by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 4, 2024
With a sigh of relief so loud it probably could be heard in every corner of the vast Versailles Olympic stadium, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl knew at her final halt with TSF Dalera BB that she had done her utmost to defend the individual dressage gold medal she won at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
And it was enough. Just. The score of 90.093 edged her teammate, Isabell Werth with Wendy (89.614), who now has another silver to add to her vast collection of 13 medals. The bronze went to the long-strided Glamourdale and World Champion Lottie Fry of Great Britain, whose late mother, Laura Fry, had also ridden in the Olympics and undoubtedly was watching and riding the test with her. They were marked at 88.971.
“She’s with me all the time,” said Lottie, noting her mother was on the team with Carl Hester in 1992 and now she’s on the team with Carl, who finished seventh individually on Fame with 85.161.
Olympic dressage medalists Isabell Werth (silver) and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (gold) both of Germany, and Lorrie Fry (bronze) of Great Britain.
The challenge to Jessica that had looked as if it would come from Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup Dufour in Sunday’s finale of the discipline did not materialize, as the Danish star finished fifth. When the announcement was made about the 88.093 percent score for Cathrine, last to go with the aptly named Freestyle, it meant Jessica had won and she jumped into the arms of her husband, who twirled her around in an ecstatic circle of joy.
After learning she won the gold, Jessica von Bredow Werndl leaped into the arms of her husband, Max von Bredow.
Jessica had finished second in the team competition on Saturday. It was the first class Dalera had not won since finishing second in the Grand Prix Special in Kronberg in June 2021. Cathrine, who had the top score in the team competition, was the only one in that Special to score over 90 percent. (The story about the team final is the second feature on this website.)
Catherine Laudrup-Dufour on Freestyle in the freestyle.
Her marks in the individual final reflected subtractions for a costly canter stride in the extended trot that got between 4 and 6.5 from the judges. Her mare also had a gapping mouth at times.
So despite several spectacular movements, such as the walk into the canter pirouette followed up with the piaffe pirouette, she finished fifth behind the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere and Hermes (88.432).
On the bright side, she had straight 10s for music and five 10’s for choreography and use of the arena.
“I Love Paris” was part of Jessica’s music, but it also reflected her feelings about the city where she retained her crown. It is doubly special because simple mathematics determines this will be 17-year-old Dalera’s last Olympics, since the Games are held only every four years.
Finishing second in the Special was unnerving but Jessica handled her emotions.
“Today I woke up and I thought, `Okay, it’s all about trust, we are enough and I have to trust myself and I have to trust Dalera.’ It was about letting go, to surrender.”
Jessica plans to compete the mare a few more times before breeding her and letting her enjoy retirement.
“I owe her so much. I love her and I will spoil her until the last day of her life,” Jessica announced.
She and Isabell were two-thirds of the German team that won gold on Saturday, along with Frrederic Wandres, thirteenth in the freestyle on Bluetooth.
The impressive dressage arena, which many riders said was the best in which they had ever ridden
Jessica received straight 10’s for music and interpretation of the music, with four 10’s, a 9.9 and two 9.6 marks. She also got six 10’s for choreography and a 10 for harmony, with all but one of the remaining marks in that category in the high 9’s.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB.
Dalera, she said, “was 1,000 percent with me, she had no ear or eye anywhere else than me, she was listening so carefully and she really showed me that this is what she wants to do and this is why it makes me so emotional, because I don’t know if I will ever get another horse like her. She’s the most intelligent horse I’ve ever had, she is out of this world.”
Isabell Werth and Wendy; her freestyle music included part of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” re-written with the name Wendy (“You came and you gave without taking.”
Isabell observed, “We (Team Germany) had the luck on our side yesterday (in Saturday’s team competition). The Danish team also could have won, and today, I’m really happy with the result because at the end, it’s a lucky punch for Jessi and a bit unlucky for me, that’s how it goes.
“But both horses were fantastic, we had such a high standard in the competition. The first starter had 80 percent already, so I think it was just fantastic. And for me, with this horse, and in this atmosphere, I don’t feel that I lost anything.”
On the podium during the awards ceremonies, all was happiness. Isabell and Lottie eventually joined Jessica on the top level, with the three bouncing around in a funny little dance and taking a selfie.
An over-joyed Lottie said she was speechless, but then exclaimed, “I’m so, so proud of Glamourdale. I 100 percent knew he was capable of it, but to be able to pull it off in there today and get the bronze is just incredible. The support from the crowd was amazing. and the prize giving was just insane.”
The music in her performance was diplomatic, beginning with “God Save the King,” and included the Marseillaise, the French national anthem, which made the French fans happy.
The 28-year-old Lottie was thrilled to enjoy the lap of honor with the more senior Jessica and Isabell, her idols and, a “huge inspiration in our sport.”
Lottie didn’t watch any of the other riders.
“I knew they were all very good. I didn’t want to disappoint myself, I was just happy with my ride.”
She and her team were on the way back to the stables and decided to check the scores before packing up.
“There was a lot screaming going on when we realized we had the bronze,” she said.
She had, of course, dreamed of winning an Olympic medal, noting “I know Glamoudale is one of best horses in the world. So I knew it was possible. I do put a bit of pressure on myself. When you’re in there (the arena) all you’re thinking about is that moment. When it becomes reality, it is amazing.”
She thought back to 2022, the year of her world title
“When we became world champion, it was quite unexpected and I knew Glamourdale was capable. This is just as special for me, even more special. It’s so cool,” she concluded.
Carl was positively bubbling, saying, “Oh my God, I’m happy. Probably best freestyle I’ve ever done, I imagine.” The 57-year-old mastermind of Britain’s landmark London Games gold medals in 2012 had said the music for his freestyle would reflect his era and age. That’s how the tune, “Those Were the Days,” got in there, but you’d have to say, these are also the days–to remember. He’s talking about retiring from competition, but we’ll see what happens. Oh, and he’s only the second British citizen to have been in seven Olympics.
He coached Becky Moody, another member of the British bronze medal team, in her Olympic debut at age 44 with Jagerbomb (eighth, 84.357), a horse she bred and trained. Becky laughed about her music, Tom Jones’ Sex Bomb.
She said a friend had told her to use it and she replied, “absolutely not, it’s far too cheesey.” But eventually she gave in.
“It’s fun to ride to,” Becky observed. “The horse likes it, the crowd likes it.”
Many of the riders in the individual competition were familiar names, but it was nice to see people such as Becky doing well in their first Olympics.
Sandra Sysojeva and Maxima Bella.
Another was Sandra Sysojeva of Poland, who finished fifteenth with a spectacular 8-year-old Oldenburg mare, Maxima Bella by the Trakehner Millenium (it can be quite confusing to know what’s what when these breeds are mixed).
What lift she had in her piaffe and passage.She will be heard from again.
Sandra runs a stable in Lithuania but changed her citizenship last year to ride for Poland. The mare originally was to be sent to slaughter because she was so difficult, but Sandra decided she should be saved. Maxima Bella was a natural at dressage and Sandra just channeled that talent to turn the horse into a star at such a young age. A very special success story.
Click this link for results
On Monday, show jumping resumes with the individual qualifier. The top 30 from that will move on to the finals Tuesday, as the Olympics draws to a close.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 3, 2024
For the fifteenth time, Germany won dressage team gold at the Olympics, but the margin in Paris on Saturday was so small that the outcome was in doubt until the very end of the competition.
