View this post on InstagramA post shared by Paris2024 (@paris2024)With last nights opening ceremonies, the Games have officially BEGUN! And boy, what a trip that opening ceremony was. I found myself Googling a few things fellow inquiring minds might also be curious about including are the Minions French? (Answer: The animation studio Illumination is based in Paris) and will the Olympic cauldron stay in the sky? (Answer: it will come down during the day and go back up at night!)But my personal favorite part (and if I had to guess, probably also the favorite part of every horse girl watching)? That cool-looking mechanical horse that galloped down the Seine River with the hooded torch bearer aboard. Honestly, that looked like the smoothest ride down the river all night. OK Celine was pretty inspiring, too. Now, onto business. Its the first day of the eventing competition in earnest and by the time most read this dressage will be well underway! You can catch up on todays action in our Follow-Along Companion Guide, which Cheg will be updating throughout the day with scores and rider reactions. Meanwhile, two other big events on the eventing calendar are also running this weekend. Millbrook has packed Advanced and Intermediate entry lists as many familiar pairs kick off their fall season with a first upper-level run back after their big spring goal events. In the UK, Burghams CCI4*-S is well underway and Kentucky winners Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent have thrown down a sub-twenty dressage score. U.S. Weekend ActionMillbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Ride Times] [Scoring]UK International EventsBurgham International (Northumberland) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]Major International Events#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [ENs Coverage]Links to Start Your Weekend:Thoroughbred blood still courses through top contenders at Paris OlympicsApparently Martha Stewart will be joining Snoop Dogg at Versailles to do dressage commentaryCharlotte Dujardin: What Happens Next?The 2024 USEA Classic Series Continues at Rebecca FarmAmerican Horse Racing Should Be Watching The Fallout From Britains Dressage Olympic ScandalHeat Alert: Clarification and Recommendations for Participants and Competition ManagersSponsor Corner: Eventer Allie Knowles trusts the protection of her horses legs to the Equilibrium Tri-Zone Impact Cross Country Boots. Breathable, flexible, lightweight these boots offer incredible protection with none of the typical of downsides of overheating and holding onto water. View this post on InstagramA post shared by World Equestrian Brands (@worldeqbrands)Morning Viewing: In case you need to explain why youre so pumped this weekend to any non-horsey friends, this video might help!

Phillip Dutton and Possante. Photo by Amber Heintzberger.The 2024 Millbrook Horse Trials kicked off yesterday with lower level dressage at Riga Meadow Equestrian Center at Coole Park in Millbrook, NY.There are more than 400 total entries competing at Millbrook, from Beginner Novice to Advanced level.Today the upper level horses cantered down the centerline, while the lower levels headed out on cross country.In the Advanced division, veteran Olympian Phillip Dutton of West Grove, PA and Possante, a 2013 KWPN gelding owned by the Possante Group, took a solid lead with a fluid, accurate test to lead the division of 39 starters on a 25.5. Irish rider Michael Nolan, riding the 2015 Irish Sport Horse Carrabeg Hulla Balou, owned by Susan Martin, is second (28.2) and Meghan ODonoghue is third with her own Thoroughbred gelding, Palm Crescent.Dutton also rode Denim, owned byAnn Lapides, Caroline Moran, Annie Jones and Neill Sites, to 11thafter dressage (31.1) and his daughter Olivia and Sea of Clouds, a 2011 Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Sea of Clouds Partnership, are currently 16th(31.8) in the Advanced division.Weve had Possante for a bit over a year and a half, said Dutton. I had a slow start with him but hes kind of coming into his groove now and shaking out to be a really top horse. Hes got a lot of charisma, a bit of bling, and carries himself well. Hes a good jumper, still a work in progress like all of it, but I hope hell have a good, educational day tomorrow on the cross country.Dutton said that hes been riding Denim since he was a six-year-old and said that though hes a bit younger, he has more experience than Possante. We had a couple little errors in the dressage, but I was actually quite pleased with him, he said. Its his first advanced for a while. Its good to be up in Millbrook with him, especially with this great weather. Weve had a lot of friends and owners from the Millbrook area and used to teach a lot of the kids who grew up here, and its fun to come back.He noted that while its a little nerve wracking to watch his own daughter compete at the Advanced level, hes pleased to see her learning and thriving with his former partner, affectionately known as Socs.He really likes her and they seem to be clicking well, he said.Dutton also sent his best wishes and good luck to the US riders competing at the Olympic Games in Paris this weekend.The competition continues tomorrow with the schedule as follows:8 am to 4 pm Cross Country (Intermediate, Advanced, Preliminary)8 am to 4 pm Yellowframe Farm Waterview Tent open to ticket holders9 am to 5 pm Trade Fair open10 am to 5 pm Millbrook Market open11 am to 3 pm Two by Two Animal Haven Petting Zoo open11 am to 6 pm Food Trucks open6 pm to 8 pm Competitors and Volunteers party sponsored by Purina and Triple CrownMillbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Let the Games begin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Oh yes! Here oui go! Its Olympic dressage day in Paris and here at EN ouive been chinchilla-ing away to bring you all the stats, facts and form for every competitor ouill see up the center line. (OK, Ill stop it now.)For those of you who are avid followers of our live blogs (we salute you eventing nerds!), youll notice that things are a little different this time around. In order to adhere to the strict media rules for the Olympics, were not able to bring you live commentary. We can, however, keep you totally informed with regards to whos in the ring, what their form is coming into the Games, their hobbies and favorite foods (amongst other, um, horseplay), and how theyre likely to perform in each phase based on the available data, so youll be securely in the know as you watch the live stream. Ill also be bringing you the riders reactions to their Olympic test, courtesy of our roving reporters extraordinaire Sally Spickard and Tilly Berendt who are waiting with baited/garlic infused breath in the Chat Zone. So buckle up and prepare to be hit with absolutely everything you didnt know you need to know about the horses and riders of the Paris Olympic Games.But its not going to be all about the competitors today, oh no. Show your faces eventing die-hards and get in on the EN action. Have you sniffed out and wrangled together a watch party with all the eventing fans in your town (and any unsuspecting future fans you could find willingly or not, its all the same to us)? Are there any furries, or feathereds, or scaleys along for the ride? How is your horse getting in on the equestrian frivolities in France? Do you, like me, have an Olympic flag flying on your front porch? We want to see everything. Head over to our Facebook page (which youll find right here) to share all your Olympic geekiness look for the relevant post and leave a comment. Show yourselves eventing nerds! Please remember to include who took the photo, and if youre not of the selfie variety, dont fret let us know how youre celebrating the Games and Ill try and give you a shout-out. And if you miss out due to it being basically the middle of the night in your time zone, share away anyway and Ill try and include you at some point over the weekend. Scroll down to the Fan Zone at the bottom of the post to see your shares.Before we get down to official Olympic business, here are some links of interest: The Olympic dressage test is a little different to what were used to seeing at CCI5*s for one, its a whole minute or so shorter. EN asked the experts to come onboard to explain just whats required of the horses and riders in this, fairly unique, test. Find out more here. Check out everything you need to know about the Olympic eventing in Paris and much more besides in our Ultimate Guide. Its fair to say that weve been typing our fingers to the bone to bring you all the Paris content you can handle, and were not done yet. For now though, click here to view all our blood, sweat and tears thus far.Please remember to keep this page refreshed so that you dont miss a thing. Ill be adding in the riders reactions to their test as they come in, so keep flicking through to gather all the goodies.Its time to adjust your beret to a jaunty angle, perhaps sample a snail or two, and go eventing! Let the Games commence!#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [ENs Coverage]________________________________________________________________________________FIRST TEAM ROTATION________________________________________________________________________________ Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21Photo by Tilly Berendt.Coming in hot Julia was actually in Block 3 on the German squad list, but a superb win at Aachen a few weeks ago bumped her right up the order and she was due to come to Paris with this exciting young horse as traveling reserve. However the withdrawal of Sandra Auffarth has meant that Julia is there to defend her Olympic title, and shes got a pretty good shot. Its going to be an exciting few days, thats for sure.Form, Facts & Stats:Julias championships experience: Individual Tokyo 2020 Team Rio 2016 Team & Individual Pratoni 2022 Tryon 2018 (Team) Julias win in Tokyo made her the first woman Olympic eventing champion, and, as far as we can tell from sometimes patchy records, we believe that Amande de Bneville was the first mare to win gold.Dressage This guy really is something special in the first phase. He put down a 23.9 at Aachen on his way to the win, and almost has a clean sweep of sub-30 scores on his card. He does tend to swing between the low- and high-20s but, seriously, what a problem to have. ________________________________________________________________________________ Shane Rose and Virgil View this post on InstagramA post shared by Shane Rose (@shane.rose.eventing) After a bit of a bumpy ride recently, Shane has made it to Paris and it must feel good to be sat on his old pal of many years, 19-year-old Virg, particularly given that theyre here off the back of three consecutive wins, including Adelaide 5* and the Horse of the Year Event in New Zealand thats some hot form right there Form, Facts & Stats:Shanes championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020; 10th individually Rio 2016 Beijing 2008 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team); 13th individually Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) Aachen 2006 (Ind.) Rome 1998 (Ind.) Safe to say, Shane is one of the more battered and bruised eventers on the circuit. He defied the odds to be here after a nasty fall at home a few months ago, has had facial reconstruction in the past after being kicked by a horse, as well as having defeated thyroid cancer. Hes one tough cookie, thats for sure. Dressage These veterans of the sport knows his way around a championships dressage ring, thats for sure. They put down a 31.5 at Pratoni and a 31.7 in Tokyo, and generally hover around the 30-mark in the first phase. They went sub-30 at Adelaide 5* last season, where they very nearly finished on their dressage score of 28.1, adding just 1 second of cross country time on their way to the win. Theyve just had the one run this year, due to Shane being off games, but what a run to have, winning the Horse of the Year event in New Zealand in style and finishing on their dressage score of 30.8.