her learning and thriving with his former partner, affectionately known as “Socs”.

“He really likes her and they seem to be clicking well,” he said.

Dutton also sent his best wishes and good luck to the US riders competing at the Olympic Games in Paris this weekend.

The competition continues tomorrow with the schedule as follows:

• 8 am to 4 pm — Cross Country (Intermediate, Advanced, Preliminary)
• 8 am to 4 pm — Yellowframe Farm Waterview Tent open to ticket holders
• 9 am to 5 pm — Trade Fair open
• 10 am to 5 pm – Millbrook Market open
• 11 am to 3 pm — Two by Two Animal Haven Petting Zoo open
• 11 am to 6 pm — Food Trucks open
• 6 pm to 8 pm — Competitors’ and Volunteers’ party sponsored by Purina and Triple Crown

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent Earn 19.8 to Soar to Top of Burgham CCI4*-S 26 Jul 2024, 2:08 pm

Oliver Townend shot to the top of the leaderboard in the Holme Dodsworth Metals CCI4*-S during the second of day of dressage with a brilliant score of 19.8 aboard his Kentucky CCI5* winner, Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s 10-year-old mare Cooley Rosalent.

Shropshire-based Oliver said: “I’m very happy with Cooley Rosalent’s performance today; she’s just getting better and better and is on an upwards trajectory. This is her first event in an atmosphere since winning Kentucky, and she coped brilliantly with the breeze and the flags.

“She’s ready now to deliver a test like this and, six weeks away from Burghley, it’s very encouraging.

“It was great to have such a good build-up yesterday at Burgham, winning the Open Intermediate on Caunton Manor Stud and Charlotte Cole’s Crazy Du Loir and an intermediate class on a new ride, Rachael Slinger and Suzanne Harley-Davies’s Hermes Image. I’ve brought 12 horses up to Burgham this week because we know we will get good courses, good ground and a really well-run and friendly event.”

Oliver has three marks in hand going into showjumping over second-placed Tom Jackson on his 2023 European Championships ride, Patricia Davenport’s Capels Hollow Drift (22.9), with Scottish rider Wills Oakden in third with a score of 26.9 aboard Geoff and Elspeth Adam’s Keep It Cooley.

Izzy Taylor – a former winner of the Burgham CCI4*-S – claimed section B of the Hambro Sport Horses CCI3*-S on Caroline Wilson’s eight-year-old mare Hathaway Royale. The pair led from start to finish, completing on their dressage score of 241.

“She’s relatively young still, I’ve had her since she was a four-year-old, which makes it quite special. She’s very cute and very careful, a good jumper and a nice mover. She’s a very nice little horse who had her ears pricked all the way round and loves the job.

“The ground was very good and the track was great. It always rides very positively here, which is nice, and the horses are rewarded for it and come off the tracks with their ears pricked and feeling happy.

Izzy was also fifth on Johnny Hornby’s seven-year-old mare Barrington Alice, and ninth on Alex Phillips’ Retouchable.

Holly Clarke, 20, scored her best international result to date in second on her mother Alex’s 10-year-old gelding Nico. Their finishing score of 25.6 was 1.2 penalties in front of German rider Felix Etzel, third with TSF Polartanz.

American rider Jenny Caras won section A of the Hambro Sport Horses CCI3*-S with Jerry Hollis’s Sommersby on her dressage score of 28.2.

Jenny is based in the UK for the 2024 season. She explained: “Originally I got sent over on the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) European Development Tour to do Chatsworth and Millstreet. Chatsworth was cancelled, but Millstreet went well. Now, thanks to the Wilton Fair Grant, I am able to stay for the season.

“I’ve produced Sommersby to the top level myself – he’s got a super owner behind him, Jerry Hollis, so we’ve been partners in him all the way. This was his first run back after the Nations Cup CCI4*-S at Millstreet and he was super, so he will head to Hartpury and we’ll make plans for an autumn four-star from there. He’s the sweetest horse in the world, he’s easy to ride and a pleasure to work with every day. We’re good friends.”

She added: “The ground here felt amazing – being from America, at this time of year we are used to really hard ground, so it is a privilege to be here and compete on going and ground like this.”

Rosie Ringer is in the lead after the first day of dressage in the NIS Group Services Ltd CCI2*-S on Daisy Proctor’s Quarryman with a score of 24.2

Saturday and Sunday at Burgham not only offer top-class sport with the jumping phases of the CCI4*-S topping the bill, but also great fun for families, friends and children. From 10.30am on Saturday in the Burgham Park Arena, visitors can take part in “have a go” dog agility and the newly popular pastime of “hobby horsing”, and there’s also a fun charity dog show. On Sunday, the dog show, dog agility and “hobby horsing” will take place in the afternoon following the conclusion of the Thoroughbred and Ex-Racehorse Show in the Burgham Park Arena.

Burgham also features great tradestands and lots of delicious, locally-produced food and drink and public bars. It is situated in beautiful, tranquil Northumbrian countryside not far from the A1 between Morpeth and Alnwick.

If you’re looking for a family day out that’s really affordable this summer, you can’t do better than Burgham International Horse Trials (24-28 July) – visit www.burghaminternationalhorsetrials.co.uk to find out more and to buy tickets.

All four days of cross-country from Burgham – Thursday, 25 July to Sunday, 28 July – are being livestreamed on ClipMyHorse.tv – visit www.clipmyhorse.tv/en_GB/ to watch.

Foundations For the Future: Our Top Picks from the Monart Ridden Horse Sale 26 Jul 2024, 2:00 pm

It always feels like such a special treat to get a mid-season sport horse auction, rather than having to wait for the off-season – and Monart’s summer offering, which gets underway on July 31, feels like even more of a treat, because it’s packed with young horses who’ve started their ridden careers, rather than just unbacked talent. That gives us the chance to see a little bit of their early education and hit the ground running with a very cool four- or five-year-old. If you’re following along with all the Paris action this week and dreaming of your own future goals, perhaps all you need is the right unfinished product to help you get there – and with bids at the Monart Sale starting at just €5,000, you could nab yourself a lovely horse at a seriously good price, too.

There’s fifteen horses in this year’s Ridden Horse Sale, which is a nice number – it’s a little bit overwhelming, sometimes, staring at a catalogue of 75 entries without any clue where to begin. But even with this compact field of selected lots, you’ll probably want a good jumping-off point. And that’s where we’ve got you covered, with some of our hot picks from this year’s line-up.

Keep reading to meet our selections, and to see the rest of the catalogue and register as a bidder, head to the Monart website. Happy shopping!

Lot 2 – KBS Valletta

Four-year-old ISH mare (Vivant de Heffinck x Rossbay, by OBOS Quality 004)

Right off the bat, we’ve got a strong start here with lot two, who’s exactly the kind of mare I love, in that she’s light on her feet, she jumps well, and she’s got that spicy look in her eye that suggests that she’s got a bit of mischief in her. If you, too, love that kind of horse, you’ll get the very best out of her, and I suspect she’s also the clever, loyal type who’ll fight for you if you’re that person. She’s a neat, tidy stamp of a mare, and one with so much untapped potential ready to play with. I think a young pro could snap her up and have a fantastic time producing her.

Lot 4 – Unnamed

Four-year-old ISH gelding (Cruising With Diamonds x Windmill Cross, by Insatiable)

I promise I didn’t just pick this one because he’s a gorgeous steely grey with a white pony face (though I don’t hate that, either) – instead, it’s because this sweet guy absolutely loves his cross-country, and has been given plenty of opportunities to learn to navigate terrain and obstacles. That shows in the considered, brave way he tackles all sorts of things, from streams to ditches to spooky tire fences with almost owlhole-esque greenery around them. Someone’s had a lot of fun showing him the world, and now he thinks it’s all a great jolly, which is a really nice starting point to have when you’re looking to produce a horse to go up the levels. He’s got a lovely canter, too, and while he’s also got a baby tendency to toss his head a bit at the moment, that doesn’t worry me – he just hasn’t learned about contact yet, and a continued sympathetic, soft education will get him there.

Lot 5 – Unique Van’t Zilverhof

Four-year-old BWP mare (Deister x Olga Van Het Rozenveld D’20, by Best Man Z)

At just four years old, this nice stamp of a mare has already had some exposure to the world, with some training shows and schooling outings under her belt already. She’s a naturally well-balanced type, and so looks quite established for her age, and like the kind of horse who might find life rather easy. A precocious talent – but one with tonnes of promise yet to be unearthed. She has a marching, motivated walk, which I love to see in a horse – it’s possible to add prowl to a march, and very hard to add it to a shuffle – and she has a straight, rhythmic trot that has plenty of potential to be developed. Her canter, though, is her showpiece; she’s got a great, ground-covering step and a neat, attentive jump. She’s also really rather beautiful, which is inessential but a nice bonus to have. With a bit of time to develop through her back and lengthen over her neck, she’s going to muscle up into something special.

Lot 7 – Alwayssapphire

Five-year-old ISH gelding (Pointilliste XX x Cushinstown, by Irish Rock)

I’ve known a few nice Pointillistes in my time, and so this five-year-old, who’s already out eventing well over EI100 courses (that’s Training level, for you Yanks), gets a spot on my list. This year, I’d love to see him work through some gymnastic exercises to develop his jumping style, which has plenty of power and scope to play with but still looks a little bit green. I don’t mind green in a horse of this age, though – better that, to my mind, than one that’s had too much production. He’s been allowed to figure out his feet, which is great, and now, the refinement process can start. That’s a really fun point at which to take on a youngster, and this one will give someone a lot of fun.

Lot 14 – Powerful Austin

Five-year-old ISH gelding (Vivant Van De Heffinck x Quarrycrest Malibu, by Beach Ball)

Far be it from me to pick out a horse based just on his name, but what a name it is. Powerful Austin (oh, god, just say it a few times out loud, just for fun) has plenty of other lovely things to his credit, though, too – he’s been competed up to 1.10m by a teenager, so he’s got a good head on his shoulders, and while he’s a workmanlike, rather than an extravagant one, he’s got plenty of jump to play with. He gives the impression of a really fun, sweet project for someone to take on that could go on to do all sorts of jobs – not least eventing, because he’s already begun his cross-country training. I think this is one you could really hit the ground running with, and in a couple of years time when he’s really grown into that leggy body of his, he’ll be a gem. Plus, I like that his mother is a sister to Piggy March’s late, great Quarrycrest Echo – it’s always worth looking to the damline to find talent waiting in the wings.

 

EN’s Ultimate Guide to Eventing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics 26 Jul 2024, 11:30 am

We are SO CLOSE to the start of eventing in Paris, so in anticipation we’ve gone ahead and put together our Ultimate Guide. This will be your one-stop hub for EN’s articles and coverage throughout the Games, or you can also follow our Olympics tag here. We will keep this page updated as we release more articles, including our Form Guide and much more to come.

Important Links

#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [EN’s Coverage] [Form Guide] [Team Form Guide] [Dressage Companion Guide]

The Officials

The Ground Jury is presided over by Christina Klingspor (SWE), assisted by Xavier le Sauce (FRA) and Robert Stevenson (USA).

The Technical Delegate for eventing is Marcin Konarski (POL), assisted by Gaston Bileitczuk (FRA). George Bazur (HUN) is the Eventing Chief Steward. Richard Clapham (GBR) will be Cross Country Control.

Pierre Le Goupil (FRA) is the designer for cross country. Santiago Varela (ESP) is the course designer for show jumping, and Gregory Bodo (FRA) is the co-designer. This duo is also the design team for the pure show jumping.

The Schedule

Eventing will begin with the First Horse Inspection at 9:30 a.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. ET on Friday, July 26. The Second Horse Inspection will take place on July 29 at 7:30 a.m. local time / 1:30 a.m. ET on Monday, July 29. The trot-ups will not be live streamed, but we will be keeping you up to date on both jogs using Threads (follow EN here).

Dressage: 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 27
Cross Country: 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. local time / 4:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 28
Show Jumping – Team Round: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. local time / 5:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. ET on Monday, July 29
Show Jumping – Individual Round (Top 25 Individuals): 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. local time / 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, July 29

The full equestrian timetable can also be found here. You can refer to our How to Watch guide for the best platforms to view eventing on around the world, as well as timetable graphics.

Spectator Info

Spectator guides for Paris are now available. Click here to view the Cross Country guide and click here to view the Eventing guide.

Tilly Berendt has also just launched The Half Passport, an equestrian traveler’s new best friend chock full of tips and recommendations on how to make the most of your trip to Paris. Click here to dive in.

There may yet be tickets released on the official Paris 2024 resale platform. We cannot guarantee availability, but we recommend keeping an eye out here in case any last minute deals pop up. Please be aware that not all ticket resellers are legitimate — stick with the official resale platform to reduce your risk of being scammed!

The Field 

A total of 81 horses and riders will arrive in Paris for eventing, including Traveling Reserve horses. 16 nations are represented by teams, and 11 are represented with individual riders. Our traditional Team and Individual Form Guides will be released starting July 22, but for now you can take a look at our tracker of named horses and riders here.

How to Follow

You can refer to our How to Watch guide for the best platforms to view eventing on around the world, as well as timetable graphics.

On social media, here’s a list of accounts to follow:

@goeventing

@usefeventing

@paris2024

@fei_global

And when you’re posting on social yourself, remember your posts help the IOC see just how popular our sport is! The hashtags they’ll be monitoring for performance are: #paris2024 #equestrian #eventing #dressage #jumping

As usual, this week will be a hot bed of scamming activity on social media. Our best advice is not to click on any links promising live stream access or accept friend requests from “Paris 2024” oriented pages. These are usually scam pages.

EN’s Coverage

Below, we’ll keep a list of links up to date with all of EN’s comprehensive eventing coverage. It’s best to keep this page or our Olympics tag bookmarked to stay on top of everything!

Form Guides

Bienvenue à Paris! Your Guide to the Horses and Riders of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Passport to Paris: Your Ultimate Guide to Each Team’s Form, Facts, and Performance Predictions

Olympic Coverage

Paris Olympic Drawn Order Released: See Dressage Times Here

One Spun, 5 Held in Tense First Horse Inspection at Paris Olympics

Pre-Olympic Coverage

One, Two, Oui! Let the Games Commence! Your Follow-Along Companion Guide to the Olympic Eventing in Paris – Dressage Day

EN Makes Their Picks for Team and Individual Glory in Paris

A Test for Every End-Goal: Walk the Paris 2024 Cross-Country Course

Day One on the Ground in Paris: Catch the EquiRatings Recap

Breaking Down Olympic Show Jumping for Eventing

Major Changes Made to Teams USA and Germany

Preview Paris with EquiRatings

Breaking Down the Olympic Cross Country Phase

Breaking Down the Olympic Eventing Dressage Test

At-A-Glance: Fun Facts About the Paris Eventing Field

Paris Social Media Check-in: The France Arrivals Begin

How is Eventing Scored in the Olympics?

How to Watch Eventing at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Paris Prep Social Media: Checking In with Olympics-Bound Riders

EN’s Tracker of Paris Eventing Teams + Individuals

A Closer Look at the Versailles Equestrian Stadium

First Look at 2024 Olympic Medals

Christina Klingspor Named President of Paris Olympics Eventing Ground Jury

The Pathway to Paris: Who’s Qualified, What’s Next, and Can Anyone Sneak a Team in Now?

China Loses Olympic Place; Japan Qualifies for Paris After Positive Drug Test

On the Ground in Versailles: Everything We Learned at the Operational ‘Test Event’

Paris Olympics Appoints Dynamic Duo of Course Designers for Paris

Team USA Coverage

USA Makes Another Change to Paris Eventing Squad

Team USA’s Logistical Plan Ahead of Paris

Team USA at Final Event Before Paris: Cross Country Report from Stable View

Team USA Completes First Two Phases in Final Mandatory Outing

Team USA Set for Final Mandatory Outing at Stable View

EN Makes Their Picks for Team and Individual Glory in Paris 26 Jul 2024, 11:00 am

 

It’s time for the EN team to make their picks for the Paris podium! Want to join the fun? Drop your picks in the comments!

TILLY BERENDT

Team Podium

Team Gold: On paper, it’s the Brits all the way – they have a 40% win chance according to EquiRatings, putting them miles ahead of the competition and hot favourites to retain their Tokyo gold. And I’d love that for them! But with my journalist hat on, rather than my personal affiliation hat, I think it has to be kept in mind that they aren’t infallible, and as we discovered at the World Championships in 2022 that sometimes, these Championship tracks don’t offer enough terrain or dimension to back off bold five-star horses, which makes them harder to ride. I think that could be an influential factor this week, and if it is, we could actually see teams of slightly less experienced horses, or horses who’ve been produced on the Championship pathway rather than the five-star pathway, rise to the top. And so, here’s my wild hair: after a really tough start to the week with both of Will Coleman’s horses out of contention, the USA claws it back with a milestone result and tops the podium, with three horses who are really, in the grand scheme of things, still at the start of their top-level careers. All three horses and riders are incredibly talented and have all the right stuff to do the job – this week, I think they’ll make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, and the confidence lent by their upward trajectory over the last few years will only help them.

Team Silver: Reigning champion Julia Krajewski is now on the team, and I think, in a funny sort of way, being pulled in at the eleventh hour is a great mental preparation for this kind of situation, because as the reserve, you’ll have found your way to making peace with the situation and will be calm, prepared, and simply ready if needed. And so, if you are then pulled in, you’ve also not really had the reason to get into your own head about it, and now you don’t have the time. I think that’ll pull an incredible performance out of Liz for the US, and I think it’ll also help Julia lay down the law in all three phases with her ten-year-old Aachen winner, Nickel 21. I suspect she could finish best of the Germans, because fischerChipmunk’s penchant for a rail might get him again this week, and I think Christoph and Carjatan will be one of the fastest of the day on cross-country but might lag a penalty or two behind in the first phase if the horse feels the atmosphere of the stadium a bit too much. All in, though, I think they’ll each do what needs to be done and wind up on the podium.

Team Bronze: I think I probably have to put the Brits here because I can’t leave them off the podium, surely, even though they didn’t medal in Pratoni. I think they’ll have a close battle with France, though, who’ll put up one hell of a fight for a medal here, and who tend to be at their best at the Olympics.

Individual Gold

It’s hard to look past the icy-veined Ros Canter and the loveable Lordships Graffalo here – they’re our reigning European Champions, and won Badminton last year, and Ros, for her part, has also been World Champion. They did look slightly less on-form at Bicton CCI4*-S in May, though they still finished second on a very respectable score, and in her next run at Bramham CCI4*-S she opted to run with the handbrake on to get the rideability back, so that doesn’t really worry me much. I don’t think they’ll lead the dressage – that’ll be between Michael Jung and Laura Collett, both of whom could also easily win gold, but for the little niggle that both have variable championship form, and sometimes, it’s hard to get past that mental block. Both are extraordinary competitors, though, and both will have learned an enormous amount from their previous experiences. With all that said, though, I also think we’ll see France’s golden boy, Nicolas Touzaint, pull out the performance of his life on his Boekelo winner, Diabolo Menthe. They’re capable of starting on a 25 and staying there, and Nicolas, I think, is more likely to feel emboldened, rather than pressured by, the home crowd. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them get the job done; in the meantime, I’ll be dusting off my DuoLingo account ready to tackle that press conference.

Dark Horse (Team or Individual)

I’m going to surprise absolutely nobody here by standing firmly by Belgium. This is their first time fielding a team at an Olympics since London 2012, but over the last Olympic cycle, they’ve completely changed their structure – now, they have a cohesive team training system and a full roster of support staff, helmed by Chef d’Equipe Kai Steffen Meier, who took the role on in 2021 after a successful career as a top-level competitor for Germany. They’ve taken some time to settle into the new way of doing things, and team rider Lara de Liedekerke-Meier has had to also learn how to deal with having her husband play a unique role in her life – now, they’re not just business partners and life partners, but they also know how to deal with this different dynamic, a learning process that’s been helped along by Lara’s committed use of a performance coach, who has been an asset in giving her a new command of the mental side of the game. After a couple of tough years for her personally as a competitor, the extraordinary hard work she’s put in was rewarded with a string of incredible results, including Belgium’s first-ever five-star win at Luhmühlen in June. She’s joined on the team by the exceptionally talented Tine Magnus, who balances competing with helping run her family’s chicory farm, and whose Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z is one of the horses who excites me most in our sport, and has done since she was a six-year-old. The ultra-experienced Karin Donckers rounds out the team with Leipheimer van’t Verahof, a full brother to her stalwart Fletcha van’t Verahof, and much-loved friendly face Maarten Boon is an incredible asset in the reserve position. They’re on the up and up, individually and as a team, and their qualification for Paris at the European Championships (and their 2023 Nations Cup series victory, by a landslide) is the proof in the pudding. Belgium will become one of the major players in our sport, and this week, they could pull a serious result out of the bag.

CHEG DARLINGTON

Team Podium

Going for Gold: Germany.
There’s no denying that there are some formidable teams in the Paris mix, but most formidable of all, for me, is Team Germany. They’re proven team gold medal winners (from the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni), and they’ve got the reigning Olympic Champion and a former Olympic and World Champion in their midst in Julia Krajewski and Michael Jung. They sure are carrying some weighty metal between the three of them, with six Olympic medals and seven from World Championships – that’s a whole lotta bling right there. Chipmunk FRH (Michael’s ride) was a team silver medalist in Rio, has won Kentucky 5*, been second at Aachen and was fifth individually in Pratoni; Julia’s exciting young talent, Nickel 21, comes to the Games in hot form, having won Aachen a couple of weeks ago; and relative new kid on the block, Christoph Wahler, was part of the golden Pratoni team with Luhmuhlen 5* runner-up and Aachen fourth place finisher Carjatan S. I mean, this team just smacks of quality and it will be no surprise to see them reign supreme in Paris.

More silver success for the US?
There’s a bit of a crossover here with the dark horse category, as I’m pitching Team USA to beat out the British and take silver, although, really, when we look at the World Championships in Pratoni (with two thirds of that silver medal team competing in Paris), Team USA can’t be considered dark horses at all, except for the literal dark horse in their ranks, HSH Blake. There’s, understandably, a lot of chat about Team GB, the reigning Olympic team gold medalists, however, in my honest opinion, I think the USA will pip them to the second step on the podium. Time will tell, but the US team are coming in hot, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. Team USA are somewhat of a triple threat, with a healthy mix of championships experience courtesy of Boyd Martin (who’s been to three Games and four World Championships), Liz Halliday’s consistency, and exciting new talent that’s been well and truly realized (when they won the individual honors at the Pan-Ams in Santiago) in Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. And they have Sydney Elliot in the traveling reserve role, who was part of the US’s silver success in Santiago. I think spirits will be high in the US camp as they take on Paris, and for good reason.

Going against the grain and predicting bronze for Britain.
Being British, you’d think I’d be all patriotic and go for Great Britain to defend their title and take the gold, but for one, I live in Wales, (which yes, is technically Great Britain but I would be keen to see Wales competing under the Welsh flag at the Olympics one day; also, Welcome to Wrexham, y’all), and two, I’m not one to support a team solely because we share a nationality. Of course, the British team are awesome, and I’m throwing absolutely zero shade, but if I honestly think about how I see things playing out in Paris, this is how. I may be totally wrong, but it’s all part of the fun and we’ll see how things actually stand on Monday. I’ll be equally thrilled for whoever’s on the podium and whoever goes out there and gives it their best shot on the horse they’re riding; I’m unequivocally a champion of our sport and have total respect for everyone talented enough, brave enough, dedicated enough – and who show the top levels of horsemanship needed – to do it, and I also know that the medals will fall where they may. This game’s an awful lot about preparation, of course it is, but there’s always that little bit of ‘luck on the day’ with horses. Do I think this team’s as strong as the Tokyo team? Absolutely. But do I think history will repeat itself this time around? I’m not so sure.

Individual Gold

Karma comes good, finally, for Michi.
We all know how things have played out thus far for Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk (that frangible device, that ducking at the European Championships, that fence at Pratoni…). I was thrilled for Julia when she won in Tokyo, but this time I think it’ll, fairly, be Michi’s turn at the top of the podium. I distinctly remember the excitement surrounding Chip when he first hit the international stage, and despite all the success he’s deservedly had, I can’t help but feel he’s not quite reached the lofty echelons expected of this talented gelding… yet. He’ll put that right in Paris. But I think Ros Canter’s Walter (Lordships Graffalo) will give him a run for his money.

Dark Horse (Team or Individual)

One word: ‘gold-kini’.
Shane Rose has said, on record, that he’ll wear a gold-kini if he wins the Olympics. So yes, I want to put his word to the test and see if, one, he actually owns a gold-kini (what, does he have a whole bunch of mankinis in his closet?), and two, I think it will liven up proceedings dramatically should he wear it to the medal ceremony. On the other hand, no, I’m not sure I’m ready to witness such a sight, having had the orange debacle burned into my retinas for the foreseeable. I do wonder what ‘Virg’ thinks of Shane’s exploits in underwear as outerwear (or is it in fact swimwear?). In all seriousness, this pair are an epic team; Shane’s a fearless competitor and Virgil really is an eventer’s eventer, up for the game and relishing a good gallop. They were on the team podium in Tokyo and I’d love to see them up there in their own right in Paris. Shane’s overcome more than his fair share of bumps and bruises to make it to the Games and it would be a cool story should he take home a medal with his veteran campaigner.

DIANA GILBERTSON

Team Podium

Well, well, well, as if life wasn’t complicated enough, I’m now being asked who will win what. In short, I have no idea, and I am reluctant to make any guesses really, because this is the Olympics and anything can happen. Add horses, frangible pins and no drop score into that and you really do bust it wide open — that Gold is there for the taking, and it really is anyone’s guess which team will eventually step up onto that top step. Still, there are a few obvious contenders, and I have spent many an hour thinking about this, and weighing up all of the possibilities. This is what I have come up with — fingers crossed I get at least one of them right, because I really do HATE being wrong…

Team Gold:
Again, if I am being perfectly honest, I am not 100% decided on this, but I narrowed it down to two teams and then the patriotic side of me won out, and that is pretty much how I got here. Yep, I would say that Team GB are going to take home an historic consecutive Gold medal. I am also now terrified that I have jinxed it, and that they are now not going to, and it will be all.my.fault. Hopefully that is just my stupid, overly superstitious brain, and that won’t actually be the case. On a serious note though, it is very hard to look past the Brits. Admittedly, all but Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo have proved themselves fallible – it may be two years since London 52 had that ‘gasp moment’ at the World Championships in Pratoni, running past the skinny at the bottom of the slide. Similarly, the last minute parting of ways for Tom McEwen and JL Dublin at the final water in Haras du Pin at last years Europeans is still very fresh in my mind. However, they all seem to have come out stronger as a result, and arguably, mistakes like that only help to make you even better next time out. That is certainly the case with Tom and ‘Dubs,’ who won the CCI4*-S in Kronenberg on a 20.9 dressage, and have since been runner up in both Kentucky (5*) and Luhmuhlen (4*-S). Admittedly, London’s overreach in Luhmuhlen prevented them from entirely proving themselves, but their first phase performance proved what a formidable partnership they are, and their form leading up to that really was impeccable, with wins at Bicton and Burnham Market CCI4*-S under their belt. Add to that the incredible Ros and Walter who, as I say, have yet to fault (oh please, do not let that be a jinx), and it seems difficult to see past this team. Especially since all three horses are almost faultless show jumpers too, which can only ever be a good thing with two rounds of jumping to contend with on Monday. AND (sorry, I know I’m getting carried away here) all three also have past Olympic experience, and are aware of the potential psychological pitfalls that may await them, under the pressure of an Olympic Games, and how best to avoid them. SO yeah, short answer – Gold = Team GB.