Germany’s edge over silver medal Denmark in the Grand Prix Special was an uncomfortable 0.121 percent (a total of 235.790 to 235.669), and no German rider broke 80 percent. That was left to Denmark’s newest combination, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle, marked at a stunning 81.216 percent.
“What to say? Outstanding. Only tiny hiccup for the one-times (changes) at the diagonal,” Cathrine commented, mentioning it was the ride of her dreams.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark had the highest score of the team competition with Freestyle.
Her score wound up being 1.262 percent ahead of world number one Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB, graded at 79.954, yet that was enough for the German to save the day for her country.
When Cathrine’s score was announced before Jessica’s ride, that put the pressure on the defending Olympic champion.
“I was a bit out of breath during Jessi’s test, but she finished brilliantly, kept her nerve,” said German national coach Monica Theodorescu.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl waves in triumph after getting the score she needed to secure gold for Germany.
She observed that early in the test, there were false starts into piaffe.
“Dalera wanted to canter, Jessi stopped her and then it took a while until she got into the piaffe,” earning a mark of 5.4 that was uncharacteristic of that duo.
“But otherwise, she was outstanding,” an elated Monica said.
Cathrine was fourth individually in the Tokyo Olympic riding Bohemian, who was the U.S. team alternate with Endel Ots. The Danish anchor rider was backed up by Daniel Bachmann Anderson on Vayron (75.93) and European Championships silver medalist Nanna Skodborg Merrald with Zepter (78.480), whose score was affected by a glitch in the two-tempis.
The team silver (that the riders felt had a golden tint) was Denmark’s best result yet in the Olympics, but all three were also on their country’s winning world championships team in 2022. That was the year Jessica von Bredow-Werndl did not compete for Germany because she was having a baby.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour knew she had a great ride for an important score on Freestyle.
Daniel said the team members have known and supported each other since they were children.
“We are the youngest team here and we come in as world champions and we’ve already done so many great things, but we have so much more to come and ahead of us and we are so hungry to do even more,” he said.
Great Britain missed out on a sweep of all the equestrian team golds at Versailles after taking titles in eventing and show jumping. It earned dressage bronze with a total of 232.492 percent. The squad of Carl Hester (Fame), Olympic debutante Becky Moody (Jagerbomb) and World Champion Lottie Fry (Glamourdale) enjoyed a good margin over the Netherlands (221.948).
Prior to the Games, however, Britain was set to go for the gold medal, and might have won it, until a scandal broke last month involving its perennial top scorer, Charlotte Dujardin. She withdrew from the Games and was suspended by the FEI (international equestrian federation) after a whistleblower revealed a video from two-and-a-half years ago, showing the Olympic multi-gold medalist using a longe whip to hit a horse during a private training session.
The timing was a triple whammy that set off an international furor affecting not only Charlotte and the team, but also horse sport. Media at the Olympics kept asking British team members about the issue, and horse abuse became a hot topic globally, with some public sentiment pushing for it to be dropped from the Olympics. Riders emphasized to those inquiring the care taken with their horses, who were living in air-conditioned stalls at the venue, where they beat the oppressive heat with cooling stations.
But the fans who filled the stands were all for the sport, cheering for their countries and the stars who gave their all.
Rapper Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, dressed for dressage, visited riders Steffen Peters (Snoop is an admirer of Steffen’s horse, Suppenkasper), Endel Ots with Bohemian and McLain Ward.
Cathrine’s score (on a horse trained and ridden several years ago by Charlotte) was a shocker in its magnitude, and no one was more affected than Jessica. But she handled it before Dalera stepped into the arena.
“You notice it, but it’s no longer in your head at that moment. At that moment, it’s all about the here and now and about delivering what you can deliver,” she said, explaining how she dealt with Cathrine’s result.
Discussing her test, she said, “Unfortunately, we had an incredibly big misunderstanding once in the transition (from walk to piaffe), which was extremely expensive.” Double coefficients there made the mistake a major problem.
“But oh, I didn’t want that thriller, I have to admit. I would have liked to have made it a bit less exciting. But now no one can say that dressage riding is boring,” Jessica concluded.
As she explained, “Dalera is only human.” Once out of those troublesome movements “everything was fine again.”
Monica critiqued the rest of her team, Frederic Wandres (Bluethooth Old/75.942) — who was so overcome with emotion on the podium that he was wiping tears away — and seven-time Olympian Isabell Werth (Wendy/79.894).
“Everyone had a little something,” the coach pointed out.
“Isabell didn’t quite jump through a one-step change on the center line, Freddy slightly changed once in the right pirouette. Thank God Bluetooth found the right coordination again. Otherwise, all three rode really well. Yes, it was just, just, just, just enough.”
Isabell has only been competing Wendy this year, but she called it “a really perfect match between us and I think we both feel really confident and that makes it so easy. She’s so uncomplicated.
“She’s really tall when you stand next to her…and everything is much easier on her, you can sit and just have fun. She’s everything in a perfect construction, and it’s wonderful to have her in time for the Olympics.”
Becky Moody, making her Olympic debut for Britain on a horse she bred, raised and trained, was happy with her experience and a personal best of 76.489. After all, until Charlotte withdrew, she was the alternate looking forward only to a restful 10-day holiday in France.
Becky Moody and her home-bred Jagerbomb.
“It was pretty cool. What an incredible stadium,” she said, recounting her experience.
“The crowd was fantastic and my horse was a total legend, so what more could I ask for?
“When you’ve trained them from the beginning, then you do know each other so well. He’s a lovely, lovely horse. He’s been quite spicy here this week. I have to say Carl has helped me out an awful lot to find that inner calm in both of us.”
Carl, the mastermind of Britain’s landmark 2012 Olympic team gold medal who watched nervously from the sidelines, said, “Becky went beyond what we expected.”
Carl Hester.
As far as his ride, he noted, “I had a fragile start, he was spooky in the beginning. ”
He experienced trouble getting along the side of the ring.
“Everything in this test happens on the side, and I was next to the judge when he rang the bell,” he recounted. At the sound, Fame jumped; Carl just smiled and said “Merci.” He still managed a quite respectable mark of 76.520.
He rode in his first Olympics 32 years ago and noted it doesn’t get any easier as time goes on.
“Every one does get tougher, because of expectations,” he said, but referring to the medal, added “This is a fantastic way to top the week.”
Lottie, whose late mother also rode for the team, clinched the bronze with 79.483 percent.
Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale compete in the Grand Prix Special (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
“I had an amazing ride today. So many improvements from the Grand Prix. He made me very proud. He did some amazing things,” she commented. As always, the extended canter and flying changes were highlights, but she also was pleased with the pirouettes because “he really nailed them today.”
“It’s an amazing feeling to ride in that arena. We both really enjoyed it.”
She is working on a few improvements for Sunday’s musical freestyle, in which the top 18 riders will take part.
The dressage team medalists from Germany, Denmark and Britain.
The U.S. did not have a team in the Special. It was eliminated during the Grand Prix last week after Jane, Marcus Orlob’s ride, was excused under the “blood rule” for having a tiny scratch on her white fetlock.
She picked that up when she whirled after first entering the arena just as another horse was leaving. (See the full story in the On the Rail section of this website).
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 2, 2024
Britain earned its first Olympic show jumping team gold since the landmark 2012 London Olympics with a mere 2 time penalties Friday, as the U.S. claimed silver on 4 faults and France was third with 7. The Brits took the lead with a 1-time penalty from their pathfinder, defending individual gold Olympic medalist from Tokyo, Ben Maher aboard Dallas Vegas Batilly, and they never gave up that spot.