________________________________________________________________________________ Michael Winter and El Mundo View this post on InstagramA post shared by wayfarereventing1 (@wayfarereventing1)Mikes here with his World Championships and Pan-Ams ride, El Mundo. They got a taste for taking home medals when they won team gold in Santiago and theres no doubt thats given them a hankering for more. Roberto has been with Mike since he was a six-year-old and the pair have a really close relationship after Mike spent a good while tending to the geldings every need, 24-hours a day, whilst he was on box rest following an injury. Safe to say, that bond will stand them in good stead as they take on Paris.Form, Facts & Stats:Mikes championships experience: Beijing 2008 (Team) Athens 2004 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Mike is an outspoken advocate for diversity and anti-racism in the sport, as well as speaking up for equality issues such as access to clean drinking water, education and health care.Dressage This pair have one sub-30 score on their card, which came at the pop-up 5* at Bicton in 2021. At their three other 5* runs theyve been low- to mid-30s their highest is 34.6. It was a 32.3 for them at the Pan-Ams in Santiago, where they were fifth individually and won team gold. At the World Championships in Pratoni, they put down 33.3 in the first phase.________________________________________________________________________________ Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M View this post on InstagramA post shared by Sarah Ennis (@sarah_ennis_eventing)Action by name and action by nature, Sarah says about this mare on her IG account. She describes her as feisty, and a true performer with grit and determination, which pretty much sums up everything you want in an event horse, really. Form, Facts & Stats:Sarahs championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Team Tryon 2018, 5th individually Caen 2014 (Team) Action Lady M is called Lottie in the barn.Dressage This pair posted their best dressage score at 4* in their most recent run so Sarah must coming to Paris full of confidence. They generally tend to swing between low- to mid-30s scores in the first phase. They finished on their dressage score of 32.9 in the 8-and-9-year-old class at Blenheim in 2022, where they were sixth.________________________________________________________________________________ Mlody Johner and Toubleu de RueirePhoto by Tilly Berendt.This pair very nearly finished on their dressage score at Tokyo (if we ignore the second round of show jumping), which has got to have Meldy chomping at the bit as she bids to better her individual 17th place. Form, Facts & Stats:Mlodys championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 17th individually Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Mlodys had the ride on this seventeen-year-old gelding since 2020.Dressage They put down a 36.1 in Tokyo and added just one second of cross country time across the entire event, up until the second round of show jumping, when things kind of fell apart a little, but were focusing on dressage right now. They posted a 36.7 at the European Championships last season and a 35.9 at the Worlds in Pratoni, and we can see from those scores that theyre generally pretty consistently mid-30s in the first phase.________________________________________________________________________________ Caroline Pamukcu and HSH BlakePhoto by Tilly Berendt.Pan-Ams individual gold and team silver winner Caroline is making her Olympic debut with exciting talent HSH Blake. Seriously, this guy is total class. Hes been first or second in 50% of his FEI runs and has only been outside the top-10 twice. Thats the kind of quality were dealing with here.Form, Facts & Stats: Caroline was just 14 when she became a full-time eventer! She won team and individual gold at the North American Young Rider Championships in 2013 and left school the next day, continuing her education at home, but mostly riding.Dressage This guy has only ever been out of the 20s in the first phase twice. He posted a 26.8 on his way to individual honors in Santiago, that was 3*, and has generally been 27 or 28 at 4*. How will he handle the step up to the Olympic test, which is essentially a short 5*? Eyes on ________________________________________________________________________________ Malgorzata Korycka and Canvalencia Photo by Tilly Berendt.Malgorzata is here to contest her first Olympic Games, but she comes with the experience of European and World Championships appearances under her belt. Shes in Paris with her Pratoni mount, Canvalencia.Form, Facts & Stats:Malgorzatas championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Malgorzata is engaged to fellow Paris Olympian, Jan Kaminski.Dressage This pair put down a 35.7 in the dressage phase at the World Championships in Pratoni, which is about where they tend to be in the first phase mid- to high-30s.________________________________________________________________________________ Sofia Sjborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z View this post on InstagramA post shared by Sofia Sjoborg Eventing (@sofia_sjoborg_eventing)Sofia brings her World Championships ride forward on her Olympic debut, but shell have had a heap of advice from Olympic veterans and fellow Paris competitors Tim and Jonelle Price, who shes based with in the UK.Form, Facts & Stats:Sofias championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Sofia spent three years training with fellow Paris Olympian and former Olympic Champion Michael Jung. Talk about learning from the best.Dressage This pair can have a bit of a tricky time in the dressage phase, with scores this season ranging from 37.1 to 51.7. They put down a career-best score of 32.8 at the World Championships in Pratoni what a time to break out a PB. A championships thing perhaps?________________________________________________________________________________ Tom McEwen and JL DublinPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Tom knows what its like to take a haul of medals home from a Games, with a team gold and individual silver from Tokyo stashed away in his bling cabinet. Hes here with relatively new ride JL Dublin, who he took on from Nicola Wilson, and Tom is very vocal in his praise of Nicolas work with Dubs each time hes had success with the lovely gelding. Which is a lot, really, hence they bagged an elusive spot on the very competitive British team. Form, Facts & Stats:Toms championships experience: Team & Individual Tokyo 2020 Team Tryon 2018; 12th individually3 Tom is currently World No. 3 Tom was awarded an MBE from the late Queen of England following his success in Tokyo.Dressage Since Tom took on the ride in 2022, theyve had dressage scores ranging from 20.9 to 29.8. They were second at Kentucky 5* in the spring, where the posed a 24.6 in the first phase and third at Pau last fall, where they put down a 23.1, so their best scores do tend to come on the big occasions, like an Olympics, say. Eyes on this one ________________________________________________________________________________ Carlos Parro and SafiraPhoto by Shannon Brinkman Photography.Carlos made his Olympic debut back in 2000 at the Sydney Games and has a hattrick of Olympic experiences under his belt. The Brazilian team are in Paris off the back of a team bronze medal at the Pan-Ams last season, where Carlos and Safira played their part and gained valuable experience ahead of the test they face in Paris. Form, Facts & Stats:Carlos championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Rio 2016 (Team); 18th individually Sydney 2000 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Aachen 2006 (Ind.) Rome 1998 (Team) Carlos has won Best Eventing Rider of the Year awarded by Olympic Brazil three times.Dressage They put down a 34 at the Pan-Ams in Santiago on their way to team bronze. This season theyve had two FEI 4* runs; they scored 33.4 in Strzegom, Poland, and 34 in Sopot, also in Poland. ________________________________________________________________________________ Jonelle Price and HiaradoPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Jonelle Price sure knows a thing or two about championships appearances, having made her Olympic debut back in 2012 at the London Games. She took home a team bronze medal that time around, and has since added another, at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022. Her Paris ride is relatively new to her, but theyve already shown theyre a great partnership with a top-10 finish on the mares 5* debut.Form, Facts & Stats:Jonelles championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 11th individually Rio 2016 (Team); 17th individually Team London 2012 Team Pratoni 2022; 10th individually Tryon 2018 (Team); 19th individually Caen 2014 (Ind.); 4th8 Jonelle is currently World No. 8 Jonelle broke her arm 5 weeks before the London Games but bounced back to make her Olympic debut for New Zealand.Dressage This mare put down a 30.4 in the first phase on her 5* debut at Pau last season, where she finished seventh. Theyre very much a low-30s pair, their best being 30.2 and highest 34.5.________________________________________________________________________________ Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ryuzo Kitajima (@ryuzokitajima)Ryuzo has represented Japan at the Olympics, World Championships and Asian Games, where he finished fourth individually in 2018. Cekatinka was purchased especially for the Tokyo Olympics but didnt go; Ryuzo was selected as traveling reserve with his other ride, Feroza Niewmoed, stepping up in the final phase as a substitute. But hes here now, and ready to do it for Japan in Paris.Form, Facts & Stats:Ryuzos championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Rio 2016 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Cekatinka was 8th individually at Tryon WC 2018 with fellow Paris Olympian Tim Price.Dressage This pair are capable of going sub-30 in the first phase, but theyre more likely to drop in somewhere in the low-30s. They scored 32.2 at the World Championships in Pratoni and 31.5 in their most recent run prior to Paris, the 4*-L in Ballindenisk, where they finished second.