After the final observation event for selection of the U.S. FEI World Equestrian Games show jumping team wrapped up Sunday afternoon Aug. 12 in Dublin, I made an educated guess about the country’s only WEG contingent in the Olympic disciplines that hadn’t been named. And I was right, pretty much. (see the post below in On the Rail)
Long Valley’s Devin Ryan, who was ninth on Eddie Blue in the Longines Dublin grand prix with one time penalty in the first round, will be joining McLain Ward (Clinta and HH Azur), Laura Kraut after a redeeming double-clear in the Dublin Nations’ Cup on Zeremonie and Adrienne Sternlicht, fourth in the Dublin G.P. with a rail and the fastest time on Cristalline.
Devin Ryan and Eddie Blue. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Coach Robert Ridland always likes to pick an up-and-coming less-experienced rider to his squads (a la Lucy Davis in the 2014 WEG and 2016 Olympics) so they can gain mileage. That’s Adrienne this time around. But that makes World Cup winner Beezie Madden the alternate on Darry Lou; I had Beezie on the squad and Adrienne as traveling alternate.
You know how it is with horses–if something can go wrong, it just might, so no one should think they’re a sure thing until the final deadline for team substitutions an hour before the first competition.