Riding second for Britain on a fault-free trip was Harry Charles (Romeo) who broke his arm a month ago in Aachen but was determined not to miss the Olympics and redeem himself from a retirement on course in the Tokyo Olympics.
“That was probably the best round of my life,” said Harry, whose father, Peter Charles, was on the 2012 gold medal team, as was Ben and the man who went on to be the anchor in Paris, Scott Brash (Jefferson). He left the rails in place to clinch the title, picking up just a single time penalty.
Scott recalled that it was incredible to win gold in London 12 years ago in front of a home crowd, on “one of the best days of my life, but here is right up there. I mean, what an unbelievable setting, what a beautiful venue for our sport and facilities for the horses were incredible.”
British Chef D’Equipe Di Lampard summed up her team’s performance saying, “The lads were ice-cold and delivered on the given day.” She was “completely overwhelmed” by the result after four years of planning. The British first won gold at the 1952 Games.
This was the second gold of these Games for Britain, which also took top honors in eventing. And they may have had the potential to do so in dressage as well, except that their star, Charlotte Dujardin was sidelined by scandal (read about it here) and replaced by a competent, but less-experienced, rider.
The silver was the first medal for U.S. equestrians at the Games in Versailles following disappointments in eventing and dressage.
U.S. silver medalists Karl Cook, Laura Kraut and McLain Ward. (U.S. Equestrian Photo)
After an uncharacteristic knockdown by Laura Kraut on Baloutinue in the initial rotation at the A element of the cinema-themed triple combination (she called it “an interesting mistake. The horse doesn’t normally jump over his front end like that”) the U.S. carried 4 penalties but was buoyed by clear rounds from Karl Cook on Caracole de La Roque and anchor man McLain Ward with Ilex, who bucked joyfully after his first fence.
“I knew he was in perfect shape today,” McLain said of the Dutch-bred horse he began riding only this year.
“I believed in him and my team put me in a great position to deliver. Everybody behind me made my job a little bit easier,” said McLain, noting he’d had a year of “seconds,” at Aachen last month and in the finale grand prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival last spring.
Poised at bronze medal level, the U.S. was able to move up after the last French rider, Julien Epaillard on Dubai Du Cedre, dropped that nation a place with a toppled rail at the Jardin Francaise oxer. That elevated the American team to silver, the same medal it won at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“We came here expecting big things, but you never know,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland, commenting it was the best team the U.S. had in the last three Olympics. This was the third time in a row that America earned silver at the Games.
Both Laura and McLain were on the Tokyo team, but Olympic rookie Karl Cook–a last-minute replacement with Caracole de la Roque for veteran Kent Farrington and Greya –proved his worth with clears in both Thursday’s qualifier and the final.
Karl said of his mount, previously ridden by Julien Epaillard, “I’m so grateful to Caracole, she’s such an amazing horse.”
Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque, who jumps in a hackamore.
Karl, whose performance has improved impressively this year, noted it is “Amazing to be with people I’ve watched and respected for so many years and be able to go in and jump and do it all together is what you hope for when you’re a kid.”
McLain called the three-rider, no-drop score format, which had debuted in Tokyo, “a real pressure cooker”:…that ratcheted up the pressure and excitement. I think it’s great sport.”
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, watched the competition in the stands full of 20,000 fans, including avid flag-wavers from the nine countries involved in the final (Mexico did not appear due to a veterinary issue with one of its horses.) France made the podium despite being tied with the Netherlands on seven penalties because its team had a faster collective time.
Big surprises were the placings of Ireland, which had been favored by many going into the competition, and Tokyo team gold medalists Sweden. World number one Henrik von Eckermann had a pole with King Edward at the lavender fields fence that was a bit of an optical illusion, number 11 of 14 obstacles. Rolf Goran-Bengtsson and Peder Fredricson each followed with knockdowns for 12 penalties to put Sweden in sixth place, four penalties behind fifth-place Germany.
The tight 79-second time-allowed was an issue for several riders early on, including Maher, and it caught Shane Sweetnam, the Irish pathfinder on James Kann Cruz with one for time in addition to a rail. Daniel Coyle was foot-perfect with Legacy, but the most experienced Irishman, Cian O’Connor, had surprising rails at two fences and a time penalty with Maurice to put the team in seventh place. Ireland has never won a team show jumping medal in the Olympics, where Cian was its only individual medal winner with a bronze in 2012.
The course, laid out by Gregory Bodo of France and Tokyo Olympics designer Santiago Varela of Spain, was just challenging enough.
As Laura, who has jumped many of the routes designed by Bodo pointed out, he is an “important designer,” noting there were “no eliminations, no disasters; lots of poles down. He’s very crafty with the time allowed. I felt I was flying and I only came in a second and a-half under (the time). it’s just what you would expect at the Olympics.”
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue. (U.S. Equestrian Photo)
The team final course was as beautifully produced and themed as the previous day’s qualifier layout. Bodo has a way of using all of the ring in his designs, with no space wasted. The intriguingly designed fences resumed the tour of French history and culture that we saw on Thursday.
The vinification fence complete with grapes and wine barrel (it’s in our lead photo being jumped by McLain Ward) is a tribute to the country’s wine industry. There was a fence flanked by the Statue of Liberty (a gift to the U.S. from France) and its torch; the Eiffel Tower (of course!), a wall crafted to look like the stained glass at Notre Dame, and seaside cabins (we would call them cabanas) in a nod to the country’s popular beaches.
The US, British and French teams with their medals. (U.S. EQuestrian Photo)
Laura, 58, who started her Olympic career as an alternate at the 1992 Barcelona Games, has the distinction of being the oldest female U.S. Olympian to medal since an archer who competed in 1904. When it’s brought up, she laughs about it. Laura is a good sport. Anyway, she wasn’t the oldest in the class. That was Rolf Goran-Bengtsson, who is 62. It’s wonderful that riding is such a lifetime pursuit!
Jumping returns to Versailles on Monday with the qualifier for the individual medals, but the action continues on Saturday with team dressage at 4 a.m. Eastern Time. Don’t worry about getting up, I’ll tell you what happens. The U.S. does not have a team; it was eliminated earlier this week because Marcus Orlob’s ride, Jane, had a small scratch on her right hind fetlock. No U.S. rider qualified for the individual finals on Sunday.
Click here for team jumping results. Click here for individual results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 29, 2024
It was a historic day at the Olympics, for Germany’s Michael (Michi) Jung and the British.
Let’s rename the country “Very Great” Britain.
The British eventing team of Laura Collett Ros Canter and Tom McEwen at the Paris Games defended its Tokyo team gold against a challenge from the home favorites, France, finishing on 91.3 penalties for three days of competition after a tense show jumping finale. It is the most successful nation in the history of eventing, now having earned team gold five times.
Laura Collett in the show jumping arena and a look at its fabulous vista.
Silver medal France had 103.6 penalties, while Japan — which has been getting better and better at the eventing game — made history itself by finishing on the Olympic podium in the sport for the first time with a score of 115.8 for the bronze. The U.S. wound up seventh with 133.7 penalties, 3.2 behind Sweden and 0.9 ahead of New Zealand.
The British celebrate another gold medal.
Michi, who had a rail at the double in the team final, came back when it really counted in the individual final with Chipmunk FRH to post a clean round and is now the first person in history (there it is again!) to win three individual Olympic gold medals.