________________________________________________________________________________ Emiliano Portale and FuturePhoto by Tilly Berendt.Emilianos making his championships debut and what a competition to get your first Senior call-up at. This pairing is relatively new, with Emiliano taking on the ride last season. Theyve had their fair share of success since getting together though, so itll be interesting to see their performance in Paris.Form, Facts & Stats: Emiliano has been a selector for the Italian pony team.Dressage Theyre proving to be a low- to mid-30s kind of pair, with a 33.3 in the European Championships last season and, more recently, a 31.7 in the 4*-S Nations Cup leg in Montelibretti this spring, where they finished fifth. ________________________________________________________________________________ Janneke Boonzaaijer and Champ de Tailleur Photo by Tilly Berendt.Jannekes back at the Olympics for another go, this time as part of the Dutch team after competing as an individual in Tokyo. This pair didnt have the happiest of times on their Olympic debut, after being eliminated for a technical refusal on the cross country, but theyre here to put all that right this time around Paris. Form, Facts & Stats:Jannekes championships experience: Tokyo 2010 (Ind.) Jannekes sporting philosophy is one we can all get behind: Having fun together is one of the keys to success Dressage They put down a score of 33 in the first phase at Tokyo and a 32.5 at the European Championships last season, but have a smattering of sub-30 scores scattered through their record also, notably in their most recent run, where they posted a 27.8. ________________________________________________________________________________ Karim Laghouag and Triton FontainePhoto by Tilly Berendt.Karims known for being quite the character on the European eventing circuit and I have it on good authority from ENs roving reporter, Tilly Berendt, that hes deserving of a gold medal for being the friendliest person in the sport. Hes got tons of championships experience and was part of the bronze medal success for France at Tokyo with his Paris mount, Triton Fontaine.Form, Facts & Stats:Karims championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020; 12th individually Team Rio 2016 Lexington 2010 (Ind.) Aachen 2006 (Ind.) 10th Karim was honored with the title Chevalier de la Legion dHonneur after being part of the French team which won gold in Rio.Dressage This pair scored 31.4 at Pau 5* on their way to second place, a relevant result in terms of what theyll face at the Olympics. The dressage test is 5* level but shorter than a usual 5*. In Tokyo the put down a 32.4 in the first phase. They can sneak sub-30 at 4*, as they did in the 4*-S Nations Cup at Montelibretti last season on their way to third place. ________________________________________________________________________________ Karin Donckers and Liepheimer Vant VerahofPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Its fair to say that Karin has been a valuable representative of Belgium over the years, with six Olympic and eight World Championship appearances. All in a days work, hey Karin?! Shes here with the only stallion in the field, who was fourth in the Young Horse Championships as a seven-year-old. Hes got championships experience via the Europeans in 2021, and has been a regular on the Nations Cup circuit. Form, Facts & Stats:Karins championships experience: Rio 2016 (Ind.) London 2012 (Team); 15th individually Beijing 2008 (Ind.); 9th Athens 2004 (Team); 16th individually Sydney 2000 (Team); 9th individually Barcelona 1992 (Team); 8th individually Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team); 17th individually Caen 2014 (Team); 5th individually Lexington 2010 (Team); 4th individually Aachen 2006 (Team); 13th individually Jerez de la Frontera 2002 (Ind.); 19th Rome 1998 (Ind.) Den Haag 1994 (Ind.) Karin was named the 2021 Sportswoman of the Year in Hoogstraten, Belgium.Dressage This pair tend to hover around the 30 mark, with an almost 50:50 just over, just under rate. In their last run, the 4*-S in Luhmhlen, they put down a 32.2 in the first phase; in their run before that, the 4*-S in Kronenberg, it was a 29.6. Their best score at 4* is 26.7; that came in 2022. Their highest 4* score is a 35.7 in 2021. ________________________________________________________________________________INDIVIDUAL RIDERS________________________________________________________________________________ Carlos Diaz Fernandez and Taraje CP 21.10Photo by Tilly Berendt.Carlos may be making his Olympic debut in Paris, but hes got plenty of championship experience under his belt, with three World and four European Championships on his card. Hes taking to the Olympic stage with his 2022 World Championships ride, eleven-year-old Taraje.Form, Facts & Stats:Carlos championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) Carlos had a scary time at the European Championships in 2013 when a dog chased him round the cross country course for a whole minute. Puppers on leashes, please! Dressage This pair put down a 30.5 in their most recent run, the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Montelibretti, where they finished third. They went sub-30 at the same venue in the fall, scoring 29.8 in the 4*-L and placing sixth. At the World Championships in Pratoni they scored a 32.5. ________________________________________________________________________________ Balsz Kaizinger and Herr Cooles ClassicoPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Balsz comes to Paris with a World Championships completion in his locker, which came courtesy of his other ride, Clover. Hes piloted Herr Cooles Classico since 2022, stepping the gelding up to 4* last season. Hes here as Hungarys first eventing representative since 1996.Form, Facts & Stats:Balszs championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Balsz is pronounced Balash, in case you were wondering.Dressage Safe to say, this pair are not here to win the dressage. Theyd probably rather we just scrapped the first phase altogether and get straight down to the nitty gritty of things. But alas, dressage we must in order to earn the right to ride cross country. They put down a 48.9 in the 4*-S at Luhmhlen last month and a 43.5 in the 4*-S at Sopot in May. Since stepping up to 4*, their best score is 41.1 and their highest is 50.5.________________________________________________________________________________ Miroslav Trunda and Shutterflyke Photo by Sally Spickard.Miroslav and Shutterflyke are back at the Games after contesting Tokyo three years ago. Theyve gained World Championship experience since then, with an appearance representing the Czech Republic in Pratoni.Form, Facts & Stats:Miroslavs championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) As well as being an Olympic eventer, Miroslav is a veterinarian, taking care of top-level horses and working at the race track.Dressage This pair arent here to win the dressage, Shutterflyke is an out-and-out cross country girl at heart. At Tokyo they put down a 46.1 in the first phase and at the World Championships in Pratoni a 43.2. They do have scores in the 30s at 4*, but theyre high-30s.________________________________________________________________________________ Huadong Sun and Lady Chin Vt Moerven Z View this post on InstagramA post shared by (@huadong_sun)Huadong comes to Paris with his Tokyo horse, with whom he was fourth at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. Olympics horse tokyo 35.2 42 xc time 2 poles 1.6 time round 1 Form, Facts & Stats:Huadongs championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) This combination won team gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games last season, the first time the Peoples Republic of China have taken the title.Dressage They put down a 35.2 in the first phase at Tokyo but there have been a few competitions since then where theyve had their hooves in the 20s, notably at their most recent FEI run, the 4*-S Nations Cup leg in Strzegom, where they posted a 29.9. It was a 37 at their run before that though, so its safe to say that we dont really know where this pair are going to land.________________________________________________________________________________ Ronald Zabala Goetschel and Forever Young WundermaskePhoto by Leslie Threlkeld.Wundermaske sure is true to his prefix hes 21-years-young and contesting his first Olympic Games. Ronald is a pretty amazing guy, and not just because he clearly has a program at home which has allowed for this veteran horse to stay in peak performance into his twenties. He taught himself to ride as a little kid, jumping over a fallen log to practice his cross country skills. He has confirmed that he is totally horse crazy.Form, Facts & Stats:Ronalds championships experience: London 2012 (Ind.) Tryon 2018 (Ind.) Ronald was the first rider to represent Ecuador at the Olympics when he made it to London 2012.Dressage So far this season, this pair have put down dressage scores of between 37.4 and 49. Last season they were regularly mid- to high-30s.________________________________________________________________________________ Veera Manninen and Sir Greg View this post on InstagramA post shared by Veera Manninen (@veera_m_eventing)Amazingly, Sir Greg partnered Veera at the European Young Rider Championships in 2021 and now here they are at the Olympics. We can all agree thats pretty awesome. Form, Facts & Stats: At 24, Veeras certainly at the younger end of the scale when it comes to Olympic eventers.Dressage This pair are consistently mid-30s in the first phase, posting two scores of 34 and a 36.3 this season.________________________________________________________________________________ Peter T. Flarup and FascinationPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Hugely experienced Danish eventer Peter Flarup is in Paris with his Tokyo ride. This is Peters third Games, and hes got the experience of four World Championships under his belt too, so he knew what he was getting into when he decided to step down as the head trainer for the national eventing team to focus on getting to Paris. Form, Facts & Stats:Peters championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Beijing 2008 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Ind.) Lexington 2010 (Ind.) Aachen 2006 (Team) Rome 1998 (Team) This pair have been going arena eventing together over the winter every little helps when youre on the road to Paris.Dressage This pairing scored 33.7 in the first phase at Tokyo, which has been their form there-or-thereabouts this season. They went sub-30 in he 4*-S at Maarsbergen last season, a personal best at the level, and contributing to them taking the win. But generally were looking at 32 or 33, theyre pretty consistent overall.________________________________________________________________________________ Esteban Benitez Valle and Utrera AA 35 1Photo by Tilly Berendt.Esteban is making his Olympic debut, but hes got World and European Championships caps in his locker. Spain were really hoping to have a team in Paris, and fought hard for it, but unfortunately it wasnt to be and they bagged two individual slots instead. Form, Facts & Stats:Estebans championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Esteban was selector for the Spanish University team and was president of the Spanish University Riders Association. Dressage Recently, this pair have been producing tests in the low- to mid-30s. They scored 33.8 in the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Montelibretti in their most recent run this year, where they finished fourth, and a 31 in the 4*-S in Strzegom at the end of last season, where they were also fourth.