Team Silver:
I promise I will make this shorter than the veritable essay I gave you for Team Gold. (I mean is anyone still reading my drivel at this point?) I would say that the Silver goes to Germany. They missed out on a Team Medal in Tokyo, and although they did redeem themselves at the World and European Championships with Gold and Silver, respectively, they will not want to leave Paris without an Olympic team medal, that is for sure. They are sending a slightly reduced version of the same team, with Sandra Auffarth, Michael Jung and Christoph Wahler all riding the same horses that they did at those championships, so that in itself would suggest that they are capable of bringing home a medal, albeit not necessarily the colour they would ideally want. Arguably, Michael’s and fischerChimpmunk will be well out in front after dressage, but there have been a few too many blips to say that he will remain there, and give the Team the strong shot for the Gold that they will be hoping for. Hold on! I hear you say, Team GB is not without fault, you wrote a dissertation excusing that, why is this different?! I guess in my mind, it has happened once too often, and I just don’t want to put all of my eggs in the Chipmunk basket, when time and again he has done something – even just clipping a pole – to knock him off the top. Add to that Sandra and Viamant du Matz’s recent 20 in Aachen, as well as their 20 penalties at the last Olympics, and it just seems like a few things can – and have – gone a little wrong, and it is those tiny mistakes that could prevent Germany taking Gold. Even Christoph Wahler and Cartajan S who were undeniably consistent at the World’s and the Europeans, taking fourth place at the latter, had a random 22 cross country penalties at Marbach in the Spring. Even if that was just a blip though, their first phase score is certainly very good, but again, for me, it is not going to be good enough to threaten the dressage divas of Team GB, and again, will prevent Germany taking – or keeping – the lead overall. Oh heck, we’re in essay territory again…Apologies. On to Bronze…

Team Bronze:
I think this was the hardest one for me to decide on. As in, I knew which two teams I had to choose between for Gold and Silver, but it has proven incredibly hard to narrow it down for one team for Bronze. The closet Kiwi in me once to say it will be Team New Zealand, and while I am no saying that is out of the question (see the lengthy preamble on how ANYTHING is possible at the Olympics), especially with the collective experience of Team Price leading the way, I do think they will have one hell of a battle to get onto that podium again. It goes without saying that the Belgian team are heading to Paris on one heck of a good wave. Lara de Liedekerke Meier has just won her – and their – first ever 5*, and the team as a whole, with Lara’s husband Kai at the helm, have gone from strength to strength these last few years – just ask Tilly. However, while I think that they will put up a bloody good fight for a medal, I can’t help but think that it will be the Australian team who snatch it from their grasp. It will undoubtedly have been a blow to the Team *NOT* to have their absolute stalwarts, Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos lining up for Andrew’s millionth games, after an uncharacteristic few blips in the build up, but they have still managed to put together one hell of a team. Even travelling reserves, Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture have a consistent and reliable record, belying their relative inexperience. Chris Burton’s return to the sport after a three year absence will have certainly assuaged the loss of Andrew Hoy, especially given the strength of the partnership between he and Shadowman, despite only having been together since earlier this year. He proved he is still the fastest man in eventing with a wall to wall victory in the CCI4*-S in Millstreet on their last run before the Olympics, and with Chris’ experience as a pure show jumper, the two rounds on the final day should not trouble them at all. Add to that the undeniably consistent and dependable Shane Rose and Virgil part of the Silver medal winning team, and 10th individually in Tokyo and mainstays of Australia’s Championship team. As if that wasn’t enough, Kevin McNab and Don Quidam, also part of that Tokyo team, and 14th individually, have also got the call up. Add all of those ingredients together, and for me, you have a medal winning team. Not a Gold, nor necessarily a Silver, but enough to get themselves up onto that podium in the same dogged and determined way that saw them get there in Tokyo.

Individual Gold

You will be overjoyed to read that this was a relatively straightforward decision for me, and as such, I am not going to bore you with the train of thought that led me here. Plus, I don’t really think that it needs that much clarification. It’s Ros Canter current World Number 1, former World Champion, current European Champion, multiple 5* winner and the wonderful, inimitable and arguably unbeatable, Lordships Graffalo, AKA Walter. Like I say, no elaboration or justification needed. Or if you think that there is, then I suggest you take a look here, and hear from Ros herself just how great this horse is, and in doing so, remind yourself how incredible his jockey is, too.

Dark Horse (Team or Individual)

This is another brain blocker for me, mainly because I don’t really know what counts as a dark horse. Like how do you determine who is or isn’t? Since there is no one to police the category or at least clarify the rules, I shall take a stab in the dark (sorry, no pun intended, honest), and say Team Ireland. They have been quietly plugging away, doing the work, and slowly but surely, getting the results. You only need look as far back as Aachen as proof, with a third place in the Nation’s Cup there. Admittedly, it was not the same team that will line up in Paris, but it is evidence enough of their increasingly good form. Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, winners of Maryland 5* last year, heads up the Team in Paris, and what a weapon they are. Best of the Irish in Tokyo – despite initially being Team Reserve – their reputation on cross country day is almost impeccable, bar a blip at Burghley last year. Susie Berry and Wellfields Lincoln may not have similar experience to fall back soon – this will be Slinky’s first Championship- but Susie has proven herself time and again to be a fierce and determined competitor, bringing home a good result when it counts. Ditto Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M, one of the youngest horses in the field at just 10 years old (and also one of, if not the smallest horse at 14.3hh), but like Austin, Sarah can be relied upon to fly around the cross country close to, or safely within, the optimum time. All of that consistency will add up, and while they may not land on the podium, I would say that they won’t be far off, cementing Ireland’s place as a burgeoning threat to the superpowers of the sport.

ALLIE HENINGER

Team Podium

Great Britain Reigns (Team Gold)
Original, I know – but I’m a stats girlie through and through, and Team GB’s Paris contenders are off the charts in a way that just can’t be overlooked. With our Euro Champs Queen and 2023 Badminton winners on the team in Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, Tokyo #9 rider Laura Collett and her “Top-Ten” partner London 52 (check out his FEI record, you’ll see what I mean), and reigning Olympic Silver medalist Tom McEwen aboard previous Euro-Champ JL Dublin, it’s hard to argue that this will go any other way than victory for the Brits. When you have such a star-studded team that one of the most competitive international selection committees places the current World Champion Yasmin Ingham as your alternate… you have to be pretty confident in your chance of success. Lordships Graffalo especially is about as consistent as they come, and after having the last several years to examine every inch of the grounds at Versailles with a magnifying glass, tweaking and adjusting every question and obstacle to create the best show possible, his consistency will be key in what’s sure to be a highly-influential phase.

Tom and Laura will be reigniting their Team Gold partnership – one which obviously proved quite successful just three years ago – and when the new blood is as rich as that of Ros and Walter’s, I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t put in just as competitive of results as they did during Tokyo – or more so, given the rather less hostile biosecurity measures needing to be taken this year. And to bring it all back to the basics of math and science itself, as I love to do, EquiRatings has just released their Prediction Centre, which places our three GB riders in the top three most likely to medal. Can’t argue much with that.

Germany Shines (Team Silver)
In a once-again ballsy move, placing the reigning Olympic Gold Medalist as your team’s traveling alternate shows a level of confidence that I will likely never reach in a lifetime, but despite her attempted benching, Julia Krajewski RETURNS to defend her 2020 title, offering some wisdom only those officially dubbed Best Rider in the World (Literally) can provide with. Nickel 21 may be young, but he has only been outside the top 10 three times in international competition, which is a rousing recommendation when paired with Julia’s expertise.

Team Germany also has the only other actively competing Gold medal winner in the saddle in Michael Jung (a bit overkill if you ask me, give the other teams a chance). Do you think he brought both his Olympic Gold medals with him to Paris? Because there’s no way I’d pass up the chance to take a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower with three Golds around my neck (a totally realistic and rational mental scenario for myself, of course). And this doesn’t even factor in Christoph Wahler and Carjatan’s offensively-clean record over the past few seasons, as well as their steadily-decreasing dressage marks, making him the most capable to potentially offset any rails or frangibles his teammates may take — especially in a game where show jumping happens twice. These three are really going to be putting pressure on Team GB.

US Makes a Comeback (Team Bronze)
The last time the whole of Team USA was on the podium at the Olympic Games was in Athens 2004, when one of my childhood all-star role-model partnerships in Kim Severson and Winsome Andante took the Individual Silver, leading the US to a Team Bronze. Twenty years seems about long enough to wait I think, especially since our team is as rock-solid as I’ve seen yet. When asked a few months back why the US wasn’t really publishing a short-list, I told my barn mates, “Why would we need to? We pretty much know who’s going to be up there.”

We’ve all tuned in to the Will, Boyd, and Liz show at practically every East Coast event all year, and Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake haven’t missed a single step at every event they’ve conquered (and won). While this might not be the equine line-up I – or many other Americans – may have pictured last fall, of the horses able to make the flight, these are easily our best and brightest. They’ve each held their own internationally, and I think (aside from my aforementioned teams), they have the potential to be highly-competitive against every other combination out there. While we are all absolutely gutted for Will to be out of the running with both his equine partners, last night’s addition of Sydney Elliott as our new official traveling reserve means that I get another chance to fangirl my absolute favorite horse in the country in QC Diamantaire, who is more than ready to step in if needs be to help our team.

Also… I’m an American, and it’d just be really nice, okay? Will they give us a medal if I ask pretty please?

Individual Gold

Chipmunk FRH has won 50% of every event he’s completed since Tokyo – where he still finished eighth, by the way – so if he can keep the pins in the frangibles this go-round, I feel like this horse will be leading the field from the get-go. It’s no surprise for anyone to predict that a German will lead after dressage, and so unsurprising I shall be. This Olympic test is a difficult and strange beast, and so with the lowest 6RA (21.2) and highest Elo rating out of 81 riders, this pairing are going to come out the gate competitive as hell. Provided he doesn’t present one of his fluke rounds in cross country or show jump with a spare rail or refusal, I think good ole’ Chip can maintain a lead over all three days in Paris. If we do see a slip-up though, I guarantee Lordships Graffalo, or London 52, will be an inch behind, waiting to take advantage and surge past – so Michi better stay sharp and steer Chip straight if he wants that triple-gold photo op.

Dark Horse (Team or Individual)

Why not both?
Talk about waiting – the last time Belgium saw any podium action at the Olympics was in 1920 (only the second year that eventing was featured), and I think a century is about enough time to let pass before we are allowed a repeat. While you’ve at this point already read through what I’m sure is a love ballad to Belgium in Tilly’s picks, and a great deal of our Belgian love (non-waffle-related, that is) is on behalf of the powerhouse that is Lara de Liedekerke-Meier – who frankly, could’ve made a team out of just her own horses, if that was allowed. She wins Jardys, she wins Kronenbergs, she wins Luhmühlen – and on Origi himself, she’s been allergic to anything below fourth or fifth place for some time. My prediction is another fourth or fifth place triumph for this frontrunner, just barely out of the medals, but enough for everyone else in the world to sit up and take notice once again.

On the team side of things, Karin Donckers has literally been on the team in every Olympics since I’ve been alive, so I think that alone is enough of an endorsement as my grassroots-record self is allowed. And while Tine Magnus isn’t someone who’s been on my personal radar, her results at Strzegom a few months ago and fairly consistent dressage scores with Dia lead me to think that this lot will be steady crawlers, sneaking their way through the ranks of the “Top 6” nations to hold their own.

EMA KLUGMAN

Team Podium: Brits Gold, Germans Silver, Aussies Bronze

 Most eventing enthusiasts would agree that the dominant nations of the sport at the moment are Germany and Great Britain. The Brits have so much depth in their team that they gave the reigning world champion, Yasmin Ingham, the reserve spot. Any other nation would happily take three Yas’s to make up their team! The Germans have a robust system of developing riders and horses, and are particularly good at keeping their best horses in their country. I would expect the team gold and silver medals to be a race between the Brits and the Germans, and then the bronze spot to be a tussle between some of the less dominant, but still strong, eventing nations. The Australian team boasts significant experience (of both riders and horses), and generally their strong jumping performances have them in the hunt. However, it is important to remember that the three-person team format means there is no drop score– so if a single team rider from GB or Germany has an issue on cross country, they will be out of the medal hunt, meaning it could be anyone’s game!

Individual Gold

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo are my pick to win the whole damn thing. They are extremely consistent, and if the time on cross country proves hard to get, they are almost guaranteed to make the time. Ros is a wonderful role model for all riders in our sport, but particularly for women. Her focus and determination are incredible, and she will be very hard to beat. Finally, she has Olympic experience already, having served as the traveling reserve in Tokyo, so she knows exactly what to expect. We should expect her to leave it all on the court in Paris.

Dark Horse (Team or Individual)

It seems fitting to pick a horse called “Shadow Man” to be the dark horse of the competition. Shadow Man has been somewhat in the shadows for the last few years with his original rider Ben Hobday. While he would not have made the extremely competitive British team with Ben aboard, the horse did in fact put competitive scores on the board with Chris Burton of Australia this spring– doing enough to gain Australian selection. The individual medals at the Olympics are won and lost in the show jumping– and Burto has been jumping 1.50-1.60 tracks for the past several years on his string of jumpers, so I’d say his odds in that phase are rather good. If he does manage to win an individual medal, Burto will show that an extremely successful partnership can be forged with a horse in a short amount of time.

SALLY SPICKARD

Team Podium

This is a tough one for me, and as much as I think I could be proven wrong, I am still going to bet on the Brits to take another team gold. Yes, there are a couple of mishaps on the records of some of these horses, but in particular I think Ros Canter as the anchor rider will help solidify a strong cross country performance. The one thing that will trouble the team could be this phase, though, as with its dimensions and lack of terrain it *could* be difficult to back off a horse accustomed to running big 5* courses. Truth be told, though, the performance in Tokyo shouldn’t be discounted, and the team returns two of its Tokyo riders this year in an effort to bolster another victory.

It’s been a whirlwind of upheaval amongst the U.S. team, with multiple replacements already made before the competition begins, but I still put my money on the U.S. to get up on the podium, and I’m going to manifest into existence a silver medal to match the one earned in Pratoni. Will we missing Will Coleman’s quiet expertise this weekend? Yes. Will Liz Halliday be strapping on her racecar driver mentality and locking in to step in to this role? Absolutely. I think it’s a good time to be an American rider, and I think the efforts of the whole system will pay off this weekend.

Bronze is also a tough call, as I think you could throw a handful of nations at the wall and still end up with a bronze team. I’m going to divert from the predictions I made on EquiRatings last week and put Australia on the podium here. Chris Burton will be a strong rider, despite his absence from eventing for a couple of season (you can take the boy out of eventing, and so on), and with speed being surely a factor come Sunday on cross country coupled with Chris’ expertise in the final phase, along with the incredible determination of Shane Rose and the experience of Kevin McNab, the Aussies surely have a strong chance for a medal here.

Individual Gold

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo are my pick here. They’re among the most consistent in the field and have already proven themselves capable of winning a championship under pressure. Pierre Le Goupil’s cross country will look different than his Europeans track, which Ros was victorious on with this horse, but she’s a fierce competitor who knows exactly what it takes to win a medal, and she’s got a horse who’s ready to throw his heart over the line for her in all three phases.

Dark Horse (Team or Individual)

Most of my friends by now know of my obsession with Colorado Blue, the ride of Ireland’s Austin O’Connor who absolutely exploded onto the mainstream radar as a last minute call-up in Tokyo. This pair then followed up that performance with a 5* win at Maryland in 2023. This horse truly has all of the ingredients to be an individual medalist and/or to assist the Irish to a team medal, and while it remains to be seen whether this track will suit him, I think it’s safe to say that he’s a versatile, rideable horse that will likely thrive on just about any course you throw at him. I would not be shocked to see Austin on the podium or quite close to it when the dust settles come Monday.

GILLIAN WARNER

Team Podium

Great Britain for Gold: All of these teams bring forward some serious talent. But my pick for top of the podium goes to Great Britain. With Olympic Gold medalists in Laura Collett and Tom McEwen, and 2018 World Champion Ros Canter, this team will be hard to beat.

Silver to Germany: While I picked Great Britain for Gold, Germany will give them a tough competition. With three time Gold medalist Michael Jung, Olympic champion (and first woman to win a Gold in eventing!) in Julia Krajewski, and winning Pratoni team member Christoph Wahler, the German team is packed with experience and skill.

United States takes Bronze: Despite the shuffle we saw with the U.S. team, with the experience of three-time Olympian Boyd Martin, the numerous top 4* and 5* placings of Liz Halliday, and talent of individual Gold Pan-Ams winner Caroline Pamukcu, the United States is set to leave an impression.

Individual Gold

I’m anticipating seeing Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH at the top of the leaderboard. With some wildly impressive sub-20 scores at Bramham and the World Equestrian Games, they’ll be tough to catch.

Dark Horse (Team or Individual)

I’ll be keeping my eye on Team Belgium. With Lara de Liederkerke-Meier’s recent historic first 5* win for Belgium at Luhmühlen, six-time Olympian Karin Donckers, and 4* winner Tine Magnus, I’m excited to see how these ladies progress through the week!

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Passport to Paris: Your Ultimate Guide to Each Team’s Form, Facts, and Performance Predictions 26 Jul 2024, 8:30 am

You know we love an in-depth form guide here at EN. And we’ve certainly got that for you in the usual sort of sense, with a breakdown and backstory for each of the 65 eventing competitors at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But just as important, and just as worthy of microscopic analysis, are the sixteen teams who’ll be battling it out for podium places. We’ve got major heavy hitters, developing nations, and those exciting middle-ground nations who are transitioning from being the latter to becoming the former amongst the roster this week – and we’ve delved in to each team’s form, their qualification route, and their likely goals and outcomes this week to help you pick where you’ll be lending your cheers. Grab your passport, and let’s take a tour around the (eventing) world.

Chef d’equipe: Will Enzinger

Team members:

• Chris Burton and Shadow Man
• Kevin McNab and Don Quidam
• Shane Rose and Virgil

Team reserve: Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture

When did they last win a medal? At Tokyo. They finished in silver medal position as a team – very nearly the same team as this time around, actually, although Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos were in situ rather than Chris Burton and Shadow Man on that roster. Andrew and Vassily also took home individual bronze. Australia is the fifth most-successful nation in the history of eventing at the Olympics, with six gold medals and fourteen total medals.

What’s their form like? It’s fair to say that Australia, despite being one of the Big Six formidable nations in our sport, comes to Paris having had no shortage of hurdles. Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos are notable in their absence – but they only ran at a couple of three-stars last year and then had winning form, but also distinctly not winning form, at four-star this season. Kevin McNab and Don Quidam, who drops the ‘Scuderia 1918’ prefix to follow Olympic commercial rules for the week, haven’t run cross-country in an FEI evet since May, when they finished ninth in a CCI4*-S at Marbach, and they were steady and 20^th at Strzegom before that. Chris Burton returns from a multi-year hiatus from eventing with Ben Hobday’s Shadow Man; they made their first FEI start earlier this year and laid down four steady runs and one quick one, at Millstreet CCIO4*-S, which saw them win that competition – but Shadow Man, too, hadn’t evented since spring of 2022 before this year. Finally, Shane Rose and warhorse Virgil tend to be hugely reliable, but Shane had a major accident in March that saw him break a femur, his pelvis, an elbow, and numerous ribs, and he’s only been back in the saddle since late May. If they can pull this off, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time Aussie derring-do has triumphed against the odds – but on paper, they’ve got a few hurdles left to face.

How did they get here? Australia’s team qualification was a bit of a bums-on-the-edges-of-seats moment – they missed out on a ticket at the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, where they finished tenth. They were able to rally and grab their qualification at Millstreet in Ireland in June of 2023, where an Olympic Groups F & G qualifier, for nations from Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Oceania, was held. That was a CCIO3*-L qualifier, and Australia won it to take the first of two tickets up for grabs in that event.

What’s their secret weapon? The spirit of tough-as-nails Gill Rolton coursing through their nation’s collective lifeblood, maybe? In all seriousness, though, it’s experience: all three members of the team have been just about anywhere, faced just about anything, and shouldn’t be surprised by much, even if it all goes a bit pear-shaped. Plus, Chris Burton’s last few years in the showjumping world will be a great help come the final day, when he may well find himself in the position of having to jump two clear rounds.

Chef d’equipe: Kai-Steffen Meier

Team members:

• Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Origi
• Karin Donckers and Leipheimer Van’t Verahof
• Tine Magnus and Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z

Team reserve: Cyril Gavrilovic and Elmundo De Gasco

When did they last win a medal? At their home Games in Antwerp in 1920. There, they took team bronze, and Roger Édouard Louis Marie Joseph Ghislain Moeremans d’Emaüs (yes, really) and his horse Sweet Girl very nearly managed an individual medal, too, finishing fourth in the final standings. In comparison, the Belgian jumping team has won nine Olympic medals, and indeed, Belgian-bred horses are a lynchpin of each Games – but the fates and fortunes of the eventing team have never quite matched up.

What’s their form like? Actually, really, really exciting and very much on the up-and-up. Kai-Steffen Meier, himself a former top-level competitor for Germany, took the team leader role four years ago and his effect on his squad has been tangible. He’s been able to bring German systems into place, formalising organised team training – previously, it was every rider for himself, which meant that Championship efforts were incohesive and tricky, with too many trainers and too many separate systems – and bringing in team overseers for each phase. He’s created, in essence, a united front, and an uptick in Belgian results, both as a team and individually, is contributing to a hugely positive ripple effect across the nation’s High Performance riders. At the helm of this? Kai’s wife, Lara de Liedekerke-Meier, who’s overcome no shortage of battles, including learning how to differentiate her husband from her chef d’equipe when they’re the same person. It’s been worth the effort, though – she’s had an incredible run of form, leading the way in the 2023 season for the most runs, clears, clears inside the time, and so on and so forth ad infinitum, and this year, she won Luhmühlen and became Belgium’s first-ever five-star winner.

How did they get here? They qualified at the 2023 FEI European Eventing Championships at Haras du Pin, which was a seriously tough week plagued by difficult conditions and, crucially, held over a course designed by Paris course designer Pierre le Goupil. They’d made colossal headway in the 2023 Nations Cup series, anticipating an eleventh-hour need to bid for their ticket through that avenue, but they didn’t need it: they took one of two tickets at the Euros, and then won the Nations Cup series for good measure. This will be their first time fielding a team for the Olympics since London 2012.

What’s their secret weapon? As above – it’s confidence, and great leadership. The system has changed for the better, and it’s creating a self-belief that we’ve not seen the Belgians possess before. Over the last two seasons particularly, they’ve been getting better and better and better, and while a lot of this still feels like foundational future-building, the fairytale podium finish isn’t actually out of the question at all. And what a story that would be for the sport, wouldn’t it?

Chef d’equipe: Julie Purgly

Team members:

• Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Castle Howard Casanova OR Kilcoltrim Kit Kat
• Ruy Fonseca and Ballypatrick SRS
• Rafael Mamprim Losano and Withington
• Carlos Parro and Safira

Team reserve: TBC from the list of four above.

When did they last win a medal? They haven’t yet. In fact, the only Central or South American country ever to win an Olympic medal in eventing is Mexico – and even the most recent of those dates back to 1980. But Brazil’s presence, and their continued fight for Olympic representation, speaks enormously to the ongoing commitment to the growth of the sport in this region of the world.

What’s their form like? Fledgling, it would be fair to say, as a team entity – but there’s a huge amount of experience here across the four named riders, all of whom are based in the UK and are familiar faces in very good company on that side of the pond. Ruy Fonseca has two Olympics, three World Championships, and five Pan Ams to his name, so is a real weapon for the team, although his ride, Ballypatrick SRS, has had a fairly low-key spring, and hasn’t run in an FEI event since retiring on course at May’s Kronenberg CCI4*-S, where he had a 20 – though he did have a good run at Sopot CCI4*-S prior to that. Marcio has a choice of rides, both of whom have had the same spring campaigns: both went to Kronenberg for the March CCI4*-S, and finished on very nearly the exact same scores in each phase, and then they both went to Luhmühlen for the CCI4*-S selection trial, where Castle Howard Casanova finished seventeen places ahead of his slightly more experienced stablemate. Carlos Parro comes forward for his fourth Olympics – he made his World Championships debut when he was just eighteen, if you’re thinking he seems rather young for all that – with his Pan Ams partner, the twelve-year-old Safira, who finished sixth in her first-ever CCI4*-L at Sopot in May. She’s very green, all things considered, but also hasn’t ever had a cross-country jumping penalty in 18 FEI runs, so there’s a reason she’s being sent to Paris. Finally, young gun Rafael Mamprin Losano returns after his Tokyo Olympic debut, this time with some more learning under his belt and a new ride in the Sam Ecroyd-bred Withington, with whom he was ninth at the Pan Ams. In short? It’s a team full of promise, but much of it is about building for the future – of their team, and of their sport back home in Brazil.

How did they get here? They qualified at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where they finished in bronze medal position as a team to take the second of two available team spots. Marcio Carvalho Jorge also won individual silver in Chile aboard one of his two named rides, the smart Castle Howard Casanova. The Pan Ams were held at CCI3*-L.

What’s their secret weapon? One newly-retired William Fox-Pitt. He stepped into the role of Brazilian team coach two years ago, and by all accounts, his wealth of knowledge and straightforward teaching style have been a huge boon to the team. What’s also helpful is that everyone, including Fox-Pitt himself, is UK-based, which allows for consistency and cohesiveness in the way that a more spread-out team might not be able to achieve. Brazil’s riders were able to use the Pan Ams as a Paris test run; William wanted to use the opportunity to put them under significant pressure so that when the real deal comes around, they feel mentally ready to hit the ground running. William also coached them through the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni, though their success their felt more developmental than obvious, and they finished 13^th out of 16 nations.

Chef d’equipe: Rebecca Howard

Team members:

• Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS
• Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo
• Michael Winter and El Mundo

Team reserve: Colleen Loach and FE Golden Eye

When did they last win a medal? They won team bronze in Stockholm in 1956, with a team that included the late, long-time eventing supporter John Rumble. That’s the extent of their medal-winning run at the Games, which puts them on level-pegging with Belgium.

What’s their form like? Like Brazil, it’s in a developmental period. Things haven’t always been wholly straightforward in the Team Canada camp, but there’s no shortage of talent in their ranks if the puzzle pieces can fall into place.

One complication, of course, is distance: Jessie Phoenix is based between Ontario and Florida; Karl is based full-time in Florida; Mike is based in the UK; and Colleen is based between Quebec and Florida. That means that the Canadian system has to largely rely on riders developing their own sensible support structures and training systems, which isn’t always that easy to manage once in the hermetically sealed environment of the Olympics. But to their credit, there’s been some great results picked up by all four of the named horses and riders – Hot Bobo won last year’s tough Kentucky CCI4*-S as a ten-year-old with Karl, and was fourth at the Pan Ams, and won the CCI4*-S at Bromont last month. Jessie, who’s been to more Championships than most riders have had hot dinners, has in interesting partner in Freedom GS, who’s a frequent placer in Canada and Florida but doesn’t have a huge amount of ‘real world’ experience. Mike has put a huge amount of work into the hot, talented El Mundo, who was meant to be a sales prospect but became part of the Winter family when he was injured and faced a long, laborious rehabilitation, and the gelding is now a really consistent and rather quick cross-country horse. Finally, Colleen and FE Golden Eye are compelling even in the reserve spot, and won Tryon’s CCI4*-S en route to selection. In short? This feels like one of Canada’s strongest teams yet, and perhaps represents the writing of a new chapter for an often beleaguered nation.

How did they get here? Through the Pan American Games route, where they finished in silver medal position last year to secure the first of the two tickets on offer there.

What’s their secret weapon? Mike Winter, though not in the way you might think (though he is absolutely an asset as a competitor, too). In early 2022, he teamed up with Shandiss McDonald to create the Canadian Eventing High Performance Advisory Group, which is chaired by Emily Gilbert and which has been a crucial lynchpin in raising funds, improving communication, prioritising areas for improvement, and generally reshaping the slightly nebulous being that was the Canadian Eventing Team. You can read more about these efforts to take the next step up the ladder here.

Chef d’equipe: Thierry Touzaint

Team members:

• Stéphane Landois and Ride for Thais Chaman Dumontceau
• Karim Laghouag and Triton Fontaine
• Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe

Team reserve: Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge

When did they last win a medal? France is the seventh most successful nation in the history of Olympic eventing, with nine medals in total to their name. The most recent of those came in Tokyo, where they took team bronze. That team also had Nicolas in situ, though on Absolut Gold HDC, and Karim and Triton Fontaine, too. The French were gold medallists in Rio, though only Karim was on that line-up, and on Entebbe de Hus, not Triton. Astier Nicolas also won individual silver on that occasion on the great Piaf de B’Neville.

What’s their form like? The French are such an interesting nation, because their form so seldom seems to have any bearing on what they actually end up doing at Championships, and they’re often really on-point at an Olympics. Their last Championship run as a team was last year’s European Championships, where they finished in bronze medal position over a course designed by the Paris designer, Pierre le Goupil, and in tough conditions. The World Championships in Pratoni was a bit of a disaster, though – they finished 14^th out of 16 teams, and the national mood was held together solely by young gun Gaspard Maksud, who finished sixth individually with Zaragoza – but who missed out on selection for this all-important home Olympics.

And what of the riders who did get the nod? Well, Nicolas and Karim always felt like shoo-ins, it just came down to which horses they’d bring. An injury to Embrun de Reno meant that Karim’s Tokyo mount Triton Fontaine got the nod – and he’s a seriously solid banker for the team in Paris. He was tenth at the Europeans, second at Pau the year prior, and is always reliably cruising around his CCI4*-S runs. Nicolas, on the other hand, is leaving his Tokyo mount at home – a decision that hasn’t been without drama – in favour of his 2023 Boekelo winner Diabolo Menthe. The eleven-year-old hasn’t finished outside the top ten since 2020.

The team proper is rounded out by young up-and-comer Stephane Landois, who makes his Olympic debut after finishing sixth individually as part of the bronze-medal-winning Europeans team last year. His partnership is one of the most poignant of the Games: his horse was formerly ridden by young rider Thais Meheust, a great friend of Stephane’s, who died in a cross-country accident while riding the gelding and dreamed wholeheartedly of this Olympics through her short, impressive career. Now, Stephane will ride in her honour with the horse with whom he won a tough Chatsworth last season. Gireg le Coz brings plenty of five-star mileage to the table with the excellent, consistent Aisprit de la Loge, fifteenth at last year’s Europeans.

How did they get here? As host nation, they automatically earned a place.

What’s their secret weapon? The same thing that could be their kryptonite: a home crowd. Every breath they take, every step they make, they’ll be watched and cheered on emphatically, because the majority-French crowd will be desperate for eventing to come home. There’s no nation in the world as enthusiastic about this sport as France is, and the extraordinary roar as these riders tackle the cross-country course is going to be a spectacle that is unlikely ever to be matched. That kind of support can make magic happen and buoy horses and riders to incredible feats of athleticism, but it’s also a hell of a lot of pressure to carry, and the fear of disappointing that home crowd will be colossal. If the French front can bear the burden and find the joie de vivre within it, they will be formidable.