Australia’s Christopher (Burto) Burton was silver with just 0.4 time penalties over two jumping rounds added to his dressage score of 22 penalties. He had a bit of an edge in the final phase — he had been concentrating on show jumping when he turned back to eventing and started riding Shadow Man just this year.
As he heads back to Australia from Britain to start his own stable, he believes the horse, the former and future ride of Ben Hobday, will return to the owners.
“It would be my dream to keep riding him, he’s just the most delightful animal. From the minute I sat on him, I thought he was incredible, like we were made for each other, but I think anyone that sat on him would have the same experience I’m afraid, it would break your heart. But what a story we had and what a great time we had in Paris,” Burto commented.
And Laura Collett took individual bronze with London 52 on 23.1 penalties. She was fault-free in the individual round, but had a rail and 0.8 time penalties in the team jumping round. Without those errors, she would have had gold and foiled Michi’s historic moment.
Silver medalist Christopher Burton, gold medalist Michi Jung and bronze medalist Laura Collett. (FEI Photo)
The first woman from Britain to earn an individual Olympic eventing medal in 16 years, she is an achiever who wasn’t going to be stopped by a fall that nearly took her life in 2013 and left her without sight in one eye. She set an Olympic record with her dressage score on Saturday, which made it an obvious prediction that she would be in the medals.
Even so, she said through tears of joy, “I never thought this day would come.”
“I owe everything to that horse and the team that made it possible just to get here. I’m so lucky to be the the one that gets to ride into an arena like that and come out with a team gold and individual bronze medal.”
Expressing her gratitude for the help people gave her along the way, she emphasized, “I want to say thank you to every single one of them. It’s so many years of hard work and blood, sweat and tears. Emotional rollercoaster doesn’t even do it justice.”
To others who have aspirations, she advised, “for moments like this, every bad day is so worth it. You just have to never give up, never lose faith. You can never dream too big.”
Michi’s campaign for a third gold was foiled at the 2021 Tokyo Games when he was in the lead, but received 11 penalties in a controversial issue with a MIM system device at a cross-country fence there. Some felt the call was quite unfair, as he had galloped off before a pole fell at a fence his horse touched, but now he has achieved what he set out to do three years ago.
Even someone as experienced as Michi had nerves to control in the last stages of his medal quest, as he rode in front of a packed and noisy stadium.
“I tried to say to myself it’s just a normal show,” he revealed.
“I try to push my horse not too much, to give him the feeling it’s a normal show, although it’s not so easy with so many spectators. In the end I needed to look at the board to see that it’s really true, and now I need a moment to realize what it means. It’s a very special moment for me.”
The U.S. wound up seventh, securing a spot in the top 10 after some rocky moments in the previous phases. With the gallant Federman B, Boyd Martin delivered two double-clears for America over the course designed by Santiago Varela and Gregory Bodo. The route was beautiful, with fences symbolizing various aspects of France and its history, including the street signs of Paris and the art of Toulouse Lautrec (seen in the photo below).
Boyd Martin and Federman B were heroes in the show jumping phase of eventing. (US Equestrian photo)
He finished tenth on 32.1 penalties total. Teammate Liz Halliday, originally the traveling alternate, was fifteenth on Nutcracker with 34.8 penalties. The third team member, Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake, finished thirty-seventh (66.8) and so did not qualify to be in the top 25 who contested the individual round, an hour after the team show jumping wrapped up.
Boyd noted how pleased he was with his horse, known as “Bruno,” saying, “He didn’t touch a jump in the warmup and came in the round and jumped like a superstar. I’ve got supreme confidence in Bruno’s jumping ability.”
He cited the help he got in the warm-up from trainers Peter Wylde and Erik Duvander. But as he wrapped up his experience in Paris, where his flying change problem in dressage foiled his medal hopes despite wonderful performances in the event’s other phases, Boyd observed, “it’s heartbreaking, to be honest. I feel like we’ve been so close so many times. This is my fourth Olympics and my career is probably in the second half now. I thought everyone tried hard, it’s a tough sport, a game of inches and I had all these dreams of wearing a medal and it’s not going to happen this weekend.”
U.S. Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello was both philosophical and insightful while discussing his team’s experience at Versailles.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about the weekend and I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m just being overly Polly Annaish, but I really truly believe that there were more positives this weekend and there are still signs that we are here competing with the rest of the world, we didn’t compete in this format to a level that was going to get us a medal this weekend.
“I think we have to get better at this Olympic format because it is unique, but we really do have to think about what are the things that we can definitely…concentrate on and improve that are going to make us more significant in a competition like this, which is unique. I’m heartened when I look at the quality of the riders we have here…they all have a deep bench of horses coming along. When I’m looking to the future, I get a little bit worried about the `deep bench of athletes.’
He wants to “really knuckle down and look into the next four years and map a blueprint of what it’s going to take to make sure the improvements keep going and that we’re always putting ourselves in a place where we can be competitive on a world stage. I feel so very hopeful about the trajectory we are on. We just have to stay focused and positive but not be patting ourselves on the back for being seventh. We need to be better than that, but we also can’t get discouraged, either.”
I was thinking about why the Brits are so great at eventing, and I believe part of it might be because the deep bench they draw on has a lot of experience foxhunting, or trail hunting or drag hunting. That really stands in good stead for cross-country. And eventing is also a popular sport in Britain in the panoply of equestrian disciplines, which encourages people to draw in at a variety of levels.Just my musings…
Click here for team results. Click here for individual results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 19, 2024
With social license to operate looming large over horse sports, special attention is being paid to equine welfare on equestrian’s biggest stage.
The “Be a Guardian” initiative was announced just before the Olympics, as the FEI (international equestrian federation) works to “future-proof” the sport against push-back from people concerned about animal welfare. it was a focal point of the FEI Action Plan developed by the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission. According to the FEI, it calls on members of the community “to fully commit to their duties as ‘guardians’ of FEI horses.”
Shouldn’t that have always been the case? And why just FEI horses? Why should those involved with horses at a high level (or really any level) need a reminder to be cognizant of their horses’ welfare? Well, at least the FEI is calling attention to the issue.
As part of the effort, for the first time at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, there will be an Equine Welfare Coordinator. Dr Richard Corde, president of the French League for the Protection of the Horse, is overseeing things. His role is aimed at ensuring all stakeholders play by the welfare rules. He will be handling a responsibility previously divided among stewards, veterinarians and Ground Jury members.
From the get-go at Versailles, where the Olympic equestrian events are being held, horses will have what they need with air-conditioned stables, outdoor areas for exercise and high-quality footing in the main competition arena, on eventing cross-country and in all the training arenas. Environmental conditions, such as heat, humidity and air quality are being monitored to minimize stress and maximize well-being.
Stringent health monitoring protocols will be enforced before, during, and after competition to assess the horses’ fitness and maintain their physical and mental health throughout the Olympics. A team of qualified veterinarians and support staff will conduct regular health assessments, addressing with immediate veterinary care any issues that may arise. Post-event care protocols, including adequate rest periods, will be strictly observed to aid horses in their recovery.
“We cannot prevent every issue, but if we follow these rules and encourage everyone to take responsibility based on our shared values, we can work hard to further improve excellent standards of horse welfare,” stated FEI President Ingmar De Vos.
“As we prepare for the Olympic Games, we are eager to display our sport’s beauty and our dedication to caring for horses responsibly. Together, we are committed to ensuring that every horse at Paris 2024 receives the care and respect they deserve.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 5, 2024
There were some astonishing results in Monday’s Olympic show jumping individual medal qualifier. A couple of very key contenders failed to make the list of 30 eligible starters from a field of 73 seeking a place in Tuesday’s final competition, which still promises to be outstanding.