________________________________________________________________________________SECOND TEAM ROTATION________________________________________________________________________________ Christoph Wahler and Carjatan SPhoto by Tilly Berendt.This pair know what its like to win a team gold medal at a major championships, and Im pretty sure theyd like another one. Theyve got a ton of experience together, with 48 FEI competitions under their cinch, despite Christophs relatively young age. Theyre here in hot form, off the back of a win, which must be a very nice confidence boost right before an Olympic Games. Form, Facts & Stats:Christophs championships experience: Team Pratoni 2022 In 2020, Christoph took over the management of his familys breeding operation, founded by his grandfather and known to have bred some of the worlds best Trakehners.Dressage Across this season and last, this pair only have one dressage score in the 30s on their record. Theyve been super consistent so far this year, with three FEI runs and 28, 28.7 and 28 in the first phase in each of them. They were all 4*-S competitions; at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022 they scored a 32.8, and at Badminton the same year they put down a 32.5. So high-20s to low-30s is where were looking, probably towards the higher end given that the Olympic test is 5* level, albeit a bit shorter than were used to seeing at Kentucky, Badminton and the like.________________________________________________________________________________ Kevin McNab and Don QuidamPhoto by Eventing Nation.Kevin brings his Tokyo Olympics and Pratoni World Championships horse to Paris. He knows just how it feels to board the plane home from a Games with a medal round his neck, having won team silver in Tokyo, and hell be gunning to improve on his 14th place individually from three years ago. They wowed with a 25.7 in Pratoni, but it was closer to their norm in Tokyo at 32.1. How will they fare Paris?Form, Facts & Stats:Kevins championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020; 14th individually Pratoni 2022 (Team) Kevin was initially named as reserve for Tokyo, but was drafted in at the last minute when Stuart Tinneys horse was injured. He came home with a silver medal.Dressage At the World Championships in Pratoni, this pair put down a 25.7 in the first phase, his third best score of his career. At Tokyo it was a 32.1. More recently, hes had a bit of a mixed bag of results, going just about sub-30 at the Nations Cup 4*-S in Strzegom but scoring 38.3 in the 4*-S at Luhmhlen, his highest score since 2018. He was pretty consistent in his first two runs of the season, with a 33.5 and a 33.9 respectively.________________________________________________________________________________ Karl Sleazak and Hot Bobo View this post on InstagramA post shared by Team Slezak Eventing (@teamslezakeventing)Part of the gold medal winning team at the Pan-Ams in Santiago, where they took individual 4th place, Karl and Hot Bobo are here to try and make their mark on Paris. Hot Bobos in hot form coming to the Games off the back of a win in the 4*-S at Bromont a few weeks ago, where she put down a personal best dressage score what a time to do it. No doubt Karls here full of confidence with this gutsy mare. Form, Facts & Stats:Karls championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Hot Bobo became a mom this year via embryo transfer. What do you call a Hot Bobo baby? Hot Tamale of course.Dressage Hot Bobo pulled out a PB in her most recent run, the 4*-S at Bromont on her way to the win. It was a 27.6 that day for her and Karl, and a second sub-30 score since stepping up to 4*, the other one coming in the 4*-S at Kentucky last season, which they won. They put down a 32.7 at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last year, on their way to team gold and fourth place individually. They are very consistently low-30s, with a couple of welcome anomalies in their form.________________________________________________________________________________ Susie Berry and Wellfields Lincoln View this post on InstagramA post shared by Susie Berry (@susielberry)Hoping for the luck of the Irish, Susies making her Olympic debut with Slinky. They come to Paris on good form, having finished top-10 in two out of their three FEI runs this season. She may have had her first call-up for the Games this time around, but shes got World and European Championships experience under her belt with other horses in her string. Slinky may be one of Susies less-experienced campaigners, but thus far in his career hes looking to be sound in all three phases, which has got to have Susie feeling good as she takes on Paris, and beyond. Form, Facts & Stats:Susies championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Susie relocated from Ireland to England in 2014 when she went to work for one of her eventing idols, Piggy March (you guessed it, her other hero is Pippa Funnell). She set up her own yard in 2020.Dressage They posted a career-best dressage score this season when they went sub-30 in the 4*-L at Kronenberg on their way to third place what a time to pull that out of the bag. Theyve been between 28.7 and 34.2 so far this year, with low-30s tending to be their norm.________________________________________________________________________________ Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH Photo by Tilly Berendt.Dont be fooled by Robins young age into thinking that hes inexperienced, because, despite being just 26, hes already been Swiss national champion six times. He comes to Paris for his second Olympics and brings his two-time World and three-time European Championships horse.Form, Facts & Stats:Robins championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team); 15th individually Tryon 2018 (Team) Robin and Grandeur have been together since Robin was 17.Dressage This pair posted a 26.8 in the first phase at the World Championships in Pratoni, very close to their personal best of 26. So they know when to pull the good stuff out of the bag. It didnt quite happen for them at the Europeans last season, where they scored 33. So, dressage scores tend to swing from the mid-20s to the low-30s but there are definitely more sub-30 scores on their record than anything higher.________________________________________________________________________________ Elisabeth Halliday and NutcrackerPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Liz Halliday had the final, final hour call-up to the team from the traveling reserve spot, after the late withdrawal of Will Colemans second ride (his first had already been withdrawn). Liz is a fearless competitor whos sure to relish the chance to compete with the US team at the Olympics, particularly after being part of the silver medal winning team at the Pan-Ams in Santiago. Form, Facts & Stats: Lizs horse, Nutcracker, will be more commonly known to eventing fans as having the Cooley prefix, but due to the commercial laws at the Olympics its had to be dropped, so Nutcracker it is.Dressage Since stepping up to 4*, Nutcracker has produced seven sub-30 dressage tests, going as low as 22.6 for a PB last season. He put down a 30.6 on his 5* debut at Kentucky, where he was eighth. ________________________________________________________________________________ Jan Kaminski and JardPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Its been a bit of a late call-up for Jan and long-time campaigner, Jard, with the confirmation coming just two days before the first horse inspection. But Jans got Olympic and World Championship experience in his locker and has been a stalwart representative for Poland on the Nations Cup circuit, so hes not exactly coming in without knowing whats what. Also, now he gets to really share the whole Olympic thang with his fiance, fellow teammate Malgorzata Form, Facts & Stats:Jans championships experience: Tokyo 2010 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Jans fiance is also part of the Poland team in Paris.Dressage They put down a 33.1 in the first phase at Tokyo, and a 31.1 at the World Championships in Pratoni. Theyve been a bit higher thus far this season, with dressage scores ranging from 33.1 to 38.3.________________________________________________________________________________ Frida Andersn and Box Leo Photo by Shelby Allen.Fridas in Paris for her second Olympic call-up for the Swedish team, but shes looking for her first completion after withdrawing before the final horse inspection at Rio. Shes bringing forward former Ludwig Svennnestal ride, Box Leo, her European Championships partner.Form, Facts & Stats:Fridas championships experience: Rio (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Box Leo shares a sire with Irish Maryland winner and fellow Paris competitor, Colorado Blue.Dressage Theyre generally a low-30s kind of pair, but every so often a high-30s score slips onto their card. They scored 33.3 in the first phase at the European Championships last season but it was a 38.1 for them in their most recent run, the 4*-S at Luhmhlen. It was a 34.5 at the World Championships in Pratoni, where they finished top-20 individually.________________________________________________________________________________ Laura Collett and London 52 View this post on InstagramA post shared by Laura Collett MBE (@laura_collett)Part of the reigning gold medal winning team, Laura and London 52 are the only Tokyo combination in Paris. Laura has long heralded this horse as an absolute superstar and hes totally proved himself over and over again. Hes won three different 5*s, for a start, and comes here in hot form off the back of two wins this season, but really, London 52s always in hot form. In 40 FEI competitions hes won 11 times and been runner-up six times. Hes been top-5 in more than half the events hes done. Seriously Form, Facts & Stats:Lauras championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020 Pratoni 2022 (Team) Laura has a hattrick of 5* wins in her locker Badminton, Luhmhlen and Pau all with London 52. She also has an MBE, awarded to her by Englands late Queen Elizabeth.Dressage Were definitely not going to count sub-30 scores for this one as wed be here all day. We can however count sub-20 scores, of which there are three. Thats right, this guy is one to watch in the dressage ring, thats for sure. He put down a 22.4 in the first phase at the European Championships last season, and has finished on his dressage at two 5*s and very nearly finished on it at a third, all of which he won; it was a 20.3 at Luhmhlen last year, a 21 at Badminton in 2022, and a 21.3 at Pau in 2020. A 19.3 at the World Championships was the stuff of dreams, until things went awry out on the cross country course. At Tokyo, they scored a more modest 25.8 on the way to team gold. Eyes on this one ________________________________________________________________________________ Rafael Mamprim Losano and WithingtonThis combination are a recent pairing, only having been together since June last year, but they do have championships experience under their cinch