by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 16, 2024
The prestigious Nations Cup of Ireland on Friday stacked up to be a match between the U.S., which hadn’t won the Aga Khan trophy since 2017 and Ireland, a country with a habit of fielding winning teams this year.
And so it was at the end of the first round in Dublin before a packed (as always) grandstand that both of those nations had 0 faults, though the USA’s total time on course was better, 210.88 seconds to Ireland’s 217.32. The competition was far from over at that point, however. Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland, last year’s winner, were all behind but in reach with 8 penalties, while Britain was further back with 12. But no matter.
What counted would be where they were at the end of the second round for the presentation of the coveted golden trophy by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. The show, which began in 1864, is now part of the Rolex series, which gives it even more glitter.
EquiRatings gave Ireland its top win chance, 18 percent, but ranked the U.S. sixth in that category, with a 10 percent win chance. All of the last 10 winners were in the top two after round one, according to EquiRatings, so that held true.
The route designed by Ireland’s Alan Wade for the class sponsored by The Underwriting Exchange included many tributes to the nation’s history and character: the Ballsbridge wall, the Irish brooch fences, the Celtic crosses standing guard at the next-to-last and the Irish telephone boxes to finish off the display.
The only veteran of the USA’s Olympic silver medal team from earlier this month was anchor rider McLain Ward, but he was on the steady Callas, rather than his Games horse, the more spectacular Ilex.
Spencer Smith impressed on Keeneland not only as the U.S. pathfinder, but also the first in the class to venture out over the emerald green turf, a refreshing vista after all the man-made footing that is generally the rule these days. At age 28, the 2014 USEF Medal Finals winner surely has an even greater future ahead of him. Spencer is ranked no. 118 in the Longines standings, but that will be changing.
Spencer Smith and Keeneland. (US Equestrian photo)
“You want to have a strong rider come out of the box and it tends to be, more and more so, the chefs d’equipe are putting really strong riders to start off with because it takes pressure off those who follow,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland.
“We drew post position number one and Spencer said, `I’ll go first.'” And look what he did!”
He would be one of only six double clears in the class eligible for a piece of a 50,000 Euro bonus that was part of the $250,000 total prize money. When you consider that the others included McLain, world number one Henrik von Eckerman of Sweden (Iliana) and 2021 Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher of Great Britain (Exit Remo), that’s pretty heady company.
The U.S. flag waves in triumph over the Royal Dublin Society arena.
The difference for Ireland in the final standings was that it had no double clears. Each of its riders put in one fault-free round, and the Nations Cup rule that allows one drop score helped, but an additional fault-free trip by an Irishman would have made the score equal with the U.S. and led to a jump-off. Instead, the U.S. won on 4 penalties, while Ireland had 8 and Britain rose from seventh after the first round to third with a total of 12. Britain has won the Aga Khan trophy the most times, 27, while Ireland has won it 24 times.
On the podium with his team, Robert raised show jumping’s most famous trophy (the Aga Khan was instituted 98 years ago), as each rider touched it.
“I was just talking to (Irish chef d’equipe) Michael Blake. He was pointing out how many times he had beaten us this year,” said Robert.
“I think we got even today.”
The riders were ecstatic over the win.
“It’s an absolute honor to be here. This is probably the best Nations Cup in the world,” said Lucy Davis, who rode Ben 431. Aaron Vale was excited about making his Dublin debut with Carissimo 25.
“I just can’t wait to come back,” he said.
McLain noted, “It was a pressure-packed round on the way in.”
McLain Ward and Callas.
While he could afford three time faults for going over the 74-second time allowed and still secure a win, a knockdown would have meant a tie-breaker where the trophy could slip away. But he didn’t leave the door open and finished well within the time.
“I know the crowd was a tiny bit disappointed that we pulled it off, but we all started in Ireland anyway,” said McLain, whose father’s family has its roots in that country.
“It’s coming home for us and we love being here.”
Spencer noted, “We’ve got a lot of Irish friends and supporters and to ride with this amazing team, Olympians and superstar athletes, I’m so lucky to be here with a great horse.” He called winning the Aga Khan, “the greatest feeling in the world.”