Podium prospect McLain Ward, for instance, who anchored the USA’s silver medal team last week with the impressive Ilex, had 4 faults at the last of 14 fences, the Le Petit Prince oxer of blue and gray rails named after a famous book.
Only 20 riders were fault-free in the class that drew 73; the other 10 qualifiers all had knockdowns, with the exception of one with a single time penalty. But with time separating the tied 4-fault competitors, McLain was too slow to make the cut, finishing thirty-fourth in 75.50 seconds.
Of Ilex, McLain observed, “He was brilliant; actually jumped it very easy.
“Coming down the last line, it was getting easy coming to the (out) gate. I think I just got myself a little bit anxious and put on little more leg than I needed and made him go a little flat. It was just a small rider error. It’s a little frustrating,” he said.
McLain Ward looks back at his fallen rail.
That’s particularly true because his horse is capable of handling bigger challenges than what was laid out in the Versailles arena.
“For me, I wish it was a more difficult track. It was very soft,” he suggested. (Click here to see the course diagram)
“We’ve seen a lot of that this year, 30 clear in Rotterdam, 25 clear in Aachen. My horse is a big jumper. I wish it was a little bit stronger track. The rail was my fault.”
Richard Vogel of Germany is another who was expected to vie for medals in the final, where riders all start with a clean slate but run in the final according to their order of merit from the qualifier. Richard toppled three rails with United Touch S as he rushed to make a time that would get him in the final. The stallion is deemed one of the world’s best horses and a jumper everyone would like to have in their stable. He finished fifty-fifth and thus will not be seen again at these Games.
The defending gold medalist from the Tokyo Games, Britain’s Ben Maher, had a very bad moment when Dallas Vegas Batilly crashed through the trapezoid-shaped wall at the start of the last line, sending blocks flying everywhere. There were numbers on the pieces, so the ring crew could put the dizzying pattern of suns and horse heads back together properly. No other horses took issue with the obstacle.
Ben Maher and his mare scatter some bricks.
With his great skill, Ben didn’t turn a hair and recouped to finish twenty eighth.
“I don’t know what happened. She felt amazing today,” said Ben of his mount
In terms of the wall, he noted there was a shadow there at the time he rode, which could have affected her perception.
“She rolled around the corner and as she took off, it took her by surprise. Luckily, I’m a little older and experienced, and we made a quick recovery together.”
Ben had a plan B to insure he was fast enough to get into the final if he had a knockdown, and it worked.
Despite having a rail at the C element of the troublesome Champs Elysee triple combination, the USA’s Laura Kraut wound up twenty- seventh and will start on Tuesday, when the class begins at 4 a.m. Eastern time.
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue. (U.S. Equestrian Photo)
While she felt confident going in, Laura noted, “it’s a different sort of mindset when you know how many are clear already. Any mistake is going to be very costly. I jumped into the triple and he jumped a little right. I didn’t hear him hit it; I heard the crowd” (reacting to the knockdown).
She agreed with McLain that course designers Gregory Bodo of France and Santiago Varela of Spain had made their route “a little bit softer,” taking into account that some riders were not in the team competition and so hadn’t jumped in the ring.
But Laura felt the course was well done and noted “nobody’s on the ground. I think it’s been a great week for show jumping.” As for Baloutinue, she emphasized, “I couldn’t ask for a better horse to have in an Olympics.”
Karl Cook, who originally was the U.S. alternate, put in his amazing clear round number three of the Games with Caracole de la Roque. Karl, who gained his spot on the team after Kent Farrington’s Greya suffered allergy problems, had a remarkable Olympic debut as he helped the U.S. to team silver last week.
Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque. (US Equestrian Photo)
Of his mare, he said, “She has more energy today than she had before, she feels stronger, more power, which is a great thing,” said Karl, who knows she is excited to show.
Karl warms up Cara in a regular bridle, then switches to a hackamore, where he has no option for adjustability. But as he noted, it works for jumping.
Interestingly, the man who previously rode Cara, France’s Julien Epaillard, lived up to his speed demon reputation in the qualifier by finishing first in the class with Dubai du Cedre. Julien, who also rides this mare in a hackamore, will have the advantage of going last in the final, where time will determine the placings when there is a tie.
Julien (who’s in our cover photo) was clocked in 73.07 seconds. The slowest of the fault-free rounds within the 79-second time allowed was Japan’s Takashi Haase Shibayama on Karamell M&M (78.97).
Julien Epaillard triumphant.
Julien recounted, “It was a lot of pressure in the team, I was last to go and playing for a medal and you don’t want to disappoint anyone. Today, the weight was off my shoulders and I rode differently, more relaxed. Also, my mare is every day more relaxed and it helped me to have more precision.
“But it was not so easy, because it’s not a big, big, course. It’s more delicate and a bit open, which is not the best for me. I like when it’s a bit short (distances) with my mare, but I’m really happy to be to be in the final tomorrow.”
He won individual bronze at last year’s European Championship and was second this year in the FEI World Cup Finals. Although France medaled in the eventing and show jumping team events, it has yet to enjoy a gold, so the home side wlll be rooting for Epaillard to end the Games with a win.
EquiRatings analytics gives Julien a 7 percent win chance
Ireland had been favored by many to win the team gold Friday, but only Daniel Coyle had a clear round and they were out of the medals. Today Daniel was clean again on Legacy (he’s one of my medal picks), but it wasn’t the best of circumstances for him. He had food poisoning the night before the class.
“I was under a lot of pressure today in all the wrong ways,” he said.
“But I was just trying to get through the finish with a good score, because after this week, my mare deserves to be in the final no matter what. So I would have been disappointed if she wasn’t there”, he said.
His teammate, Shane Sweetnam, also left all the rails in place with the lovely James Kann Cruz.
“We didn’t really have the rub of the green on Friday,” he said. “When I watched the video of my round (in the team jumping), it was like he just breathed on that fence (that came down). But that’s just show jumping for you. You have to have a little bit of luck, and today we had it on our side.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 3, 2024
The entire U.S. show jumping squad that earned silver at the Olympics on Friday will be starting Monday in the individual medal competition qualifier.
Kent Farrington, whose mount, Greya, was under the weather last week will stay on the sidelines and not ride in Paris. Originally named to the team, he was replaced by traveling alternate Karl Cook with Caracole de la Roque, who put in clear rounds over two days and helped the USA to the medal.
“The three medalists earned their shot,” said Coach Robert Ridland, referring to Laura Kraut and McLain Ward as well as Karl, while explaining the lineup for the final phase of these Games. The team silver is the only medal earned in Paris by the U.S. so far.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 24, 2024
There is no such thing as a sure thing.
Remember that when you and your friends are guessing—even doing educated guessing—about who will win the equestrian medals at the Olympics.
As the Games get under way this week in Paris, there are, of course, clear favorites. But you never know what can happen with them. The Charlotte Dujardin scandal illustrates that with painful detail.
And in making predictions, remember that where horses are involved, things can change fast. Again, reference Charlotte Dujardin. You couldn’t have predicted this story, and the way the timing of the accusation was arranged just before the Olympics, 2-and-a-half years after the incident.
Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep.
Britain was under the most pressure going into the Games, because it always had the most to lose. It may well have won gold in dressage if Charlotte was part of the team, and is favored for eventing gold, as well as at least one individual medal in that sport.