courtesy of the Pan-Ams in Santiago, where they took home the team bronze. Rafaels no stranger to the big time though, having competed at Tokyo when he was just 24 years old, so hes well placed to show Withington the Olympic ropes.Form, Facts & Stats:Rafaels championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Rafael is only 27, but hes got almost a century of FEI starts under his belt.Dressage They put down a 36.1 in the dressage at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last season, where they finished 9th individually and won team bronze. They put down a PB at 4* in their most recent FEI run a 30.9 in the 4*-S at Marbach, but generally were looking at mid-30s for this pair. ________________________________________________________________________________ Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park Photo by Tilly Berendt.Clarke and Menlo Park (oh, cool, their names rhyme!) have been together since 2021 but have quickly forged a partnership in that relatively short time, finishing in the top-15 in all but two of their thirteen FEI starts and winning a team bronze medal at the World Championships in Pratoni. Form, Facts & Stats:Clarkes championships experience: Rio 2016 (Team); 6th individually Team Pratoni 2022 Lexington 2020 (Team) Clarke was named New Zealand Eventer of the Year in 2013 Horse of the Year Show.Dressage This pair are well capable of a sub-30 score in the first phase, as they proved at the World Championships in Pratoni when they posted a 27.4. This season theyve had two scores in the high-20s and a 30.8. ________________________________________________________________________________ Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street View this post on InstagramA post shared by (@japan_equestrian_federation)Yoshiaki is one of Japans most experienced eventers, having represented his nation at, now, five Olympics and four World Championships, as well as the Asian Games, which hes won twice, in 2018 and 2006. Heres some interesting Olympic eventing trivia: Yoshi was in the lead after the dressage in London.Form, Facts & Stats:Yoshis championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Rio 2016 (Ind.); 20th London 2012 (Team) Beijing 2008 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team); 20th individually Lexington 2010 (Team) Aachen 2006 (Ind.); 18th When hes not going eventing, Yoshi loves listening to music and fishing.Dressage This gelding proved hes a bright spark in the dressage ring with former rider Pippa Funnell, and three out of four sub-30 dressage scores this season with new rider Yoshi have shown that hes very reliable in the first phase. ________________________________________________________________________________ Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes Photo by Tilly Berendt.Evelina brings her Pratoni World Championships horse to Paris with some pretty solid dressage form recently thats sure to have her feeling good about heading up the center line on her Olympic debut. Sub-30s not outside this pairs reach on their day is today one of those days?Form, Facts & Stats:Evelinas championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Team) Evalinas no one-trick pony shes also competed in modern pentathlon and was Italian Junior Champion in 2004 and 2005.Dressage They went sub-30 at the World Championships in Pratoni where they put down a 29.8 in the first phase, and have scored a 29.9 at 4* this season. Theyre incredibly consistent in terms of dressage scores, with their form hovering around the 30-mark.________________________________________________________________________________ Sanne de Jong and Enjoy View this post on InstagramA post shared by Sanne de Jong (@sanne__dejong)Sannes here with her homebred mare, who she started herself and with who shes forged her eventing career. Theyve represented the Netherlands together at Nations Cups, European and World Championships and now Sannes at the Olympics with the horse shes know since she was fifteen. Form, Facts & Stats:Sannes championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Sannes from a sporting family her mom competed in international eventing, her dad designed cross country courses, and her brother has represented the Netherlands in handball.Dressage This combination scored 33.4 in the first phase at the World Championships in Pratoni, and 33.9 at the Europeans last season. Theyve very consistently low-ish-30s (EquiRatings will be sweating at my descriptions), although every now and then theyll throw up an anomaly a high-30s, maybe a hoof in the 40s, or even a sub-30 score. They like to keep us on our toes, clearly.________________________________________________________________________________ Stphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau Photo by Tilly Berendt.Its a dream come true in the most poignant way for this pairing. Stphane rides the gelding in honor of his friend, and former rider, Thas Meheust, who tragically lost her life in a cross country fall. It was Thas dream to compete at her home Olympics, and Stphane is making that a reality as he comes up the center line today with Thas in his heart and the horse she loved as his partner.Form, Facts & Stats: Chaman Dumontceaus name is usually styled with a Ride for Thas prefix.Dressage This gelding can pull some very smart scores out of the bag a 22.8 in the 4*-S Nations Cup leg at Chatsworth last season (which he won). Hello. That was a PB by a fair stretch, but sub-30 is not a place that this guys a stranger to, although he can just have a hoof in the 30s. At last years 4*-L European Championships he put down a 31.8 in the first phase, on his way to sixth place. This season hes had a 28.6 and a 33.3.________________________________________________________________________________ Tine Magnus and Dia van het Lichterveld ZPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Tines making her Olympic debut in Paris, although she has contested a number of Nations Cup events under the Belgian flag. She was national champion in 2022 and, with the mare she rides in Paris, was third with the team in the Nations Cup leg at Boekelo last season, helping to bump Belgium to the top of the overall standings and win the whole dang thing. Form, Facts & Stats: When shes not going eventing, Tine works at her family farm in Belgium.Dressage They scored 32.6 in the first phase on the way to winning the 4*-S in Strzegom this season, and came back out with a 32.5 in the 4*-L at Saumur. In the 4*-S at Luhmhlen, their latest FEI run, they put down a 35.2. And that tends to be the story across their record: mid-30s-ish (I can feel EquiRatings rolling their eyes). ________________________________________________________________________________INDIVIDUAL RIDERS________________________________________________________________________________ Sanna Siltakorpi and Bofey CLIckPhoto by Tilly Berendt.This combination have been together for almost ten years, for sure a boon as they make their Olympic debut together. Sannas represented Finland at World and European Championships, so she at least knows a bit about the championships atmosphere as she heads up the center line in Paris.Form, Facts & Stats:Sannas championships experience: Caen 2014 (Ind.) Lexington 2010 (Ind.) Sannas friend helped to fundraise so that Finland could make it to Paris. Dressage Were looking at low- to mid-30s scores in the first phase at 4*, but the Olympic test is a bit of a step up, with 5* movements in a shortened form. They put down a 32.3 in the 4*-L in Romania last season, where they were runners-up, and a 35.6 in the 4*-S at Strzegom in April.________________________________________________________________________________ Alexander Peternell and Figaro des PremicesPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Alex has represented South Africa at both the Olympics and World Championships, back in 2012 and 2014 respectively, and is in Paris with relative youngster, nine-year-old Figaro de Premices, or Norman as hes known to his friends. Theyll be gaining a whole heap of valuable experience in Paris, with their sights on LA and beyond.Form, Facts & Stats:Alexanders championships experience: London 2012 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Ind.) Alexander trained as a ballet dancer for 12 years and danced professionally for the National School of Arts in South Africa.Dressage This pair are putting down scores in the mid-30s, with a hoof toward the high-30s and a toe in the 40s very occasionally, at this stage in their career together. They scored 34.8 in their most recent run in the 4*-L at Strzegom on their way to fifth place. Theyve also had a 34.9 and a 38.4 this season.________________________________________________________________________________ Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof Photo by Tilly Berendt.Alex was determined to represent China at his home Games back in 2008, which he did. Three Olympics later and hes in Paris with Chocs, or Jilsonne van Bareelhof if you want to be fancy about things. Alex has also represented China at three World Championships and three Asian Games, from which he has podium places at all three levels, most recently winning the individual title in Hangzhou last year.Form, Facts & Stats:Alexs championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Rio 2016 (Ind.); 8th Beijing 2008 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Tryon 2018 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Ind.) Alex was the first person to represent the Peoples Republic of China in an Olympic equestrian event when he contested his home Games in 2008.Dressage In 19 FEI competitions, this combination have posted just three scores in the 30s, thats right, were looking at a solid sub-30 pairing. The put down a 23.8 in their most recent event, the 4*-S at Bramham, which is one heck of a time to pull out your best score at the level. More commonly theyre mid- to high-20s. ________________________________________________________________________________ Manuel Grave and Carat de BremoyManuel is the first Portuguese event rider at the Olympics since his dad rode in Athens in 2004, and, his dads firmly by his sons side in Paris, imparting all his Olympic experience as coach. He comes into the Games off the back of two third place finishes, on long- one short-format, which should have him feeling pretty confident as he makes his Olympic debut.Form, Facts & Stats:Manuels championships experience: Lexington 2010 (Ind.) In real life, Manuel is a manager at an agricultural company.Dressage Really, were looking at high-30s in the first phase for this pair, although they did put down a 4* PB of 34.6 in the spring. ________________________________________________________________________________ Noor Slaoui and Cash In Hand View this post on InstagramA post shared by Noor Slaoui (@noor_slaoui_eventing)Noor is making her Olympic debut in Paris, but shes making history at the same time. Shes the first rider from North Africa to compete in eventing at the Olympics, the first Arab woman to compete in eventing at the Olympics, and the first ever Moroccan international eventer. What a cool, inspirational story, and exactly what the Games are all about.Form, Facts & Stats: Noor has worked with Australian eventing stalwart Bill Levett. Dressage This combinations best dressage score at 4* is a 33, and their highest is 40.6. The 33 came in the 4*-S at Kilguilkey House in Ireland last season, where they finished tenth. Their most recent run was in the 4*-S Nations Cup event in Avenches, where they put down a 39.8 in the first phase.