“Obviously they cheer for the home team, but if the home team can’t win, we are the second favorite by a mile,” said Robert.
“Our four riders, when we win there, are like rock stars. It’s really quite amazing. They love team USA here.”
The Aga Khan trophy with Lucy Davis, Aaron Vale, Robert Ridland, McLain Ward and Spencer Smith.
Robert was happy to have Lucy “back in the fold” after she took a break from the grand prix scene. She had been on his medal-winning 2014 world championship and 2016 Olympic teams.
“She looked really good today,” said Robert.
He pointed out Aaron is getting to know Carissimo “better and better. He’s done quite a few Nations Cups for us this year and been very, very consistent.”
Although McLain was the only rider from the silver medal Olympic team to compete in the Aga Khan, Robert said “there’s momentum, and so we’re a little bit riding that momentum and it doesn’t get any better than Dublin.”
He added, “It’s kind of hard to beat what we just won.” And at Dublin, like the Olympics, what makes things special are the crowds.
“You can’t get from one side of the arena to the other to watch because there’s so many people,” he said, calling them “real fans of the sport. It’s very invigorating for sure. It’s why we do the sport.”
If you want to see the top riders live in Sunday’s grand prix, tune in to Horse & Country TV at 10 a.m. Eastern on Sunday.
click this link for the course plan
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 9, 2024
The 2024 Paris Olympics is a long way from Chariots of Fire, the Best Picture of 1981, which depicted the Paris Games of 100 years ago.
That was an idealistic time, with participation limited to amateurs, when athletes sought glory for their country as much as for themselves. The final Games organized personally by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the man who founded the modern Olympics, it was the second Olympics for Paris — which also hosted in 1900.
With World War I (incorrectly called the War to End All Wars) consigned to history, 1924 was a time of hope. The money and glitter associated with the commercialism of the Olympics in this era were yet to come.
Paris 1924 hosted 126 events involving 17 sports. Compare that with 329 medal events in 32 sports during Paris 2024. Only 3,089 athletes were in the 1924 Games; 10,500 was the number this time. There were about 625,000 spectators in 1924. This year, 15 million people fans were expected. Not counting the billions watching via TV, of course.
As romantic as the movie’s take on 1924 was, in the big picture for equestrian, these are far better times. Looking at black and white films of the show jumping in Paris 1924 is one long cringe, seeing the ungainly types of jumps and the way, for the most part, that the horses were ridden.
The 2024 Paris Games, which end Sunday, were fabulous in terms of horse sport and welfare. First of all, consider the stunning backdrop, the Château de Versailles. The beauty of that setting likely will never be duplicated at future Olympics. All the seats in the stadium were filled for each discipline, and more than 40,000 people turned out for cross-country. That’s great evidence for keeping horse sports in the Games.
Competitors and horses were safe, there were no bone-shattering falls. The jumps themselves were a treat, showcasing the highlights and culture of France, from Notre Dame to the Arc de Triomphe and haute couture. More important, we saw a renewed emphasis on horse welfare. Okay, the weather was a little warm, but that was handled with cooling stations, air-conditioned stables, wonderful footing and perfect conditions making for great performances.
The wall replicated a stained glass window from Notre Dame cathedral.
And there were plenty of them. Britain and Germany dominated the medal standings with five each. The Brits took team gold in eventing and show jumping, the Germans in dressage, as usual, and that country enjoyed standout efforts in its sweep of individual gold medals: Michael Jung (Chipmunk) in eventing, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (TSF Dalera BB) in dressage and Christian Kukuk (Checker 47) in show jumping.
The chateau de Versailles made a striking backdrop for equestrian competitions, as seen here with Britain’s Laura Collett. (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
It was a difficult Olympics for the U.S., which didn’t come close to an eventing medal and was eliminated in dressage. The saving grace was a show jumping team silver, the third in a row for America at the Olympics.
Saying goodbye to the Olympics that have become a part of our lives over 17 exciting days is never easy.