Chef d’equipe: Chris Bartle

Team members:

• Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo
• Laura Collett and London 52
• Tom McEwen and JL Dublin

Team reserve: Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir

When did they last win a medal? In Tokyo, where they took team gold, and where Tom McEwen took individual silver, too, with Toledo de Kerser. It was the feather in the cap of an extraordinary reign of dominance that arguably still continues now, but interestingly, it wasn’t really their best showing, which speaks to the remarkable strength that they bring to this Games, at which they’re the hot favourite to triumph again.

What’s their form like? Almost silly, at this point. They’re the reigning Olympic and European Champions, and their strength in depth is so good that for the second consecutive Games, they have the reigning World Champions in the reserve box. Last time around, that was Ros Canter and Allstar B; this time, it’s Yas Ingham and Banzai du Loir, who won in Pratoni – that made Yas the first-ever individual competitor to become World Champion – and this year, have been victorious in the final selection trial at Luhmühlen and third at Kentucky CCI5*.

The team is helmed by reigning European Champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, who also won Badminton last year. They finished second in the CCI4*-S at Bicton this spring, which was won by Laura and London 52, and they were fourth individually and best of the British team at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022. Laura and London 52, for their part, headed to Luhmühlen after winning Bicton and Burnham Market, but withdrew while in second place before the final horse inspection because the gelding had a cut on his coronet band. That’s all healed now, and so back to their accolades: they were part of the gold medal-winning Tokyo team in 2021, though they tipped a shock two rails in the individual final, and they’ve won Pau (2020), Badminton (2022), and Luhmühlen (2023), which means they have a 100% win rate at the level. Finally, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin have finished second at Kentucky CCI5* and Luhmühlen CCI4*-S this year, as well as winning the CCI4*-S at Kronenberg in March, and although Tom had a late tumble at the Europeans last year, they regrouped to take third place at Pau in October. JL Dublin was crowned European Champion in 2021 as a ten-year-old with former rider Nicola Wilson aboard. In short? They should all have a very good chance of getting individual medals, and collectively, the team gold is their one and only goal.

How did they get here? They qualified in the first batch of nations, all of which took tickets at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships at Pratoni. They just missed out on a team medal, which came as something of a shock with a team full of five-star winners or runners-up, but finished fourth and so took their qualification home (as well as an individual World Champion!).

What’s their secret weapon? Confidence, although that’s a double-edged sword, as we saw in Pratoni. There, the string of experienced five-star horses wasn’t totally rideable on cross-country – was it because the course wasn’t enough to challenge them? Was it complacency or some other human error? Whatever it was, we’re confident that learning will have been done – and again after last year’s Europeans, where the team did win gold, but that was with a 20 for Yas and a 15 for a missed flag for Laura on the tally, and Tom, who was competing as an individual, didn’t even complete. It can never be assumed that the dominant team will automatically produce the dominant result, and the Brits will need to make sure they’re not resting on their laurels even a little bit if they want to continue their reign.

Chef d’equipe: Prof. Dr. Jens Adolphsen

Team members:

• Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz
• Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH
• Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S

Team reserve: Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21

When did they last win a medal? Individually, they took the gold at Tokyo, thanks to a superb performance from Julia Krajewski and the now-retired Amande de b’Neville. As a team, they missed out on the podium that time, because of a string of uncharacteristic crap luck – Sandra and Mat picked up a 20; Michi and Chip had that enormously contentious late MIM activation – but they were silver medallists at Rio in 2016, where they also took individual gold, thanks to Michi and La Biosthetique Sam FBW. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2004 to get to the last Olympics in which a German didn’t win individual gold – and even that’s a nebulous one, because that was the year Bettina Hoy won it and then lost on a technicality, so it was handed over to Great Britain’s Leslie Law and Shear L’Eau retrospectively. Germany’s the most successful country ever in this sport at the Olympics, in terms of gold medals won: they’ve got eight to their name, though their seventeen total medals actually puts them in third place if you’re going by the number won.

What’s their form like? Excellent. They took team gold at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships at Pratoni, and all three horses and riders on this team were on that one, too. They were also silver medallists as a team at last year’s European Championships. Christoph, the ‘young gun’ of the team, is actually in many ways its banker: he and the rangy Carjatan have been extraordinarily consistent at Championships, with that excellent Pratoni round and three similarly excellent rounds at European Championships under their belts, including two top-ten individual finishes. They’ve also finished second at five-star, at Luhmühlen in 2021. They can really be relied upon to finish on, or very close to, whatever they start with, and they can start quite low, although a high-20s is most likely.

And then there’s Sandra and Mat, who are very competitive most of the time, but prone to the odd blip – they had one this month at Aachen, in their final run, in which they had a planned retirement at the halfway point of the course. That was their first cross-country jumping penalty since Tokyo 2021; in the years since, they’ve finished top five at Kentucky in 2023, individual bronze at the Europeans last year, won Aachen in 2022, and contributed to that Worlds team gold, among their accolades.

And finally, Michael Jung, the most medalled man in the sport – but it’s never quite come together for him and the former Julia Krajewski ride, Chipmunk, at Championships. They’ll almost certainly lead the dressage, but that could be followed by a bit of rotten luck like that MIM corner at Tokyo, which fell strides after they’d departed the landing zone, or they could have two rails, as they did at Pratoni to lose the individual World Championship. They had an extraordinarily rare rider fall at last year’s European Championships, and so actually, you have to go all the way back to the Europeans at Luhmühlen in 2019 to find an individual medal for the pair. They finished second there. Will it finally all come together this week?

Julia Krajewski, who’s the reigning Olympic individual champion, sits in travelling reserve position this time, boosted after an excellent performance saw her win CHIO Aachen with the ten-year-old Nickel 21. As an experienced coach as well as an experienced competitor, she’ll be well able to handle the mental game of preparing to potentially sub in; she’ll also be able to help keep everyone’s headspace in check as needed. She’s a valuable asset even if she doesn’t get the call-up.

How did they get here? Through the first round of tickets, given out at the World Championships at Pratoni in 2022, where they won gold handily.

What’s their secret weapon? Consistency. That dates back a long time, and team trainer Peter Thomsen knows it too – he, after all, also rode for Germany at the Olympics. There’s a single-mindedness to the way that Germany tackles Championships, and the wealth of experience they have within their ranks will make them one of the frontrunners for a gold medal this week.

Chef d’equipe: Dag Albert

Team members:

• Susie Berry and Wellfields Lincoln
• Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M
• Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue

Team reserve: Aoife Clark and Sportsfield Freelance

When did they last win a medal? They haven’t won any Olympic medals yet, though they’ve won medals at World and European Championships.

What’s their form like? On the up and up, with a fourth place finish at last year’s Europeans. They’ll have had their confidence bolstered by a third-place finish in the Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen, even though that wasn’t their Olympic team. There’s a real sense now that they can play with the big guns, and that’s well deserved. Individually, they’ve got a lot to like – the very obvious team leader is Austin O’Connor, who won Maryland 5* last year with Colorado Blue, and this year, they only seem to be getting better and better, with those first-phase scores dipping down to a really competitive place. They’ve earned a reputation for being the fastest duo in the world – very deservedly – and so it’s kind of wild to think that back in 2021, when they finished best of the Irish at Tokyo, they were actually only travelling reserves, and were pulled in early when Cathal Daniels’s Rioghan Rua had some slightly off blood test results.

Young gun Susie Berry managed to qualify a whole handful of horses for this Olympics, and in Wellfields Lincoln, she’s got a really, really exciting campaigner. He might not be wildly experienced, but the smart gelding is capable of doing three competitive, appealing phases. He was third in Kronenberg’s CCI4*-L this spring but his top ten finish at Bramham’s selection trial CCI4*-S feels like more solid evidence that he’s the real deal. Finally, Sarah Ennis’s ten-year-old Action Lady M has been an under-the-radar competitor, but a serious one: she may start her week in the 30s, but she should come really close to finishing on whatever she lays down between the boards, because she’s fast, capable, and a serious jumper. If travelling reserve Aoife needs to step in, much the same can be said of her Sportsfield Freelance.

How did they get here? They qualified at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships at Pratoni, where they finished fifth. The top seven teams booked their tickets there.

What’s their secret weapon?  Like team Belgium, it’s burgeoning confidence. There’s been a lot of shake-ups at Horse Sport Ireland, and now, with team leaders locked in and a lot of drama behind them, the riders are able to just focus on developing within their system and enjoying some stability. Austin O’Connor’s Maryland 5* win last year, which was the first in more than five decades for an Irish rider, has really bolstered belief across the Irish ranks, and it’s no coincidence that we’re seeing remarkable performances from young up-and-comers now, like Lucy Latta, who was second at Badminton, and Jennifer Kuehnle, who made an exceptional five-star debut at Luhmühlen. The Irish are riding as though they believe in themselves now, not as though they expect to be middle of the pack, and that’s showing through. It’s a powerful enough headspace to get them past their ongoing limited budget in comparison to other teams.

Chef d’equipe: Katherine Lucheschi

Team members:

• Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes
• Emiliano Portale and Future
• Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly Temptress

Team reserve: Pietro Sandei and Rubis de Prere

When did they last win a medal? They’ve won eight total Olympic medals, but their heyday ended a while ago. Their last team medal was a silver at the turbulent 1980 Olympics in Moscow, which was widely boycotted – that team included Federico Roman, father of Pietro Roman, who was part of the Italian team at Rio in 2016. Federico was the individual gold medalist that year.

What’s their form like? They’re a team in a building process. The members are fairly widely spread out – or, at least, de facto team helmsman Giovanni is based in the UK, while the others are not, so cohesive, consistent team training isn’t really that feasible. They were ninth out of sixteen teams at the World Championships, and that’s about right for where they’re at right now – there’s a tonne of talent in their ranks, but at a broader level, they’re still using every championship to work out the best way of using it. The fact that they have an Olympic team is a fantastic boost; this will only help in their longer-term development.

So let’s look a bit closer at that talent in their ranks. At the forefront is Gio and the striking Swirly Temptress, who have been competitive on the European four-star circuit, scoring consistent sub-30s and delivering pretty quick clears across the country. They were top twenty finishers individually at last year’s European Championships and should be able to pin down a very respectable finish in Paris. Emiliano Portale is a slightly lesser-known talent on a new-ish ride, Scuderia 1918 Future, who he took on at the beginning of last season from fellow Italian Pietro Grandis. Together, they’ve ade a great start to their partnership, taking fifth place in the Nations Cup CCI4*-S class at Montelibretti earlier this season, finishing in the top twenty in the CCI4*-L at Saumur, and taking tenth place in the Nations Cup class at Avenches, too, as their final FEI prep run. They’ll start around the 32 mark but are swift around a long-format course, though like all of the Italian team, the final phase can be expensive. Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes have had an excellent lead-up to this Games, finishing third in the CCI4*-S at Pratoni this spring and 13^th in the Nations Cup class at Avenches, and they proved at the World Championships in 2022 that they can go sub-30 on the main stage. They’re consistent, though not quite as quick as their teammates, across the country.

In the reserve spot, we’ve got Pietro Sandei and his longtime partner, the nineteen-year-old Rubis de Prere. These two finished tenth in the CCI5* at Luhmühlen in June, and though holds at each horse inspection make it hard to put them on the team proper, they’re very reliable and will be able to be an asset if called upon this week.

How did they get here? Through the FEI Nations Cup series last year. Belgium had a colossal lead throughout the season, and maintained it to the win the series outright at the finale at Boekelo, but because they’d picked up their ticket at the European Championships, it opened up that final leg to be a close battle between Italy and Spain for the golden ticket. Spain had opted out of the European Championships in order to best target this route, but as Boekelo dawned, they were unable to field a team, and Italy won the qualification by default.

What’s their secret weapon? Financial support. They’re not quite as robustly well-supported as, say, the Brits or the American team, but Italian riders do get support as part of various wings of their nation’s armed services. That’s why you’ll often see Italians in military dress – and varying military dress at that, because they may be part of, and receiving support from, different areas of the forces. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s a system that allows them to access more assistance than if they had to go it alone.

Chef d’equipe: Shigeyuki Hosono

Team members:

• Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka
• Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street
• Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne

Team reserve: Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson JRA

When did they last win a medal? They’ve not yet won a medal at the Olympics, which was a bit of a heartbreak for them in their home Games in 2021. But they did come close, individually anyway: Kazu and Vinci de la Vigne finished fourth as the hometown heroes, so achingly close to the podium.

What’s their form like? Very good individually, and not always 100% cohesive as a team. Kazu is an absolute weapon for a team to have in their pocket – he only began eventing a few years before Tokyo because the Japanese Federation already had enough showjumpers, and within about five minutes of arriving in the UK and starting his new sport, he’d nearly won Blenheim. He finished last season with a CCI4*-S win at Little Downham with ‘Vince’ and then had a steady start to 2024, running a couple of three-stars to knock the rust off his experienced fifteen-year-old, and then stepping back up to four-star at Bicton, where they had a really uncharacteristic horse fall. The pair bounced back for a decisive third place finish in a very competitive selection trial CCI4*-S at Bramham in June. It’s worth noting, too, that they were eighth in the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, so they’re consistently capable of pulling out their best work at a championship. They’ve always been very quick and very good jumpers, and their excellent sub-30 dressage scores frequently hit the mid-to-low 20s.

The newest partnership on this line-up is Yoshi and MGH Grafton Street, who’s one of those horses that either wins or doesn’t complete, because he’s incredibly talented but also hugely mercurial. Yoshi is an exceptional talent, though – he led the first phase at the London Olympics in 2012, and is a former Bramham CCI4*-L winner, so he’s really blazed trails for his countrymen in this sport. He and ‘Squirrel’ came together over the off-season and have four FEI runs under their belt together, but so far, they’re looking really well-matched – their best result was fourth in Ballindenisk’s CCI4*-L in April, and they’ve got a clean sheet on cross-country so far.

Ryuzo and former Price family mount Cekatinka came together ahead of the Tokyo Games, but Ryuzo was ultimately selected as travelling reserve with another horse. Second place in the CCI4*-L at Ballindenisk in April secured their Paris slot, and will give them the chance to shake off the demons of the 2022 World Championships, where they ran very well but didn’t make it to the final trot-up.

Finally, Toshi as travelling reserve brings a quiet confidence and excellent results with his new mount, the Chris Burton (and latterly Bubby Upton) produced Jefferson JRA. They came together in mid-2023 and have placed in four of their eight FEI runs – the rest were top twenty finishes, plus one withdrawal ahead of cross-country that was rather more circumstantial, as it came at Bicton in late May. All in all, this is a team that, on paper, should put up a strong fight, and if they do, it’ll be great for the sport to see how nations can transform themselves over a couple of Olympic cycles.

How did they get here? In about the most complicated way possible. Technically, they qualified through the Groups F&G qualifier at Millstreet last year, the same as Australia. But actually, in the first instance, they didn’t: it was Australia and China who got the tickets, and Japan, who had no more chances to get a team to Paris, lost much of its funding and support, leaving the riders to fend for themselves. But then, months later in October, it all changed – one of the Chinese horses at Millstreet was deemed to have failed a drug test after trace amounts of Regumate were found in his system, perhaps from contaminated hay, and he was retroactively disqualified. That knocked China out of their advantageous spot and down to fourth, and pushed Japan up into second place in that competition and earned them their team place after months of having been unmoored. So, in short, perhaps not the ideal prep – but each rider has been continuing to work hard in the UK to get their own results and bring it back together this summer.

What’s their secret weapon? In a funny sort of way, it could be that lack of team cohesiveness in the ‘unmoored’ months, because while it wasn’t at all a fun time for Japan’s riders, it also drove them to be necessarily results-oriented as they planned ahead for individual selection. Now, if they can each bring their individual best to the team competition in Paris, they’ll be formidable. Their other secret weapon, though, is British legends of the sport – Kazu is coached by, and based with, William Fox-Pitt, who’ll also be coaching the Brazilians in Paris, and Yoshi bought Burghley winner Grafton Street from Pippa Funnell on the proviso that he keep the horse at her yard and train under her supervision. Add in Ryuzo and Toshi’s coaching from judge and trainer Angela Tucker, and you have some serious input.

Chef d’equipe: Andrew Heffernan

Team members:

• Janneke Boonzaaijer and ACSI Champ de Tailleur
• Sanne de Jong and Enjoy
• Raf Kooremans and Crossborder Radar Love

Team reserve: Elaine Pen and Divali

When did they last win a medal? In 1932 at Los Angeles as a team – the Dutch won silver that year after having been gold medallists the two Olympics previously. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that that means they won the last Paris Olympics, back in 1924. They also took individual gold in 1924, 1928, and 1932, which was really their golden era as an eventing nation.

What’s their form like? They’re building. The Dutch system works a little differently from most nations, in that it’s much harder to get owners in the Netherlands – if someone has the money to have a very good horse, they’re more likely to want a more hands-on role. So getting great horses matched up with the right riders has been hard, and it’s interesting to unpack the line-up and see the different approaches. We’ve got a longtime partnership from bottom to top in Janneke and Champ; a rider on a homebred horse in Sanne and Enjoy; and a rider with a horse purchased from another great talent (in this case, Dutch superstar Merel Blom, via young rider Sterre van Houte) in Raf and Crossborder Radar Love.

It’s also interesting that this is largely such a team of young guns. We don’t have the Netherlands’ two most established stars on this list – Merel and Tim Lips are conspicuous only by their absence – and instead, the baton is being passed to this trio to gain experience on the world stage and help propel the Dutch effort along. (Raf, notably, already has plenty of experience – he rode on the Dutch team at the 2018 World Championships.)

Sanne and Enjoy are consistent, if slightly steady, across the country, and should start their week sub-35; their showjumping has also become very reliable over the last season or so. Raf and eleven-year-old Crossborder Radar Love finished second in the CCI4*-L at Strzegom in June, which was their most recent FEI run and their best-yet result as a partnership. They’re still new enough to one another – their partnership only began this season – but they’ve shown that they can go sub-30 on the flat, are very capable of a clear showjumping round, and are steady banker types across the country. Finally, Janneke Boonzaaijer and ACSI Champ de Tailleur have some Olympic experience behind them already: they competed as individuals at Tokyo in 2021, though they didn’t complete the cross-country; they were eliminated for missing an obstacle. That’s a hefty learning experience, and now, the longtime partnership will be ready to put everything they’ve taken on into practice. A rare sub-30 at their final FEI run, Bicton’s CCI4*-S, will be a great confidence boost, and they’re very reliable on the cross-country. They can be prone to a rail on the final day, though more often, they jump clear. Finally, Elaine Pen and Divali have had three steady, successful runs at FEI this year, making up for a tricky 2023 which saw them eliminated for a horse fall at the European Championships.

It’s all progressing, though – and while it’s unlikely that we’ll see the Dutch on the podium this week, the fact that they’ve got a team back at the Games for the first time since Rio is really exciting. They earned THAT spot after taking team bronze at the 2014 World Championships, also held in France, and in seriously tough conditions that they triumphed through when many more established nations faltered. They have all the talent, and certainly, proximity to some excellent horses – Dutch horses continue to be among the most sought-after in the world – it’s just a matter of getting the right kind of funding and support to see it through. A solid result here could be the thing that secures that for them.

How did they get here? At last year’s FEI European Eventing Championships. They, like their neighbours in Belgium, took one of two tickets available there in what was a really great moment for both developing eventing nations.

What’s their secret weapon? While this team certainly boasts some exciting younger talent for the future, the team will vastly benefit from the previous championship experience of Raf Kooremans, who was on the 2018 WEG team and who’s got a reputation for staying calm and cool under pressure. This will filter out to the rest of the team as a steadying energy and could help garner a solid finish to build on for this team.

Chef d’equipe: Jock Paget

Team members:

• Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park
• Tim Price and Falco
• Jonelle Price and Hiarado

Team reserve: Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier

When did they last win a medal? They’ve won 10 Olympic medals in total, and the most recent came in London in 2012, when they were the bronze medallists as a team. Both Jonelle – who was then still unmarried and riding as Jonelle Richards – and Caroline were on that team, as was now team head honcho Jock Paget. From 1988 to 1996 they had a three-Games run of taking team medals, but a team gold has always eluded them. Individual gold, though, hasn’t – Blyth Tait and Ready Teddy won it in 1996, and Mark Todd and Charisma took it in 1984 and 1988. Their last individual podium place came at Sydney in 2000, where Mark Todd took bronze on Eye Spy II.

What’s their form like? It’s always been a bit of a surprise that, despite having some of the strongest individual competitors in the world, the Kiwi team doesn’t always make it happen as a collective. But Pratoni’s World Championships in 2022 seemed to herald a shifting of the tide – they finished in bronze position there, and took individual bronze, too, thanks to Tim Price and Falco.

Tim and Falco return for this team, having taken tenth place in the hot selection trial at Luhmühlen in June. But their form is a little tricky to pin down – they’ve had two other runs this year, one in the CCI4*-S at Bicton in May where they activated a MIM clip and then retired, and one in the CCI4*-S at Kronenberg in March, where they were second. Before that, you have to go all the way back to Aachen in June of 2023 to find their last FEI run, and they had 40 penalties across the country there. In his younger years, Falco was prone to quite frequent issues in that phase, but from 2021 onwards had looked to have improved considerably – hopefully, these more recent little issues don’t mean that he’s taking a step back again. On his day, Falco can score sub-25, go quick and clear, and is one of the best showjumpers in the field.

Clarke Johnstone’s Menlo Park is perhaps more obviously on-form – he was twelfth at Luhmühlen CCI4*-S, eighth in the CCI4*-S at Marbach, and third in the CCI3*-S Burnham Market, and in July of last season, he won the CCI4*-L at Kilguilkey House.

Jonelle and Hiarado are, possibly, the surprise choice on this list, which most expected to see Badminton winners Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, who are travelling reserves, on. Hiarado’s tricky patch of cross-country runs came just in 2022; since then, the now-12-year-old finished second in the Kilguilkey CCI4*-L last year, and seventh in the CCI5* at Pau. This season, they were sixth in the CCI4*-S at Wiesbaden and fifteenth at Luhmühlen CCI4*-S, and so the results are there, just perhaps in a quiet way. They’re low-30s scorers, quick-ish across the country, and very good in the final phase.

How did they get here? At the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, where they took one of the first batch of team tickets when they finished third.

What’s their secret weapon? A support team helmed by people who were, until very recently, riding on teams themselves – chef Jock Paget is joined by Australian five-star winner Sam Griffiths in the team trainer role. There’s something to be said for that proximity to top-level success in the saddle – they’ll understand very well exactly the kind of support their riders need and how to manage them.

Chef d’equipe: Andreas Dibowski

Team members:

• Jan Kaminski and Jard
• Robert Powala and Tosca del Castegno
• Pawel Warszawski and Lucinda Ex Ani 4

Team reserve: Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134

When did they last win a medal? They’ve won two in total: they were team silver medallists at the 1936 Games in Berlin, which is probably basically the same thing as winning since they gave nearly all the gold medals to Germany in that, um, contentious Olympics, and they were bronze medallists in Amsterdam in 1928.

What’s their form like? This is another developing team, returning for another slot at the Games. They won’t vie for a team medal, nor individual ones, but every opportunity they get to compete at a major event is a huge foundational step for them – and it has to be noted that there’s such a small pool of top-level athletes in the country that they only sent one individual to last year’s European Championships. This is an exceptional accomplishment.

Their team is made up of Malgorzata Korycka and Canvalencia, who finished third in the Olympic qualifier that got Poland here, and who have competed for their nation previously at the 2021 European Championships at Avenches, though were eliminated there for a fall on the flat on cross-country. They didn’t compete in any FEI events after the Olympic qualifier in May last year until this spring, when they did four internationals – three of them at Strzegom – and had mixed results. They were ninth in the CCI4*-S at Baborowko in May, but retired in their first run at Strzegom CCI4*-S and picked up 11 penalties apiece in both their subsequent runs at the level at that venue. While their reliability profile isn’t always totally on point, they’re actually a reasonably quick pair on their day. That’ll be their biggest boon here – their mid-to-high 30s scores and tendency to knock a couple of rails will matter far less in the grand scheme of Poland’s goals this year.

53-year-old Robert Powala gets his first senior team call-up after riding for Poland at two Junior European Championships back in the eighties. This week, he’ll be riding the Italian-bred Tosca del Castegno, who’s having a very good season after getting some wobbles out of her system as a young horse. She’s just eleven, and other than one tricky run in a CCI2*-S at Pratoni last year, she’s looked really good across the country, taking placings in four-star classes at Montelibretti, Strzegom, and Baborowko. Again, this is a mid-30s horse, but she’s smart in the second phase and reasonably quick, and her rail or two on the final day won’t take the shine off a good finish for the team.

Finally, on the team proper, there’s Pawel and Lucinda, who are very capable of starting their week on a 30 or thereabouts, though we’ll have to hope that their 20 on course at Wiesbaden on CCI4*-S in their penultimate international run before Paris sharpened them up, rather than dented their confidence. Their clear in the CCIO4*-S at Strzegom last month suggests the former, rather than the latter. They’re a steady pair across the country, but generally reliable, and will likely have two rails down in the final phase. Wiktoria, in the reserve spot, had a recent 20 at Baborowko but placed in that final run at Strzegom, and is sitting on one of Poland’s quicker cross-country horses.

How did they get here? They won the Olympic Group C Qualifier for Central European nations at Baborowko in Poland last spring. They beat the Czech Republic and Hungary in the competition, which was held at CCIO4*-L. That was accomplished by very nearly the same line-up of horses and riders we see here – the only difference is that Jan Kaminski, who won the class with Jard, has sadly had to sit out the Games due to a fall in June that left him with a couple of fractures. He’s already back out competing as of the first week of July but for the Olympics, he’s been replaced by Robert and Tosca.

What’s their secret weapon? The depth of wisdom imparted by team leader, German superstar Andreas Dibowski. Poland occupies a funny sort of middle ground in the sport – it hosts some top-notch events, including Strzegom, Sopot, and Baborowko, but there’s not a huge amount of support or funding for competitors. In the recent past, we’ve seen Polish success most deftly attained by the likes of Pawel Spisak and Banderas, and that’s in no small part because they relocated to Germany to train in the heart of the sport with Michael Jung. Bringing that kind of depth of knowledge out of the core of the sport and into Poland proper can only further enrich the sport’s culture there.

Chef d’equipe: Dominic Berger

Team members:

• Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH
• Mélody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire
• Felix Vogg and Dao de l’Ocean

Team reserve: Nadja Minder and Toblerone

When did they last win a medal? Like Poland, they’ve won two, and both are historic medals: they were silver medallists in Rome in 1960, where Anton Bühler and Gay Spark (yeah, we’re not kidding) won individual bronze, too.

What’s their form like? Switzerland has had one of the really fun trajectories to follow over the last couple of cycles, because they’re a developing nation that’s really begun to hit its stride, in much the same was as Belgium has more recently. It’s not totally beyond the realm of possibility to think that they could be a dark horse contender for a podium spot, which would be – let’s be real for a moment here – cool as hell for the sport. They were fifth as a team at last year’s European Championships, so they’re inching closer and closer to those podiums.

Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully feel like the natural team leaders here – they’ve got the 2018 and 2022 World Championships and three Senior Europeans under their belt already, all with smart completions or better, and Robin was also a part of the Swiss team at Tokyo, though his week ended with tragedy there. He’s an extraordinary competitor who rides with a maturity well beyond his 26 years, and with a cross-country prowess that calls to mind that of Andrew Nicholson, who has been so instrumental to the Swiss team over the last few years. This pair have won both their FEI runs this year and come to Paris brimming with confidence, and rightly so: they’re capable of starting sub-30, they’re quick – though not lightning fast – and seriously consistent across the country, and they’ll either have one or none on the final day.

Speaking of consistency, it seems to be a rite of passage for Swiss talent to take the next step up the ladder aboard Toubleu de Rueire, and it’s something that’s making us consider a change of nationality so we can have a go, too. Mélody Johner is the third Swiss rider to have the horse, and she’s been campaigning him since 2020, so they have a well-established partnership now. In their 21 FEI starts together, they have 14 top-ten finishes, and have competed for Switzerland at the Europeans last year, the World Championships the year before that, oh, and the Tokyo Olympics, too, where they finished in the top twenty individually. They can be mid-30s scorers but they’re very, very good across the country – they’re naturally speedy, and have never had a cross-country penalty together – though they are prone to a rail on the final day.

Felix Vogg made Swiss history when he won Luhmühlen CCI5* two years ago, becoming the first Swiss five-star winner since the 1950s, but his ride this week isn’t Colero, with whom he took that title. Instead, it’s the slightly under-the-radar Dao de l’Ocean, who notched a top-ten finish at Boekelo’s CCIO4*-L last season. They won the CCI4*-S at Wiesbaden and finished second in the CCIO4*-S at Avenches this season, and are consistently scoring sub-30, but often creeping further and further towards the mid-20s. They’ve never had a cross-country jumping fault at four-star and they’re quick enough when they need to be – and arguably the best showjumpers on this team.