________________________________________________________________________________ Harald Ambros and Vitorio du MontetPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Haralds in Paris for his fourth Olympic Games, bringing forward former Maxime Livio ride Vitorio, who was fifth at Pau in 2021 with the French rider. They may be a new partnership, but theyve got three top-5 finishes on their card, from six FEI runs.Form, Facts & Stats:Haralds championships experience: London 2012 (Ind.) Beijing 2008 (Ind.) Athens 2004 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Lexington 2010 (Ind.) Aachen 2006 (Team); 19th individually Open wide. Harald is a full-time dentist.Dressage So far, this pair have been putting down mostly mid-30s dressage scores. Theres a 39 in the mix, and a 53, but their best score together came in their most recent run, the 4*-L in Baborowko, where they posted a 33.8 and came fourth overall.________________________________________________________________________________ Miroslav Phoda and Ferreolus LatPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Miroslav and Ferreolus Lat have an Olympics, World, and European Championships already in their locker, so theyre well-versed in what all this championship lark is all about. They get 10/10 for consistency across major championships in terms of dressage scores, posting exactly the same at Tokyo and Pratoni.Form, Facts & Stats:Miroslavs championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Miroslav was Czech Republic Senior Eventing Rider of the Year 2016.Dressage It was a 33.8 for this pair at both Tokyo and Pratoni, and that consistency tracks throughout their form; mid-30s. One exception is the European Championships in Avenches in 2021, where they posted a massive PB of 27.9. ________________________________________________________________________________ Nicolas Wettstein and Altier dAurois View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nicolas Wettstein (@wettsteinnico)Paris has always been the goal for this horse, but it doesnt hurt that hes gained valuable experience via Tokyo, as well as a spin at the Pan-Ams in Santiago. Nicolas is in Paris for his third Olympics, and has three World Championships under his belt to boot. Oh yeah, in real life hes not even an eventer hes actually a full time CEO of a Pharmaceutical Distribution Company.Form, Facts & Stats:Nicolas championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Rio 2016 Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Tryon 2018 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Ind.) In 2015, Nicholas was the first rider representing Ecuador to compete at Badminton.Dressage This combination put down a 40.9 in the first phase at Tokyo and a 38 at the Pan-Ams in Santiago. Which is pretty indicative of their general form high-30s, occasionally a hoof in the 40s.________________________________________________________________________________FINAL TEAM ROTATION________________________________________________________________________________ Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH View this post on InstagramA post shared by MichaelJungOfficialNews (@michaeljungofficialnews)Hes been Olympic Champion, World Champion, European Champion, Kentucky Champion, Luhmhlen Champion, Badminton Champion, Burghley Champion need I say more?Form, Facts & Stats:Michaels championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 8th individually Team & Individual - Rio 2016 Team & Individual London 2012 Team Pratoni 2022; 5th individually Team & Individual Caen 2014 Individual Lexington 2010 Michael held the Olympic, World and European titles simultaneously.Dressage Ordinarily, we tend to herald the sub-30 marks when it comes to dressage form, however, for this combination that just wont do. Since they got together in 2019, in 33 FEI competitions, theres nary a score in the 30s on their record not one or any, zero, zilch, none. So I find myself counting sub-20 scores and there are eight eight sub-20 scores! One such score came at the World Championships in 2022, where they put down 18.8 in the first phase. At Kentucky 5* that year, they finished on their dressage score of 20.1 to take the win. They set themselves up nicely for an Olympic gold at Tokyo with a 21.1 in the dressage, but we all know what happened next. I have this pair as my EN team pick for the win this time around. Have I spoken too soon? Only time will tell. ________________________________________________________________________________ Christopher Burton and Shadow ManBurtos back eventing after a hiatus spent in the show jumping ring, and comes forward for Australia with new ride this season, Shadow Man, formally piloted by Britains Ben Hobday. Its a horse Chris has admired for a while, in fact, hed already tried to buy him off Ben a while ago. When the opportunity arose, it was too good for Chris to pass up, and tempted him back to eventing. Theyre here in hot form right off the back of a win in the 4*-S Nations Cup at Millstreet, Ireland, where they finished on their dressage score of 25.7.Form, Facts & Stats:Chris championships experience: Team Rio 2016; 5th individually London 2012 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) Lexington 2010 (Ind.) Chris was given his first pony for his third birthday. Outside of horses, Chris enjoys skiing (on snow and water), golf, and playing the guitar.Dressage Theyve been sub-30 in four of their five runs together, with scores ranging from 25.7 to 30.8 impressive given the fact that theyve only been together a matter of months. Shadow Mans fancy and extravagant on the flat and has been pulling in sub-30 scores for most of his career, with the 25.7 at Millstreet a PB what a time to pull that out of the bag, just before an Olympic Games.________________________________________________________________________________ Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS Photo by Sally Spickard.Jessies no stranger to representing Canada on the world stage, having competed at two previous Olympics, three World Championships and five Pan-Ams, as well as hopping the pond with the delightfully named Wabbit to complete at both Badminton and Burghley. This mare is not so experienced as long-time campaigner Wabbit, but Jessie knows her way round a championships and will have her back.Form, Facts & Stats:Jessies championships experience: Rio 2016 (Team) London 2012 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) 2010 Lexington (Ind.) We all know shes an inspirational eventer, but did you know that Jessie has been the inspiration for a book and a song? The book details Jessies return from serious injury and country singer Elyse Saunders wrote the song Rise based on it.Dressage This mares showing up as a low- to mid-30s kind of gal thus far in her career. She put down a 34.6 in the 4*-S at TerraNova in the spring, on her way to second place. It was 34.6 in the 4*-S at Kentucky also. In her most recent run, the 4*-S at Bromont, she scored 32.5 in the first phase.________________________________________________________________________________ Austin OConnor and Colorado BluePhoto by Sally Spickard.Man of the hour at Maryland 5*, Austin won a million new fans when he and Salty won their first 5* in the fall. Salty is not a horse whos going to win the dressage, but that doesnt matter, because hell darn well turn himself inside out to win the other two phases, and so far that approach to the sport hasnt done him too badly. He was just outside the top-10 at Tokyo and after his successes last season, Austins got to be hoping to go even better this time around.Form, Facts & Stats:Austins championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 13th individually Beijing 2008 (Team) Sydney 2000 (Ind.); 17th Pratoni 2022 (Team); 18th individually Austin and Salty were originally traveling reserves for Tokyo, but stepped up last minute when Cathal Daniels horse wasnt fit to compete.Dressage Ever since he came third at Badminton last year where he posted a very respectable but not top of the table 31.9 in the first phase Salty has been in the form of his life. He won the Maryland 5*, where he added just 1.2 cross country time to his dressage of 33.7, and he comes to Paris off the back of posting a career-best score a 26.4 which he achieved in the 4*-S at Bramham in June, where he finished second. Generally though, were looking low- to mid-30s in the first phase, but Saltys on a mission to prove the saying that eventings not a dressage competition, and so far hes doing a grand ol job.________________________________________________________________________________ Felix Vogg and Dao de lOceanFelix Vogg and Dao de lOceane. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Were so used to seeing Felix with his stalwart 5* campaigner, Colero, but he comes to Tokyo with exciting young talent Dao de lOcean, who has some very impressive form on his card already, and itll be very interesting to watch this pair over the next few days. Form, Facts & Stats:Felixs championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 19th individually Rio 2016 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Team); 14th individually Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) Not a one trick pony, Felix competed in alpine skiing at junior level.Dressage You know how I usually talk about sub-30 scores? Well, with this pair theyre basically all sub-30. They put down a 29.4 in the 4*-L Nations Cup leg at Boekelo last season, where they finished top-10, and a 26 in the 4*-S at Wiesbaden this year, which they won. The Olympic test is a bit of a step up from the 4* theyve been competing at, but this horse sure has all the quality needed for a pretty smart score.________________________________________________________________________________ Boyd Martin and Fedarman BPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Boyds in Paris with Bruno, who he rides in memory of Annie Goodwin. This fan favorite is instantly recognizable for his big white blaze, and truly does seem to be one of the sweetest horses on the circuit. Boyd has got heaps of championships experiences but this is Brunos first time, although hes been well-prepared with European trips to Pau and Luhmhlen last year to contest the 5*s, finishing eighth in each.Form, Facts & Stats:Boyds championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 20th individually Rio 2016 (Team); 16th individually London 2012 (Team) Team Pratoni 2022 Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team); 7th individually Lexington 2010 (Team); 10th individually6 Boyd is currently World No. 6 Boyds well-placed for some dressage schooling, considering hes married to dressage rider, Silva Martin.Dressage This pair can go sub-30 but mostly hang out around the 30-mark. They put down a 31.7 at Pau last year and a 32.4 at Luhmhlen. Most recently they scored 31.7 in the 4*-S at Kentucky, where they finished up fourth.