In show jumping, Ireland, my choice for team gold, lost its reserve rider when Bertram Allen reported that he was withdrawing due to an injury to his horse, Pacino Amiro. These things often happen on the cusp of the Games.
“I was really looking forward to our second Olympic participation, but my horse’s health is the priority. I will definitely be cheering loudly for our Irish team,” Bertram stated on social media.
Ireland fortunately has great depth in show jumpers, so Bertram will be replaced by Darragh Kenny on VDL Cartello. But remember, Olympic teams have only three members and no drop score, so Ireland’s squad that actually will be competing is still intact.
It’s comprised of Shane Sweetnam (James Kann Cruz), Cian O’Connor (Maurice) and Daniel Coyle (Legacy). Ireland has never won an Olympic team show jumping medal, so this could well be the year, though defending champion Sweden will put on the strongest of challenges, while the U.S. and Germany also are clearly medal threats. And don’t count out the French wanting to show their best before a home crowd.
Ireland’s Daniel Coyle and Legacy. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Individually, how can you bet against Sweden’s world number one Henrik von Eckermann and the sensationally consistent King Edward, whose name suits him? But then there is defending gold medalist Ben Maher of Great Britain on Point Break, a different horse than Explosion, the one that took him to the top of the podium in Tokyo. And plenty of others are in the running for individual medals. Cian looks like a possibility. He is the only Irish rider who has medaled in Olympic show jumping. Ever. Germany’s Richard Vogel does a fantastic job with United Touch S and I have been impressed by Germany’s Christian Kukuk and Checker. They won the last big grand prix of the season at the Winter Equestrian Festival in style.
McLain Ward and Ilex. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Meanwhile, the USA’s McLain Ward seemed to have found the key to his ride of six months, Ilex, with a tight second-place finish in the Rolex grand prix at Aachen this month. McLain has two Olympic team gold medals, but still needs an individual medal for his collection. And could McLain’s teammates, Laura Kraut (Baloutinue) and Kent Farrington (Greya) somehow figure in the individual medal race?
In eventing, Great Britain is generally considered the candidate for team gold, defending its Tokyo title and going for a historic fifth title in the Games.
European Champion Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo), a favorite for individual gold, has teammates (Laura Collett/London 52 and Tom McEwen/JLDublin) who are also in the running for individual medals.
The three-person format with no drop score is the same for all the Olympic disciplines, but it matters most in eventing with the three-phase format and the caprices of cross-country causing bumps in the prognostication road.
Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer
Germany is probably Britain’s stiffest competition for top honors, with marvelous Michi Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH leading the way. At 16, this is likely Chipmunk’s last championship stand. The team was just joined by the first woman to win individual Olympic gold, Julia Krajewski, the Tokyo star. She is riding Nickel, the horse who won the Aachen eventing this month. Julia replaced the 2022 world championship team gold medal combo of Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz, who was said to be not fit. The third member of the team is Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S. Calvin Bockmann and Phantom of the Opera have moved into the reserve slot.
The U.S. has a solid squad, even with the last-minute swap of Will Coleman’s mount, Diabolo, for Liz Halliday’s Nutcracker. Diabolo, who had replaced Will’s original mount, Off the Record, won the 4-star at Kentucky in April, but had developed an abcess and was replaced. Nutcracker was eighth in the Defender Kentucky 5-star that weekend. (See full story in the On the Rail section of this website, or click here).
Liz Halliday and Nutcracker at Kentucky. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Boyd Martin and Federman B, an excellent jumper, will be looking for an individual medal as well as team honors for the U.S. It would be the first time in two decades that the team medaled if they reach the podium. Caroline Pamucku is making her Olympic debut with HSH Blake, but she has proven herself to be reliable. At 29. Caroline is the youngest U.S. rider in Paris, and at age 9, Blake is the youngest horse with the American flag on his saddlepad.
We can’t ignore New Zealand, definitely in medal territory book-ended by the husband/wife powerhouse of Tim and Jonelle Price, with Clark Johnstone as the third member. Reserve, if you can believe it, is Badminton winner Caroline Powell. An embarrassment of riches. So the Kiwis are well-covered if they lose a team member.
Boyd Martin and Federman B training at Versailles. (US Equestrian photo)
Also expect the French to be in medal territory, or at least its suburbs. As we said with show jumping, they have the impetus of the home crowd behind them. With a French course designer, we’ve seen cross-country really scramble the standings at previous championships, and you can expect the same here with Pierre le Goupil doing the honors.
The fact that the dressage test will be new and shorter could also be a major factor in figuring out who wins what, making it more unpredictable than usual. And don’t forget the atmosphere at Versailles, even though spectators will be further back from the arena than they are in Aachen. That is going to add to the excitement and dare I say it, tension.
Eventers will be the first to test it out with their dressage phase, at 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday (9:30 a.m. French time). We’ll be covering, so stay in bed and read our bulletins when you get up for a report on the action. If you want to watch, the livestream is on Peacock, but it starts at 3:30 a.m. Eastern time. USA Network will show the first 10 riders from 3:30-4:30 a.m. Eastern. E! network will have a delayed program of top riders from 4:30-6 p.m. Eastern time.
While anything can happen in show jumping and eventing, where a rail or a refusal may befall the best of contenders, dressage tends to be a little more predictable. But not necessarily (see Charlotte Dujardin).
Britain, with Carl Hester (Fame) and world champion Lottie Fry (Glamourdale) had been my choice for gold when Charlotte was on the squad with Imhotep. Now, they could be in the medals, but it’s no sure thing. Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, who have taken Charlotte’s place, are a worthy pair, but inexperienced. So that makes Germany the gold medal choice, and world number one Jessica von Bredow-Werndl the likely individual gold medalist with TSF Dalera BB.
The eternal Isabell Werth is also an individual medal candidate with Aachen sensation Wendy de Fontaine and depending on how things go, might give Jessica a good challenge for gold. Their number three, Frederic Wandres with Bluetooth Old, isn’t quite at that level (he was more than 6 percent behind Isabell in the freestyle at Aachen, from which Jessica was absent). Alternate Ingrid Klimke withdrew a few days ago after her Franziskus was injured. Sönke Rothenberger and Fendi are replacing Ingrid and Franz.
Denmark is strong, but not strong enough to move ahead of Germany; it could be in a dead heat with Britain, though. Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Zepter may wind up in a battle for individual bronze. The Dutch, previously a dark horse team, can be well into the medal fray now. Interestingly, Dutch star Dinja van Liere (Hermes) will be at the Versailles venue just a few weeks before her brother, Joeri, competes there in wheelchair basketball at the Paralympics. Perhaps Dinja could be an individual medal contender with Hermes.
Pan American Games individual gold medalist Julio Mendoza Loor of Ecuador deserves a look in the freestyle; he should make the cut for that competition. The U.S.-based rider and Jewel’s Goldstrike did very well at Aachen, and while he’s not a medal contender, his performance and enthusiasm will speak well to the push for more countries in equestrian events at the Olympics.
And what about the U.S.?
If you had been speculating last November on who would be named to the U.S. dressage team for Paris, the only name you would have gotten right was Steffen Peters, with the “rave horse” from the Tokyo Games, Suppenkasper. The other combinations that make up the team and the alternate hadn’t even come together yet.