Finally, young gun Nadja Minder and Toblerone, occupying the reserve slot, are hugely capable: they finished just outside the top twenty at last year’s tough Europeans, and competed at the 2022 World Championships, though had a very rare parting of ways there. They know each other inside and out from growing up together, and they’re arguably the fastest cross-country pair in this line-up. If they get the call-up, they’ll deliver – though they, too, are nearly guaranteed a rail or two.

How did they get here? They scored a team ticket through the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, where they finished seventh – and it was the top seven teams that would get the nod. This was a huge moment for them and their major goal of that Championship – to score a qualification in the first batch is no small feat.

What’s their secret weapon? Andrew Nicholson, arguably, who stepped into the cross-country coach role before the pandemic. He’s been instrumental in taking them from riders who play it safe and just try to get round to riders who have the base instincts and foundational skills to take smart, calculated risks and ride much more aggressively and competitively. That’s been the lynchpin, really, in their progression, but there’s another side to the coin, as well – there were some disputes between Felix and Andrew at the Tokyo Olympics that Felix has been outspoken about, and regardless of the details and who’s actually in the right or in the wrong here, they’ll all have to work hard to make sure that the rift doesn’t affect the rest of the team this week.

Chef d’equipe: Fred Bergendorff

Team members:

• Frida Andersen and Box Leo
• Louise Romeike and Caspian 15
• Sofia Sjöborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z

Team reserve: Malin Asai and Golden Midnight

When did they last win a medal? They’re actually – and this is pretty wild – the second-most successful nation ever in terms of gold medals won at the Olympics. In fact, it could be argued that the Swedes really started this sport, and certainly for those first few Olympics, they were extraordinarily dominant. They took individual gold in the first-ever Olympic event, in Stockholm in 1912, and at the second, at Antwerp in 1920, where they also took individual silver. They were also individual gold medallists in 1956 – again in Stockholm – and in 1960 in Rome, and as a team, they took gold in 1912, 1920, and 1952. But that 1952 gold was also the last time we saw their team take a medal. Their most recent individual medal is much more modern – at London 2012, Sara Algotsson Ostholt won the silver medal with Wega. She was the first Swedish Olympic eventing medallist since 1972.

What’s their form like? They were sixth at last year’s European Championships and the same placing at the 2022 World Championships, which is an uptick in form on the world stage – in recent history, they’ve been a nation that’s consistent at Nations Cup series, as they keep showing up and plugging away, but translating that to championship success has been a bit trickier. But it’s certainly proving to be on the up and up, and now, their one real hurdle left to overcome is the first phase. Frida’s Box Leo will be a mid-to-high 30s scorer; Sofia’s horse can go into the 40s, though is more often a high-30s type; and Louise’s Caspian has gone sub-30 at three-star test but hasn’t translated that to the four-star test with its flying changes yet. Similarly, Malin and Golden Midnight in the reserve spot are similarly a high-30s to low-40s pair.

But if they start off the pace, they will climb. Sofia and Belle are very, very quick and consistent across the country, though prone to a pole on Sunday; Frida and Leo are similarly quick and slightly less prone to that pole; and mega-experienced Louise and Caspian might have the horse’s relative inexperience to contend with, but the ten-year-old is naturally lightning-fast and has never had an FEI cross-country jumping penalty, and showjumps like a dream, too. If Malin is called up, she and stalwart Golden Midnight have a tonne of mileage behind them to put down a banker round. If the cross-country is influential this week, this really could be Sweden’s moment to make a great dark horse play and give us all some ABBA-based headlines to write.

How did they get here? Like the Swiss, they had a huge, wonderful victory as a team at the 2022 World Championships when they secured their team ticket in that first round of qualifications. They managed that by finishing sixth as a nation – and three of the horses and riders on this line-up (Frida and Box Leo, Sofia and ‘Belle’, and reserves Malin and Golden Midnight) were on that team.

What’s their secret weapon? Other than their gorgeous chef d’equipe, who everyone in eventing universally has a little crush on? And other than ABBA, which they have to listen to every single time they do a dressage test anywhere outside their home nation? It’s probably the fact that they’re not in the spotlight. They haven’t had a recent major win for a rider, like Belgium or, in the longer term, Switzerland – they’ve just been plugging away in their various home bases and bringing it to the table when they’re able to train together. They come in without the pressure of the world’s expectations, which could be a perfect recipe to help them surprise everyone and have a very jolly time doing it.

Chef d’equipe: Bobby Costello

Team members:

• Liz Halliday and Nutcracker
• Boyd Martin and Fedarman B
• Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake

Team reserve: Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire [UPDATED 7/26]

When did they last win a medal? Fun fact: on medal count, the US is the most successful eventing nation ever at an Olympics. They’ve got 25 in total – that’s more than even the Brits (21) or Gerrmany (17), though Germany and Sweden beat them on number of golds, and they’re neck and neck with the Brits on that tally. Their last medal as a team, though, came back in 2004 in Athens, when they took the bronze. That was the end of a three-strong podium run as a team. Their last team gold came at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Individually, they’ve visited the podium more recently: Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice were bronze medallists at Rio in 2016, and Gina Miles and McKinlaigh took silver in 2008 at Beijing. In 2000, David O’Connor and Custom Made took individual gold, making them the USA’s last Olympic Champions, though the nation has since sort of adopted Britain’s Leslie Law, in spirit if not on paper, who was the 2004 Olympic champion and now acts as a crucial part of the high performance developing rider system in the country.

What’s their form like? After a fallow period, the USA has really hit their stride. There’s been a lot that’s contributed to this – an overhaul of the high performance system, notably, and with it, a shift in how each rider’s own system is incorporated. Rather than the old toe-the-party-line system, there’s now much more scope to use what has worked on an individual level for each competitor, and maximise it so it can benefit the team. Bobby Costello, who became the permanent chef d’equipe after a successful stint as an interim one, is obviously doing a few things right.

And how does that stack up on a fundamental level? Beyond even this high-flying team, the US has finally broken its Kentucky duck, with a poignant win for Tamie Smith and Mai Baum last spring, and the US were gold medallists – even if with a slightly out-of-character final phase performance – at last year’s Pan American Games, which they didn’t have to use to qualify for the Olympics this time, which was great. They also finished second as a nation in the very prestigious team competition at Aachen a couple of weeks ago, with a team of developing riders and horses.

Boyd Martin had a laundry list of good horses on the up and up for this Games, but it’s poignant that the nod should go the way of Fedarman B, who was produced and campaigned by the late, much-loved Annie Goodwin before her tragic passing a few years ago. Now, she can ride along with Boyd on the horse she loved so much – and they should have a super shout at a great finish, too. Boyd and Bruno have finished in the top ten in all bar three of their 13 FEI runs – two of those saw them withdraw before cross-country, and the other, which ended in a retirement on course, was their very first international together. They were eighth at both Pau and Luhmühlen’s CCI5* classes last year amongst strong European company.

Caroline Pamukcu is on the form of her life with HSH Blake – they won the individual gold at the Pan Ams last year, took Tryon CCI4*-L this year, and haven’t finished outside of the top five in an FEI class since 2022. All three horses on the team should be sub-30 any day of the week, and nine-year-old Blake can try for the mid-20s – and all three, similarly, are fast and reliable across the country and good jumpers. Liz Halliday and Nutcracker are extraordinarily strong reserves – they come to Paris off the back of an eighth place finish in the CCI5* at Kentucky this spring. It’s time, in short, for Team USA to bring the noise and fight for a medal. The most coveted one of all is not at all beyond their grasp.

Editor’s Note: On July 26, US Equestrian announced the withdrawal of Diabolo, Will Coleman’s Direct Reserve horse. Liz Halliday subsequently was put onto the team, and was replaced with Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire as Traveling Reserve.

How did they get here? That silver medal at the 2022 World Championships secured it for them.

What’s their secret weapon? Whatever it is, we want some. A combination of openmindedness within the system, we reckon, is a key part of it, and whatever secret sauce Bobby Costello is bringing to the table is obviously working. Pippa Funnell can definitely earn a nod here for the part she’s played in helping Caroline find her peak, and the newly-found cohesiveness of the team and its wider support system is definitely influential, too. Riders, owners, grooms, friends, and family are now a really solid community when the team crosses the pond, and that has a bigger positive knock-on effect than you might think.

Coming next, our traditional in-depth Form Guide to the full individual field, complete with stats from our friends at EquiRatings. Stay tuned!

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Bienvenue à Paris! Your Guide to the Horses and Riders of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games 26 Jul 2024, 8:30 am

Hello all, and welcome to Paris

The City of Lights has beckoned, and the best of the best from every corner of the globe have come to put it all on the line. It’s been a tumultuous season thus far, filled with tactical entries, heartbreaking withdrawals, cutthroat qualifications, and a rather bloodthirsty IOC, all leading up to giving the world the best damn horse show possible — and what a grand one it will be.

We’ve been all Paris, 24/7, for so long that it’s a bit surreal to finally be here! After tossing out team announcements seemingly on the daily, we finally have all our riders in one place long enough to bring you the long-awaited 2024 Paris Olympic Games Form Guide. As much as we joked behind the scenes that we wish this could be the final call for all nations in attendance, we never know when we might see some last-minute substitutions, so be sure to keep refreshing EN’s Olympic Hub, because with Sally on the ground, Tilly behind the camera, and more than half a dozen Paris-hungry reporters behind their screens at home, we will be tirelessly hitting the headlines to help you feel like you’re right there at Versailles with the rest of the greats.

Our special Olympics trading cards on each horse and rider combination feature some statistics courtesy of our good friends at EquiRatings; share them with your friends (or your family, your enemies, your rivals, you get the idea). Each combination has an Elo Rating, essentially ranking how many horses they have finished ahead of or behind at competition (and is affected by those horses’ Elo ratings as well), and a 6 Run Average (6RA) of their last six international dressage scores at any level. These are some of the most meticulously-calculated prediction models in the game, and should give a bit of insight into the strengths and comparisons between riders (and teams) to send you into this weekend just a little more informed. Keep an eye out for their Prediction Centre that just went live, which combines all the stats and probabilities to give you the mathematically-predicted champions!

You’ll want to keep a tab open to this Form Guide as you watch the screens this week, but make sure to keep another open to Tilly’s incredibly thorough and effortlessly passionate Olympic Team Form Guide, where you’ll get the insider breakdowns and background on which teams are on the up-and-up and who to keep an eye on! You can also learn more about everything happening in this weekend’s competition from schedules to streaming to social media in our Paris Olympics Ultimate Guide.

Allons-y (Eventing)!

Want to jump straight to your favorite horse and rider? Click the links below to jump to their section (the combinations are listed in alphabetical order by country code and last name):

Christopher Burton and Shadow Man (AUS)
Kevin McNab and Don Quidam (AUS)
Shane Rose and Virgil (AUS)
TR: Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture (AUS)

Harald Ambros and Vitorio du Montet (AUT)
Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line (AUT)

Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Origi (BEL)
Karin Donckers and Leipheimer Van’t Verahof (BEL)
Tine Magnus and Dia van het Lichterveld Z (BEL)
TR: Maarten Boon and Gravin Van Cantos (BEL)

Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Castle Howard Casanova (BRA)
Rafael Mamprin Losano and Withington (BRA)
Carlos Parro and Safira (BRA)
TR: Ruy Fonseca and Ballypatrick SRS (BRA)

Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS (CAN)
Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo (CAN)
Michael Winter and El Mundo (CAN)
TR: Colleen Loach and FE Golden Eye (CAN)

Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof (CHN)
Huadong Sun and Lady Chin V’t Moerven Z (CHN)

Miloslav Příhoda and Ferreolus Lat (CZE)
Miroslav Trunda and Shutterflyke (CZE)

Peter Flarup and Fascination (DEN)

Nicolas Wettstein and Altier d’Aurois (ECU)
Ronald Zabala Goetschel and Forever Young Wundermaske (ECU)

Esteban Benitez Valle and Utrera AA 35 1 (ESP)
Carlos Diaz Fernandez and Taraje CP 21.10 (ESP)

Veera Manninen and Sir Greg (FIN)
Sanna Siltakorpi and Bofey Click (FIN)

Karim Laghouag and Triton Fontaine (FRA)
Stéphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau (FRA)
Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe (FRA)
TR: Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge (FRA)

Rosalind Canter and Lordships Graffalo (GBR)
Laura Collett and London 52 (GBR)
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin (GBR)
TR: Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir (GBR)

Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH (GER)
Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S (GER)
Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21 (GER)
TR: Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom Of The Opera (GER)

Balázs Kaizinger and Herr Cooles Classico (HUN)

Susie Berry and Wellfields Lincoln (IRL)
Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M (IRL)
Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue (IRL)
TR: Aoife Clark and Freelance (IRL)

Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes (ITA)
Emiliano Portale and Future (ITA)
Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly Temptress (ITA)
TR: Pietro Sandei and Rubis de Prere (ITA)

Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka (JPN)
Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street (JPN)
Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne (JPN)
TR: Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson (JPN)

Noor Slaoui and Cash In Hand (MAR)

Janneke Boonzaaijer and Champ de Tailleur (NED)
Sanne de Jong and Enjoy (NED)
Raf Kooremans and Radar Love (NED)
TR: Elaine Pen and Divali (NED)

Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park (NZL)
Jonelle Price and Hiarado (NZL)
Tim Price and Falco (NZL)
TR: Caroline Powell and Special Cavalier (NZL)

Malgorzada Korycka and Canvalencia (POL)
Robert Powala and Tosca del Castegno (POL)
Jan Kaminski and Jard (POL)
TR: Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134 (POL)

Manuel Grave and Carat de Bremoy (POR)

Alexander Peternell and Figaro des Premices (RSA)

Frida Andersén and Box Leo (SWE)
Louise Romeike and Caspian 15 (SWE)
Sofia Sjöborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z (SWE)
TR: Malin Asai and Golden Midnight (SWE)

Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH (SUI)
Mélody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire (SUI)
Felix Vogg and Dao de l’Ocean (SUI)
TR: Nadja Minder and Toblerone (SUI)

Boyd Martin and Fedarman B (USA)
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake (USA)
Elisabeth Halliday and Nutcracker (USA)
TR: Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire

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Christopher Burton and Shadow Man (AUS) | Groom: Maddie Taylor

Renowned as the fastest cross country rider in the world, Chris Burton actually took a sabbatical from eventing at the end of 2021, only returning to the sport this year in a bid for Olympic selection. In his “time off”, the multiple 5*-winning rider wasted no time in climbing the ranks in the show jumping world — at one point it looked like he might be selected to ride for Australia in both disciplines.

His partner in Paris, Shadow Man, is no stranger to the international show jumping circuit either, having contested some CSI2* and CSI3* tracks with previous rider Ben Hobday. With Ben, “Fidgy” made his 5* debut at Badminton back in 2022, though they did not complete, parting company three-quarters of the way around cross country. However, they were second in the Nations Cup in Strzegom in 2019, and fifth in the 4*-S at Bramham that same year, proving that Fidgy has bravery in spades, as well as scope. He and Chris have only been together since March, but they have wasted no time in getting to know one another. Chris ran him reasonably steady across country on their first couple of outings, though had he put his foot down on the gas, they would have been well placed in both Strzegom and Kronenberg. When he did finally take the brakes off in the Nations Cup at Millstreet in June, this pair showed that they really do mean business, adding nothing to their dressage score of 25.7.

This will be a third Olympics for Chris, and he will not be heading to France to make up numbers. Agonizingly close to an individual medal in Rio where he finished fifth, Chris has every shot at a medal this time around, with a partner who is as talented in all three phases as the man riding him.

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Kevin McNab and Don Quidam (AUS) | Groom: Lucy Hartley

Kevin McNab and his wife Emma moved to the UK in 2012, setting up a yard in Surrey, southwest of London. They have both represented Australia in eventing — Emma at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, and Kevin at the Tokyo Olympics, where he and his partner in Paris, Don Quidam, finished 14th individually while the Australian team took home the Bronze medal. However, it didn’t seem like they would even get to start at first, as they were initially named as traveling reserve.

“Every day is fun with him, he’s a horse you enjoy riding every time,” Kevin says of Don Quidam, and together they have enjoyed a number of successful 5* runs, including sixth place at Kentucky in 2021 as well as a couple of top-20 placings at Pau. Kevin has played a pivotal role in the careers of several leading riders, amongst them his teammate in Paris, Chris Burton. It is unlikely that he and Don Quidam will be anywhere near the top of the leaderboard after dressage, but they have a helpful habit of delivering a double jumping clear, which could see them inch their way back up the placings, perhaps bettering their result in Tokyo. A broken cheek piece saw him amass a huge amount of time as well as 20 jumping penalties at the World Championships in Pratoni last year, despite being in the top 10 after dressage, so one thing that is for certain in Paris will be a thorough tack check before he sets off cross country!

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Shane Rose and Virgil (AUS) | Groom: Jamie Atkinson

It is almost impossible to remember a time when Shane Rose and Virgil were not together, so long have they been a partnership. 15 years to be precise, and in that time they have amassed too many results to mention here, representing Australia at several different championships including the Tokyo Olympics, where they also finished tenth individually. Last year, they won the Adelaide 5* with just 0.8 cross country time faults to add to a 28.1 dressage score. They have also finished in the top-10 at both Pau and Luhmuhlen’s 5*s, top 20 at Burghley, and won the ERM series leg at Blair Castle in 2017.

“He has to be the centre of attention,” Shane says fondly of his long term partner, who is not only a cross country machine, but also careful enough to be considered as a full-time show jumper before Shane bought him. Add to that a natural dressage ability, and you have yourselves a combination with all the credentials for a podium finish. It would be a remarkable turn around for Shane, who suffered a heavy fall earlier this year, leaving him unable to walk, let alone ride. However, a few broken bones is nothing to worry about for this man; over the course of his career, he has broken both legs and arms more than once, smashed his wrists, punctured lungs, split his liver, had reconstructive surgery on his face, and fought his way back from thyroid cancer. Winning an Olympic medal should come pretty easy to him then!

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Traveling Reserve: Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture (AUS) | Groom: Charlotte Andrews

This will be the second senior team appearance for Shenae and Bold Venture in as many years. Like her team mate Shane Rose, with whom she was based for a short while, 28-year-old Shenae is still based in the Southern Hemisphere, although she has ventured over to Europe a few times over the last few years. A trip to Italy was one of the highlights, where she made her team debut at the World Championships in Pratoni. A 26.3 dressage made the world sit up and take notice, though an unusual three poles on the final day ultimately dropped her and Bold Venture back down the leaderboard.

Bought sight unseen from a Facebook advert, ex-racehorse “Bentley” did not take well to his first career, finishing second last on more than one occasion, despite his impressive breeding. Known then as “Hell on Wheels”, that certainly seemed to be the case in his younger days. “He was a beautiful looking, but very, very, quirky horse,” said Shenae of the gelding. “I spent two weeks in the round yard trying to get on and off him without him running off bucking or doing something that he shouldn’t have been doing!” However, Shenae persevered and it has paid off: they won the Olympic qualifier at Millstreet in 2023, were in the top 20 at Aachen last year, and have won the CCI4*-L at Adelaide two years in a row in their native country. “He’s a real individual, but what makes him so special is how much he trusts me and the bond we have,” she says of Bentley. As traveling reserve, we may not actually see them start in Paris, although this will certainly not be the last we see of this duo on the world stage.

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Harald Ambros and Vitorio du Montet (AUT) | Groom: Susanne Ambros

The acquisition of Vitorio du Montet was one of the best-kept secrets of the last couple seasons, and what a boon it is for Austria, who keep quietly chipping away at becoming a major player on the world stage. Vitorio du Montet was formerly a 5* ride of France’s Maxime Livio, with whom he finished eighth at Pau in 2020, and fifth there the next year. In 2022, he headed to Badminton, but fell at the final fence, and after that, he was sold on to Spain, where he returned to international competition early the next year. Two runs later, he changed riders again, this time to Czechia for a few months before Harald Ambros took the reins in September of last year.

Harald, who works as a full-time dentist, will make his fourth Olympic start in Paris — he took part in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, and London in 2012. With Vitorio du Montet, he looks like he could record an exciting finish, too: we’ll be expecting a mid-30s score, but a swift cross-country run and a clear round (or rounds!) on the final day should see them climb. They won’t hunt for a medal this time, but this is a great chance to see a hugely exciting horse contributing to the development of a nation. Two placings at CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L on their way to France also certainly boost the confidence, not least of this media team.

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Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line (AUT) | Groom: Julia Öhner

It’s a second Olympic call-up for 26-year-old Lea, who made her debut as the youngest eventing competitor in Tokyo. She may be young, but she’s got all the maturity and experience of an Olympian’s daughter, her father Harald having competed as part of the Austrian team at Athens 2004. Lea proved to be a force in her own right when she took on Tokyo, finishing 15th individually with her Junior and Young Rider horse, DSP Fighting Line. “Fighty” is an appropriate moniker for this tough gelding, who’s been in the form of his life this season, with two wins and a second place on his card. They regularly post sub-30 dressage scores and Lea will certainly be aiming for a clear round on cross country day; they added just 2.4 time penalties on their Olympic debut. This is a horse who’s enviously equally good in all phases, most often jumping clear in the final phase, although he did have one pole in the first round in Tokyo, and two in the second. But Lea’s the kind of rider who’s constantly learning and developing, and that will stand her in good stead as she comes forward for her second Games. With their trademark fighting spirit and three years more experience — including a World Championships — this pair will surely be looking to be make their mark even higher up the leaderboard this time around.

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Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Origi (BEL) | Groom: Bettina Cardinael

What an extraordinary couple of seasons Arville-based Lara is having. After a seriously tough run of luck culminated in her falling at the first fence on cross-country at Pratoni, the 36-year-old has only doubled her resolve and her formidable work ethic, and now she’s at the forefront of the changing tide of Belgian fortunes. The feather in her cap? A win with homebred Hooney d’Arville in the CCI5* at Luhmühlen in June, which made her the first-ever Belgian 5* winner — but that’s hardly her only accolade. She had two horses finish in the top ten at Aachen earlier in the month, she helped steer Belgium to both a qualification for Paris at last year’s Europeans and a series win in the FEI Nations Cup in 2023, and she ended last season with the second-most wins of any eventer in the world, the most cross-country runs, the most clear rounds in either jumping phase, the most clears inside the time, the most… well, everything, really. This year, she already has seven FEI wins to her name and, at the time of writing, 35 placings.

Origi might be a slightly surprising choice for fans, who will know that Lara has five horses qualified for the Olympics — after all, he’s just ten years old, and relatively short on experience compared to his stablemates. But Lara has always had him in mind as choice number one, because he’s capable of being very flashy on the flat, he’s quick and clever across the country — his few penalties, she insists, are down to bad decisions by her, not him — and he’s a truly remarkable show jumper. With the potential for two rounds on the final day, this little orange dude, who’s got three FEI top-fives to his name this year so far, is exactly who you’d like to find yourself sitting on.

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Karin Donckers and Leipheimer Van’t Verahof (BEL) | Groom: Dirk Vermeiren

Karin Donckers is a force to be reckoned with: at this point in her career, she’s already been to six Olympics, eight World Championships, and 14 European Championships. She’s arguably the most experienced rider in the entire field, and that makes her an extraordinary asset for the rising fortunes of the Belgian front, even if she’s on a slightly less-experienced horse than usual this time around.

We’re used to seeing Karin riding Fletcher van’t Verahof, with whom she competed in Rio, the last three World Championships, and four Europeans too. But the 19-year-old gelding, who was still running internationally as of May, is stepping down this time to make way for his full brother, the 13-year-old Leipheimer van’t Verahof. Together, he and Karin haven’t finished outside the top twenty in an FEI event since mid-2021, and while he’s still chasing an elusive first career win, he’s become a really consistent campaigner. He’s not slow, but he’s not wildly fast — usually, he’ll sit around 10 time penalties — and he’s a 30-ish scorer, too. That’s enough to put him there or thereabouts, and his penchant for a show jumping clear means he often winds up, if not in the top ten, then in the top twenty and very respectable. His reliability will be an asset as Belgium fights for a best-ever finish here, and while he won’t be a contender for an individual medal, he and his hugely experienced rider are worth their weight in gold when it comes to trying for the pipe dream of a team medal.

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Tine Magnus and Dia van het Lichterveld Z (BEL) | Groom: Dorien de Swaef

2022 Belgian Champion Tine Magnus has been making waves in her sport despite not actually eventing full-time — she works on her family’s chicory farm as her “proper” job, and events very successfully on the side of that. Her ride for this year’s Olympics, which will be her debut, is a remarkable 10-year-old in Dia van het Lichterveld Z, who many, many people have tried to get their hands on, totally unsuccessfully. It’s not hard to see why: from the start of her career, she’s had an eye-catching penchant for jumping and a huge amount of natural talent, and that promise has been followed through with every step up the levels.

Tine, who rides the striking mare for owner and breeder Kris Van Vaerenbergh, comes to Paris having won the technical, tough CCI4*-S at Strzegom with “Dia”, as well as placing in Saumur’s CCI4*-L on tricky ground. Dia is a low-to-mid-30s horse in the first phase, a naturally very quick and reliable cross-country horse, and a very good showjumper too, and while this selection comes early in her career, she’s arguably one of the most exciting talents in the sport — and so is Tine. We’ll likely see them hit their peak at LA in four years’ time, but this summer, they could help Belgium make history at the Olympics, and that would be an extraordinary fairytale finish.

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Traveling Reserve: Maarten Boon and Gravin Van Cantos (BEL) | Groom: Emmanuelle Haelvoet

Maarten gets the eleventh-hour call-up into the reserve slot after the Monday withdrawal of Cyril Gavrilovic and Elmundo de Gasco, and its a poignant moment for him with his 13-year-old Gravin van Cantos. These two have an incredible relationship and know each other so well that Maarten actually spends very little time watching other riders over courses they’re going to tackle, because he knows his horse and has a firm plan that suits her. That approach has seen them become an asset to the Belgian lineup at Nations Cups, and they tend to be pretty consistent and steady in all three phases, though one of their rare mistakes did come on the world stage at Pratoni in 2022, when they fell on cross-country. They’re very capable of a sub-30 score, a workmanlike cross-country round in a decent time, and a one-rail final phase.

Whether he gets to run or not, Maarten will be an asset to his fellow riders with his sunny optimism. He’s a real family man and that really shows on him, and he’s become part of the fabric of the Belgian eventing community: his first World Championships came as a groom in the late 90s for fellow Belgian Kris Vervaecke, and he’d often look after Kris’s young son, Senne. Now, as a team rider in his own right, Senne has spent the last few years coaching Maarten’s own son, who, he laughs, asks him most days when he might give him the ride on Gravin van Cantos, a horse the whole family enjoys riding at home.

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Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Castle Howard Casanova (BRA) | Groom: Georgia Rogers

Paris will be Marcio’s third time on an Olympic team, having competed in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. After earning seventh place in eventing at the Rio Games, Marcio moved to the United Kingdom and is now based at a yard in Wiltshire. His Olympic mount will be his partner of three years, Castle Howard Casanova. “Howard,” as the 11-year-old grey gelding is called back at the barns, is just really starting to step into his prime, having just completed a full season at the 4* level in 2022. Most notably, the pair came in at second place in the 2023 Pan American Games.

With just 11 starts under his belt, Howard has never had an obstacle fault on cross country, no matter the level, but is known to cross the finish line with a handful of time penalties. Slow and steady might be the main play in his book across the country, but Howard and Marcio are the ones to beat in the show jumping phase, going double-clear more often than not.

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Rafael Mamprin Losano and Withington (BRA) | Groom: Holly Fitzgerald

He may be just 27 years old, but Rafael has nearly 100 FEI starts to his name and an impressive track record, having competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games. However, he unfortunately had to retire on the cross country track in Tokyo, leaving him with what I’m sure is a lot to prove for his second attempt at the Olympic level.

Rafael has only been competing Withington internationally since June 2023, taking over the ride from Great Britain’s Sam Ecroyd, who was campaigning him at the 2* and 3* level. So far, their partnership seems to be off to a good start, even coming in ninth at the Pan-American Games in 2023, where he helped his team earn a Bronze medal. Most recently, they completed the 4*-S at Marbach in Germany, where a MIM activation added 11 points to their score, dropping them down from the middle of the pack to 32nd place. With a little luck, Rafael and Withington will be able to avoid a similar result at the Paris Olympics.

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Carlos Parro and Safira (BRA) | Groom: Charlotte Menzies

Carlos Parro saddles up for his fourth Olympic games representing Brazil, bringing forward his own and John and Juliet Chambers’ Safira, who is 12 this year. This mare is a special one for the Chambers of Springfield Stud, who also bred her by their homebred stallion, Spring’s Spirit. Safira joined Carlos’ string in the 2018 season, initially starting her international career in the show jumping ring and jumping through the CSI4* level. Carlos has been methodical in his production of the mare, waiting until 2023 to step her up to the CCI4* level.

In the fall of last year, Carlos and Safira were members of the bronze medal-winning Brazilian team in the Pan American Games, finishing 11th individually. The mare has done one 4*-L to date, at Sopot, where she finished sixth. She’s got a 6RA finishing score of 33.0 according to EquiRatings, which puts her solidly into contention for a strong finish at Paris. Show jumping might be a weaker link for this pair, as they’ve not collected a clear round at the 4* level to date, and should Carlos be in the top 25 after the team round, he will have the extra challenge of coaxing another round out of the mare.