________________________________________________________________________________ Robert Powala and Tosca del CastegnoPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Roberts got his first senior call-up and what a first for it to be. Hes in Paris with a mare hes brought through the international levels himself, which will be a good foundation for them as they take on their biggest challenge yet.Form, Facts & Stats: Robert competed in Italy as a Junior and said he wanted to move there one day and he did.Dressage This pair are proving to be a mid-30s kind of combination, on the whole, although they put down the highest score of their career this season, a 39.6. They came back out at the 4*-S Nations Cup in Strzegom with a more usual 35.7.________________________________________________________________________________ Louise Romeike and Caspian 15 View this post on InstagramA post shared by Louise Romeike (@louiseromeike)This is Caspian 15s first foray onto the big screen but Louise knows just whats what at a championships, having been part of the Swedish team in Tokyo and at the World Championships in Pratoni. Form, Facts & Stats:Louises championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) When Louise started out, she was a part-time eventer and full-time lingerie salesperson. Then she got the chance to work for German eventer Peter Thomsen she was there one weekend before she resigned from her sales job and took up eventing full-time.Dressage This pair are generally low-30s in the first phase, although sometimes their scores creep up a little; they posted a 31.7 in the 4*-S at Marbach this season and a 35.2 in their most recent FEI run, the 4*-S at Luhmhlen.________________________________________________________________________________ Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ros Canter (@ros_canter_eventing)Well, what can we say about Walter? Runner-up at his first 5*, winner of his second, finished on his dressage at the World Championships only to be pipped to the podium because he was too fast on the cross country. Ros heralds this gelding as equally good in all three phases, a triple threat if you will. And based on his form, shes not wrong.Form, Facts & Stats:Ros championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020 (as traveling reserve) Pratoni 2022 (Team); 4th individually Team & Individual Tryon 20181 Ros is currently World No. 1 Ros has always been super sporty and played hockey and tennis at school.Dressage Since getting together with Ros in 2020, its safe to say that Walters not really put a foot wrong in the dressage ring. Theyve had just one score in the 30s in 16 FEI runs it was a 30.6 and came in 2021. He put down a PB of 21.3 at the European Championships last season, which he won, and has finished on his dressage at both a World Championships and a 5*. This guy is one to watch ________________________________________________________________________________ Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Castle Howard Casanova Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.Is there a doctor in the house? Actually, yes, Marcio is, in real life, a trained doctor. But I digress. The Brazilian Olympic team are no strangers to contesting championships together, having won the bronze medal at the Pan-Ams last season, with Marcio and Howard taking the individual silver to boot. Hes in Paris for his third Games, whilst relative new kid on the block, Howard, is making his Olympic debut after his success in Santiago.Form, Facts & Stats:Marcios championships experience: Rio 2016 (Team) London 2012 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Marcio has been named Eventing Rider of the Year three times by the Brazilian Olympic Committee.Dressage This combination went sub-30 at the Pan-Ams last season, where they won individual silver, adding just a smidge of time penalties to their dressage score of 29.8. At 4*, theyre more a mid-30s pairing, but the test in Paris is a shortened 5*. Theyve been very consistent in their two FEI runs this season, with a 34.9 and a 34.4. They finished on their dressage score of 33.1 in the 4*-L at Sopot, Poland, last year on their way to second place. ________________________________________________________________________________ Tim Price and FalcoPhoto by Eventing Nation.Tims now on a hattrick of Olympic appearances and he comes to Paris with the very experienced Falco. Its great to see this gelding back in top form after he didnt make it to Maryland in the fall due to needing emergency colic surgery in the run-up to the event. But alls well and here he is, making his Olympic debut. Theyve already got two World Championships medals under their cinch team and individual bronze, from Pratoni and Timll be aiming to add some Olympic bling to that collection.World Championships Pratoni horse finished on dressage of 26.2Form, Facts & Stats:Tims championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Rio 2016 (Team) Team & Individual Pratoni 2022 Tryon 2018 (Team); 8th individually Caen 2014 (Team)9 Tim is currently World No. 9 In 2022, Tim and his wife Jonelle were the first married couple to be World No.1 and 2.Dressage This pair finished on their dressage of 26.2 at the World Championships in Pratoni, and they added just one second of show jumping time to their career-best dressage score of 22.1 when they won Pau in 2021. They put down a 32.5 in the 4*-S at Luhmhlen in June, the highest dressage score theyve had since June of 2019. In the five years between, they havent had the hint of a hoof in the 30s.________________________________________________________________________________ Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne View this post on InstagramA post shared by / Kazuma Tomoto (@kazu_tomoto)If youre after an exciting combination, look no further. Kazumas in Paris with his Tokyo Olympics horse, the one he almost made the podium with at his home Games. This pair have proven themselves to be super consistent at major championships their finishing score was 31.1 at Pratoni; at Tokyo it was 31.5 (31.9 including the second show jumping round).Form, Facts & Stats:Kazumas championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 4th individually Pratoni 2022 (Team); 8th individually Tryon 2018 (Team) Kazuma represented Japan in show jumping before making the move to eventing, basing himself with none other than William Fox-Pitt a smart stepping stone, for sure.Dressage Mr consistent, Vinci de la Vigne posted a 25.9 in the first phase in Tokyo and a 25.9 at the World Championships in Pratoni. And if you can take your attention away from that interesting fact for a minute, youll notice that hes pulled out two drool-inducing dressage scores at two major championships. This combination is one to watch, not just between the white boards, but across the whole competition ________________________________________________________________________________ Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly Temptress Photo by Eventing Nation.[/caption]This fabulously named mare is just as youd imagine shell be; feisty, extravagant, fearless shes one cool lady, thats for sure. She probably wouldnt be the easiest to manage, and Giovannill have his hands full, but shes brimming with talent and is an exciting one to watch.Form, Facts & Stats:Giovannis championships experience: Caen 2014 (Team) Giovanni has worked with Australian eventing legend Andrew Nicholson.Dressage This pair regularly post sub-30 dressage scores although they did creep over the line at the European Championships last season with a 30.6. Their best score came in the 4*-L at Boekelo in 2022, where they put down a 24.4 in the first phase, before Giovanni had an agonizing fall at the final fence. ________________________________________________________________________________ Raf Kooremans and Radar LovePhoto by Tilly Berendt.This partnership really is brand new, with just six FEI runs this season together. Getting to Paris was very much the motivation behind the pairing, and here they are, at the Olympics. They seem to be getting on well together so far, with a win, a second, and a fifth place under their cinch already.Form, Facts & Stats:Rafs championships experience: Tryon 2018 (Team) Raf switched from representing Belgium to the Netherlands through his Dutch father.Dressage This pair went sub-30 in their first competition together, putting down a 27.3 followed by a 29.4. Admittedly, these scores both came at 3* and the Olympic test is 5*, albeit a shortened version than were used to seeing, although they did score 28.3 in the 4*-S at Bicton in May.________________________________________________________________________________ Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo MenthePhoto by Tilly Berendt.This guy leaped onto everyones radar when he won the Nations Cup event at Boekelo last season after finishing on his dressage of 25.4 (Diabolo Menthe, not Nicolas, we already knew about him). In his last ten FEI competitions he hasnt been outside the top-5.Form, Facts & Stats:Nicolas championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020; 6th individually London 2012 (Team); 17th individually Beijing 2008 (Ind.) Team Athens 2004 (Ind.) 8th Sydney 2000 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Aachen 2006 (Team) Nicolas had a French sports center in Saint-Clement-de-la-Place named after him in 2007.Dressage In 15 FEI competitions this horse has had a dressage score in the 30s on just three occasions yes you read that right and each one of those was variations on 31. Mid-20s is where hes been at recently, with a 25.3 and a 26.7 at his two FEI runs this year. Hes as yet untested at 5*, which is where the Olympic dressage test lands, but theres no doubting this geldings talent on the flat (and, if youre wondering, hes just as good in the other two phases too).________________________________________________________________________________ Lara de Liederkerke-Meier and OrigiPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Laras coming in hot off delivering Belgiums first ever 5* win at Luhmhlen This pair have been in great form this season, with two fourth places and a fifth, after finishing up last season with a fourth and fifth place too. Origi is just a 10-year-old, and, although not the youngest horse in the field, is at the less-experienced end of the scale. He was top-10 at the Young Horse Championships in 2021 and has made the climb to 4* since then, finishing up at the Olympics with those five top-5 placings under his cinch. Form, Facts & Stats:Laras championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon 2018 Caen 2014; 18th Individually Lexington 20104 Lara is currently World No. 4 Laras parents were both eventers, so she got a double whammy of eventing genes Dressage This combination had their best score at 4* when they went sub-30 at Wiesbaden with a 29.9, on their way to 4th place. Generally theyre in the low-30s; they scored 32.7 in the 4*-S at Luhmhlen in their most recent FEI run. ________________________________________________________________________________

My OTTB recently recovered from a bowed tendon injury. What can I do to help him continue to stay sound?The post Keeping Horses Sound Post-Tendon Injury appeared first on The Horse.