Considering how long it usually takes for a dressage horse and rider to reach the highest level, it definitely was a last-minute deal when Heidi Humphries of Zen Elite Equestrian bought Helix for two-time Olympian Adrienne Lyle and Bohemian for Endel Ots, who had never ridden in an international Grand Prix. But Adrienne made the team and Endel is the reserve. The third member of the squad is Marcus Orlob, who just began riding Alice Tarjan’s Jane in March.
The U.S. isn’t in the medal hunt, but with 15 teams entered, a finish in the top five or six is something to which the U.S. can aspire.
Marcus Orlob and Jane. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
“We really had to patiently watch these combinations form a partnership and it’s remarkable how that has happened in that short of a time,” said U.S. chef d’equipe Christine Traurig.
“I think we have potential on the team. We know Steffen is very well capable of scoring about a 75 percent. He has proven that in the past. I really feel also that after Jane and Marcus scored so well in Kronberg (during an observation competition) that they are also capable of a score around 75 percent.
“When we look at Helix and Adrienne, I think it’s the same there. I will say we’re going to jump up close to the scores of the other internationally, more confirmed established horses and by established, I mean they have repetitively shown over a period of, not six months, but over a period of one year, two years, if not three years. That’s what I call established with a solid average in that score.
“Do we have that this year? No, we don’t. but should we be excited about having such a good team with such potential? In there we have a solid and seasoned horse and rider in Steffen and Suppenkasper, a proven combination. We have a younger combination in 10-year-old Jane and Marcus Orlob, and that is exciting for us, and exciting for the sport in our country. It is a horse Alice (Tarjan) bought when three years old, trained by Alice through young horse years with the coaching of Marcus and has been produced to Grand Prix in the U.S. That’s a wonderful statement and that’s exciting for us.
Christine Traurig.
“Adrienne is a fantastic rider. What she has accomplished with that horse in a very short time is simply incredible. He has a long career ahead of him and he will get better and better,” Christine emphasized.
“What is our goal? Our goal is to be as good as we can possibly be and to show the world we are not sleeping on the job. Here is where we are at the Paris Olympics and then on to the world championships (2026) and Los Angeles (2028 Olympics).
“It says something about America,” she pointed out.
“There is no standstill. We are moving forward and upward.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 30, 2024
The Cinderella story of dressage did not have a happy ending, as the USA’s Marcus Orlob and Jane were eliminated in their Olympic debut partway through their Grand Prix test after a judge spotted a nick on the mare’s right hind leg. Although it was small, it showed up on the front of her white fetlock. Had the leg been brown or black, the scratch likely wouldn’t have been obvious from the judge’s booth.
The 10-year-old mare had whirled after entering the arena, trying to follow the previous horse who was leaving. For eventing dressage, horses entered and exited through separate gates, but that was not the case for Grand Prix. It is believed Jane cut herself as she spun quickly and half-reared.
Marcus has a cool head and did a great job of calming her down and getting her into the ring, where her test was going well, with marks as high as 7.6 for half-pass. But it was in the zig-zag that the horn sounded for him to stop, and judge Suzanne Baarup, president of the ground jury, came out to tell him why he was being excused.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation reported that after Jane returned to stabling she was relaxing in her stall and the cut was no longer bleeding.
Recalling what had happened, Marcus said, “I was excited to go down center line; clearly Jane, too.
“I believe she maybe nicked herself in the entry, because I never had this issue. She felt in the ring amazing, I was super happy with her once we went down center line. She settled nicely and unfortunately, due to blood, we are eliminated. It’s like a very minor cut, almost like a mosquito bite,” he noted.
“We showered her, nothing to see anymore, she’s happy, she’s healthy. It was bad luck. Unfortunately, that’s our sport.”
Although the crowd made her nervous in the beginning, “Once I got going, she got more and more relaxed,” commented Marcus, who said he was thinking, “Okay, I’ve got this now. I was really sad to hear the bell.”
Marcus Orlob and Jane in their test. (U.S. Equestrian Photo)
That marks the end for the U.S. team in Paris, since there are no drop scores in the Olympics and teams have only three members. Although the U.S. was not a candidate for a medal, it was expect to finish in the top six or seven in the field of 15 countries.
Adrienne Lyle and Steffen Peters, the other team members, are continuing to ride, trying to qualify for the freestyle, which will accept 18 entries. Adrienne scored 72.593 percent Tuesday percent with Helix. That is on the cusp of what is believed will be the qualifying score for the Freestyle. Six-time Olympian Steffen rides Suppenkasper on Wednesday.
Marcus, who only began riding Alice Tarjan’s Jane in March, just made the cut for the U.S. contingent that went to Europe, where competition there would help determine who would be on the U.S. team.
A native of Germany who is a naturalized American citizen based in Annandale, N.J. Marcus had been Alice’s coach. But she turned over the mare she had trained to him because she wasn’t strong enough to show Jane at her best.
The thought of being in the Olympics with such a short run-up was amazing, especially since Marcus had never been on a U.S. team. But the combination had amazing performances in the observation trials in Germany and won a team place on the basis of those scores and the potential they showed.
Adrienne only began riding Helix this year, but she is a two-time Olympian and the horse had been competed previously in European Grands Prix by a Swedish rider.
Adrienne Lyle and Helix against the backdrop of the chateau at Versailles. (U.S. Equestrian Photo)
Having Marcus eliminated before her ride was bad timing, and Adrienne felt for her teammate at the same time she knew she had to focus on her own ride. But of course, she was sad.
“My heart just broke for him,” Adrienne said.
“I thought he was riding so beautifully and that’s such an incredible horse and combination coming up. To be having such a great ride and hear the bell ring, none of us knew why at first. Sometimes those things happen. The good thing is the horse is fine. Hopefully, he left a nice impression on everybody to see what they’re capable of.”
In terms of her performance, Adrienne said, “I am thrilled with my horse out there. He was really excited at first and the fact that he settled down and trusted me means everything.”
Taking the ride on a horse trained by someone else, when she usually does her own training, “was a challenge and not something I’d done before. It was learning to speak each other’s language.”
Her score was “about dead-on with our average when qualifying. I’m excited for the future.”
Click here for individual results. Click here for team results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 1, 2024
The U.S. made it into Friday’s Olympic team show jumping competition by finishing second in Thursday’s qualifier, which sorted out the 10 countries that will ride for medals Friday from the 20 entered in that discipline at the Games. Those competing start with a clean slate.
There was intense pressure on the U.S. squad after the country’s eventing team failed to medal in Paris and the dressage team was eliminated. Show jumping is “it” If America is going to get a medal at Versailles (and not go home empty-handed, as U.S. equestrians did from London in 2012.).
In the qualifier, Germany was the only team to finish on 0 penalties. The U.S. had 6 faults; clear rounds by Laura Kraut and last-minute sub Karl Cook, while anchor rider McLain Ward collected 4 penalties for a rail at the tallest jump on the course, a vertical standing 1.63 meters, and 2 penalties for going over the 79-second time allowed.
But McLain had no worries about his performance on Ilex, a horse he has been riding for only a few months.
“I was thrilled,” he said after his trip over the fences in a stadium that was packed with fans, as it has been every day of the Olympics.
“I knew going in we had a pretty big margin of error, so I made a plan to be a little conservative and make sure there wasn’t a big blow-up,” he said.
Of his knockdown at the eighth of 14 obstacles, which had wings commemorating the clock on the Musée d’Orsay, he commented, “It was a very light rub and not a big deal. I think all the team performed brilliantly and look very good going into tomorrow. It’s a whole new competition. The horses feel great.”
He added, “I think it’s not only obviously important `job one’ is to qualify. We don’t want to take that for granted, the sport is strong.”