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Traveling Reserve: Ruy Fonseca and Ballypatrick SRS (BRA) | Groom: Alena Dorotich

Ruy Fonseca finds himself in the traveling reserve position this year with Ballypatrick SRS, narrowly missing out on team selection for Brazil. A two-time Olympian and World Championships rider himself, Ruy brings a wealth of experience to the table should he be called in to join the team. He’s also a generous host, opening up his Bombadill Equestrian in England to multiple riders ahead of the Games and also to some of the U.S. Developing Tour riders who traveled overseas earlier this summer. Ruy and Ballypatrick SRS were also members of the Brazilian team in Chile at last year’s Pan American Games, finishing 12th individually. They also started the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022, but withdrew following dressage.

This pair has loads of experience at the 4* level, and while perhaps an unfortunate pick-up of 20 penalties on cross country at their final prep in Sopot may have deterred their eventual team selection, they’ve laid down an excellent body of work that can’t be ignored — particularly a stellar show jumping record nearly free of rails at the 4* level.

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Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS (CAN) | Groom: Lisa Barry

Jessica Phoenix gears up for her third Olympic Games with Canadian-bred Freedom GS. The mare’s suffix of GS makes her easily identifiable as a product of owner and breeder Charlotte Schickedanz’s family operation, Schickedanz Galten Farms. The family’s early pride came in the form of Abdullah, one of the most prolific show jumpers of the 1980s, and Jessie’s Paris partner is a descendant of Abdullah’s damline.

Sired by 4* eventer Humble GS, “Freedom” is the product of four decades of Canadian breeding. This pair will be pleased with a dressage result in the mid-to-low 30s. Jessie has carefully produced the mare through the levels, and her cross country record reflects her boldness. Time penalties in the endurance phase would be expected, but more often than not Freedom produces a penalty-free show jumping effort. Their average finishing score of 35.5 certainly keeps them punching against this field, especially considering the massive advantage that is Jessie’s championship experience.

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Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo (CAN) | Groom: Amber Wavryk

An impulsive purchase at the esteemed Monart Sale has paid off in spades for Karl Slezak, who seven years later is riding that planned resale, the mare Hot Bobo, in his Olympic Games debut. “Bobo” was a sale fail for Karl and his wife, Katlyn, as the mare was excessively spooky, but those early challenges turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the Irish Sport Horse has proven her worth time and time again. In her first season at the Advanced level, she made headlines winning the massively competitive Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, securing her place at the 2023 Pan American Games, where they helped team Canada secure their place in the 2024 Paris Olympics while earning individual fourth. On their best day, the pair are certainly capable of sub-30 dressage, as demonstrated by a score of 27.6 in their last outing, the CCI4*-S at Bromont, which they won. We can’t say the mare’s cross country record is faultless, but she’s certainly reliable and has shown she can rise to the occasion when it matters. While they had two rails down on the final day at the Pan Ams, this pair has also shown they can jump clear on a final show jumping day, and are lined up to be an exciting combination for the Maple Leafs.

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Michael Winter and El Mundo (CAN) | Groom: Amy Ferris

UK-based three-time Canadian Olympian Mike Winter is an advocate for diversity and anti-racism in sport, as well as speaking up for equality issues such as clean drinking water, education, and health care, using his platform as a top-level rider to raise awareness of these important issues. When he’s not training horses, going eventing, or being an advocate extraordinaire, Mike likes snowboarding and tractors.

While this is a first Olympics for El Mundo, he’s got solid championships experience under his cinch: he made the trip to Pratoni with the Canadian team in 2022 and then produced an excellent, career-best placing — individual fifth — at the Pan-American Games in Santiago last year, which helped Canada to team Gold. We’re looking at low- to mid-30s in the dressage, followed by a clear cross country jumping round; you have to go all the way back to Pratoni to find penalties on their record. They’re no slouches either, with time penalties this season firmly in the single figures. This gelding’s a one or none kind of guy in the show jumping, more often none, although he can add a smidge of time.

“Roberto” joined Mike’s barn as a six-year-old “produce and sell” prospect. But when a major injury meant Roberto was confined to box rest, Mike appointed himself as the gelding’s round-the-clock carer, and the bond they formed cemented their long-term partnership, a relationship that’s a joy to see in action when they’re out eventing together.

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Traveling Reserve: Colleen Loach and FE Golden Eye (CAN) | Groom: Meredith Wright

FE Golden Eye, aka “Goldie”, is a multi-talented gelding for sure, dabbling in the show jumping ring and giving lessons to young kids as well as placing in the top ten at events from Bromont in Canada to Santiago, Chile. Goldie’s passport will have yet another page filled when he travels to the Paris Olympics. Colleen says the 12-year-old gelding is “kind and quiet… We’ve used him for lessons with young kids before. I taught an 11-year-old, and she had a full flat lesson on him. He’s just the kindest, sweetest horse, and he’s very intelligent.”

Hopefully that big heart will help him out as the traveling reserve for the Paris Olympics. This will be Loach’s third time traveling to the Olympics, albeit her first time in the reserve slot, having traveled to Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020.

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Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof (CHN) | Groom: Holly Wharfe

It’s been a circuitous trek to Paris this year for three-time Olympic rider Alex Hua Tian. Initially China was to send a team to Paris, but unfortunately the nation lost their qualification due to a failed drug test for Alex’s other horse, Chicko, at the final qualifier at Millstreet last fall. Although investigation determined that the drug in question, Regumate, was ingested inadvertently, the loss of a team berth still stood. Alex then had to refocus his efforts on maintaining his qualification as an individual, and will bring forward the 15-year-old gelding Jilsonne van Bareelhof, a solid competitor at the 4* level, to Paris.

This pair has a great jumping record and are well-capable of dipping into the mid-low 20s on the flat, and Alex’s experience for this fourth Olympic appearance puts them into good stead to potentially move into that top 25 individual final round. Alex, for his part, is also a stalwart ambassador for equestrianism in China, though he bases his operations in the UK. He can often be found teaching clinics and otherwise bringing inspiration to other Chinese riders to chase their dreams of following in his footsteps.

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Huadong Sun and Lady Chin V’t Moerven Z (CHN) | Groom: Deborah Carpenter

This pair returns to the Olympics after representing on the Chinese team in Tokyo, where they finished ninth as a team and 37th individually. Now, Huadong Sun and Lady Chin V’t Moerven Z have another three years of practice under their belts, also dabbling in pure show jumping as they prepped for Paris. Huadong has lightly campaigned the 14-year-old mare in FEI competition this year after focusing on the 2023 Asian Games at the end of last year, where they finished fourth individually.

Impressively, Lady Chin V’t Moerven Z has very nearly a fault-free FEI record in terms of cross country jumping penalties — one pesky missed flag back in 2019 is the only mark against them. Show jumping’s a bit more of a weaker link for them, which can of course play into their chances at a top 25 individual finish this weekend, but the experience this pair has can’t be discounted and I would expect them to at least deliver a mid-high 20s mark on the flat and a clear cross country to put themselves into the best possible position for a strong finish.

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Miloslav Příhoda and Ferreolus Lat (CZE)

You may remember Ferreolus Lat as being the horse in Tokyo with the most strikingly voluptuous forelock. If you’ve been thinking about, like, other stuff since that Olympics (who are you?!), let us remind you: they finished 33rd at Tokyo after activating a frangible pin on their steady round and tipped just one pole on the final day. There they put a 33.8 on the board, which is about right — they’ve gone sub-30 once, in the European Championships at Avenches, which they contested shortly after Tokyo, and they’ve also crept into the high 30s a few times. They also competed at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022, though that was a trickier week — they added 20 penalties on cross country and ultimately finished 62nd. This year, they’ve run in a CCI4*-S at Sopot and a CCI4*-L at Strzegom, finishing eighth and third respectively, though in small fields.

They come forward this week as one of two Czech individuals, because their small central European nation was granted another spot after the contentious disqualification of Lithuania. Czechia feels a little bit like Austria, or perhaps one step behind it in terms of their role on the world stage — they’re working hard at the periphery of eventing’s heart in order to create long-lasting structures that’ll benefit their country from the top down.

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Miroslav Trunda and Shutterflyke (CZE)

Shutterflyke, who’s by Sir Shutterfly, is an out and out jumping horse, and contested the Six-Year-Old World Championships in her very first season of eventing back in 2017. This’ll be a second Olympics for her with Miroslav, who piloted her to 39th place at Tokyo with one mistake across the country at Tokyo. They also had twenty penalties while representing Czechia at the World Championships in 2022 — but generally speaking, actually, they’re a consistent pair in this phase, and have podium finishes in competitions such as the CCI4*-L at Strzegom.

Shutterflyke is a naturally quick horse with a high cruising speed, but the pair do lose some ground in the first and final phases. They trend towards the high 30s on the flat, and in showjumping, they’re usually going to take a couple of rails with them. But they’re still riding in service of the development of the sport in Czechia, and this Games is a great opportunity for that, thanks to the late acquisition of these two individual slots.

It’s well worth noting, too, that Miroslav is one of several riders in this competition to balance riding with another career. He’s an equine vet, specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of soundness problems.

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Peter Flarup and Fascination (DEN) | Groom: Anne Flarup

Our sole Danish competitor this week is the hugely experienced Peter Flarup, who was the head trainer for the national eventing team until two years ago, when he decided to step down to focus on his horses ahead of Paris. He’ll once again compete with 13-year-old Fascination, his Tokyo 2021 partner, with whom he finished 40th with two mistakes on the cross country. The horse was only a nine-year-old then, and in the years since, Peter’s put the work in to get him plenty more experience. That includes eight top-ten finishes at 4*, with a win at the CCI4*-S level at Maarsbergen last summer and a couple of trips around indoor eventing competitions too, which will have helped to expose the horse to unique pressure and atmosphere. Shortly after Tokyo, they had a run of unfortunate results, including a retirement on course in Luhmühlen’s CCI5*, and then retirement in a CCI3*-S and elimination in one of those indoor cross-country classes. From the start of the 2023 season onward though, that confidence knock has been resolved and their results have been hard to argue with. With the exception of one event, where Peter withdrew before cross-country, they’ve finished in the top ten in every FEI run in that time period (that’s eight placings).

Will that translate to a placing in Paris? It’s unlikely, because they’re almost certain to start around the 33 mark and finish with a rail or two, but they’re a quick pair who have become very reliable on cross country, and they should be able to fight for a really respectable result for their tiny nation. That’ll be the key thing — Denmark doesn’t get much funding for eventing, and riders are generally required to self-fund, so if Peter can nail down a great finish, it might make the powers-that-be take note.

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Nicolas Wettstein and Altier d’Aurois (ECU) | Groom: Diane Sulliger

Ready to feel like a complete under-achiever? Then please, read on. Nicolas Wettstein speaks five languages, has three passports, has ridden for three different nations, and has represented Ecuador at two Pan-American Games, two World Equestrian Game and, following Paris, three Olympics. Oh, and add to all of that the fact that eventing is not actually his full-time job. Instead, he juggles a top-level eventing career with his day job as CEO of a pharmaceutical distribution company in Geneva. To do that takes another level of dedication; Nicolas is up at 5 a.m. each day to ride his horses before work, and then squeezes in his own fitness sessions after work too. Born to a Swiss father and Algerian-born French mother, he rode for France as a Pony and Junior show jumper, before switching to Eventing — and the Swiss flag — as a Young Rider. However, he then switched nationality again in 2011, after meeting his Ecuadorian wife, Diana. “I really fell in love with the country — I got a feeling there I have never really felt in Europe,” he says of his decision..

His ride in Paris, the 14-year-old Selle Français gelding Altier d’Aurois, was also his ride for the Tokyo Olympic Games, though Nicolas openly acknowledges that he was a little green at those Games, where they dropped down the leaderboard after an early run-out on cross country. However, Paris 2024 was always the goal for this horse, who is owned by Nicolas and his parents and was bought as a seven-year-old show jumper. “A hard worker who always tries his best,” he was 14th at last year’s Pan-American Games, so hopefully Paris will see a marked improvement on his last Olympic appearance.

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Ronald Zabala Goetschel and Forever Young Wundermaske (ECU) | Groom: Ashley Kehoe

“My whole life revolves around horses,” says Ronald, the second of two individuals riding for Ecuador at this Olympic Games. This will be Ronald’s second Olympics; he made history in London 2012 with Master Rose as the first Ecuadorian eventer to compete at an Olympics. 43rd on that occasion, Ronald had also made history two years previously when he became the first rider from Ecuador to qualify for a World Equestrian Games too. He did not compete on that occasion, but he and his Paris ride, Forever Young Wundermaske, did compete at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, where they finished 64th.

Like his compatriot and fellow Paris Olympian Nicolas Wettstein, Ronald is not a professional eventer. Instead, he heads up several lucrative businesses, although the sole aim of his various business endeavors is to fund his equestrian pursuits. Born in Ecuador to non-equestrian parents, he was given a pony at three years old, and all but taught himself to ride. He moved to the USA in 1984 to take a degree in Business Administration at Boston University, before retuning to Ecuador to start his various business pursuits. Indeed, he actually gave up riding for nine years, but never lost sight of his Olympic dream, and returned to the States to pursue his equestrian goals in 2002. These days, he continues to travel between Ecuador and the States, juggling business and horses: “I was born with this chronic, incurable disease called ‘horse-alcoholicness’, and it’s gotten worse over the years,” says Ronald. That may be so, but it has also got him to two Olympic Games — not bad for a boy who taught himself to jump over a fallen log.

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Esteban Benitez Valle and Utrera AA 35 1 (ESP)

Spain fought hard for a team qualification through the Nations Cup series last year, even sitting out the European Championships to save their horsepower for that — but when circumstances meant that they couldn’t field a team for the finale at Boekelo, they sadly had to hang up their boots on the team dream, and Italy walked away with the spot instead. But good news for the Spaniards: they have two individual spots this week, and will be well-represented at the Olympics.

The first of their two riders is German-based Esteban, who has his own business, Cadiz Sport Horses, in Seedorf. He moved to Germany in 2016 to train and was based for a period of time with Elmar Lesch near Luhmühlen, who’s as well-known for producing exceptional young professionals as he is for producing top-class young horses. Esteban is perhaps best known for his partnership with the diminutive, fiery mare Milana 23, with whom he competed at the 2022 World Championships and the European Championships in 2021 and 2019. Milana’s now stepped down to run for fun at 1* with Esteban’s girlfriend, Valentina, and his focus is instead on the exciting young Utrera.

At just 11, the grey Spanish-bred mare has already notched up some very good results, and since September of 2022, she’s finished in the top ten in seven of her eight FEI starts. She’s had a quiet lead-up to Paris — in fact, she hasn’t run in an FEI event since getting her confirmation results in March at Montelibretti CCIO4*-S where she was fourth, because all Olympic candidates had to travel back to Spain to compete in the National Championships instead — but she’s on a very evident upward trajectory. Her former high-30s scores have become consistent low-30s ones, her showjumping is improving, and her best phase, the cross country, continues to be excellent. She’s one of the most naturally quick horses in the field, with very few career time penalties to her name and just one jumping penalty in this phase ever in her 23 FEI starts. That came last summer at Arville’s CCIO4*-S, and she’s been on excellent form in her few runs since. They won’t vie for an individual medal, but this is certainly a great opportunity for them to put Spanish eventing on the map.

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Carlos Diaz Fernandez and Taraje CP 21.10 (ESP) | Groom: Isabel Verdugo Manzano

This will be an Olympic debut for Carlos, who’s represented Spain at three World Championships and four European Championships. His most recent call-up at a championships came with the 11-year-old Taraje, who he rode at the 2022 World Championships. They got eliminated on cross country there, but evidently took a whole heck of a lot of learning away from an unfortunate situation, because since then they’ve been on super form. They haven’t finished lower than 16th in an FEI event since, and they’ve logged seven top-tens (and three wins!) since. Two of those wins came at Spanish 3*s, and one came in a small CCI4*-L at Floresti in Romania, where half the field was made up of horses who’ll be in Paris this week. In “real world” terms, they’ve gone sub-30 once at 4*, but more often sit around 30, with a 32.5 at the World Championships on their score card. They’re a very quick pair, and their elimination at Pratoni was their first cross country jumping mistake since the horse’s FEI debut. On Sunday, they tend towards a pole or two, but even so, they should do themselves — and the horse’s owner-breeder — proud as they help to develop Spanish eventing this week.

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Veera Manninen and Sir Greg (FIN) | Groom: Paivi Manninen

I just have to get this out of the way — I’m petitioning for Sir Greg to be the best-named horse in the whole of the Olympic field. In all seriousness, Greg and Veera are long-time partners, having competed together at the FEI level for nearly a decade. Veera describes the adorably grumpy Greg as a highly-motivated, intelligent, and willing horse. At just 24 years old, Veera took Greg through the Young Riders program, riding in the FEI Eventing European Championship 2021 for Young Rider and Juniors and placing seventh overall. Now, just three years later, she’s on the road to the Olympics in Paris.

Just a few weeks ago, Veera and Greg competed in the FEI Eventing Nations Cup in Strzegom, Poland, coming in sixth place by a narrow margin. A strong showing at a Nations Cup is exactly the sendoff you want prior to the Olympics. Hopefully this young pair can pull off a repeat performance in Paris.

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Sanna Siltakorpi and Bofey Click (FIN) | Groom: Aino Lavonen

Going to the Olympics is not cheap, something Finland’s team knows more than most. A close friend of Sanna’s, Sari Passaro, launched a campaign to help fund the Finnish team’s preparation for and travel to the Olympics. The campaign, which sells team merchandise and is run by volunteers, has become dual purpose for a country where eventing is a lesser-known sport. According to Sanna, “hopefully it will inspire other riders as well. If Veera and I made it to the Olympics, maybe it could be possible for me too.”

With a little luck and backed by a big support group of friends and family, Sanna and “Click” will hopefully pull off a great ride at Paris. Sanna bought Click when the 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood was just four years old, and together, they’ve competed at the FEI level for one year shy of a decade. Bar one event at Strzegom where they placed 19th, this pair hasn’t placed outside the top ten since 2022.

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Karim Laghouag and Triton Fontaine (FRA) | Groom: Coraline Radigue

Karim is France’s best-loved star, and with good reason: he’s just about the friendliest person you’ll encounter in the sport, and he’s got such a good sense of humour that he’ll make you laugh even if there’s no common language shared. (Case in point: his impromptu post-dressage rave, famously recorded in the now-defunct Event Rider Masters series, which was pure Karim silliness and joy.) He’s also one heck of a competitor: he’s got five European Championships, two World Championships, and two Olympics under his belt already, and was part of the Bronze medal winning team at Tokyo with Triton Fontaine and the Gold medal winning team at Rio in 2016 with Entebbe de Hus. At last year’s Europeans, over a course designed by our Olympic designer, he was a bronze medalist with the team and tenth individually with Triton. They were also second in Pau’s CCI5* in 2022.

The pair can start sub-30, but are more likely to put a 31 or so on the board in the first phase (it was a 32.4 at Tokyo) — but after that, they’ll stay very, very close to that score. They’re among the fastest in this field, and have a solid string of consistent form now since their string of 20s in 2022. On Sunday, they’re likely to jump clear in at least one of their rounds. Moreover, Karim has the experience and the attitude to be the glue that holds a team together and keep that French spirit alive and thriving at a home Games. Expect colossal cheers when he’s on course — and somehow, he’ll be able to interact with his fans even while bringing his full focus to the questions in front of him. He’s a rare kind of gem, really.

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Stéphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau (FRA) | Groom: Marine Renault

One of the most poignant partnerships in this line-up is that of 30-year-old Stéphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau, ordinarily styled as “Ride For Thaïs Chaman Dumontceau”. That prefix is an ode to the horse’s former rider and producer, young French talent Thaïs Meheust, who tragically lost her life in a cross-country fall while riding the gelding in the French seven-year-old championship at Haras du Pin back in 2019. She was just 22 and one of the country’s brightest rising stars, competing for her country at Pony, Junior, and Young Rider European Championships. Beyond that, she also represented the sport in FEI working groups and seminars, and was a force for positive change for everyone as she focused on her dreams.

One of those dreams was the Paris Olympics — and now she’ll get her chance to be there, thanks to her beloved horse and her friend Stéphane. Together, the pair have logged some exceptional results — they won a very, very tough Chatsworth CCI4*-S last spring, were sixth and bronze medalists with the team at the also very tough European Championships at Haras du Pin, and were eighth in the CCI4*-S at Pompadour this spring. They can go sub-30, and have even gone down to 22.8 at 4*, and they’re quick and very reliable across the country. They do, however, have a tendency to a rail.

This will be Stéphane’s second-ever team call-up, but he’s proven he’s more than ready to cope with the pressure — and he certainly won’t ride alone this week. It’s worth noting too that the Meheust family continues Thaïs’s legacy of positive change — the Ride For Thaïs foundation works to raise money for safety devices in the sport.

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Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe (FRA) | Groom: Aure Coulange

It always felt like a sure thing that Nicolas Touzaint, the stalwart of the French team, would be in Paris this summer, it just wasn’t clear which of his two top horses it would be with. Would it be Absolut Gold HDC, with whom he’d been team bronze medalist and individually sixth at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as team bronze medalist at the European Championships, or would it be 11-year-old Boekelo winner Diabolo Menthe?

In the end, it turns out it’s the latter who gets his first senior Championship call-up (he was bronze medalist in the Seven-Year-Old World Champs back in 2020, so he does have that under his belt). His is an impressive resume: in just 15 FEI runs, he’s got 13 top tens to his name, and two of those are wins. He’s never had a cross country jumping penalty in an international, and he’s gone clear inside the time eight times; he’s also a very good show jumper. And as for Nicolas? At 44, he’s already ridden for France at five Olympics, including playing a part in the team gold in Athens in 2004, as well as two World Championships and nine senior European Championships. He’s also the only Frenchman ever to win Badminton, which he did back in 2008. He’s got ice in his veins and is at his best on the World Stage, a very rare fall at the 2022 World Champs notwithstanding. He’s the kind of banker that the new three-to-a-team format begs for and will be aiming for team and individual medals this week.

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Traveling Reserve: Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge (FRA) | Groom: Marion Rodde

As far as reserves go, it’s a bit of a treat to be able to have a pair as strong as Gireg and the charismatic Aisprit de la Loge in your back pocket. They were individuals at last year’s Europeans, where they finished 15th, and they’ve got two top-three finishes from two 4* starts this year. They finished 13th at Badminton in 2023 when the conditions were seriously tough, and were 18th there in 2022. They do have some inconsistencies to their name — in 2022, particularly, they ran into some issues that they resolved through the season, and they’ve looked on strong form ever since.

If they’re called up, they should deliver a sub-30 test, and they’re reasonably quick across the country and pretty reliable in the final phase. They might not be as consistent as some of their teammates, but on their day, they’re very, very good indeed. Gireg was previously based in the UK and rode with Chris Burton, Sam Griffiths, and William Fox-Pitt during his time there — and you can see all their various influences in his riding.

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Rosalind Canter and Lordships Graffalo (GBR) | Groom: Sarah Charnley

They say good things come to those who wait, and that is certainly the case for current World Number One, former World Champion, and reigning European Champion, Ros Canter. She was travelling reserve in Tokyo, possibly one of the hardest roles to take at any Championships, but she has finally got her chance at Olympic glory in Paris. Strong favourites for Individual Gold, Ros and Lordships Graffalo have impressed from the off, coming second on their first 5* run at Badminton 2022, before taking the win last year with an untouchable performance from start to finish. Indeed, it was 2022 — the year that “Walter” was second at Badminton — that the eventing world really began to sit up and take notice, when he followed up that stellar 5* debut with a double clear at the World Championships to end up in fourth — and all of this as a relatively inexperienced 10-year-old.

Last year, Walter also romped home clear and inside the time on a particularly testing cross country day at the European Championships in Haras du Pin, adding just one rail to their first phase score to take the win. Theirs was the fastest round of the day, something that has become somewhat of a trademark of this horse, who’s natural ability to balance himself lends itself perfectly to the dressage too; not since 2021 has this horse gone above 30, and it was a score of 21.3 that led them to the win in Haras du Pin. “I just feel like a very lucky girl to have a horse like Walter in my life,” says Ros, who has just regained the top spot on the FEI World Rankings, and arguably Walter is just as lucky to have a rider like her!

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Laura Collett and London 52 (GBR) | Groom: Tilly Hughes

It’s hard to remember a time when London 52 wasn’t associated with record finishing scores and multiple 5* titles. Yet his was not an unchequered journey to the top. Despite early successes – top spot in the 8/9-year-old CCI4*-S at Blenheim in 2018 one of the most significant ones — “Dan” also had a few notable mistakes on his path to greatness, not least of which an elimination at the final water at the 2019 European Championships in Luhmühlen, where Laura was riding as an individual. However, he redeemed himself just a month later when he won the CCI4*-L in Boekelo, and it is fair to say he has never looked back. Laura refers to that event as the turning point in his career: “He’s always been quite a shy horse, but he has belief in himself now [post-Boekelo],” she said at the time. That belief manifested itself the following year, when he won his first 5*, at Pau. Selected for the Tokyo Olympics, the pair were ninth overall and helped to secure the Gold medal for Team GB.

The following year, Dan and Laura continued to cement their place at the top of the sport, winning Badminton in the spring and securing their selection for the World Championships in Pratoni. The wheels did come off again there with a shock drive-by, although Laura is determined to learn from her mistakes. She said “we tried to wrap him up too much” on that occasion, resulting in him being over-fresh on cross country day, so to avoid a recurrence of events, she plans to cross country school the week before Paris. With another 5* win at Luhmühlen last year, it seems that the only thing missing from Laura and Dan’s trophy cabinet is an individual medal, and there is every chance that Paris could be the place where they pick it up.

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Tom McEwen and JL Dublin (GBR) | Groom: Adam Short

JL Dublin made his first Team appearance back in 2021 at the European Championships in Avenches. Piloted by the legendary Nicola Wilson, who produced him from a five-year-old, the ever-precocious “Dubs” — still only a 10-year-old — won both individual and team gold. Following their tragic — and in Nicola’s case, career-ending — fall at Badminton the following spring, Tom McEwen took the reins, and this incredible gelding has continued to go from strength to strength. Together, they have made several further team appearances, including last year’s European Championships. They parted ways at the final water on that occasion — one of only three cross-country errors in this horse’s career to date — in one of the most shocking twists of a day that was admittedly full of surprises. Other than that though, the pair have been incredibly consistent at the top level and within touching distance of a big win on numerous occasions.

Second twice at Kentucky, third at Pau last year, second in the CCI4*-S at Luhmühlen this year, Tom and Dubs have yet to hit the number one spot at a big one, but with an ever-impressive dressage score — they won the 4*-S in Kronenberg this spring with a PB of 20.9 — it seems that they are on the cusp of doing so, and what better place to do pull it off than at an Olympics?! An Individual Gold medal would certainly be a nice addition to the Team Gold and Individual Silver medals that Tom brought home from the Tokyo Olympics — and there is a high chance he could be bagging himself another Team Gold, too!

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Traveling Reserve: Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir (GBR) | Groom: Alison Bell

It is testament to the strength and depth of the British team that the reigning World Champion is going as travelling reserve. Yes, you read that right: last year’s Aachen winners and this year’s Luhmühlen CCI4*-S winners, Yas and Banzai du Loir, are not actually lining up as part of the team of three in Paris. Instead, they will be waiting in the wings should anything go wrong for the other Brits, and what a pair to have sitting on the subs bench!

Runner up to Michael Jung on Banzai’s 5* debut at Kentucky in 2022, they went one better a few months later at the World Championships in Pratoni to take the World title. However, 2023 was not quite so successful for the pair; they had a shock 20 penalties on their return to Kentucky, and another at the European Championships, too. Still, as Yas herself, winner of every National title all the way up from Ponies, says, “that’s just horses, isn’t it? Some days you come out on top, and some days you don’t.” That’s not to say it was all bad though; they also became the first British combination to top the podium in Aachen, and were also second to their teammates Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim. They have put their run of bad luck firmly behind them this year it would seem, with another podium finish in Kentucky, as well as taking the top spot in the CCI4*-S in Luhmühlen. Yas will no doubt be a little disappointed to be in the reserve spot with Banzai– a horse who was bought with the goal of getting to Paris — but as one of the brightest stars in British Eventing, and still practically just a child at 27, there is no doubt that this will not be her last Olympics.

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Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH (GER) | Groom: Jenny Brendel

Chipmunk FRH is apparently the Leonardo DiCaprio of the horse world. Just as Leo was regularly snubbed for his reclusive Oscars statuette, “Chip” is still on the hunt for an Individual Gold medal to hang on his stall door, despite being one of the top eventing horses in the world. He’ll have to console himself with his two Team Gold medals (Pratoni World Championships 2022 and Luhmühlen Regional Championships 2019) instead.

Of course, Michi and Chip have still had a hugely-impressive career together. With a total of 25 4* starts on their record, this pair has galloped out of more 4* start boxes in the last few years than most will in their lifetime. However, he has been stuck in an always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride type situation, with one rail at the last fence costing him the gold at Pratoni in 2022, and similarly had one rail down at this year’s Luhmühlen Olympic Selection Trial CCI4*-S, again costing him the win. With a little luck, the rails will stay in their cups in the final phase at the Paris Olympics, and Michi and Chip will come home with the Individual Gold they’ve been striving for.

