by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 30, 2024
While the elimination of Marcus Orlob’s ride, Jane, for a tiny cut on her fetlock was the biggest news as the Olympic dressage competition got under way in Paris (click here to read the story), the big picture of the discipline there was quite compelling.
In his seventh Olympics, Carl Hester headlined for the British team on Fame, earning 77.345 percent. He was chuffed, as the British say, meaning they are delighted.
“It’s a good score. The horse went really well. I haven’t competed for a few months, I’ve got some more tweaking to do,” said Carl, who is bent on qualifying for the Freestyle so he can ride to his new music, saying its character reflects his age, which is 57. By Sunday, he said, he’ll be ready to “step on the gas and go for it” with “one of the most fun horses of my career.”
He was third, not very far behind Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald on Zepter (78.028) and the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere with Hermes (77.764).
Nanna Skodborg Merrald of Denmark and Zepter.
Nanna mused, “I think I had a really good solid test without big mistakes but also plenty of room for improvement. I think in my changes I couldn’t have done a lot better, but in piaffe-passage and the pirouettes there’s still room for asking for more.”
Cooling stations for horses were set up across the venue as temperatures soared well into the 90s, but despite the heat, there was a packed house for dressage, as there had been for eventing on Monday. Carl was glad to see it.
He believes that indicates, “There is hope equestrian can survive (in the Olympics. There are huge amount of people enjoying it. We have to show the positives of the sport.”
Carl well knows that horse sport is under fire, because he is the mentor of Charlotte Dujardin, who became the center of a viral scandal when a video emerged days before the Games of her using a longe whip to hit a horse repeatedly during a lesson at a private stable. As a result, Charlotte bowed out of the Games, where she was to have ridden on the British team. Her presence (if there were no scandal) would have given her country a chance of edging Germany for the gold medal. Without her, that outcome seems unlikely.
Carl Hester and Fame. (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
“I think now we’re probably looking at bronze, if it goes well,” Carl mused, noting reserve rider Becky Moody was thrown into the fray with 17.3-hand Jagerbomb in the absence of Charlotte. Becky did well, earning 74.938 percent, ahead of Sweden’s World Cup Champion Patrik Kittel on Showdown (74.317).
Becky called riding her own horse in the Olympics, “An amazing experience. What a horse! He is so special to me. I bred him, so we have done everything together.
“I think we both went in there a little nervous and apprehensive, but we helped each other out,” said the former Pony Clubber. She is now qualified for the Freestyle along with Patrik, Nanna, Dinja, Fredric Wandres of Germany and Daniel Bachmann Andersen of Denmark. Carl is first on the waiting list for the six extra places, with the rest of the field yet to ride on Wednesday.
“I’m just so proud of him,” said Becky.
“It’s an incredible venue and we’ve got an incredible team around us.”
Becky Moody of Great Britain with her homebred Jagerbomb. (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
Team spirit is important, as the margin is very close after day one of competition among Denmark (154.938), Britain (152.238) and Sweden (145.870). The Dutch are also a big threat. Only the top 10 teams among 15 nations (now 14, since the U.S. was eliminated, read the Orlob story) move on to compete for the medals in the Grand Prix Special on Saturday. But the scores are indicative of what’s ahead.
“We’ve got to fight for any medal now,” Carl noted, then mentioned that World Champion Lottie Fry is still to come for Britain on Wednesday in part two of the Grand Prix with Glamourdale, whose long stride just eats up the ground.
The FEI has suspended Charlotte and is investigating the situation depicted in the video. It is a real concern for many reasons, but also under the current situation of social license to operate, which seeks public approval for the sport. Dressage has come under criticism with several public instances of problem training practices, though none is higher profile than Charlotte.
Carl was unaware of the existence of the video — calling it “a huge shock” — before a lawyer made it public on behalf of a whistleblower. Carl has concern for Charlotte, Britain’s multi-gold medalist, who trains at his barn.
“I’ve known her for 17 years. She’s a mom, she’s got a small child and she’s paid very heavily for this in a way you just wouldn’t believe. I know she will have to accept what the FEI gives her, and she will. I hope she’s strong enough to come back from that,” he said.
Carl noted he had never before seen what she was doing on the video. At the same time, he mentioned she has apologized and “she’s surrounded by people trying to help her. She obviously accepts what she did, which she had to do, and I’m glad she’s done that. It’s four years ago,” he said of the date of the video, though it actually appears to be two-and-a-half years ago.