I have recollections of many Olympic closing ceremonies, always a bittersweet farewell when the athletes marched before their fans one more time. Medal winners or not, they each had memories they would carry forever.
In Los Angeles, 40 years ago, I watched something new during the closing ceremonies. I still remember the lead paragraph of the story I wrote, “It was a great night for brotherhood and break dancing.”
Who had ever heard of break dancing?
Well, I thought, we’ll never see that again.
Wrong. Now breaking, as it’s called today, is one of the newer Olympic sports, geared to attract younger people who want to watch the Games on their phones.
Dressage at Devon even picked up the thread last year, having a couple of break dancers judge the new Dance-Off feature with riders in outlandish costumes doing fun freestyles.
At the Barcelona Games closing ceremonies in 1992, I decided to join the athletes (strictly forbidden) and simply waltzed from the press seating into the stadium. No one stopped me. Doing that today, with all the security in place, would mean arrest or worse.
But back them, it was a joyous time, far more relaxed, with Olympians from all the different sports mingling in a happy jumble. It felt great to be in the midst of it, though no one asked for my autograph, as they were doing with the basketball Dream Team.
The Paris Olympics, great as they were in many ways, disappointed me with an over-long opening ceremony on the Seine. The team members went by on the boats so quickly you didn’t really have a chance to look at them for as long as you would if they had marched into a stadium, which it is the way it was done at every other Olympics.
The athletes always should be the focal point, but they weren’t. The wacky, and to some, appalling aspects of the opener seemed off the mark about what the Olympics stand for — or are supposed to stand for, at any rate. And why showcase that song “Imagine” with the line, “Imagine there’s no country, it isn’t hard to do?”
Yes it is.
Representing your country is still what the Olympics are all about, along with the values of excellence, respect and friendship. Without national pride and the magnificent smorgasbord of nations in attendance, the Olympics would be just another sporting event.
So I’m skipping the closing ceremonies, which are being billed as “Dystopian,” and featuring Tom Cruise rapelling off the top of the stadium to come down and hand off the Olympic flag to Los Angeles, the 2028 host.
Enjoy, if that’s your thing. I’ll be watching Chariots of Fire.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 7, 2024
The new Olympic individual show jumping gold medalist, Christian Kukuk, is known to have been mentored by another Olympic gold medalist, Ludger Beerbaum. But it would seem that the foundation for his prowess was laid in Christian’s genes by his grandfather, Franz Kukuk, the highly respected head saddle master, or stud keeper, at the state stud in Warendorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
“He could tell exactly from below what you were feeling above. I was very lucky to be able to see him for a few more years,” Christian, 34, said of his grandfather, who died in 2005 but could teach his grandson when the boy was in his teens.
No wonder Christian felt an instant affinity with a Westfalian horse, Checker, by Comme Il Faut 5 when he first went to see him. That was the mount who took him to the only double-clear rounds in the individual show jumping at the Paris Olympics, and from there to the top level of the podium on Tuesday. The horse is owned in part by Madeleine Winter-Schulze, who also is an owner of Wendy, Isabell Werth’s dressage team gold medal ride who was silver in the individual.
Thoms Lehmann, who is associated with an insurance firm, called attention to Christian’s background in a fascinating facebook posting./p>
He recounted that at age 14, Franz Kukuk began working at the Warendorf Landstudüt, the Westfalien state stud. The former state stallmaster, named Bresges, soon recognized the special talent of the young stud keeper and sent him to Vienna at the end of the 1950s for training at the Spanish Riding School.
When he returned, he was entrusted with a beautiful stallion, Radetzky. He was allowed to ride the horse to the Grand Prix in dressage.However, at that time, horses owned by the state were never permitted to be used in competition, even though there were those who thought Franz and the stallion could have gone to the Olympics.
Radetzky
Franz was famous for his calm and soulful treatment with stallions. After 51 years with the state stud, he went to work for Ulrich Kasselman’s PSI stables, where he was known as a master of groundwork.
His grandson started his riding career with three or four months of work on the longe aboard a school horse from the Warendorf Riding Club. After that, he was allowed to jump. His reaction?</p?
“It was cool.”