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Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S (GER) | Groom: Li Ann Kirchheim

It is hard to believe that Christoph Wahler is only 30 years old; he has already achieved so much. He represented his country on five occasions as a Junior and Young Rider, bringing home several medals including an individual bronze in 2015 at the Young Europeans. Second in the 5* at Luhmuhlen in 2021, he and Cartajan S went on to finish seventh in the European Championships in Avenches later that year, his first Senior Championship where he was riding as an individual. He played a key role in helping to bring home Team Gold at the 2022 World Championships, adding only 9.6 cross country time faults to his first phase score, and finished just behind his teammate Sandra Auffarth in fourth place at last year’s European Championships in Haras du Pin, where he again added just cross country time faults to his finishing score. Germany won the Silver medal on that occasion, confirming Christoph and Cartajan as an invaluable part of the German team.

All of this, and Christoph doesn’t even consider eventing to be his full time job; in 2020, he took over the management of his family’s highly-successful breeding operation, Klosterhof Medingen, established by his grandfather and responsible for breeding some of the world’s best Trakehners. It would not be all that surprising to see Christoph take a place on the Individual podium in Paris, and this certainly won’t be the last Olympic appearance for this talented young man.

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Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21 (GER) | Groom: Sandra Decker

A late overnight shuffle created instant headlines — the reigning Individual Gold medalist has left the German bench and is ready to defend her Olympic title as the first female Individual Gold medalist in eventing. While Nickel 21 might be a bit younger and not quite as experienced as Julia’s Olympic Champion and World Reserve Champion partner Amande de b’Neville, he is definitely not to be discounted and will certainly hold his own with Chip and Carjatan. He’s coming off a surprising (but not really) win at CHIO Aachen and has a whole slew of 4*-S placings to his name at the tender age of 10.

Nickel’s had a bit of a circuitous journey to this stage; he was originally purchased to be a show jumper, but didn’t display enough progression and instead transitioned into eventing initially with a young rider. Julia eventually took back the ride after the young rider, Sophia Rössel, took a gap year (lucky duck). Julia describes him as incredibly genuine, which is a marker of her rides if you look back through her recent history of Samurai du Thot, Chipmunk, and Amande de B’Neville. “Nickel is just like your best buddy,” she described at Aachen. “He really, really wants to go well with you — it’s very cool.”

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Traveling Reserve: Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom Of The Opera (GER)

What a week for 23-year-old Calvin, who’s at the forefront of an extraordinary next-gen of German talent. He now finds himself in the traveling reserve spot, having occupied the achingly tough “fifth man” position — a spot that requires you to be available and on site but restricts your access to all that sweet merch, and requires you to leave once the competition begins. And so the sweet relief at getting to be a part of it all must be enormous, even if it’s a touch bittersweet to see a teammate miss out.

Enough of how he got here, though — let’s look at the credentials Calvin brings to the table. He was once styled “the Young Jung” by EquiRatings for his stylish, intuitive riding, which saw him attain huge success and accolades throughout his Pony, Junior, and Young Rider career. He’s based in the Warendorf system that produces the Olympians of the future and so rides under Julia Krajewski, who has stepped into the team proper now. His 5* debut came at Kentucky this year, where he and Phanty won plenty of fans through their palpable bond, their boldness, and their joie de vivre — and though they picked up 20 penalties on course, they looked every inch en route to being big winners in years to come.

Just before Paris, they were runners up at CHIO Aachen — an extraordinary accomplishment for a rider still so early in his career. He was also sixth at Luhmühlen’s CCI4*-S in June — a huge selection trial full of the very best of the best — with Altair de la Cense, a mare he’s carefully and sympathetically brought back to the top after a long stint of 20s even when she went back down to two-star. He and Phanty, who was initially produced by Sandra Auffarth, have a colossal amount of top ten finishes to their name, and if they’re used this week, they should start around the 30-31 mark, deliver a speedy round on cross country day, and then, on Sunday, they’re about 50/50 on clears and one-rail rounds. Even if he doesn’t run, Calvin will have an extraordinarily educational week that will play a huge part in his development as Germany’s next big thing.

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Balázs Kaizinger and Herr Cooles Classico (HUN)

We’ve got a sole Hungarian representative in this year’s field, and his will be a familiar name to anyone who follows eventing on the continent. Balász (that’s pronounced “Balash”, for what it’s worth) will be his country’s first representative at the Games since 1996, and that’s a great score for the central European nation. He’s been based in Germany for the better part of a decade, and competed with his top horse, Clover, at the 2022 World Championships, finishing 61st.

Twelve-year-old Herr Cooles Classico, who was initially produced by Germany’s Beeke Jankowski until 2021, stepped up to 4* in the middle of 2023. He has six runs at the level under his belt, and other than one activated safety device, he’s got a clear string of cross-country rounds. While he’s not among the fastest horses in the field, he’s not slow either — he added just 4.8 time penalties in his sole CCI4*-L start, which came at Sopot in May. They’re a mid- to high-40s pair on the flat, and tend to have a couple of rails on the final day, but a solid completion will be their goal and is absolutely within their grasp. That’ll be a great foundational finish as Balász continues to build this exciting “second-string” horse for the future.

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Susie Berry and Wellfields Lincoln (IRL) | Groom: Crisy Salmon

Susie Berry is already a Championship veteran, having represented Ireland at every stage of her career. That includes six European Championships from Ponies to Young Rider level, as well as appearances on Senior European and World Championship teams. All of that, and she is still only 28 years old. Moving over to the UK in 2014 to base with Piggy March, Susie was part of the first cohort of young riders to participate in the Wesko Foundation Young Eventer Programme, receiving mentorship from the likes of Pippa Funnell as a result. She left Piggy’s yard in 2020, setting up on her own just a few miles down the road in Kettering, Northampton, which made the move a lot less daunting: “All my friends are still here, all my support network, like the farrier, the physio, the vet. They all stayed the same, so it took quite a lot of the pressure off leaving the comfort blanket that was Piggy’s to set up my own.”

This will be Susie’s first Olympics, and her first Championship with “Slinky”, a horse she has produced since 2018. Still only 11, Slinky has “fewer miles on the clock than the others [horses she could have been selected on]” but they have been top ten on all but one of their International starts so far this season, and can be relied on to produce not only a low, if not sub-30 dressage score, but a safe and clear cross country round. Add to that an ability to jump clear on the final day more often than not too, and there is little doubt that Susie’s Olympic debut will be a remarkable one, and possibly the first of many.

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Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M (IRL) | Groom: Emily Singleton

Not content with only being an accomplished equestrian, Sarah Ennis is also very into water-based activities and is a keen diver, qualified to Divemaster level (no idea what that means; I guess if you know, you know?!). In between all of that, she has managed to find time to represent her country on several different occasions, contributing to the Team Silver Medal at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, where she also finished fifth. Part of the Tokyo Olympic team, she was also part of the Irish squad at last year’s European Championships in Haras du Pin, delivering the second-fastest time of the day and helping to bring the Irish agonizingly close to the podium again, with a fourth-place finish for the team. Remarkable really, given that she only started eventing when she was 18; prior to that she was solely focused on dressage.

Tiny Action Lady M — she stands at just 14.3hh — is still relatively inexperienced at just 10 years old, although she has pulled off a double jumping clear on all of her starts this season, landing comfortably in the top 10 in all three of her international starts. Her dressage score averages around the mid to low 30’s, which should leave them comfortably in the middle of the pack, although they could well climb following the jumping rounds, which are undoubtedly their strong suit.

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Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue (IRL) | Groom: Francesca Denning

There was not a dry eye in the house when Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue topped the podium in Maryland last year and became the first Irish rider to do so since 1965. This pair burst onto the international stage at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where the last-minute withdrawal of Cathal Daniels and Rioghan Rua saw them being called up from the reserve spot. Despite a rather uninspiring dressage, they would go on to record the fastest cross country round of the day, and finish best of the Irish in 13th place. Since then, their star has continued to rise, culminating in that historic win in Maryland.

Eighth at Badminton in 2022 and third last year, to go clear inside the time — or at least very, very close — is something that is almost expected of these two, and barring a very uncharacteristic drive-by at the Leaf Pit at Burghley last year (which ultimately set him on his path to Maryland), “Salty’s” cross country record is nigh on immaculate. Second in this year’s CCI4*-S at Bramham with a first phase PB of 26.4, Austin is aware that dressage would be this horse’s Achilles heel, and as such has been working hard with Tracie Robinson to lower their usual score of mid to low 30’s. The hard work seems to be paying off, and what a time for it to be coming to fruition as they head into their second Olympics together.

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Traveling Reserve: Aoife Clark and Freelance (IRL) | Groom: Natalie Wallace

Aoife spent most of last season on the sidelines, having badly broken her arm earlier in the season. “A year ago my arm was swinging and I had to ‘catch’ it, with bits of bone coming out in all sorts of places they shouldn’t,” she reflected, following her selection as traveling reserve with the 11-year-old mare, Freelance. So while she may not get her chance to start in Paris, the very fact that she is going is nothing short of miraculous — it took until earlier this year for Aoife to be fully fit and riding again. Luckily, Laura Collett deputized for her last season, giving Freelance a couple of educational CCI4*-L runs before Aoife took the reins again at the beginning of this year.

Fourth in the CCI4*-L at Saumur with just a couple of cross country time faults to add to their first phase score of 27.2, Aoife and Freelance are everything you could ever wish for in a Team Reserve: capable of a smart dressage score as well as a steady double clear — rarely does Freelance lower more than a pole, if that, in the final phase. Aoife brings forward a wealth of experience too; she was seventh at the 2012 London Olympic Games — best of the Irish, on that occasion — and has been in the top 10 at Badminton more than once as well.

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Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes (ITA) | Groom: Francesca Genovese

We see Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes heading in to Paris coming off of a 13th individual and Team Silver in the 4* Nations Cup at Avenches in June. Bertoli and the 13-year-old mare “Fidjy”, owned by the rider and az. Agricola di campello argenta, have been partners since 2020, and moved up to the 4* level quickly that year, finishing their first 4* together in 18th at Pratoni. Since then, these two have been seen to score in the upper 20s or low 30s in dressage and have a typically clear cross country record, with an occasional rail.

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Emiliano Portale and Future (ITA) | Groom: Simone Tenti

Emiliano Portale, along with his, Scuderia 1918 Capital srt, and Emma McNab’s gelding Future, bring their new but experienced partnership to Paris. Named the 2021 Athlete of the Year by the National Union of Veterans of Sport of Rome in Italy, Portale started riding “Manny” in the 2023 season. Manny had previous 4* experience with Pietro Grandis prior to Portale taking the ride, and while this partnership is new, they have already finished in the top 10 at four 4* events. We often see an upper-20 or low-30 dressage score, an impressively clear cross country record, and typically a rail or two.

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Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly Temptress (ITA) | Groom: Charlotte Hodgson

Giovanni Ugolotti and Krin and Kristina Rausing’s Swirly Temptress bring a long term partnership to the table. Ugolotti rode the now-12-year-old mare at the 1* level back in 2018, developing her to the 4* level in 2020 and finishing 19th at Strzegom in her 4* debut. Since then, these two have 17 4* competitions starts under their belt, and notably won the 4*-L at Ballindenisk in 2022. These two typically wow in the dressage, often scoring in the 20s at the 4* level, even scoring a 24.4 at Boekelo. They have a solid cross country record, but a possibility of a rail or two.

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Traveling Reserve: Pietro Sandei and Rubis de Prere (ITA) | Groom: Gaia Nelli

Pietro Sandei and az.agr. Galanthus di Castellani S.’s gelding Rubis de Prere come on to the team as the traveling reserve, adding the Olympics to their impressive and extensive resume. This partnership began competing at the FEI levels together back in 2011 at the 1* level. Over the last 13 years, Sandei and “Rubis” have competed in the 2018 World Equestrian Games, ridden through the 5* level — recently finishing 10th at Luhmühlen in June — and have a handful of 4* wins under their belt, including at Pratoni this May, Montelibretti last November, and in the 4*-L at Montelibretti in 2021. While a sub-30 dressage score has been seen from these two, they consistently score in the low to mid 30s, often jump around the cross country clear, but do have the chance of a rail.

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Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka (JPN) | Groom: Matt Glenworth

In Tokyo, Ryuzo was traveling reserve with Feroza Nieuwmoed, and stepped in after the cross country elimination of teammate Yoshi Oiwa to show jump for his nation, which he did with a smart clear round inside the time. In 2016, he got the call-up with Just Chocolate and picked up 40 penalties across the country, withdrawing before the final horse inspection. Now, perhaps, the third time will be the charm as he heads to Paris on the team with the very talented Cekatinka JRA, who was purchased from the Prices’ yard ahead of Tokyo in Team Japan’s big buying spree.

Their form would suggest this one will go very well: they were second in the CCI4*-L at Ballindenisk in April and won the CCI4*-S at Mata do Duque in Portugal in March after Cekatinka sat out the 2023 season. That break came after the 2022 World Championships, where they jumped clear on cross country day but withdrew before the final horse inspection. They’ve gone sub 30 a few times at 4*, and as low as 25.7 back in 2022, but are generally low-30s or 30 scorers. They’re reliable and pretty speedy, and very good showjumpers — Cekatinka’s a clever, quick-footed, catty mare ,and Ryuzo gets great training from Angela Tucker, with whom he’s based in England.

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Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street (JPN) | Groom: Emily Gibson

Japan has really invested in horsepower over the last couple of Olympic cycles, and although the plug looked pulled on that funding last year when Japan initially failed to qualify a team, they hit the ground running again once China’s disqualification meant that they stepped onto the team roster. Their biggest purchase of the year? Pippa Funnell’s 2019 Burghley winner, MGH Grafton Street, for hugely experienced Yoshi Oiwa.

Yoshi made history for Japan at London 2012 when he led the first phase; he made history again when winning Bramham’s CCI4*-L in 2017, becoming the first-ever Japanese rider to win a 4* outside his home nation. He’s been based in Germany for years, training with Dirk Schrade and basing his business out of his yard, but now he joins the rest of team Japan in the UK. One of the conditions of “Squirrel’s” sale was that the horse stay on Pippa’s Surrey yard and under her supervision, and that’s working well for them all so far — the notoriously mercurial, but very talented gelding has been performing superbly with Yoshi, who’s been able to fast-track his understanding of the horse with expert guidance from the person who knows him best.

They have four runs together at FEI events so far since coming together over the winter — a steady clear to start off at Kronenberg CCI4*-S, a quicker run at Burnham Market for 15th, a speedy fourth place in Ballindenisk’s CCI4*-L, and finally a 12th place in a big, hugely competitive selection trial CCI4*-S at Bramham in early June. Squirrel is never a sure thing — his penchant for a naughty run-out crops up throughout his career — but now, at 16, he’s looking like he might be ready to really take it all seriously. It’ll be fascinating, any which way, to watch this new partnership learn about one another through their biggest competition yet. They should start sub 30 — though maybe not with the crazy lows that Pippa sometimes got the horse to, like a 22.8 at Burghley — and if the communication is on point, they should be very quick across the country. A rail, though, is not out of the question in the final phase.

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Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne (JPN) | Groom: Jackie Potts

Up until 2016, Kazuma Tomoto had never ridden around a cross country course — up until then, show jumping was his chosen discipline. However, having made the decision to switch to eventing with an initial goal of riding at the World Equestrian Games in 2018, he also then made another momentous decision: to move to Britain and base with William Fox-Pitt. Both decisions have paid off — he was part of the fourth-placed Japanese team at WEG in 2018, before going on to be fourth individually at the Tokyo Olympics. Although he had to learn almost everything about eventing from scratch, and initially found cross country a little scary, his name regularly features at the top of the leaderboard. He has come second at Blenheim twice, completed his first 5* in 2019, and was top 10 at both the World Championships and Pau in 2022.

It was with Vinci de la Vigne — a horse previously campaigned by French rider Astier Nicolas — that Kazuma took eighth place at the Worlds, adding just a pole and some cross country time faults to an impressive 25.9 dressage score, and the pair were third in the CCI4*-S at Bramham earlier this year. “He’s got a great eye and a very good feeling with a horse,” says his mentor, William Fox-Pitt, and Kazuma is equally as complimentary about him, crediting him with contributing to much of his success thus far: “He always gives me good advice.” Kazuma has a very good chance of finishing on the podium in Paris, making history in the process — the perfect story for an Olympics!

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Traveling Reserve: Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson (JPN) | Groom: Rowan Laird

Reserve for Team Japan, Toshiyuki is another rider who came to the sport a little later than most, at 22. It was a show jumping competition on TV that led to him learning to ride at Riding Club Crane in his native country, before his mentor there, Olympic veteran Kazuhiro Iwatani, encouraged him to take up eventing. Not only did he do just that, he also made the decision to move 6000 miles across the world to the UK, and base with Angela Tucker at Tetbury in Gloucestershire, despite not knowing a word of English. Twelve years later, he is preparing for his third Olympics, having also represented Japan at his home Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, as well as at the London Olympics in 2012. Part of the Japanese team at the World Championships in Pratoni, he completed his first 5* at Badminton back in 2019.

Toshiyuki and Jefferson only came together last year; prior to that he had been campaigned by Australia’s Chris Burton and then Bubby Upton, who took the reins in 2022. With Bubby, Jefferson came third in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim, and he and Toshi have enjoyed several top-10 placings together in their relatively short partnership, not least of all second place in the CCI4*-L at Blair Castle last year. With a dressage score averaging around the 30 mark — although it has dipped into the 20’s on occasion this year — and a propensity for a double clear, Team Japan can rest easy in the knowledge that their reserve horse and rider have the ability to make a very positive contribution to the Team result, should they be called upon to do so.

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Noor Slaoui and Cash In Hand (MAR)

One of the great stories of this year’s Games is that of Morocco’s Noor Slaoui, who is her nation’s first-ever international eventer and will be the first Arab woman or North African equestrian ever to compete in eventing at the Olympics. She’s not yet 30, and only began eventing at 19 when she’d relocated to the UK for university and drove past a horse trials and thought the whole thing looked rather like good fun. But horses were in her blood long before that — as a child in Casablanca, she’d spend whole days on the back of mules riding around the mountains, and when she moved to France at 18, she did a stint training with the Cadre Noir to become a riding instructor and graduate to “proper” riding. When she did discover eventing, she decided to do it properly: she bought a green seven-year-old and based herself with Aussie eventer Bill Levett to learn all she could. Within a couple of years, she went from BE90 to 3*, and now, here she is.

She’s still based in the UK, and runs a business buying, producing, and selling horses with Deborah Fellous, which helps to find her upper-level campaign with “Cashman”. But that’s not all this Forbes’ “30 Under 30” lister does — she’s also very involved with a remarkable project spearheaded by her mother, Amina, who became a paraplegic in her 30s after a cycling accident on holiday. Struck by how little support there was for people with disabilities, she started a rehabilitation centre in Bouskoura — the Noor Centre, no less — that’s helped over 25,000 people. It’s remained independent and uses a financing model that allows people without funds or insurance to receive treatment alongside those who can afford to pay. Noor has brought her own spin to the centre — she’s made visits with horses and ponies for therapeutic interactions with the patients.

All in all? She’s a rider well worth throwing your support behind as she trailblazes for her region, for Arab women, and for people living with disabilities. A steady completion will be her goal, and that will represent so much more than simply getting to the end of the competition.

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Janneke Boonzaaijer and Champ de Tailleur (NED) | Groom: Ria Westeneng

Janneke makes her sophomore Olympic appearance this week, having competed at Tokyo as an individual with Champ des Tailleurs. Their week there was an educational one; they picked up 20 penalties and an additional 11 for activating a MIM clip, and were subsequently eliminated for being deemed to have missed a fence in a combination. But now-26-year-old Janneke used the experience to fuel her fire, rather than dampen it, and she and her 17-year-old Champ have been on a roll since then. They finished 17th at last year’s European Championships and contributed to the team qualification here — the first Dutch team in eventing since Rio. They won Baborowko CCI4*-L last season, finished third in the Nations Cup CCIO4*-S at Strzegom the same year, and jumped competitive clears in three CCI4*-S classes this year, including over the tough terrain and conditions of Bicton.

They’ve often been mid-30s scorers, but they’ve been creeping downward, and that Bicton run saw them post a sub-30, so they look set to peak at the right moment. They’re ordinarily very reliable across the country — Tokyo was an outlier for them — and reasonably quick, and they’re more likely to show jump clear than not. They’ll helm an exciting Dutch effort this week and represent a fantastic building block for the future of the sport in the country.

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Sanne de Jong and Enjoy (NED) | Groom: Jantien van Zon

It’s an Olympic debut for Sanne and her homebred Enjoy, who have previously represented the Netherlands at the 2022 World Championships, where they competed as individuals and finished 58th, and the European Championships in 2023 and 2021. They’ve also been to the Six- and Seven-Year-Old World Championships, and finished fourth at the former.

These two know one another inside and out — they’ve grown up together from the game mare’s birth, and Sanne broke her in herself. They’ve done all their “firsts” together – first 4*s, First Nations Cups, first Senior callups. Sanne’s mother, Jantien, who works for the Dutch federation, evented the mare’s granddam, and Joy’s mother, Next Joey, was intended for competition too, but lost her vision in one eye in an accident as a youngster and so became a broodmare instead.

Now, at 29 (Sanne) and 15 (Joy), they’re ready to tackle their biggest milestone yet. Their first-phase scores can fluctuate — they’ve gone sub-30 a few times at 4*, but can also reach the high-40s. They’re consistent across the country, and sit at a middling speed; their last 20 penalties came at last year’s Europeans, and so they’re averaging one wobble per year in internationals but a lot of smart clears. Sanne’s put a tonne of work into the final phase, too — it used to be a little tricky for Joy, and now she’s got a clear run stretching back a year. That’s no surprise, really — Sanne, who’s a keen producer of talented young horses, also spends a lot of time doing pure show jumping.

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Raf Kooremans and Radar Love (NED) | Groom: Lydie Kooremans

This is a relatively new partnership, with Raf and Radar Love having gotten together just before this season with Paris very much in mind. Radar Love, who is competing under this shortened name in Paris due to corporate naming restrictions from the IOC, was formerly campaigned by fellow Dutch young rider Sterre van Houte, who took the horse to Junior Europeans and competed through the 3* level. Dutch Olympian Merel Blom also formerly competed the horse, giving him experience at the 4* level.

This isn’t a pair that will necessarily threaten the top of the leaderboard in the first phase, and while they’re very much still building a partnership, they do have a decent jumping record at the 4* level and will be looking to deliver a personal best performance in Paris. A second-place finish in the 4*-L at Strzegom earlier this year cemented their trip to the Olympics, which will be a first for Raf, though he does have senior championships experience as a World Championships rider in 2018 and multiple appearances at the European Championships.

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Traveling Reserve: Elaine Pen and Divali (NED) | Groom: Sabine Heijn

London 2012 Olympian Elaine Pen returns this year as traveling reserve for the Dutch with the 16-year-old Divali. This pair had a couple of blips on their record in 2023, including a fall at the European Championships, but really if you can look past those, they’ve got quite a consistent record that’s mostly free of cross country jumping penalties — always a key at these Olympic Games. They’ve got two top-five or top-10 finishes in as many 4*-L starts together dating back to 2020, so they’re flush with experience should they be needed at the midnight hour to come in and save the day as a substitute.

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Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park (NZL) | Groom: Marcus Bean

Highest-placed Kiwi at the 2016 Rio Olympics Clarke Johnstone only recently relocated back to the UK; he returned home to New Zealand in 2013, having precociously been based with Sir Mark Todd at Badgerstown. Since his return, he has been based at Aston Farm in Gloucestershire, home of Mark Phillips, and in 2022 he and Menlo Park were part of the Bronze medal winning team at the World Championships in Pratoni. Originally produced by Kevin McNab, Menlo Park was also briefly ridden by Oliver Townend, before being sold to Australia, where Tim Boland competed him for a season, though rider injury ultimately led to Clarke buying him. Together a relatively short time, theirs is already a strong partnership, finishing in the top 15 in all but one of their international starts.

Clarke, who has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Otago, was also part of the Bronze medal winning team at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, and he and Menlo Park finished 15th at CHIO Aachen last year, adding just a rail and cross country time faults to their dressage score. That is typical of this combination; they have only ever had cross country jumping faults on one occasion since Clarke took over the ride, and you can count on one hand the number of rails they have had in that time, too. However, this will be a somewhat bittersweet Olympics for Clarke, after the sudden death of his partner Codey Jervis last year. “Having the goal of the Olympic Games, which we were both so invested in, has kept me going the past six months, and I have poured my heart and soul into training and competing my lovely horses this year to make our goal a reality,” says Clarke. “I know he would be so proud.” Making a good result in Paris would be all the more meaningful.

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Jonelle Price and Hiarado (NZL) | Groom: Rosie Thomas

This is the fourth Olympic call up for UK-based Jonelle — one half of New Zealand’s eventing power couple. Her ride here in Paris is Hiarado, a relatively new ride for the former FEI World Number 2; she only took the reins in 2022. Prior to that, this diminutive little mare was ridden by Grace Taylor, who took her all the way to 4* level. However, Jonelle has wasted no time in forming an incredibly strong partnership with the mare, and they have rarely been out of the top 20 since joining forces.

Described by her groom, Rosie Thomas as a “feisty little mare with a very big attitude”, Hiarado was seventh on her 5* debut in Pau last year, propelling Jonelle back into the big leagues after the retirement of her top two rides (Faerie Dianamo with whom she won the Luhmuhlen 5*, and Badminton winner Classic Moet) the previous year. “When you ride a horse like Hiarado, it’s pretty motivating, and I can’t wait to see what she is going to do next year,” Jonelle said of the mare after her top-10 finish at Pau last year, and it is safe to say that she has high hopes for Paris. Perhaps Jonelle can help to end the Kiwi Olympic medal drought, and repeat the Team Bronze — or better — that she contributed to as part of the team in London 2012.

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Tim Price and Falco (NZL) | Groom: Kerryn Edmans

Paris marks a third Olympic call up for former FEI World Number 1 and multiple 5* winner Tim Price. His partner out here, the dinky, doughnut-loving Falco, already has a 5* title to his name, having won Pau back in 2021 as well as a Team and Individual World Championship medal from Pratoni in 2022. He was set to run at Maryland last year too, but emergency colic surgery put paid to those plans. Happily, his recovery has clearly gone without a hitch, and he is back in the spotlight once again. Although Tim has always seen the potential in this horse — “I’ve never known another horse like him” — it took a little while for his natural talent to channel itself in entirely the right way. Up util 2021, a run-out or stop cross country would not be out of the question for Falco, but he has become increasingly consistent since then, verifying Tim’s faith in him. “He has never made the same mistake twice,” says Tim — truly the best way to learn, and to get to the top. With an impeccable show jumping record, last having a rail in 2021, and a natural flair for dressage, Falco — “Mr. Nice Guy,” according to groom Kerryn Edmans — has all the ability to bring home an Olympic medal for Team New Zealand and Team Price!

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Traveling Reserve: Caroline Powell and Special Cavalier (NZL) | Groom: Tristan Hudson

It barely seems feasible that this year’s Badminton winners, Caroline Powell and Special Cavalier — “Cavvy” — are heading to Paris as traveling reserve, rather than as one of the main three. Still, Caroline is thrilled to have even been selected for another Olympics: “What an honour to represent my country again. I can’t wait for the Games. It’s always a very special time.” This special mare has always shown bags of promise, finishing top 20 at the Le Lion d’Angers Seven-Year-Old Young Horse Championships in 2019. She went on to finish fifth in her first 5* at Pau in 2022, seventh at Aachen last year, and sixth at Maryland last year too. That came after an educational first run around Badminton, where she picked up an uncharacteristic 40 penalties and a whole heap of time cross country, although Caroline credits that experience to helping the mare to her victory at the event this year.

What Cavvy may lack in experience, her rider makes up for — this will be her third Olympics, having made her debut at Beijing in 2008, and contributed to the Kiwi Bronze medal at London in 2012. Both of those team appearances were with the great Lenamore, with whom she also won Burghley in 2010. We may not see Caroline and Cavvy start in Paris, but as she still is reasonably young, perhaps this will be a good warmup for LA in four years time!

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Malgorzada Korycka and Canvalencia (POL) | Groom: Aleksandra Sliwinska

After representing Poland in the 2022 World Championships and the 2021 European Championships, Malgorzata “Gosia” Korycka and Canvalencia make their Olympic debut in France. This is a very experienced pair at the 4* level, having stepped up in 2019 and logging 21 starts at the level since then, including multiple Nations Cup appearances. On a great day, this pair can earn a low-30s mark on the flat, and they’re pretty reliable on cross country as well with just a couple of blips on their record to date. Show jumping for this pair can yield a pole or two down, but they have shown their capability of jumping clear, and if Malgorzata can do what she can to get on that optimum time cross country, she’ll make a strong showing for Poland, who will be wanting to put the “what can go wrong, will” element of the Tokyo Olympics behind them this weekend. Malgorzata is part of an eventing-centric family, as she’s currently engaged to Tokyo Olympian Jan Kaminski. She and Jan operate their Stajnia Kozerki stables just outside of Poland’s capital, Warsaw.