“People do make mistakes. What do we do, never forgive people for all the things that happen in life? it’s going to be a long road for her…and everyone in the horse world.”
“We’re all in shock,” commented Carl, who is on the board of the International Dressage Riders Club, which condemned the whipping. For his part, Carl emphasized, he has an open yard (stable) “where people can see horse welfare to be at its highest by the way I keep my horses.”
click here for team results. Click here for individual results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 31, 2024
It was disappointment on top of heartbreak for U.S. dressage during the final day of Grand Prix competition Wednesday, as six-time Olympian Steffen Peters put in a test that didn’t come close to breaking 70 percent, uncharacteristically finishing on a lackluster 66.491 percent with his veteran mount, Suppenkasper.
“That was tough,” said a discouraged Steffen after his turn in the packed stadium, where spectators busily waved hand-held fans to ward off the oppressive heat.
“He was a little too much on fire. He’s been in places like this before and I thought right up to the walk I had him,” Steffen recounted.
“Then he got more and more excited, even on the last extension. He was drifting a little right. He saw something on the short side and that gave him from behind so much energy for the last passage. I knew that could be trouble for the last piaffe. He’s 16 years old and still has endless energy. I sit almost a little bit in a two-point (position in the saddle) even that was not working today. Unfortunate, very unfortunate.”
Suppenkasper, who gained fame and followers as the “Rave” horse from his 2021 Tokyo Olympics freestyle, got marks as low as 2 and 3 for some movements. On the final center line, he looked odd, with his right front leg pointing awkwardly before he got himself together for a halt where his marks ranged from 2 to 5.
This followed Tuesday’s shocker, when Marcus Orlob was putting in a promising test with Jane when the judge stopped him, pointing to a tiny scratch on the mare’s right hind fetlock. The mare must have scratched herself when she spooked and whirled around after entering the arena, but Orlob had her in hand once he went between the white fences and she was performing well when the judge intervened. The scratch only showed because her fetlock is white. If it had been black, like her body, it wouldn’t have been noticed. With only three members to a team and no drop score under Olympic rules, the U.S. was eliminated.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper.
Three-time Olympian Adrienne Lyle, the third team member, had a nice test Tuesday with Helix, a horse she has been riding only since January, but their score of 72.593 percent didn’t make the cut for her to be among the 18 riders who will compete for individual honors Sunday in the Freestyle. She finished twentieth. Steffen was fifty-first.
“I deeply share Steffen’s disappointment with his ride today, especially taking into consideration what this combination has done for this sport, the country and worldwide, bringing so much positive engagement to our sport over the past few years,” said Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig.
“It became obvious to me during their test, Mopsie was not himself. After returning to the stabling, he was taken care of by his team and our team USEF veterinarian and he is starting to feel more himself, which is the important thing.”
So far, it’s an understatement to say it hasn’t been a lucky Games for the Americans.The eventers had a couple of mishaps and missed a medal and now dressage is finished without that squad even qualifying for the team competition Saturday in the Grand Prix Special. It never had a chance at medals anyway, but there was hope the U.S. could finish in the top five or six of the 15-nation field.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle.
World number one and defending Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl of Germany and TSF Dalera BB predictably finished first in the Grand Prix on a score of 82.065.
“It was a fantastic feeling inside the arena and breathtaking to see how the audience carried us into the ring,” said Jessica.
“I’m happy because I had some hiccups in the Grand Prix at the German Championships in Balve, which was the rehearsal for here. But sometimes when the rehearsal is bad then the performance is good, and that’s how it worked out.”
Dalera, light and lovely as always, is 17, and the question of retirement will soon be answered. So enjoy watching this star in her last Olympics. She is really a treat. The 10s among her marks came in piaffe and a transition. She got a 5 in the collected walk, so she’s not perfect, although you’d likely get an argument from many of the spectators about that.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark, who just missed the podium in Tokyo when she finished fourth, is second on Charlotte Dujardin’s former ride, Freestyle (80.792).
Freestyle hasn’t been competing at the top of the sport much recently. So Cathrine explained, “My plan today was to not push her but just see what she offered. When I picked up the first passage I said to her `You just give me whatever you want and then I’m just gonna say what we are supposed to do.’
“So I’m really proud of her, and I think it was a perfect start for me and her at the Games here in Paris,” said Cathrine, who took team gold and double silver at the FEI World Championships in 2022 with Vamos Amigos.
Talking about building an understanding with Freestyle, she explained, “the main thing has been to really create a proper friendship with her, not just like pretending, but really see if she could allow me in there, which she did quite quickly.