He pointed out that Sweden’s Tokyo Olympics team gold medalist Peder Fredricson, one of the most experienced riders, on one of the most experienced horses, Catch Me Not, had a run-out at the spooky-looking Graffiti Wall fence, so nothing is a given. (Luckily for Sweden, its pathfinder, World Number One Henrik von Eckermann, was fault-free on King Edward.)
Henrik observed, “I always think the first track is the worst one because you’re not really sure. I mean, I know my horse very, very well, but still, you never know — it’s animals, not machines, and you just want to have a good feeling, and you don’t know how it is going to be before you do it.”
What’s important to consider for the U.S. in addition to faults, McLain said, is “How did the horses feel? They felt fresh and jumped well. The time wasn’t super tight today. I made the time always with him, I didn’t put a lot of concern on the time. I didn’t want to have too many (time faults) but there were a couple of places I took my time, especially at the end.”
Karl, riding Caracole de la Roque, had been the alternate but was called off the bench when an alllergy-related question arose about team member Kent Farrington’s Greya. With no drop score under Olympic rules, the team couldn’t take any chances on a horse who might be sub-par.
And the pinch-hitter was ready for his big moment.
“It was very clear, obviously, that I was the alternate, and very clear how late I could be called,” pointed out Karl, who had everything packed and was ready to ride if needed.
“We knew that going in, so it was important to act, all of our prep, everything, last night, this morning, was as if we were showing, because it’s too hard to do that after the fact. We were on the team the whole time, mentally.
Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque at the macaron fence. (US Equestrian Photo)
He added, “I’d be lying if I said it was easy, but that’s what you’re here to do. It’s not supposed to be easy, it’s supposed to be challenging, it’s supposed to test you, and I’m just so appreciative for the opportunity. I feel proud that I could do that for team USA and my other team members.”
Admitting there was a feeling of pressure before his round, he noted, “Once you pick up the canter, then everything kind of just goes away. I don’t have enough mental ability to do both of those (worry and ride), because it takes so much focus.”
Of his Selle Francais mare, one of the fastest horses in the world, he commented, “She loves this. This is all she loves to do. She gets so excited; I would say she’s zero percent stressed and 100 percent excited.”
He noted with a smile that attitude gives her an edge over her rider. Interestingly, he does most of the warm-up in a different bridle than the hackamore she wears in the show ring.
Laura acknowledged the pressure, saying it was a relief to have produced a perfect trip with Baloutinue, the only horse on the 2024 squad who also competed at the last Games in Tokyo, where the U.S. earned silver.
“I wasn’t 100 percent sure what my plan was going to be,” Laura admitted, “because, to be honest with you, the course wasn’t really suited to him, but going first I just thought I’ve got to go in and be quick, since time is going to be such a factor, and just have faith that he’ll clear the fences. And he did!
“It was pretty nerve-wracking before I went in,” said Laura, who had support from her partner, Nick Skelton, winner of individual gold for Britain at the 2016 Games in Rio.
“It’s never a low-stress event at the Olympic Games,” Laura observed.
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue. (U.S. Equestrian Photo)
Discussing the route designed by Spain’s Santiago Varela and Gregory Bodo of France, she said, “The course was very technical and big. Bodo is a brilliant course builder. I’ve been jumping his courses quite a bit lately. He has a way of sneaking in things that are far more difficult than they appear to be, as he’s done today.”
The course certainly was beautiful, with themed fences including a combination where the most faults were incurred, the Olympic triple of medals and an image of Olympics founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin (wonder what he would have thought of the opening ceremonies); L’Opera, complete with paintings of comfy theater seats on the jump standards, a water jump honoring French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and a triple bar with a Champs Elysee street sign.
“I’m just very fortunate I have an absolutely amazing horse. He was in the zone and he was on it,” Laura said.
“The water (jump) is quite big, it’s going away from the gate it comes on a bit of an awkward angle and I think some of the horses aren’t quite getting up to the front of it as much as they’d like. Even my horse landed shallow a little bit.”
She also noted the third fence, topped with a gray plank, is difficult and hard to see. Her horse touched it, but luckily it stayed up.
“There’s a lot out there,” Laura observed.
Karl had noted that course designers these days are “playing with color” (the candy-striped rail at the macaron and pastry A element of the double and the pink rail in the middle of the triple came to mind when he said that.) He mentioned it’s hard for both horse and rider to focus on those kinds of poles.
“So making it harder makes it more careful, and that’s what increased the difficulty without having to make it massive,” said Karl.
“It’s a good way the sport is going.”
Laura had only been riding Baloutinue for two months before her last Olympics and hardly knew him at all, but now she has had time to build a partnership.
“It’s really comforting to come here this time knowing the horse. He trusts me and I certainly trust him.
“He has it all, he’s got personality in the stables. When you get on to ride him, he’s all about the business. He’s brave, careful and scopey. That’s kind of what you need when you go to the Olympics.”
“I felt completely confident that he could go in there and do it today,” Laura noted.
He walked into the ring, looked around and saw his fans.
“Even he was excited about it,” she said.
“I think he thought, this was it.”
Coach Robert Ridland was understandably proud, saying, “Our team jumped really well today and executed our first goal of qualifying through to the team final.
“We have another day, though, and need to be prepared for a tough day of competition tomorrow. We obviously had a change to the team this morning, putting Karl and Caracole into the line-up and they really stepped up to the plate for us in a big atmosphere. Laura and Baloutinue are veterans and set the tone with a clear round right off the bat. Karl and Caracole have been on a hot streak and rode a well-executed round for our second clear. McLain and Ilex are looking strong and the entire team is feeling ready for tomorrow’s final.”
The other teams that qualified were Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands, all with 8 penalties. Ireland, favored by many to win the team title, collected 9 penalties to wind up sixth after Shane Sweetnam had a rail with James Kann Kruz and anchor Cian O’Connor dropped the pink rail at the B element of the triple combination with Maurice. Cian also had a time penalty. The third team member, Daniel Coyle, was fault-free with Legacy.
France and Sweden had 12 and 17 penalties respectively, while Israel and Mexico wound up with 20 each to round out the starting list for Friday. Switzerland, usually one of the strongest countries, failed to qualify, finishing twelfth.
Ties were decided by which country was fastest. The U.S. was faster than the others, but that didn’t matter because it was the only one with 6 penalties so a tie did not have to be broken. But speed ability could be handy when it counts for the medals on Friday.
McLain’s buddy Richard Vogel of Germany rides the spectacular United Touch S and is among those touted as an individual medal possibility. But before that, he’s thinking about his team.
“All riders performed well today. I think all three German rounds were smooth, so that makes us optimistic for tomorrow. But we’re also aware that it starts from zero, and besides a good starting position there’s not so much achieved yet – we will see,” he said.
Defending Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher of Great Britain and Dallas Vegas Batilly after their clean round. (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
Britain’s defending individual gold medalist Ben Maher made an eleventh-hour swap out of Point Break and put in Dallas Vegas Batilly. Point Break is only 10 years old, and Ben felt with the atmospheric venue and the heat, he needed a horse with more mileage.
“Experience will carry us forward,” he said, noting that as his mare continued her round, “She grew in confidence and really found her feet, so to speak.”
“That was a great start and it’s good just to get going; to be honest, there’s a lot of waiting around and not knowing what’s coming on the first round, but it’s a big enough test today and Dallas Vegas was listening and really on point for me,” Ben commented.
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