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Robert Powala and Tosca del Castegno (POL) | Groom: Chiara Fabbiani

Robert Powala makes his senior eventing squad debut for Poland this weekend with the 11-year-old Tosca del Castengo, who’s spent the entirety of her international career under his guidance. Robert will be a handy secret weapon in the final phase, having competed in World Cup competition as a show jumper previously, and for her part, his mare can also produce a clear round on the final day. This pair spent the better part of 2023 ticking off qualifications and gaining mileage in preparation for this selection, collecting three top-10 finishes at the 4* level. They haven’t historically been the quickest across the country, but they do tend to jump clear and if there’s any time to really go for that optimum time, this is it. Robert bases himself in Italy, where he also works as a riding instructor. He said that after he competed in Italy as a junior in 1986, he set a goal to one day move there, and eventually, he did.

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Jan Kaminski and Jard (POL)

After a late substitution of Pawel Warszawski, Tokyo Olympian pair Jan Kaminski and Jard have stepped up to the plate. Since their last canter down the Olympic centerline, Jan and Jard (in addition to sounding like a funky band name) have represented Team Poland on several occasions in Nations Cup competition, including Pratoni, Strzegom, and Haras du Pin in 2022, Arville and Jardy in 2023, and Strzegom again this year, where they were unfortunately eliminated after a fall on course. Last year’s triumph was a win on home soil in the CCIO4*-L at Baborowko, which earned them the spot that ultimately led to this chance to contest in Paris.

While not the cleanest record overall — we do see a chance at a runout on course, and it’s more likely than not that we’ll drop at least one pole on the final day — Jard has been only improving as time passes. We’ll likely see a low- to mid-30s dressage and a handful of cross country time, but Jan’s pure show jumping experience — along with some crossed fingers for Jard to avoid the rails — may help the Polish team make up for any previous days’ delays.

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Traveling Reserve: Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134 (POL) | Groom: Michal Knap

Wiktoria Knap inches closer to her first senior championship, slotting in as the traveling reserve for the Poles with the 14-year-old Quintus 134. Wiktoria competed in Junior European Championships in 2015 and 2017, and has since featured in Nations Cup competition. With “Q”, whom she’s had since the horse was young, she’s gained a ton of experience at the 4* level. This pair has a really strong cross country record with just a couple of blips, but show jumping is — at least on paper — their nemesis when it comes to notching competitive results. With the necessity of potentially two show jumping rounds, and of course the all-important first team show jumping final round, this weakness could have factored into the selectors’ decision to keep her as a reserve. But should they get called in, particularly for cross country, they will have been preparing and crossing all their t’s to ensure they are as best-prepared as they can be if they are needed.

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Manuel Grave and Carat de Bremoy (POR) | Groom: Joachim Grave

Portugal is represented in all three equestrian sports in Paris for the first time since 1960, and Manuel Grave gets the nod in eventing with a last-minute berth due to some switcharoos in qualification. In fact, it’s been since 2004 that Portugal was represented in eventing, and it was Manuel’s father, Carlos, who was the rider at those Olympics in Athens, Greece. This weekend, Carlos will act as Manuel’s coach, making this an exceptionally special weekend for both Portugal and the Grave family. Manuel did his homework, ticking off every qualifier he could get his hands on and accumulating FEI World Ranking points that would help his cause should other individuals in his region fail to obtain their qualifiers. This is just what happened, and Manuel will tell you he was hesitant to believe that all of his hard work had paid off and earned him a trip to Paris.

Carat de Bremony came to Manuel from Duarte Seabra, who U.S. readers might recognize as a Portuguese connection to Phillip Dutton’s Tokyo partner, Z. Manuel describes the horse as not the easiest to ride, but he’s courageous and understands his job at this juncture. This pair won’t be at the top after dressage with a mid- to high-30s average, but they have proven to be fairly reliable on cross country. Show jumping could prove tricky with two rounds if Manuel finds himself in the top 25, but no matter what, a completion this weekend will be incredibly special for this rider and his home country.

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Alexander Peternell and Figaro des Premices (RSA) | Groom: Elinor Capostagno

This will be British-based Alexander’s second Olympics — he rode at London in 2012 with Asih, finishing 49th after a legal battle to get his spot at the Games, and he also competed with the horse at the 2014 World Championships, finishing 39th. His nine-year-old Figaro des Premices, or Norman, will make just his 11th FEI start this week, and it’ll be a learning one with LA on the brain. They’re putting down mid- to high-30s scores at the moment, but only have cross-country jumping penalties in one of those 10 runs — they picked up 60 penalties and retired on course at Bicton CCI4*-S in tough conditions in May, but regrouped to jump clear around Bramham’s CCI4*-S in June and Strzegom CCI4*-L — the gelding’s first run at that level — later that month. At the moment, they’re not letting the handbrake off on cross-country, and wisely so: this is a young horse with plenty to learn, and Alex is focusing on giving him exposure and an education. He’ll get that in spades in Paris, which will be his PhD in being an event horse, and it’ll be an exciting foundational milestone for all that’s to come in the future.

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Frida Andersén and Box Leo (SWE) | Groom: Cecilia Forsberg

This will be a second Olympic appearance for Frida: she started at the Rio Olympics in 2016, but sadly had to withdraw her horse, Herta, after the cross country phase. Prior to that, she had represented Sweden at several European Championships, all the way through from Ponies and Young Riders, making her Senior Team debut at the European Championships in Malmo in 2013. She was ninth individually on that occasion, helping the team win their Silver medal. She and Box Leo were part of the World Championship team in Pratoni in 2022 too, and finished best of the team in 17th place with just a rail and time faults to add to her dressage score. Sweden were sixth overall on that occasion, and took the same spot in the final standings at last year’s Europeans in Haras du Pin, where Frida and Box Leo once again finished within the top 20.

Competed up to 4* level with Ludwig Svennerstal, Frida took the reins on Box Leo in 2021, and alongside their Championship appearances, the pair have finished in the top 25 in all of their FEI starts together, including an eighth place at CHIO Aachen last year. Frida, who has degrees in both Dental Hygiene and Sport and Business, spent two years in Germany training with Frank and Sara Algotsson Otsholt before returning home to Sweden. She is now trained by her mother Annki Andersen-Gerdin, and in 2019, she moved to Boxholm to work alongside the breeder, Therese Orup, who bred Box Leo. “I like to compete and love to win, I’m a really competitive person,” she says of herself, and she will be leaving no stone unturned to achieve the best result possible fore both herself and the Swedish Team in Paris.

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Louise Romeike and Caspian 15 (SWE) | Groom: Madeleine Brugman

This, too, will be a sophomore Olympic appearance for Sweden’s Louise Romeike. The darling dappled grey Caspian 15, or “Tony”, has been a rising star for Louise, and she’s produced him herself up the levels. He made the step up to the 4* level last year, ending the season with a superb 11th place finish at Boekelo on 34.5 — a finishing result which would certainly leave the pair in a fighting position against this year’s Olympic crowd. Louise was born with horses in her blood; her mother is Swedish team rider Ann-Louise Svensson, and she’s married to German eventer Claas Romeike — which makes Hinrich Romeike, 2008 Olympic Individual and Team Gold medalist, her father-in-law. Talk about a talented bunch around the dinner table! Louise and Hinrich share ownership of Tony with Dutch eventer Madeleine Brugman, who will groom for Louise in Paris.

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Sofia Sjöborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z (SWE) | Groom: Danielle Graham

Sofia Sjöberg will slot in for her first Olympic Games this year for Sweden, having represented at the 2022 World Championships with this horse. This is another consistent pair for the Swedes, with a very strong cross country record coming into the Games and plenty of experience over designer Pierre Le Goupil’s tracks in the past. Sofia has the benefit of many years spent training with Olympic champion Michael Jung in Germany. She now bases full-time in the UK, where she benefits from the tutelage of Tim and Jonelle Price as well as dressage rider Laura Tomlinson. She’s also actually got some ties to the U.S. as her mother, Juliet, is American.

In terms of recent form, Sofia and “Belle” focused on 4*-S competition to ready themselves for Paris, and while their dressage scores aren’t quite competitive yet, they do have the capability to jump clear in both jumping phases. Their contribution to their first Olympic squad should be valuable based on this preparation.

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Traveling Reserve: Malin Asai and Golden Midnight (SWE) | Groom: Jenny Nilsson

Another member of the Swedish World Championships squad was Malin Asai (neé Josefsson) with the 16-year-old Golden Midnight. She assisted the Swedish in their obtaining of Olympic qualification in Pratoni with a sixth place overall finish, and now she will slot in as the traveling reserve for Paris. They enjoyed a solid trip around the Luhmühlen CCI4*-S as the final prep, and should be a solid option should they be needed to help the team complete in Paris. Malin is half-Japanese and moonlights as a small animal vet, and her family also breeds German Shepherds.

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Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH (SUI) | Groom: Joelle Rolle

Robin Godel is still only 16, yet he already has six Swiss National Championship titles under his belt and has represented his country more times than most riders twice his age, including at the last Olympic Games. He and Grandeur de Lully CH have been together since 2015, coming through the Young Rider ranks before becoming a firm fixture on the Swiss Senior team, too. “Grandeur and I have developed a very strong relationship,” Robin says of his 16 year old partner. “I must admit at the beginning things were not so easy — he’s a bit different! But we have built confidence in each other.” They have been on the Senior European and World Championship team since 2018, and landed their best championship placing to date at the 2022 World Championships, where they finished in 15th place. Prior to that, they had had back-to-back wins at both the test event in Pratoni and the Nations Cup in Avenches, adding just a fraction of time to their dressage score on both occasions. They have won on their last two outings this year as well, again topping the podium at the Avenches leg of the Nations Cup, and in Strzegom before that. Needless to say, they will be feeling full of confidence heading into Paris, and hopefully this Olympics will have a happier ending for Robin, who tragically lost his horse, Jet Set, after cross country in Tokyo.

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Mélody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire (SUI) | Groom: Catherine Gillioz

Melódy Johner and Toubleu de Rueire return to the Olympics for their second appearance together, having represented Switzerland in Tokyo where they finished in the top 10 individually. At 17 years old, “Toubleu” has been a stalwart and consistent campaigner, with just one 20 on his entire FEI record, collected all the way back in 2017. He’s partnered with multiple riders at the top level, including a handful of trips to European Championships, and he’s going to be a superb horse to have in the upcoming test this weekend. If Melódy can secure a personal best dressage and sneak into the very low 30s or even the high 20s, she’ll be set up to make some big climbs up the leaderboard with her ability to go quick and clear across the country.

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Felix Vogg and Dao de l’Ocean (SUI) | Groom: Claudia Weber

It’s an exciting time to be Felix Vogg, who brings forward a horse many fans may not recognize compared to his stalwart 5* winner, Colero. But you should be excited about this one as it’s a top choice for Paris and is certainly a threat for an individual medal this weekend. Felix trains with, among others, German Olympian Bettina Hoy, who’s detai-oriented training philosophy truly gets the most out of her students and their horses. All of this prep and diligence has yielded some serious results with this 11-year-old, including a win at the Weisbaden CCI4*-S and a second place at the Avenches leg of the FEI Nations Cup this year. Felix has been very intentional about how he’s produced this horse, pushing for time on cross country only in more important events, like Long formats, and nearly always producing a fault-free show jumping. This pair has a decent speed figure on EquiRatings as a result and will be one to watch as Felix sets out on Pierre Le Goupil’s track.

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Traveling Reserve: Nadja Minder and Toblerone (SUI) | Groom: Therese Bischof Minder

As if it’s not enough that Swiss rider Nadja Minder’s partner in Paris shares his name with the iconic Swiss chocolate bar — Toblerone — his stable name is equally as sweet: “Schöggeli” translates as “chocolate”. So far, so adorable. But according to Nadja, that is where it ends: the 17-year-old Swiss Warmblood is apparently “the rascal of the barn,” getting up to mischief wherever he can. Still, you can forgive him that given his record to date. He and Nadja have come through the ranks together, competing at both Junior, Young Rider, and Senior Championships together.

Although they are the traveling reserve in Paris, they have competed at two Junior and Young Rider European teams, and made their senior debut on the 2022 World Championships Team in Pratoni. That competition did not go according to plan, with an uncharacteristic parting of ways agonizingly close to home, but they redeemed themselves at the European Championships in Haras du Pin last year, finishing 23rd individually and helping the Swiss team to fifth place. With an incredible partnership and an almost-flawless cross country record — barring that blip in Pratoni — this is just the kind of combination you would want waiting in the wings should anything go wrong for the Team.

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Boyd Martin and Fedarman B (USA) | Groom: Stephanie Simpson

It’s a very bittersweet Olympics for Boyd and his top horse, Fedarman B, who most will know by now was formerly ridden from his young years by Annie Goodwin before she passed away in a tragic riding accident in 2021. Boyd was asked by Annie’s family to take the reins on “Bruno”, and truth be told he wasn’t sure it was the right horse for him in the beginning, as he struggled to gel with the Dutch Warmblood gelding. Boyd admitted he might have moved the horse up too soon to Advanced and paid the price with some costly eliminations and penalties along the way, so he took things back a few steps and focused on establishing more trust. The time spent paid off, and after winning the 2022 Grand-Prix Eventing Festival in Aiken, there was no looking back.

Since then, Fedarman B has become one of the most consistent horses in the U.S., finishing in the top 10 in his first 5* at Luhmühlen in 2023 and (touch wood) not having a pole down in FEI competition. Boyd says he’s still yet to have the “perfect” dressage test with this horse, who still can score in the mid- to low-20s on a strong day, but he’s got an excellent not-so-secret weapon in wife Silva Martin, a Grand Prix dressage rider in her own right who spends a lot of time helping Boyd with his horses and riding them herself, as well as help on the ground from Germany’s Bettina Hoy, who was on hand in the U.S. training camp for some additional fine-tuning. Boyd also rides regularly with show jumping Olympian Peter Wylde, whose quiet way of encouraging horses to jump well has served Boyd incredibly well over recent seasons. Bruno is adjustable and rideable, which will come in handy on cross country, and they’d be ones to bet on to deliver two clear rounds on medal day.

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Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake (USA) | Groom: Chloe Teahan

If you’ve ever heard anything about HSH Blake, chances are you’ve also heard the word “unicorn” alongside. Sourced as a young horse from Ireland by Caroline Pamukcu’s longtime business partner and friend Kelley Hutchinson, Blake was always a special horse for the future. Incidentally though, in his first U.S. event Caroline invited some other riders and potential owners to watch the horse, only to fall off in the show jumping! Despite the funny start, this pair has done nothing but succeed since then, steadily ticking off the boxes including traveling overseas for the Young Horse World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, where they finished 10th, and Strzegom’s Nations Cup leg, where Team USA won Silver.

Blake’s lighter on 4* experience to be sure, having run just one 4*-L (which he won, of course), but this can actually be a boon on a team that will be able to use a young horse with fresh legs for the grueling jumping challenge. An Individual Gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games helped to solidify Caroline’s shot at her first Olympics, and despite losing a shoe on cross country in Kentucky’s 4*-S this spring, she still managed a fast clear and a fifth-place finish to seal the deal. Caroline is a busy gal, operating a bustling import and sales business in the U.S. while also competing her long string of horses.

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Elisabeth Halliday and Nutcracker (USA) | Groom: Abby Steger

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This Form Guide has been updated on 7/26 to reflect changes made to the U.S. team.]

Liz Halliday got a midnight hour call up to join the team after the late withdrawal of Will Coleman’s Diabolo. She now takes her place with Nutcracker, who wouldn’t necessarily have been our guess for her Paris horse at the beginning of the year but has proven himself to be a strong contender for the U.S. this weekend. “Bali” demonstrated his readiness by finishing just off the podium in his first 5* at Kentucky this spring. Liz is a former racecar driver who’s done races such as the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, making her a consummate athlete and competitor who knows exactly how to channel her energy into competitive success. She’ll also be a strong supporter in the wings for the U.S. team and has extensive experience in overseas and team competition to draw on for what is always a very tricky mental challenge in the role she has.

Nutcracker stands as a very competitive horse, one who’s been with Liz since his young horse years, and he’s been sensibly produced and really come into his own as he became a confirmed 4*, and now 5*, horse.

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Traveling Reserve: Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire (USA) | Groom: Caitlin Martin

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire have already had an exciting week, getting a last minute call to become the Traveling Reserve and replace Liz Halliday after she was moved to the team today. This is an exceptionally consistent pair who will be a solid reserve pair should the U.S. require a substitute at any point in time. Sydney and “Q” were members of the silver medal team at the 2023 Pan American Games and have spent the last few seasons benefitting from competition abroad, including a top 20 finish at Luhmühlen and an 8th place finish at Kentucky’s 5* in 2023.

Sydney will be well-prepared for the rollercoaster that is being the Traveling Reserve, having come over with the team to training camp to participate and be ready at a moment’s notice. That moment’s notice came Friday morning just before the horse inspection, which meant QC Diamantaire would have needed to be trailered over to the venue in time for the jog. Sydney’s a real down to earth human who truly deserves her shot on this squad, and the consistency she has demonstrated with this horse owned by longtime supporter Carol Stephens should not be understated.

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Paris Olympic Drawn Order Released: See Dressage Times Here 26 Jul 2024, 7:12 am

Following the First Horse Inspection and a chef d’equipe meeting, we now have the confirmed start list and times for the Olympic eventing, which commences with dressage tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. local time.

You can view the full drawn order here.

The drawn order of nations is as follows:

1. Germany
2. Australia
3. Canada
4. Ireland
5. Switzerland
6. USA
7. Poland
8. Sweden
9. Great Britain
10. Brazil
11. New Zealand
12. Japan
13. Italy
14. Netherlands
15. France
16. Belgium

The remaining spots are given to individual riders:

• Spain
• Hungary
• Czechia
• China
• Ecuador
• Finland
• Denmark
• Portugal
• Austria
• Morocco
• South Africa

Looking to the times for dressage (and remember, the riders will go out on cross country in the same order they were put in for dressage), Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21, who slotted into team Germany late after the withdrawal of Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz, will be the pathfinders. As expected, Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH will anchor the Germans, with Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S sent out second.

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake will be the pathfinders for the U.S., with Liz Halliday and Nutcracker out second and Boyd Martin anchoring the team as last to go with Fedarman B.

For the reigning gold medalists, Team Great Britain will send Tom McEwen and JL Dublin out first, followed by Laura Collett and London 52 and Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo as anchors.

If you’re planning to follow along live, be sure to check out our How To Watch guide for information on timetables and where you can watch. Full timing and scoring will also be available here.

#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [EN’s Coverage]

One Spun, 5 Held in Tense First Horse Inspection at Paris Olympics 26 Jul 2024, 4:34 am

We certainly weren’t lacking for tension this morning as we gathered for the First Horse Inspection back in the stabling area here at the Versailles Olympic equestrian venue.

Across the 81 horses presenting for 27 nations, including individuals, we saw five pairs held and one subsequently not accepted on second presentation.

Sent to the holding box were Moroccan individual Noor Slauoi and Cash In Hand, Switzerland’s Melody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire, Austria’s Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line, Sweden’s Malin Asai and Golden Midnight, and Great Britain’s Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Unfortunately, Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line were not accepted on their second attempt and will end their individual Olympic bid prematurely. All other pairs held were accpeted.

This now gives us a field of 80 horses, including Traveling Reserves, moving forward to the commencement of competition on Saturday. Dressage begins at 9:30 a.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. ET. [For additional timetables and how to watch info, click here.]

We also broke news earlier that Will Coleman has sadly had to withdraw the Diabolo Group’s Diabolo, his Direct Reserve horse who was substituted for the Off the Record Syndicate’s Off the Record during training camp, due to a suspected abscess in the right front foot. Liz Halliday now gets her first Olympic call with Chris Desino, Rob Desino, Deborah Halliday, Liz Halliday, and Renee Lane’s Nutcracker, and Sydney Elliott with now replace Liz as Traveling Reserve with Carol Stephens’ QC Diamantaire.

This post will be updated with additional photos, so stay tuned for more from Paris.

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USA Makes Another Change to Paris Eventing Squad 26 Jul 2024, 4:11 am

US Equestrian has announced the replacement of Will Coleman’s ride, Diabolo, this morning ahead of the First Horse Inspection. Liz Halliday and Nutcracker, originally the U.S. Traveling Reserve, will now be slotted in to team competition, while Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire have arrived on site and trotted up for the Ground Jury to ensure their eligibility to sub in if needed.

This comes as a devastating blow for the Coleman camp, who had already switched from Off the Record to Diabolo earlier during training camp in France. Diabolo began to show signs of discomfort after moving into stabling at the venue and will be treated for a potential abscess in the right front.

“The last 48 hours have truly been tough for our team, but particularly for Will Coleman. Off The Record looked well in training camp, but Will’s direct reserve, Diabolo, continued to impress and was physically in such great condition, so we made the decision to place him into the team roster before moving to the venue. Diabolo trotted up 100% sound prior to shipping from training camp and arrived at the venue happy and fit. Unfortunately, shortly after settling into stabling he showed significant signs of discomfort and the team immediately got to work to address a potential abscess in the right front foot. Team Farrier Beck Ratte, Dr. Susan Johns, Diabolo’s groom Hailey Burlock, and Will’s wife, Katie, were so diligent and tireless in treating Diabolo and he did in fact trot up sound last night,” said Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello in a US Equestrian statement. “With that said, we felt after weighing the risk, it was not in Diabolo’s or the team’s best interest for him to move forward with the competition this week. We’re all truly devastated for Will and his entire team. It takes so much work to get to this moment and it’s just such an unfortunate turn of events. We’ve got to look forward though, and with that said, we’re heading into this competition with four competitive horses, and l still feel very confident in this team’s ability to be successful here in Paris.”

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Friday News & Notes from Stable View 26 Jul 2024, 2:15 am

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So there’s a few big guns arrived in Versailles ahead of the eventing competition, which kicks off TODAY(!) with the first horse inspection. But to be honest, they all pale in comparison to the latest arrival there: none other than our very own Chinch. That’s right pals, the main man has arrived, and so now we really are ready for it all to begin.

If like us, you are utterly frantic with anticipation, then you’ll be thrilled to hear that we have a full team ready and waiting to bring you all of the very best Olympic content, every day as it happens. We have our fabulous roving reporters Sally and Tilly – who will also be bringing you all of the best photographic content too – actually there in Paris, as well as an incredible team working away remotely, too, so you really won’t miss a thing.

Expect up to date reports as the action unfolds, thanks to Cheg Darlington, and plenty of behind the scenes action over on our Instagram channel (@goeventing).

Although the Horse Inspection won’t be streamed, all of the rest of the action will be – make sure you know where to watch it, depending on which country you’re in, with our extensive guide. Before it all begins though, be sure to familiarise yourself with all of the riders and teams participating in the 2024 Olympic Games, with our fantastic form guides. If you need to know anything else, then check out our Ultimate Guide to the Paris Olympics, where you will find everything you need – and more. In fact, your best bet would be to bookmark that page, as we will be updating it CONSTANTLY throughout the games, making sure you don’t miss a thing. We have an exciting weekend ahead, let’s make the most of it, cheer our athletes on loud and proud, and GO EVENTING!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring]

UK International Events

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Major International Events
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Friday News & Reading

We all know how integral the team behind the scenes is, and Jackie Potts has been part of that team for many, many years. Groom for William Fox-Pitt for 30 years, Paris will be her sixth Olympics – she made her debut at Athens 20 years ago! This time, she will be the wing woman to Team Japan’s Kazuma Tomoto – find out more about Jackie’s fascinating career, and what it is like to groom at an Olympics, here.

If you manage to exhaust all of the Olympic content that EN have brought you thus far, don’t worry. There is plenty more where that came from and in the meantime, there are also various Olympic themed podcasts to tide you over. First up, the Instrides Podcast has a great new episode, with Jon Elliot, as in US Olympic Selector. Then there’s not one but two new episodes from the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast, offering a fascinating peek behind the scenes with some of the owners and grooms of our Olympic superstars. And finally, Athens Gold Medallist, Leslie Law gives his Olympic predictions on the Jon and Rick Show. Seems we’re not the only ones suffering from a little Olympic fever.

Just a quick break in ALLLLLL of the Olympic chat. I know that Paris is all anybody is thinking, talking and dreaming about right now, but once that is all over, we are all going to need something else to get excited about, and I have just the thing for you. That’s right, the next big 5* is just coming in to view on the horizon, and the entries for the Defender Burghley Horse Trials opened this week. Enjoy this little throwback with the great Andrew Nicholson (multiple Olympian if you want to keep it on brand), to get you in the mood.

Not strictly eventing related, but still Olympic themed, so arguably still relevant. Plus, as Olympic athletes, our guys will no doubt be sleeping in these headline hitting beds too… I mean, at this point, I really don’t know what else to say…so I’ll leave you to make your own minds up on the matter.

Sponsor Corner

Happy Retirement Gayle! This comment from @Kim.wendel.eventing is a tear-jerker. “Gayle has been a light for all riders. Always there, always helpful, always kind, always calm. She had such a hard job and riders are stressed and anxious so her presence was truly admirable.
Enjoy retirement and thank you for being you ❤️”

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Weekend Watching

Up until Wednesday, they were travelling reserve. Now Julia Kraweski is lining up to defend her title, this time with 10 year old Aachen winner, Nickel 21. Get to know him a little better – and fear not if German isn’t your first language – there’s subtitles to help you out. Good luck Julia and Nickel, and to all the other competitors in Paris. The Olympics are finally upon us, let’s GO EVENTING!

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A Test for Every End-Goal: Walk the Paris 2024 Cross-Country Course 25 Jul 2024, 6:21 pm

There’s nothing quite like designing an Olympic cross-country course. Firstly, it has to slot into a tract of land that’s rarely or never hosted the sport before; secondly, it has to be friendly enough to allow less experienced nations to have a chance of completing, while also testing the big guns and providing a spectacle to represent the sport. And, on the world stage, safety and horse welfare become even more important than ever.

But Paris 2024’s course designer, Pierre le Goupil, who also designed last year’s tough European Championships track, isn’t buckling under the pressure – he’s relishing it. And along the way, he’s allowing himself to be surprised, too.

One of the biggest surprises on unpacking the gorgeous, beautifully-built course today is how much space there actually is to open up the stride and gallop on. We’d all been expecting a much tighter, twistier, more intensive track, because it uses a reasonably compact area to get the job done – but even Pierre was pleasantly surprised at how much usable space he had to play with once he got his boots on the ground for the first of his fifty or so site visits over the last couple of years.

“When I first heard about the cross country being here, I said, ‘Ah, it’s going to be flat. Straight lines. Crooked, very sharp turns, nothing to play with,’ and it’s totally different. There’s a lot of things to play with,” he says.

And so, rather than a go-kart track of a course, it’s something a little bit different – more, perhaps, akin with a Luhmühlen-style course, though held at ‘championship level’, which is effectively a short CCI4*-L, rather than five-star. And in the unusually short time Pierre’s had the role – he was given it in 2022, rather than straight off the back of the delayed Tokyo Olympics, as would usually be the case – he’s set to work to maximise the space as best he can, while also managing the estate’s need to continue allowing tourists on site and to protect its heritage trees and flora.

On first walk, it doesn’t, perhaps, read as a hugely difficult track – but then, maybe that’s just right. We saw a not-hugely-difficult track exert huge influence at the World Championships in 2022, particularly for very experienced five-star horses, who weren’t, perhaps, quite as rideable with nothing enormous to back them off. Could that kind of influence be exerted again here? Could Pierre, whose difficult Europeans course last year took many by surprise, have a few tricks up his sleeve here? Let’s give it a walk and see.

You can take a virtual walk around via the Cross Country App here, too.

THE ESSENTIAL INFO

Optimum time: 9:02

Length: 5149m

Fences: 28

Efforts: 45

There might be hustle and bustle and excitement around the main stadium, but the first fence on course takes us well away from that – a solid twenty minute walk, in fact, into the spectacular woods of Versailles. It’s a lovely spot to start, not just because it’s so peaceful, but because it’s so cool, too. It’s hot – though not stiflingly so – here in Paris, and the humidity is pretty high, but when you find yourself in the avenues, nestled underneath the estate’s ancient trees, it’s absolutely perfect, and ideal for intensive sport.

As with all courses, the Olympic course uses the first few fences to settle horses and riders into a rhythm and allow them to get some confidence-building airtime. And so these first few fences aren’t particularly big, nor are they complicated – they’re a warm welcome into the most important cross-country round of each horse and rider’s life.

There’s no forgetting you’re at the Games, though: fence one features the Olympic rings on the take-off side, as well as the Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius – or Faster, Higher, Stronger. That motto was actually used for the first time back at Paris 1924, and one hundred years later, it still feels like the perfect summary of this phase. As another thoughtful decoration, the fence is made to look as though it’s flanked with laurel wreaths – which does give it a sort of owlhole effect that should encourage riders to tackle it positively so their horses don’t take a peek.

The second fence is a ramped timber oxer, decorated with oversized workmans’ tools – a nod to the hard work of the course builders here, who have definitely had their chisels out creating some incredible artwork across this track. That team is helmed by Christian Aschard of EQUIBOIS, assisted by Dominic Moore and Benoit Marchand, and they were painted by Christine Houdayer.

“As I like to say all the time, designers are not as good as builders,” says Pierre. “If they don’t have proper skilled builders, they can’t achieve what they want. So this is important, and builders never have enough recognition. We always talk about the designers, but it’s very important to be able to rely on high level of skills, and as you can see we have them.”

The idea, he continues, first came about after the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the flurry of skilled rebuilding that’s been taking place there ever since ahead of its reopening in December.