“I was quite amazed. Animals are amazing if you treat them well and show them trust. Another key word for me has been respectful leadership. Because in some way, I had to be the leader to show her around in a dressage test. But at the same time, respect where she’s coming from, because she’s a skilled young lady. She has done a lot and she has been educated amazingly, and she is a performer.”
Germany’s Isabell Werth came in third with 79.363 aboard her new mount, Wendy de Fontaine. All scores now go back to zero for the next competitions.
Of Wendy, Isabell commented, “She was so focused and so with me that it was amazing. We have only done six or seven Grand Prix, but it’s so amazing how we are growing together and how honest she is to me.”
Isabell, competing in her seventh Games, is determined to help the young mare develop, improve and reach her maximum potential.
“You can only do that in competition, so Aachen (where Wendy was a star) was really helpful, with three competitions there. She is only a 10-year-old horse and as they get older, they get more muscles, they get more power, they get more experience, so everything works together. Riding her is really a pleasure.”
Fourth in the Grand Prix was Britain’s world champion Lottie Fry and Glamourdale (78.913). She was in the unenviable position of being the pathfinder for Wednesday’s group of riders.
“To go first on day two is always a little bit more challenging, but he was absolutely incredible in there,” said Lottie, who noted that because of the heat, going early could be considered an advantage.
“I had a great ride, a great feeling, and he just loved it. I think you could see that by his face at the end when everyone is cheering for him. He just loved every second of it, and was taking it all in. It’s really an honor to ride down the center line at the Olympics in Paris and I think what we’ve done has put us in a really good place as a team.”
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale. (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
“We had a little moment in the rein-back, (she was marked at 5.9) which was a shame, but apart from that, I couldn’t fault it – he really gave everything. He’s improved a lot, he’s got much stronger, and when he was in there, he just performed at his best, and I couldn’t ask much more.”
Britain is third in the team standings, behind Germany and Denmark, but that’s just a way to gauge the countries’ strengths, since they start from scratch in the next two competitions. The other teams that qualified for Saturday’s Special for the team medals are the Netherlands in fourth, followed by Sweden, Belgium, France, Austria, Finland and Australia.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl topped the dressage standings on Wednesday with TSF Dalera BB.
Show jumping begins Thursday with the USA’s strongest team in Paris taking the field. Olympic team gold medalists Laura Kraut (Baloutinue) and McLain Ward (Ilex), are on the squad with first-time Olympian Karl Cook (Caracole de la Roque), subbing for Olympic veteran, Kent Farrington (Greya). The last-minute change had to do with an allergy-related situation with Greya, and considering there is no drop score, the decision was to be “erring on the side of extreme caution” with the switch, said coach Robert Ridland.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2024
After the first few competitors finished the beautiful Paris Olympics cross-country course on Sunday, from an armchair perspective it may have seemed almost too easy, like a trail ride with challenges.
Britain’s pathfinder, Tom McEwen, completed within the 9-minute, 2-second optimum time to remain on his dressage score of 25.8 penalties. By the end of the day, that would be good enough to move him up from eleventh to sixth with J.L. Dublin. And Germany’s Julia Krajewski, in the unenviable position of being first to embark on cross-country, had just 4.8 time penalties for a total of 31.7 with Nickel 21, a younger horse, therefore not one you’d want to push for time. She wound up fourteenth; most respectable, considering her horse’s lack of experience at the sport’s highest level.
But Tom was a member of the gold medal team at the Tokyo Olympics and Julia is the defending individual gold medalist (with a different horse) from Tokyo. In the early going, their expertise made Pierre Le Goupil’s course look less difficult than it was. Artful in both appearance and design, it took the measure of many in an appropriate way as the hours went by. Six of the 62 starters were eliminated or retired; a host of others couldn’t make the time and accumulated penalties that changed the placings they had earned in Saturday’s dressage.
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
“It is the most amazing crowd all the way around the course. They’re cheering you before, over and after,” said Tom, noting his horse “was phenomenal from start to finish.”.
As the morning went on at Versailles, with a shoulder-to-shoulder enthusiastic spectators who lined the winding route, it turned out that the layout was not only entertaining for fans but was perfect for the job with which the designer had been tasked. And it was safe. There were no ugly falls.
Record-setting Laura Collett of Great Britain and London 52 on the cross-country course, with the palace behind them at Versailles. (Photo Jon Stroud Media)
The changes on the leaderboard were dramatic, with the exception of favored Britain, seeking to defend its Tokyo gold. It continued to head the standings with 82.5 penalties. But instead of being closely pursued by Germany, it was France – with the incentive of competing at home — that moved up to challenge on 87.2 penalties, a little more than the difference of a fallen show jumping rail.