Even these day, “Whenever I enter the grounds of the national championships in Warendorf, a lot of memories come back,” says the rider.
With determination after his introduction to riding, he was striving toward the top of his chosen profession, enjoying competition opportunities that his grandfather never had.
In 2015, Christian was awarded the Golden Riding Badge in his new home of Riesenbeck. His biggest breakthrough, however, came with the grey stallion Mumbai by Diamant de Semilly, which the rider took over for further training in 2019. With him, he was on the team for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the first qualification, however, the pair had a jumping error, so they did not make it to the individual final.
Christian Kukuk riding Checker 47 during the Individual Show Jumping Final at the Chateau de Versailles. (Photo Credit: FEI/Benjamin Clark)
The two went on to the European Championships that same year and were on the silver medal team, then finished fourth In the individual final. (click on this link to read that story). Sometimes, you just have to wait for destiny.
In Paris, Thoms noted, “Christian has realized the dream that his grandfather was denied. Christian Kukuk is an Olympian for eternity.
His winning horse named Checker has a remarkable pedigree. In the ninth generation of his pedigree there is a stallion named Radetzky, the horse that his grandfather loved so much.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 6, 2024
Germany clinched a clean sweep of the individual equestrian medals at the Paris Olympics today, with Christian Kukuk and the dazzling grey Westfalian gelding, Checker, producing the only double-clear effort in a dramatic tiebreaker for the show jumping title.
With his stunning performance, Christian joined his compatriots Michael Jung/Chipmunk (eventing) and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl/TSF Dalera BB (dressage) to complete his nation’s reign atop the podiums at Versailles. He followed the victory path of his mentor, Ludger Beerbaum, who took individual Olympic gold in 1992, but Christian is the first German to earn the honor since Ulrich Kirkhoff did it in 1996. Germany now has six individual Olympic show jumping golds.
Christian Kukuk and Checker.
“What a win! It’s the most emotional day in my life, honestly, in my career,” said Christian.
“This is the highest you can achieve in our sport. I’m one of only a few calling myself Olympic champion, Olympic gold medalist.”
He remembered when he and Ludger went to try Checker, and there was an instant attraction.
“I was the one who said, ‘I really want to have this horse.’ From the first moment, I had a special feeling on him, and I had the feeling that he could do something special. It took a while – we always had good results, but in the last year, what he’s done, our partnership, knowing each other so well, created something special.”
His victories this year included a win in the finale of the Winter Equestrian Festival, when he went around during the victory gallop happily clutching his ribbon in his teeth. Second that day was the USA’s McLain Ward, who did not have the chance for a rematch Tuesday after the last fence fell in the Monday qualifier for him and his mount, Ilex.
Thirty riders culled from Monday’s field of 73 came forward for a test over a long and taxing route in the final.
“It’s the toughest course I have ever jumped, the toughest course I have ever seen and Checker made it feel like just another Grand Prix,” said Christian.
It was what is known as a “perfect course” for designers Gregory Bodo of France and Santiago Varela of Spain (as well as technical delegate Guilherme Jorge), with only three riders — one for each medal — making it into the jump-off.
After going clear in 38.34 seconds. Christian blew a kiss toward the packed grandstand and waited to see what his rivals would do. But they were no match for his score.
Steve Guerdat, Christian Kukuk and Maikel van der Vleuten on the podium.
The individual bronze medalist of the Tokyo Games and the 2022 world championships, the Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten on Beauville Z, wound up with the same medal this time after a rail at the Metro oxer and a time of 39.12 seconds
Talking about how difficult the course was he said, “When I came through the finish, I thought the way my horse did this round was unbelievable. It’s a world-class horse and he deserved this medal today.”
The 2012 Olympic champion, Steve Guerdat of Switzerland and Dynamix de Belheme, got unlucky at the next-to last jump and finished with 4 faults in 38.39 seconds, good enough for silver.
“We all aim for gold but to have to the second one (silver) is also very special,” said Steve.
“My mare has been spectacular today and of course, I’m upset about my jump-off, it wasn’t what I wanted, but I want to focus with pride about our second Olympic medal.”