A massive hammer? No problem. This fence is clear, and friendly, and equipped with MIM clips for added safety just in case someone has a bad shot to it, which they shouldn’t – though sometimes the first three fences are where those little mistakes get ironed out.

The first galloping stretch on course comes between fences two and three, and keeps competitors under the cover of those cooling trees. Somehow, this still doesn’t feel like just another event, or just another field, or just another bit of woodland – Versailles’ trees and avenues are so distinctive, and so revered, that it feels a bit like stepping into centuries worth of history.

“If these trees could talk,” muses EN head honcho Sally, “I wonder what stories they’d have to tell?”

They’d probably, we decide, say a thing or two about guillotines.

Then, after a long straight run, fence 3 appears. It’s a table, which could be jumped straight on or at an angle, depending on how much set-up a rider feels their horse still needs. Also notable here, though, is the unjumpable fence decoration on the approach – that’ll impact the choices riders can make on their line, but it also gives them the chance to be watched over by… a carved peacock. Delightful!

We’re starting to see a bit more dimension now, and this opportunity to jump on an angle is also a great chance to sharpen up ahead of the combinations to come.

There’s one more single fence to jump before we’ll get to that first combination, and it’s a classic eventing question. The ditch and brush at 4 isn’t quite the same sort of spectacle as, say, the capacious and terrifying Cottesmore Leap at Burghley, but it’s still a fence that requires a positive, forward ride and a galloping approach. That a fence like this comes just after an angled option is no accident: that progression allows riders to ensure they can adjust the canter and go from a more accurate ride to a more attacking one. Once they find themselves in the thick of a combination, they made need to switch between those approaches in quick succession, so this is a way to ensure that all the gears are in place.

There’s a shorter galloping stretch that takes us out of the woods and into the striking open vista of the first water, which is situated in one of Versailles’s historic fountains – one that’s been reinvented to become a horse-friendly complex. It retains an amphitheatre-style historic seating area, which adds some serious gravitas to the scene, and xx

This actually wasn’t where Pierre had originally intended to place the first combination on course – but the logistics of placing the start and finish, he says, meant that the course had to start a little bit later in the reserved area, and so as a compromise, he’s made sure to keep this water friendly and inviting.

It begins with a log drop into the water (5A), after which our competitors will pop a left-handed brush corner in the water itself (5B). Then, they’ll cruise out of the water up a step (5C), and then head to a skinny, angled, MIM-clipped fountain fence (6AB). It’s all about putting the pieces of the puzzle together sensibly here – each element is dimensionally friendly and there’s plenty of space between them to plan a line, and there’s options, too, in case of any difficulties, including a long route that has two efforts at 6AB rather than one as in the direct route.

“It’s the first combination, so it comes quite early on the course. But this is also why it’s not massive for four-star,” explains Pierre. “At this level we could have had something a little bit tougher, but the technicality will stay the same. When you work on a project like that, the first thing to consider is where do you start from, where do you do the warm up, and the terrain. I would have liked to start earlier, but that would have been where is now the cooling area. I would have liked to have maybe 500 meters more and maybe have a combination where we have the [undergrowth] over there. But we went to a compromise. For the moment, nobody has complained — so far!”

The first three combinations on course come up in very quick succession, and after making it through the water, our competitors will head back into the woodland via an entry point at 7A – a step up onto a pretty sharp incline. Then, they’ll head straight to 7B, an angled white birch upright.

This is the straight route, but there is a slow option here – that’s another collapsible birch rail, but jumped in the other direction, and riders will need to be careful of the route they choose so that they don’t cross behind the fence (that is, on the landing side) on their way to present to it. Further defining their route is a set of carved wooden animals guarding the centre of this copse. Most should go straight here.

There’s options, too, at fence eight, a wide, brush-topped bench with some cushions on it that look like they might have been nicked from Marie Antoinette’s bedroom in the palace. There’s a left-handed one and a right-handed one, and nothing notably different between the two – the choice made here will simply come down to the line the rider wants to place themselves on. This fence comes after one of the most significant galloping stretches on the course and will be best tackled out of the forward, positive stride that riders have set in the lead-up to it.

They’ll land running from 8 and maintain their pace for another reasonable stretch, after which they’ll meet this wide, timber oxer, which still needs to be ridden positively but must be set up for properly, because it’s big, imposing – and MIM-clipped, so a tidy effort will be key here. It’s a simple fence made visually striking by the little sea of wildflowers framing it.

This oxer needs to be used quite tactically: we’ve just finished a fast minute with lots of galloping and not much jumping, and then it’s just a short run on to the next combination fence, so by moderating the approach and ensuring their horses are listening, our competitors will put themselves in good shape to adjust again soon.

The next combination is the second water complex, which is jam-packed with options, and so horses and riders alike will need to be focused and committed to find their line and pick their way through. Any discombobulation, and a horse might be so busy wondering which fence is his next one that he drives by his intended route without even seeing it. First, they’ll jump this big bridge, which is set on a serious angle over a wide open ditch.

Then, they’ll pick their route of choice though the water, the fastest of which will see the jump into the drink over a broad-armed skinny brush, and then up, out, and over a right-handed brush-topped corner.

The numbering here is very friendly, mind you – there’s a lot of options to mix and match without getting into trouble over missing or doubling up on a lettered fence, and there’s even an open ditch option if that angled bridge doesn’t appeal.

Here’s another look at that direct route into the water, which utilises a visually impactful style of brush fence that we’ve been seeing more and more frequently over the last couple of seasons.

This third of the course is really the gallop-y area, and from 10ABC, we get another little pipe-opener before completing the loop.

Then, they’ll meet a pair of hefty tables, styled as a desk and a bookcase, which sit on a left-handed turn on a related distance. They’ll be able to make a few of their own decisions here, because there’s enough space to go wide and jump both elements straight on, or they could take a more economical line and save a couple of valuable seconds by allowing for more of an angled effort.

The next galloping run takes us back into the cool, calm, and quiet of the woods, and when we re-emerge, we find ourselves right on the edge of the Grand Canal, dotted – for now – with visitors soaking up the sunshine in rowboats. But even if we don’t see rowboats on the water come Sunday, we certainly get them here – two of them, in fact, overturned and decorated with oars, half built and half a skeleton, once again paying tribute to master craftsman. These both sit on an angle, and as the riders tackle them, they’ll be able to see the grandstand in the distance, urging them on.

They’ll continue to follow the Canal around to its left arm, and as they turn, they’ll leap over a huge picnic table dressed in gingham. Then, they’ll hang a right and take the first pontoon crossing on the course.

“What has been [the determining factor] for the choice of that final track was where we start, where we arrive, and do we go across the Grand Canal twice, once, or not at all?” says Pierre. “Everybody wanted to go across the Grand Canal twice, but then you have money issues, technical issues… Finally, everybody wanted to go twice, especially the broadcasters.”

The temporary pontoons were trialled at last summer’s test event with great success, and are immovable and dressed with arena surface – and, in the very unlikely case that someone jumps over the side of one and ends up in the Canal, a trained rescue team, who underwent drills at the test event, is on hand to safely guide horse and rider back out.

Safely across the Canal, competitors dip, momentarily, back into the woodland to tackle the combination at fence 15 and 16ABCD. The first fence is an open ditch with a lip on the take-off side that has horses landed on uphill ground, on which they’ll nip up to the top of a mound and make a decision between a left- or right-handed route.

The left-handed route is made up of a drop (16A) to two brush skinnies (16B and 16CD), while the right-handed route has two drops (16A and 16BC) and a single brush skinny (16D), which is on the inside line and therefore a touch quicker, though there’s not a huge amount in it, so riders can pick their route based on their horses’ strengths.

“It’s not very difficult. The problem is it’s really much a test for the rider,” says Pierre. “He needs to be solid on his feet, elastic, fluid, and he needs to go with the horse, but stay balanced, exactly right in the saddle. So a step like that at this level is not a problem. But you still need to stay on your feet and you have the ditch, and you have a skinny there, so they can go left, they can go right. They need to be fast. But it is a very safe combination, and it’s spectacular. I don’t know, I love that fence!”

The next pontoon crossing is ‘the’ pontoon crossing – the one that runs our competitors directly across the heart of the Grand Canal, with the Château de Versailles sunbathing alongside in all its glory.

At this point, we’re past the halfway point of the course and snaking back towards the grandstands once again. On our way there, where we’ll find the feature water jump, we’ll first meet fence 17AB, which is a double of offset angled brushes with picket fencing in front of them.

Then, it’s a right-handed turn into the woods, where we find fence 18 – one of the most visually striking jumps on course. It’s a cordwood pile shaped like a stag’s head, with antlers stretching up to the heavens.

Fences 19 and 20 are separately numbered but the same profile of fence on a related distance. These big, beefy woodpiles will give a great feeling and demand a powerful jumping effort.

There’s a decent galloping stretch on this surprisingly open track before the combination at 21ABCD, which is actually a three-effort fence. On the direct route, this begins with an airy upright at 21AB, followed by a sharp downhill approach to a brush skinny at 21C. Then, they’ll jump another brush skinny at 21D. Again, cognisant of the fact that he has developing riders and nations here as well as major heavy-hitters, Pierre has given options – though the lettering means that no mixing and matching of routes can be done.

The next galloping stretch winds competitors out of the woods and spits them out at the far end of the Grand Canal, in the shadow of the huge grandstands at the main arena. They won’t be entering the arena itself on this track, but the next couple of fences allow them to come very close to it. First, they’ll jump a beefy treasure chest at fence 22, before looping directly in front of the stadium to enter the water complex at 23ABCD.

The first element of this water complex is a log drop in, facing towards the grandstand, which is followed by a brush fence in the water, marked as 23BC. Once on dry land again, they’ll jump an open oxer at 23D. There’s a number of alternative options here to replace various fences within this complex.

 

The best method, Pierre says, is to jump that log drop on the left-hand side, giving enough space on the landing side to arc out the right-handed turn to the brush in the water, which is perpendicular to the log. We could see that final corner playing an influence – even without tonnes of terrain here, horses will be starting to tire at this late stage, and it’s a wide, big effort equipped with sensitive yellow MIMs.

Then, it’s a left-handed turn and a pop over fence 24, a dimensionally imposing elephant trap.

Now, we’re heading back down the side of the canal once again en route to the finish – but there’s still a few more key fences to jump before we get there. Fence 25 is a brush fence that’ll be jumped on an angle to create a solid line to its twin at fence 26.

Continuing straight along the canal edge, we then come to fence 27, an upright, bright white representation of the IOC headquarters, framed by a nod to the Hollywood sign and Paris’s successor, the LA Olympics in 2028.

And from there, the finish is in sight – all our competitors will need to do is pop over 28, a house emblazoned with the French motto, Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. Add in a bit of cross-countré and we’ve got ourselves a deal, France.

In all seriousness, though, this is the moment where dreams come true – whether those dreams are a clear inside the time and a shot at a podium finish, or a completion in an Olympic debut, and the extraordinary rush of making it here will be something beyond words.

Pierre, as course designer, is so conscious of those varying goals and wins within his field, and has had the tough job of designing a track that tests the best while nurturing and educating the developing horses, riders, and nations in the field.

“If you compare with the European Championships [which he designed last year], there may be more difference between the strongest team and the less strong, or some individual who has less experience, which means that we need to give a chance for everybody,” he says. “In terms of safety or respect, there needs to be an opportunity for everybody to achieve, but still be testing enough. I think the new format with three riders only in the team, and the possibility of changing, it’s not clear for everybody what is going to happen. How can you react, including for the Chef d’Equipe? What has to be the strategy, what instruction to give to the first riders, the second, the third. You can decide to play it safe, but can you win like that? So having multiple options… I will say, this is why some of them are very much longer and a bit more easy, because if it’s not lower, you still have a question, but you have more time between the question, so it gives more chance to achieve it. We know that it’s very important.”

“It’s more important here than in the Europeans, for example, where the density of the level of the teams is a little bit different,” he continues. “I had the experience of the Pan American Games last year, which was important too, because this was really, really what was at stake, and I have been briefed very seriously about that. And it’s always a team effort. So working with experienced Technical Delegatess and listening – I mean, that’s the way you learn, and I’m still learning. This is the most important year to find the right balance. Even if you can never tell what is going to happen, depending on the weather condition, and you don’t know the riders; you don’t know necessarily their last achievements. And doing that in a venue that has never hosted any competition, in a venue that is, like Versailles, with all the constraints, all the factors – economical, touristic, environmental. Every decision, every step needs to be considered from many different angles. It’s been a tremendous experience.”

#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [EN’s Coverage]

Day One on the Ground in Paris: Catch the EquiRatings Recap 25 Jul 2024, 3:23 pm

I popped onto a Facebook Live interview with EquiRatings‘ Nicole Brown and Horse & Hound‘s Catherine Austen to recap the first day on the ground in Paris. Tune in for some thoughts on the venue and the official unveiling of Pierre Le Goupil’s cross country course (stay tuned for Tilly Berendt’s full preview coming later!).

#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [EN’s Coverage]

Tom Jackson Smashes a Personal Best at Burgham 25 Jul 2024, 3:16 pm

Britain’s Tom Jackson has taken a convincing lead in the Holme Dodsworth Metals CCI4*-S class at Burgham International Horse Trials (24-28 July), presented by Project Pony, with a personal-best score of 22.9 on Patricia Davenport’s Capels Hollow Drift.

Tom and the 13-year-old grey were part of the British squad at the 2023 European Championships in France, and finished second in the CCI5* at Defender Burghley in 2022.

“I was so pleased with him,” said Surrey-based Tom. “We’ve just taken the pressure off him a little bit since Badminton [where he finished fifth], and he felt really happy in the arena. I think that was the best test I’ve had with him. He’s been flirting around the mid-20s mark before at this level, but he’s gone and smashed that today.”

Tom plans to take Capels Hollow Drift back to Burghley in September.

“We’ll try to go one better than last time!” he said.

The 31-year-old added: “We’ve been coming to Burgham since nearly the very beginning of the event, when there were about four stables up in the top corner of the field – it has grown so much. We come back every year because the courses are fantastic, the going is fantastic and it’s a lovely event to be at.”

Tom has an impressive margin of nearly six points in hand over second-placed Harry Meade with Jane Dear and Charlotte Opperman’s Away Cruising (28.7). Third is Irish rider Lucy Latta on her 2024 Badminton runner-up, Lesley Crampton’s RCA Patron Saint.

Izzy Taylor, a former winner of the feature CCI4*-S class at Burgham, is first and second in section B of the Hambro Sport Horses CCI3*-S on Caroline Wilson’s eight-year-old Hathaway Royale (24.1) and Johnny Hornby’s seven-year-old Barrington Alice (24.4).

“I’m delighted with my two grey girls,” said Izzy. “They are very different to each other – Hathaway Royale is a little horse who is really learning to shine, and Barrington Alice is a taller, younger mare who is still learning at this level. It’s great to be at Burgham with such exciting horses excelling in a big class.”

Ibble Watson, 21, is on top in CCI3*-S section A with a mark of 24.4 on her own Aristotoles S Z, ahead of the USA’s Jenny Caras (Sommersby, 28.2).

Of the four British Eventing Open Intermediate and Intermediate sections at Burgham today, two were won by Tokyo Olympics team gold medallist Oliver Townend, who will be hoping to challenge the CCI4*-S leaders on Friday when he does his dressage test on his 2024 Defender Kentucky CCI5* champion Cooley Rosalent.

Burgham’s Friday programme features the showjumping and cross-country phases of the Hambro Sport Horses CCI3*-S, while dressage continues for the Holme Dodsworth Metals CCI4*-S and starts for the NIS Group Services Ltd CCI2*-S.

Saturday and Sunday at Burgham not only offer top-class sport with the jumping phases of the CCI4*-S topping the bill, but also great fun for families, friends and children. From 10.30am on Saturday in the Burgham Park Arena, visitors can take part in “have a go” dog agility and the newly popular pastime of “hobby horsing”, and there’s also a fun charity dog show. On Sunday, the dog show, dog agility and “hobby horsing” will take place in the afternoon following the conclusion of the Thoroughbred and Ex-Racehorse Show in the Burgham Park Arena.

Burgham also features great tradestands and lots of delicious, locally-produced food and drink and public bars. It is situated in beautiful, tranquil Northumbrian countryside not far from the A1 between Morpeth and Alnwick.

If you’re looking for a family day out that’s really affordable this summer, you can’t do better than Burgham International Horse Trials (24-28 July) – visit www.burghaminternationalhorsetrials.co.uk to find out more and to buy tickets.

All four days of cross-country from Burgham – Thursday, 25 July to Sunday, 28 July – will be livestreamed on ClipMyHorse.tv – visit www.clipmyhorse.tv/ to watch.

Thursday News & Notes 24 Jul 2024, 11:10 pm

While my brain has decided to play “Les Champs-Elysées” on repeat, life does indeed go on outside of the Olympics. A fact that I have had to strongly remind myself of several times this week. What can I say? I feel as excited as a kid counting down the days until summer break, which doesn’t lend itself nicely to sitting down at my desk and working.

Anyways, outside of thinking about the Olympics and getting “Les Champs-Elysées” stuck in my head, I’ve been on the hunt for exercises to teach my clumsy OTTB how to use her brain in the pasture instead of racking up vet bills for dear old mum (aka me, how lucky am I?). The most recent interesting exercise I’ve found is “Pick Up Sticks” for horses. While Gen Z may not remember this game, I’ve certainly played it a time or two growing up, Victorian Child that I am. Essentially, the idea is you drop some sticks on the ground and try to pick up a stick without touching or moving the other sticks. Whoever has the most sticks, wins. The horse version is a little different. Here’s the long and short of it from Centaurus Osteopathy for your perusing pleasure.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring]

Major International Events

#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [EN’s Coverage]

Thursday News & Reading

Last minute changes made to the Olympic lineup. Whoever makes the decisions for these teams obviously have no respect for the EN form guide. We’re back to editing it once again, as Will Coleman substitutes Off the Record for Diabolo and Sandra Auffarth is out, while Julia Krajewski is in for the German team. Get the full scoop here.

Just because they’re Olympic athletes, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re graceful… Irish eventer Susie Berry takes behind the scenes of the taking of this adorable photo. Never have I ever related more to professional athletes. This needs to be one of those memes. Which Irish Olympian best describes how you’re feeling today?

Trainer Lockie Phillips has a thoughtful take on Charlotte Dujardin’s suspension and the video that has been circulating around the internet faster than a wildfire. In an era where equestrian sports is under a microscope, it’s more important than ever that we all refrain from fighting amongst each other and take a moment to do some introspection. How can you make a difference in the future of equestrian sports right now? Read Lockie Phillips’ take on the controversy here.

Our very own Tilly Berendt is on the ground and ready to ruuuuuuuuumble! First up, she’s bringing us some of our first looks at Versailles from the ground. Fun fact: apparently, they did not tell the audience why they were being rearranged for the photo of the stands. See Versailles through Tilly’s eyes here.

No access to a cross country course? No excuses allowed. Bec Braitling has released some thoughts on how we can be creative when working on cross country skills in an arena setting. Plus, some recommended reading: the USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels. Find out how Bec prepared for the Nations Cup at Haras de Jardy with the help of zip ties and ferns.

Video Break
Throwback to this video showing how the horses and all of their equipment traveled to Paris:

How to Experience Millbrook Horse Trials 24 Jul 2024, 11:30 am

Of course, we’ve kept an eye abroad as we get ready to tune into the Paris Olympics starting up over the next few days. But, we can’t miss all of the excitement happening right here in the U.S., with the wildly beautiful event running at Millbrook Thursday, July 25th – Sunday, July 28th.

With a variety of competitors, from the local eventer starting out to seasoned Olympic riders, there are plenty of horse and rider combos to cheer on, as well as activities at the facility that make it a great trip for the family.

Plan your visit

In addition of the excitement with competition ranging from Beginner Novice through Advanced, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the horse trial.

WEDNESDAY PREFIX DINNER FOR RIDERS: Wednesday, July 24 • 3:00 – 8:00 pm

2024 PURINA & TRIPLE CROWN PARTY FOR COMPETITORS & VOLUNTEERS: Saturday, July 27 • 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Pick up your free tickets to the party when you pick up your package at the secretary’s office.

Explore the trade fair.

Enjoy food trucks.

Shop boutiques in the Weekend Market.

Bring the family for petting zoos and activities!

Schedule of events

To follow along and watch your favorite riders, you can find the timing of divisions here:

Dressage

Cross Country

Show Jumping

The entire schedule of events can be found online here.

Want to attend in person?

There are a few hospitality packages left, as well as tailgating options for cross country day. Additionally, there are volunteer opportunities for those who want to be part of the event.

Entry Preview

It’s set to be a busy weekend with nearly 400 competitors slotted to compete, with 40 riders in the Advanced division.

Looking at the entry list, it’s bound to be an exciting weekend, with some serious talent making the trek up north.

Ema Klugman is scheduled to be one busy rider, with four competing in the Advanced. She’ll be bringing Bronte Beach Z, Chiraz, RF Redfern, and Slieve Callan Alpha to Millbrook. Bronte Beach Z has competed through the 5* level with Ema, and has an impressive cross country record behind her name. RF Redfern, Chiraz, and Slieve Callan Alpha also have plenty of experience under Ema, each competing through the 4* level.

We’ll also see two Duttons out and about, with Phillip competing with Denim and Possante, and Olivia with Sea of Clouds. We saw Olivia and Sea of Clouds out at Bromont in the 4*L most recently, and Phillip out earlier this month in the 3* at Maryland with both Possante and Denim, who finished 2nd and 4th respectively.

Another young rider we’ll see in the lineup is Cassie Sanger with Redfield Fyre. Despite her young age, Cassie has had ample experience at the upper levels, and was a team member for the U.S. in the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Poland CCIO4*-NC-S in Strzegom in 2023.

Another FEI Eventing Nations Cup Strzegom team member, Andrew McConnon, will be in Millbrook this weekend with Ferrie’s Cello and Wakita 54.

Other pairs to watch include Ariel Grald and Isla de Coco, Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way, Allison Springer and No May Moon, and Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent. Additionally, Rachel Lawson will be bringing High Tide to the division, a duo that spends plenty of time training and schooling bridleless.

You can see all entries for the event here.

Enjoy a preview from videographer Marion de Vogel!

Millbrook Horse Trials: [Website] [Entries] [Competitor Information] [Spectator Information] [Volunteer]

Breaking Down the Olympic Show Jumping for Eventing 24 Jul 2024, 8:30 am

This week, we’ll be bringing you a breakdown of each phase and its Olympic nuance with the help of several experts who were gracious enough to lend us some of their time and knowledge. So far, we’ve published a breakdown of the unique Olympic dressage test as well as the cross country phase. Now, let’s wrap this series up with some thoughts on the show jumping.

Traditionally speaking, show jumping culminates the three days of eventing as a final test of endurance and accuracy for both horse and rider. Coming into show jumping, horses and their riders will be feeling the exertion of the past two days, particularly at an intense event like the Olympics.

The show jumping is particularly influential at the Olympics for one big reason. Let’s dive in.

What makes show jumping at the Olympics unique?

Unlike all other competitions for eventing, the Olympics requires two show jumping rounds to determine medals. The International Olympic Committee does not hand out multiple medals off the results from one event. You can see this mirrored in other events such as gymnastics and swimming. So, the eventing show jumping works as follows:

Round 1: All remaining team riders and individuals, including any substitutes, will jump in this round. In the first round, fences can be set up to 4* max height, which is 1.25m. This round will see anywhere from 11-13 numbered fences, with a maximum of 16 jumping efforts.

Round 2: The top 25 individual riders, regardless of nation/team, will move forward to the final individual round. Substitute riders cannot go forward to this round. This round can see fences up to 5* height, which is 1.30m. The number of fences decreases for a maximum of 9 fences and 12 jumping efforts.

The second round will come after a short break for rearranging the course, meaning there isn’t a ton of time in between for recovery.

Factors to consider

I sat down with Michel Vaillancourt, who’s an Olympic individual medalist in show jumping and a Show Jumping Hall of Fame member, as well as a course designer for major events like Spruce Meadows and the Pan American Games, for some intel on things to consider when looking at show jumping through the eyes of a designer.

“Adding the two rounds changes the outcome of the competition for the individual riders a lot,” he remarked. “The second round is a little shorter, which is kind of a blessing, but a lot of the factor for me will come to the fitness level.”

As the schedule currently stands, there will be about an hour and a half or two hours in between the conclusion of the team round and the start of the individual final. This can be advantageous for some, and challenging for others.

“It really depends on the horse you’re on,” Michel said. “The break gives the horses a chance to rest, but it also gives them a chance to get a little tighter or to mentally switch off. None of these horses will be anticipating jumping again — that’s not how it works in eventing as a standard. As a rider, I would prefer to come back an hour later, especially looking at everything you would have done to that point. At the same time, you don’t want to break that zone.”

The designer for Paris will be Spain’s Santiago Varela, assisted by co-designer Gregory Bodo of France. Santiago is a lifetime student of the sport, earning the title of “Local Course Designer” at just 15 years of age in Madrid. He’s since gone on to design at World Championships, World Cup and Nations Cup competitions, as well as the last Olympics in Tokyo. There, his jumps received much recognition for their beauty and attention to detail. He’s been teamed up with Gregory since the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

While we certainly see an increasing number of courses designed by designers who spend most of their time in the show jumping space, there is a level of nuance involved with the two different sports.

“It’s very different to design an eventing show jumping,” Michel noted. “The horses are a little more fatigued on this last day. There has been a lot of rideability that was lost during the cross country phase, so when you come into the show jumping you’re not as sharp as you would be if show jumping was first.”

“One thing the designers may do is go with slightly deeper cups or slightly heavier rails [that what you would see in pure show jumping]. I remember very well when we did Kentucky for instance, we weighed all the rails and kept the lighter ones for the show jumpers and the heavier ones for the eventers. But at an event like the Aiken Showcase, I use lighter rails and shallower cups. At the Games, you might just want to give them a bit of a chance — or not! It is the Olympics.”

Speaking to what he’s observed of Santiago’s design style, Michel says he looks forward to seeing what he lays out for our eventers. “I would say he’s a very classic course designer,” he said. “If you’ve done your homework and are totally prepared, I’d say you can do really well. Some course designers might suit certain types of horses and riders and not so much others. I don’t think that’s really going to be the case with Santiago, I think he will give us a real quality of work.”

What can we take away from watching?

Michel will be the first to tell you — regardless of what level you compete at — that practice in the jumping ring is invaluable. Many eventers now dedicate portions of their competition calendar to some extra time doing jumpers. This will pay off in Paris, he says.

“I do praise the guys that do it,” he said. “Show jumping is becoming more and more important in this discipline, and there was a time when the riders weren’t spending enough time on it. It’s different at an event. You have no opportunity to come back in, fix an issue, solve a problem. You go back home and then you’re getting ready for your next dressage test or conditioning. I would suggest to at least twice or three times a year to give yourself a block of three weeks where you do show jumping and nothing else. And then you go back to your routine. But really take advantage of the jumping show, and that includes everybody. You can be a Beginner Novice rider and go in the ring and jump four rounds and then come back and do it the next week. In two weeks, you’ve jumped the equivalent of eight events. It can only help you.”

And that practice will pay off for many this weekend. In Tokyo, just four pairs came away with two clear show jumping rounds. One pair, Nicolas Touzaint and Absolute Gold HDC, jumped clear in the second round but had one second of time. Seven of the top 25 jumped clear in the first round but had rails down in the second round. 80% of the individual field had at least one rail down. This goes to show just how influential the final phase stands to be (as it should be!), and it will make for some fascinating, nail-biting action.

“It comes down to slight little mistakes and errors,” Michel said. “But the top riders will make every technicality look very simple. Many of our eventers now are good enough that they could blend in as show jumpers. There was a time when jumps got demolished in this phase. Not so much anymore. The cream will rise to the top, it always does. There are no lucky winners in the Olympics.”

With that, our breakdown series concludes and we hope you are feeling prepped and ready for the action to begin in just a couple of days! We’ll see you very soon. For more from EN on the Olympics, click the banner below.

Major Changes Made to Teams USA and Germany on Paris Move-In Day 24 Jul 2024, 5:04 am

We’re just two days away from the first horse inspection – and the Opening Ceremony – of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and today’s moving-in day for horses at the Versailles stabling. It’s a big day by anyone’s reckoning, but one made even bigger by changes made to two of the biggest national contenders for team medals.

Team USA’s Will Coleman will now ride his direct reserve horse, Kentucky CCI4*-S winner Diabolo, a twelve-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Diarado x Aljano 2) owned by the Diabolo Group, instead of the stalwart Off The Record. No reason has been made public yet for this swap, and the dynamics of the rest of the team remain the same, with Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker retaining the travelling reserve spot at this time.

In team Germany, the changes are slightly bigger: Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz, who were part of the Tokyo 2020 team, have withdrawn following ‘abnormalities’ in the Tuesday evening veterinary check in the final trot-up. That means that reigning Olympic champion Julia Krajewski is now on the team of three with her Aachen winner, ten-year-old Nickel 21, and 23-year-old Olympic debutant Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom of the Opera, who made their five-star debut at Kentucky this spring and were runners-up at Aachen, are now in the travelling reserve role.

We’ll keep you updated with all the breaking news from the ground in Paris as we get it. Go Eventing!

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