Germany, second after dressage, is now fourteenth on 278.9 penalties. Team member Christoph Wahler had a fall from Carjatan S in the Belvedere complex and was eliminated.
There is no drop score at the Games, which has only three-member teams. Christoph popped out of the saddle when his horse stepped in a ditch after a drop and before the first chevron in the Belvedere complex, obstacle 16 of 28. Carjatan wasn’t the only horse who had trouble reading the ditch.
The USA’s pathfinder, Caroline Pamukcu, ran into a problem there when her HSH Blake got his hind end stuck in the ditch, which she had expected him to jump, but she stayed on and took an optional route to continue. However, she was charged 20 penalties for a refusal, and also accumulated 12 time penalties. She is forty-seventh with 62.4 penalties as part of the U.S. team that was in ninth place after cross-country.
If she were riding as an individual, she would have protested the penalty, she said, but since she is riding for the team, she knew she couldn’t do that. Ironically, she won individual gold at the Pan American Games last fall over a course designed by Le Goupil.
As for her horse, Caroline said, “He was fabulous, answered all the questions. What a brave horse he is, he’s fearless.”
U.S. Chef D’ Equipe Bobby Costello said, “I don’t believe in luck that much, but whatever it was that happened to Caroline at that ditch… It was early on when she didn’t know that all the horses were going to be more or less falling into it, and I don’t for one second put that on her at all. It was just a real unfortunate turn of events. As the day went on…it became clear either to go left or there was a more specific way to ride that right-hand side. It was just a real shame for Caroline that happened to her.”
And the team’s slide from sixth after dressage to ninth was a real dampening of expectations.
“We’re incredibly disappointed at the final result,” Bobby continued.
“I think it shows why this Olympic format is, for better or for worse, intense, it’s completely unforgiving. But that’s the game we came to play today and it didn’t go our way.”
The U.S. may move up a bit in the final show jumping phase, but the podium seems out of reach, even though the team’s horses are all good jumpers.
“We’re not in a place right now where it looks like we can necessarily use that to our advantage,” Bobby pointed out.
“But absolutely anything can happen overnight. Freak things happen, as we saw today, all the time. So we certainly are not going to crawl in a hole. We’re going to come out tomorrow with a fresh mindset for the day and finish up as strongly and in the best place that we possibly can.”
And just as he said, on Sunday night, the U.S. moved up from ninth to eighth after the Irish had to sub Sarah Ennis and Sporfsfield Freelance for Aiofe Clark, after her mare, Action Lady M, “picked up an injury” on cross-country. The additional penalties incurred under Olympic rules moved Ireland down a spot and boosted the U.S. one placing. The official team standings had not been updated to show that change late Sunday.
Britain’s Ros Canter, ranked number one in the world, was charged 15 penalties for a missed flag on course at fence 12D, the triple brush.. She said she did touch a flag there, but added, “I would never have imagined I didn’t jump the jump.” However, an appeal of the penalty by the British team was denied and the score remained the same.
Calling her ride, Lordships Graffalo, better known as Walter, “the horse of a lifetime,” she said of his performance,”Walter absolutely loves to run and jump. He loves the crowd.”
After London 52 lost a front shoe early on and began slipping, Ros’s teammate, Laura Collett, had to be cautious and take a more sweeping line from the final water combination at 23ABCD, which made it tough to finish without time penalties. She had set an Olympic record in dressage with a mark of 17.5 penalties, but the 0.8 time penalties added to that score put her second, just 0.5 penalties behind Germany’s Michael (Michi) Jung. He took the lead with his perfect trip on Chipmunk FRH (one of Julia Krajewski’s former mounts).
But never mind, Laura was so happy with her partner.
“London 52 is just my horse of a lifetime, he’s incredible,”said Laura.
“He’s just so talented and I think, for me, it’s knowing what he was like as a young horse and knowing how much he’s had to trust me and believe in me… he’s not a natural cross-country horse, and then he goes round a course like that on railways tracks – it just shows what a partnership you can build up if you make them believe in you.”
Japan is in podium position, third with 93.8 penalties, so it’s pretty close among the current contenders for the medals, with Switzerland fourth on 102.4.
Michi had a blast while finishing well within the optimum time.
“Today was a lot of moments to enjoy. Chipmunk made it very easy for me. Every jump was easy — he was so well listening and connected to me, and so powerful galloping,” Michi said.