Maiikel van der Vleuten and Beauville Z.
The most surprising moment during the morning came when world number one Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden fell off King Edward as the horse cut left following an iffy line starting with a short stride to the Eiffel Tower jump after the water obstacle. Becoming unbalanced on landing from the next fence, Henrik struggled to stay aboard before the inevitable happened.
“I tried to the last, but I couldn’t, and then of course, he turned left and I went right,” he said.
What happened to a superstar shows the unpredictability of this sport, which makes it intriguing and frustrating at the same time. But it demonstrates that anything can happen on the sport’s biggest stage.
Another example of that: Daniel Coyle of Ireland, who had great rounds with Legacy until the final, knocked down the same double as Karl, then two more fences before retiring.
The jumps have been astoundingly beautiful, each one worthy of praise for its visual properties. The fences, laser-printed and made out of a foam with a hard shell that is painted, recount French history, culture and landmarks. From the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe to the Metro transit system and a sidewalk cafe, they were marvelous.
Click here for the course plan
The U.S. had two riders qualified for the final test in the equestrian portion of the Games. It looked as if Laura Kraut would be fault-free with Baloutinue until the rail came down at the final jump, the LA 2028 obstacle (designed in honor of the next Olympics, as is traditional). She blamed herself, saying she was thinking about making the tight 84-second time allowed and took the fence at too much of an angle.
“My horse was absolutely on it today. He didn’t deserve that,” said Laura, who placed eighth.
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue.
Karl Cook, who jumped three clean rounds during the Games after being called up to the team from his original alternate position, was having a terrific trip with Caracole de la Roque until rails came down at the French deck of cards double combination.
He said he made a mistake around the turn approaching those fences and cut it too sharply. Understandably dismayed, he praised his mare after his sixteenth-place finish, saying “she was jumping amazing before.”
Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque. (US Equestrian photo)
Laura cited the length of the difficult course, where the designers pulled out all the stops because they were dealing with the best of the best.
“This is the first time I’ve ever jumped 15 jumps on course. I could have lived without that,” she observed.
“Fence one was 1.60 (meters); the jumps are huge. It’s 19 jumping efforts; I don’t think we’ve ever jumped 19 efforts on a course.”
But as always happily has been the case in these Games, there were no disasters in terms of serious falls. That is important for equestrian sport, which is often mentioned as a possible leave-out for future Olympics.
U.S. show jumping coach Robert Ridland praised the Paris Games and the way they were produced.
“As a sport, we have to celebrate what a great week of show jumping this was. Win or lose, I think everybody would agree with that.”
As for his team, “We accomplished what we came here for,” he commented, citing the silver medal that his squad won last week.
He noted that just qualifying the team for the Games was “a trial by fire” that did not end until the final chance to make the cut materialized at the Pan American Games last October, but it seasoned the athletes. The result meant this was the third time in a row that the U.S. earned Olympic silver.
“We came here to get on the podium. That’s what we do in Olympics. The individual is the icing on the cake. We could have had a better day today for sure, one mistake each, Robert continued.
“McLain could have had a better day yesterday, but it’s not like he made a huge mistake. One little thing different from all three of them, it would have been a better result for the individual.”
McLain noted on social media, “There is no doubt there is some level of disappointment in not being in contention for an individual medal but as the Paris Olympics come to a close, our sixth games, I am also filled with pride in our USA Showjumping team, our support teams and Ilex.
“I’ve played this game long enough to understand disappointment in results is different from disappointment in performance. Though an individual medal continues to elude me, our team once again delivered a medal-winning performance, fifth time in six games! My supporters, family and I are very proud to have been a part of this legacy.
“In reflection, I always see things I could have done better, but Ilex was brilliant and to be honest, I thought a bit unlucky. He has many great days ahead in his future and I’m very grateful to everyone who has brought us together and made our partnership possible, especially Bonne Chance Farm (which own the horse with McLain).
“Most of alI, I am forever grateful and thankful for the people around me who continue to be unwavering in their support and belief in chasing our dreams.”
Click here for results
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