After checking his watch, he told Chipmunk “Okay, we have more time at the next fence so slow down, slow down!’ It was an unbelievable feeling. I’m so thankful to have such good horses, and to be at my fourth Olympic Games is a dream. It’s always a special feeling (at Olympic Games), even if it’s the first time here.”
In fact, he said Chipmunk felt so good that he wanted to do it all over again.
The best American performance belongs to Boyd Martin, who was disappointed in his dressage score Saturday after having flying change problems with Federman B. Cross-country made up for that.
Boyd called his horse, known as Bruno, “An absolute legend, a spring in every step of the way. I couldn’t have asked for anything more today.”
He moved up from twenty-sixth to seventeenth, with just 1.6 time penalties for a total of 32.1.
“He gave me his heart and soul,” said Boyd about his horse, noting that even when Bruno was a little tired near the end, “he kept going,” saying the few slippery spots in the footing didn’t faze a horse who is “sure-footed as a mountain goat.”
Boyd Martin and Federman B on course.
He was buoyed by the crowd’s enthusiasm, noting “I heard more cheers going `Bruno’ than `go Boyd.’” He called it, “one of the most memorable cross-country rounds in my life,” citing, “the venue, the crowds, the moment. I’ll remember this one forever.”
Boyd is optimistic about Monday’s show jumping finale, contending Bruno is is “probably the best jumping horse in the field. I’ve just got to ride well, stay calm and rely on our thousands of hours of practice.”
His other teammate, Liz Halliday, is twenty-second with Nutcracker on 34 penalties.
On a sad note, the oldest horse in the event, Forever Young Wundermaske, finished his Olympic quest at the third water obstacle. Rider Ron Gabala of Ecuador tipped off there from the 21-year-old horse, who has been retired twice but wanted to go back to work.
Click this link for individual standings. Team penalties were not updated Sunday night to show that Ireland had moved down a place.
| 2 |
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87.20 |
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| 3 |
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93.80 |
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| 4 |
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102.40 |
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| 5 |
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111.00 |
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| 6 |
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118.20 |
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| 7 |
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120.10 |
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| 8 |
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121.10 |
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| 9 |
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128.50 |
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| 10 |
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147.50 |
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| 11 |
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158.00 |
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| 12 |
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177.40 |
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229.10 |
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278.90 |
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294.30 |
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391.10 |
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by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 27, 2024
The Phantom of the Opera, a funky fashion show, that mechanical horse with a silver-clad rider galloping down the Seine, where boats full of jubilant athletes celebrated the glory of being Olympians. A rare performance by ailing Celine Dion, a tortured torch relay that attempted to include as many French competitors as possible and a one-of-a-kind lighting of the cauldron with the Olympic flame, sending a hot air balloon skyward. And the first time the bells of Notre Dame rang out since a devastating 2019 fire. Wow!
With the memory of Friday evening’s crazy and colorful opening ceremonies lingering, the Paris Olympics got down to business Saturday morning as eventing dressage began, showcasing a quick, intense 3-minute, 50-second test (it doesn’t even include the customary initial halt) that had never been performed in competition prior to these Games.
There were 64 competitors crammed into one day of dressage, so three-day eventing really goes on three days, and not four, as is usual elsewhere in high-end events. The International Olympic Committee has strict guidelines to which eventing must adhere, so it can be included in future Olympics. There’s always a danger of all horse sports being dropped, which means one day of eventing dressage it is! (Someone on social media suggested the mechanical horse is the only horse that should be included in an Olympics, so you can see the perception problem.)
Britain went right to the forefront, with an amazing 17.5-penalty ride by Laura Collett and London 52. That’s an Olympic record for international test number 390 on Laura’s resume. Is it necessary to say that her horse didn’t put a foot wrong? Her marks for individual movements soared into the 80s, with 85 percent for her entry and 82 for shoulder-in. (Percentage points are converted to penalties for the standings.)
Record-setting Laura Collett and London 52. (photo Jon Stroud Media)
“That’s pretty cool,” Laura said when informed of her record. (The previous record is 19.3 penalties, set in 2000 at Sydney by Olympic individual gold medalist David O’Connor of the USA and adjusted so that test score jibes with current parameters.)
“That horse is one in a million,” Laura emphasized, saying he can handle the presence of a crowd, but hoped she hadn’t misspoke when she saw the size of the crowd at Versailles. She hadn’t. He was cool, calm and listening to her.
“He’s an absolute show-off and he loved being in front of a palace with crowd of people cheering him on, so I’m just so lucky to sit on a horse like that,”
She added, “That horse is unbelievable – what he’s done throughout my whole career is just amazing and he just keeps on delivering. I’m just very, very grateful to him. It’s safe to say that I’ve never enjoyed a dressage test more in my life.”
Combined with a score of 25.8 from early leader Tom McEwan on JL Dublin, and 23.4 from Ros Canter (favored to win the individual title) on Lordships Graffalo, Britain was well in the lead for team standings and in fact set a record for the lowest score after dressage at the Olympics (66.70). The previous record of 68.6 was set in Hong Kong in 2008 by Australia, according to our friends at EquiRatings, who are doing a great job of keeping everyone updated on analytics.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo.
Germany’s star, Michael Jung, just missed out on setting a world record of his own. His score with Chipmunk FRH was 17.8 penalties, a mere 0.3 back of Laura.
Tom McEwen said he had “a little bit more electricity” under him than usual with JL Dublin, as the horse took in the impressive Versailles vista. (photo Jon Stroud Media)
Germany’s Julia Krajewski on the 10-year-old Nickel 21, rode first in the competition and was very composed, considering her horse’s age and lack of experience. Nickel’s previous exposure to the big time stardom came at Aachen earlier this month, where he and Julia won.
Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21.
The only woman ever to earn Olympic eventing individual gold (2021) was a late call-up to the team, replacing Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz who was deemed not fit. Her mark of 26.9 penalties offered flowing but controlled flying changes and was good enough for fifteenth place.
Despite a flurry of anticipation that broke up the walk segment, Julia’s teammate, Christoph Wahler on Carjatan S, pulled into twenty-first place with 29.4 penalties. Germany stands second overall on 74.10 penalties. France edged into the top three with 80.7 penalties and the support of the flag-waving home crowd.
Where is the U.S. in all this? Sixth (88.9 penalties) behind New Zealand (83) and Japan (87.4).
Things didn’t go as hoped for the Americans, who lost a top prospect when both of Will Coleman’s horses were not fit to compete. That being said, the rider who replaced him, former traveling alternate Liz Halliday, was the highest-ranked for the U.S., in nineteenth place on Nutcracker with 28 penalties in her first Olympics.
Anchor rider Boyd Martin thought his mount, Federman B, was set for a special performance, but noted the left to right flying changes became “a bit of a muddle” leading up the event.
He called his ride “an awesome test, except for two moments which were disastrous.”
The number six-ranked rider in the world added with a resigned tone, ” l sort of felt like I gave my all. It would have been awesome to have four great changes, but it wasn’t to be today.”
Boyd is twenty-sixth on 30.5 penalties and looking forward to Sunday’s cross-country, saying “I’ve got complete belief in Bruno,” as his horse is known.
His plan calls for him to go “fast but calm at the beginning. There’s nothing I see out there he can’t do, but I see a lot of jumps he could have a mistake at.”
Boyd Martin and Federman B.
“It’s a hell of a course out there, but I think my horse is tailor-made for this track. I’ve got to stay switched on for every jump, every stride. I feel like the American horses are in a great place and this is our opportunity to have a crack at this.”
The first U.S. rider to go, Caroline Pamukcu, made a nice impression in her Olympic debut, where she has said her focus is entirely on the team, not individual glory. The Pan American Games individual gold medalist kept the lid on HSH Blake when he spooked during the half-pass, and one flying change was a bit of a scramble. But a score of 30.4 for twenty-fifth place was admirable, considering the imposing atmosphere in the arena at Versailles.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake.
She repeated that old saying, it’s not a dressage competition, and knows the cross-country test is demanding. There are, she said, no “gimme” fences on the route designed by Pierre Le Goupil.
Liz Halliday triumphant after her test on Nutcracker.
Liz produced a very determined test with Nutcracker from the get-go, receiving a mark of 80 percent (that’s Isabell Werth territory) for her entrance into the arena. Finding out at the last minute that she would be riding in the Games after all left Liz with a feeling of sadness for Will Coleman and his disappointment. Then her mood went from “shock, to oh my gosh, to okay, `now I’m just going to be a competitor again.’ ”
Getting to ride in the Games was emotional for her; she sheepishly admitted she cried on Olympic TV.
Liz Halliday and Nutcracker. (US Equestrian Photo)
We should mention Australia’s Shane Rose, who many thought would not make it to the Olympics after enduring fractures to his elbow, femur, pelvis and ribs following an accident during training in March. But they didn’t know Shane. He is very much in Paris and was riding well despite what he’d been through, standing thirty-eighth aboard 19-year-old Virgil.
Shane Rose and Virgil.
Click here for individual results. Click this link for team results.
There is much more to come. Keep returning to this website, where we will tell you what happened on cross-country, where the action begins Sunday at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 12, 2024
You know who the U.S. is sending to the Olympics this month–this website has publicized the looong team selection process and named the names of who has been selected in all three disciplines.
But what about the other 48 countries that are entering the equestrian competitions in Paris? Peruse the list of definite entries. It’s fun to see who is riding for Greece, Latvia, Japan or other countries that haven’t been on your radar. Remember, there are only three riders on a team, but each squad has an alternate and the rules allow for substitution under certain circumstances.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is the only equestrian competing at the Olympics who will be going for two individual gold medals in a row on the same horse. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Click here for the list of show jumping entries from 35 countries, on this link for eventing entries from 27 countries and here for dressage, in which 30 countries will have representation.
This is how the stadium at Versailles will look during the Games. (FEI photo)
Equestrian competition is not being held in the heart of Paris, but in Versailles, 12 miles west of the city. The setting includes the palace that originally was the home of Louis XIV, and an array of gardens. When the Olympics aren’t being staged, it is a public park.
Britain’s Ben Maher will be trying for a second Olympic individual gold medal in show jumping, but on a different horse than he rode last time. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The lone Olympic equestrian individual gold medalist who will be defending a Tokyo Games title on the same horse is Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl with TSF Dalera BB. Britain’s show jumping gold medalist, Ben Maher, will be on a different mount, Point Break, while Germany’s individual medalist Julia Krajewski (the first woman to take the title in that sport) is an alternate for her nation.
The competition will be held six hours later than Eastern Daylight Savings Time, which means if you want to watch everything and live in the East, you’ll have to get up at 4 or 5 a.m. many days. If you live in California, you could just stay up all night.
But don’t worry, we’ll be telling you what happens right here every day, starting with July 27 and the dressage Grand Prix. We’ll keep reminding you that it’s possible to sleep in and still be up to speed by coming to this website after the competition ends each day.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 23, 2024
In a shocking development, Britain’s dressage queen, Charlotte Dujardin, has been provisionally suspended by the FEI a week before she was scheduled to ride in the Olympics, after a 2.5-year-old video surfaced that showed her making “an error of judgment” during a coaching session.
The video came out on social media Wednesday and showed her aggressively hitting her student’s cantering horse with a longe whip, prompting the animal to kick out several times. The video was taken during a lesson at a private stable.
Dujardin, who dominated headlines with her team and individual gold medal at the London 2012 Games on Valegro, made headlines of another kind on Tuesday as she withdrew herself from the Olympics and other competitions while the FEI investigates.
“What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse,” she stated on social media.
“I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment,” she said.
“I am sincerely sorry for my actions and devastated that I have let everyone down, including Team GB, fans and sponsors. I will cooperate fully with the FEI, British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage during their investigations, and will not be commenting further until the process is complete,” she concluded.
Netherlands website Horses.nl stated Dutch attorney Stephan Wensing, who is a rider and trainer, filed a complaint on behalf of a client with the FEI and British Equestrian Federation about Dujardin’s actions as depicted on the video. Wensing is a specialist in equine law and has co-authored a book entitled, “Plea for the Horse.”
Wensing stated, “It is unacceptable that dressage sport should be accompanied by animal abuse. If top sport can only be performed in such a way that the welfare of the horse is compromised, then top sport should be abolished.
“Everyone who handles horses has their own responsibility and this also applies to bystanders who become aware of excesses. Equestrian sport must regulate itself and ensure that there can never be a discussion about horse welfare in sport again. This is a very important task for the judges who have lost sight of the core value of dressage for far too long and have overvalued the spastic movements of horses.”
Dressage has experienced a number of scandals recently, with the FEI looking into Cesar Parra’s training methods as depicted on video, and the decision of the Danish federation to suspend Andreas Helgstrand from being considered for the Olympic team after an undercover video of training at his stables was televised.
Wensing noted about Dujardin’s case, “It is extremely sad that one of the most successful riders in the world has to suffer. But this rider has also not taken any responsibility and this cannot go unpunished. The federations and in particular the FEI can be expected to take even more adequate action against animal abuse precisely to safeguard the survival of equestrian sports.”
Social license to operate is a major issue for horse sports, and the Olympics is equestrian sport’s biggest stage. For the first time during the Olympics, there will be an equine welfare coordinator whose mission is aimed at ensuring all stakeholders play by the welfare rules. Go to the On the Rail section of the website to read the link, or click here.
Britain was on track to challenge Germany for the team gold medal at the Olympics, while Dujardin, riding Imhotep, would have become her country’s most decorated Olympian in any sport if she had won any medal in Paris. Could that have played into the timing of the complaint being field, years after the incident?
In addition to her London gold medals, Dujardin and Valegro earned individual gold and team silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics and she took individual bronze in Tokyo three years ago.
Carl Hester, Dujardin’s mentor (Fame) and world champion Lottie Fry (Glamourdale) now will be joined in the team competition by alternate Becky Moody (Jagerbomb).
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro in the 2012 Olympics. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
A statement from the FEI said it received a video on Monday “depicting Ms. Dujardin engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare. This video was submitted to the FEI by a lawyer representing an undisclosed complainant. According to the information received, the footage allegedly was taken several years ago during a training session conducted by Ms. Dujardin at a private stable.
“Upon receiving the video, the FEI initiated an investigation. As part of this investigation, Ms. Dujardin, British Equestrian, and British Dressage were informed of the allegations.”
After being given a deadline to respond by 5 p.m. Swiss time on Tuesday, Dujardin confirmed that she is the individual depicted in the video and acknowledged that her conduct was inappropriate.
The FEI announced the rider’s provisional suspension, effective immediately.
“During this period of suspension, she is prohibited from participating in any activities related to competitions or events under the jurisdiction of the FEI or any competition or event under the jurisdiction of a National Federation (NF). This also includes any FEI or NF (national federation)-related activities. In addition, the British Equestrian Federation has mirrored this provisional suspension, which also makes Ms. Dujardin ineligible to compete in any national events during this period.”
Dujardin and Imhotep, who would have been her Olympic mount, at the London International Horse Show.
FEI President Ingmar De Vos said, “We are deeply disappointed with this case, especially as we approach the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. However, it is our responsibility and crucial that we address any instances of abuse, as equine welfare cannot be compromised.
“Charlotte has expressed genuine remorse for her actions, and we recognize and appreciate her willingness to take responsibility. Despite the unfortunate timing, we believe this action reaffirms the FEI’s commitment to welfare as the guardians of our equine partners and the integrity of our sport.”
The FEI further stated that on Tuesday, Dujardin requested to be provisionally suspended pending the outcome of the investigations and voluntarily withdrew from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and also confirmed that she will not participate in any competitions pending the outcome of the FEI’s investigation.
“The FEI condemns any conduct contrary to the welfare of horses and has robust rules in place to address such behavior. Our commitment to ensuring the highest standards of equine welfare and sportsmanship remains unwavering.”
The FEI acknowledges the cooperation of Charlotte Dujardin, British Equestrian, and British Dressage with the ongoing investigation and intends to proceed as swiftly as possible.
British Equestrian Chief Executive Jim Eyre commented; “As the guardians of equestrian sport, we must uphold the highest standards of equine welfare – the horse’s well-being is paramount. We have been in close liaison with the FEI on the matter and will fully comply with any requests to fulfill their investigation and support the robust processes around such complaints. The allegations made are serious and the consequences far reaching but upholding the integrity of our sport remains our priority – we are privileged to enjoy the company of horses; we must never compromise on their well-being. We will continue to work with the FEI and Charlotte to complete the process.”
British Dressage Chief Executive Jason Brautigam added; “At British Dressage our commitment is to ‘bring people and horses together in harmony’, and as part of this we constantly strive to achieve the highest standards of horse care. We do not condone any behavior that goes against our guiding principles and take a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our equine welfare policies. These historic allegations are deeply upsetting for everyone involved in our sport, but we fully support the FEI investigation and will take any appropriate disciplinary action when this process is complete. Our priority now is to rally behind our athletes and horses representing Team GB in Paris as they take on the responsibility of showcasing the best of our sport on the world stage.
British Equestrian Performance Director and Team GB Equestrian Team Leader Helen Nicholls said; “Obviously the events of the last 24 hours have been disappointing on many levels for all affected. No one more than Charlotte Dujardin recognizes the part welfare holds in sport and as such has done the right thing in stepping down to allow the FEI tribunal to take place in a timely manner. Our focus remains on supporting our athletes to deliver to their potential on the world stage and we look forward to the Games getting underway on Saturday.”