In partnership withEquisafetyWhether youre tired of your regular routes, have moved to a new yard or are off on a horsey holiday, there will always come a time when youre looking for new hacking routes. We share a few ways you can plot new rides to enjoy with your horse.1. Ordnance Survey mapsThe best place to start is with Ordnance Survey maps (OS maps). These show routes as per the Definitive Map a legal record of public rights of way in England and Wales. You can purchase hard copies, view it online or download the OS Maps app.Many of the Hack 1,000 Miles riders utilise OS maps to plot their routes.I look on OS maps for a loop that will work. Some have been fantastic, but others have been met by blocked routes, fences or locked gates, shares endurance enthusiast Mike Mills. I will also use Google Maps to see what the lay of the land is like and where good parking is nearby.Keen rider and walker Danielle Rowles also utilises OS maps to plan her routes.For all my hacking and hiking I use my trusty OS Maps app to map routes and follow them, shares Danielle. Ive never been lost as it works through GPS rather than WiFi, although I do download the routes to use offline. I always take a power bank with me to ensure I dont run out of power, too. And Ill sometimes use a hard copy of OS maps when I need to see the bigger picture.2. Try a dedicated appIf youre looking to plot your own route but find OS maps tricky to navigate, why not try a dedicated app for equestrians? The Bridlewayz app features an interactive map where you can select and de-select bridleways, footpaths and restricted byways. You can plot your routes and share them with friends or other app users, as well as rate routes, upload pictures and comment on your experience.As well as hacking routes, companies and yards can add themselves to the map to offer services.3. Taking time to exploreIf you have the day ahead of you and an adventurous spirit, you might want to forgo the planning and see where you end up.My favourite thing is to follow random paths and find out where they go, says Amanda Barker, who often goes exploring with her friend Judy Clark. I get lost and try to memorise landmarks to find my way back.Which often leads to longer rides than planned! adds Judy.If youre not quite ready to take the plunge, you can always do a recce first. This is particularly useful if your horse is spooky, or if you know they struggle with certain things, such as opening gates or riding alongside other livestock such as cows or pigs.4. Hire a guideIf you want to take the stress out of finding new routes, or perhaps youre off on holiday and dont fancy the hassle of navigating in unfamiliar territory, you could always look up a guide.I have my own business where I help people find new places to hack, says Ellen Foster, who runs Peak District Horse Rides. I do the hard work of getting lost, checking parking arrangements and trying out gates so my clients can enjoy the ride. Many plot the route using an app when they ride with me, so they can come back and enjoy it themselves another time.What can riders access?Before you head off, its important that you know what you have a legal right to access so you dont trespass. In England, there are 188,700km of public rights of way. This consists of:146,600km of footpaths32,400km of bridleways3,700km of byways6,000km of restricted bywaysHorse riders have access to bridleways, byways and restricted byways, but this means that we have access to just 22% of all public rights of way. In comparison, carriage drivers have just 5%, as they are limited to byways and restricted byways.Riders and carriage drivers can also access all roads, aside from motorways.This content is brought to you in partnership withEquisafety, high viz clothing for horses and riders.Further readingTeach your horse to be confident in water and puddles out hackingWhy hacking is so good for fitness plus how to track improvementsHow much trotting on the road is safe? Dr David Marlin explores best practiceThe post Bored of round the block? Four ways to find new hacking routes appeared first on Your Horse.

Olympic dressage has long been dominated by Germany and the team arrives in Paris as reigning team and individual champions. The nation has a whopping 14 Olympic team golds and eight individual titles to its name more than any other country.Germanys defending individual champion is Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who set a new Olympic record score of 84.666 in the Grand Prix Special in Tokyo riding TSF Dalera BB.Compatriot Isabell Werth is the most medalled athlete in the history of equestrian sport. The 55-year-old rider has 12 Olympic medals to her name, including six team gold, one individual gold and five individual silver.Her first team gold and individual silver came at the Barcelona Games in 1992, while the last were won in Tokyo.Isabell brings 10-year-old Wendy to Paris, the mare she only started riding six months ago and who posted a hat-trick of victories in the Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle in the CDIO 5* at Aachen just a few weeks ago.They scored 89.95 in the Freestyle there and will no doubt be looking to repeat that at the Olympics.Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD complete Germanys trio, making the defending champions a formidable team.The British teamLottie FryLottie Fry and Everdale at the 2021 Europeans. Credit: FEI/Liz GreggTeam GB includes the reigning individual world champions: Lottie Fry and her black stallion Glamourdale.They collected double gold in 2022 before going on to take team gold and Freestyle silver at last years Europeans.The pair have been noticeably absent from the competition arena for much of this year.However, they did pull off a double of wins at the CDI 3* at Aachen in May, followed by two more wins in the 4* at the same venue two weeks ago.Becky MoodyYorkshires Becky Moody brings her 10-year-old home-bred gelding Jagerbomb to Paris.Becky Moody will ride her homebred Jagerbomb. Credit: British Equestrian/Jon Stroud MediaNIKON Z 9 f/4 1/800s 150mm ISO160They were British reserves at the 2023 European Championship and finished third in both the Grand Prix and Freestyle at the World Cup leg in London last December.A runner-up spot in the CDIO5*-NC Special in Compigne came in May, followed by third place in the Special at the CDIO5*-NC in Rotterdam.Becky regularly travels to train with her teammate Carl Hester, who lives more than four hours away in Gloucestershire.Carl HesterCarl will be riding at his seventh Olympic Games. At the age of 57, he will be the oldest British athlete competing in Paris.Carls name is synonymous with dressage. He is one of the worlds greatest trainers and advocates for dressage as a global sport.Carl Hester and Nip Tuck in action at Rio. Credit: FEIHe was a part of Britains historic first Olympic dressage team gold on home soil in London in 2012, before riding to team silver at the Rio 2016 Games and then collecting bronze in Tokyo.The USATeam USA won silver in Tokyo and two members of that side will be competing in Paris.Steffen Peters, a veteran of five Olympic Games, brings his Tokyo ride Suppenkasper, the 16-year-old horse who finished fifth in the Grand Prix and fourth in the Freestyle at last years World Cup Final.More recently, they finished third in the CDI4* Freestyle in Aachen.Adrienne Lyle will be competing at her third Games and brings the 12-year-old gelding Helix. The duo scored numerous victories in Florida this year before coming to Europe and posting two fifth placings at the Hagen CDI3* and two runner-up placings at the CDI4* Kronberg in June.Marcus Orlob completes the trio on 10-year-old mare Jane, whom he started riding earlier this year.They competed in their first international competition in March and come to the Games with some good results in Europe under their belt.Olympic dressage: fast factsThe youngest rider is 24-year-old Camille Carier Bergeron, who represents Canada aboard Finnlanderin.The oldest rider is 65-year-old Juan Antonio Jiminez Cobo from Spain, who partners Euclides Mor.There are 60 athletes competing and 35 (56.65%) are female while 25 (43.35%) are male.Carl Hester and Isabell Werth are competing at their seventh Olympics. Both became first time Olympians in Barcelona in 1992.Since the team event was introduced in Amsterdam in 1928, only four countries France, Sweden, what was then the Soviet Union and Great Britain have won team gold.The reigning world champions and European bronze medallists from Denmark are amongst the 15 countries vying for a place on the Olympic team podium.30 countries are represented15 teams will compete15 countries are represented by individual competitors60 horse and riders will compete altogetherOlympic dressage: the formatDressage is about training the horse to a high level and highlighting its athleticism and the beauty of its movement. At its best, horse and rider are in complete harmony and are often described as appearing to dance.Grand PrixThe FEI Grand Prix dressage test will be ridden onTuesday, 30 July, and Wednesday 31 July. These are the individual and team qualifiers and there will be 30 starters on each day.The qualification ranking for the team competition will be decided by the combined results of all three team members in the Grand Prix.Riders compete in six groups, with three groups competing on each day. The composition of the groups is based on the FEI World Ranking list position of the horse on the date of definite entries.Grand Prix SpecialThe FEI Grand Prix Special dressage test will be ridden onSaturday, 3 August. This is the team final.The top 10 teams (30 starters) in the Grand Prix (including any team tied for 10th place) will qualify for the Special, which is the team medal decider.Grand Prix FreestyleThe FEI Grand Prix Freestyle test will be ridden onSunday, 4 August. This is the final for the individual placings and there will be 18 starters.The Grand Prix is also the individual qualifier and the top 18 will go through to the Freestyle. The qualified riders will be the top two combinations from each of the six groups and the combinations with the six next highest scores.Meet the Officials Ground Jury President: Frances Raphael SalehGround Jury Members: Henning Lehrmann (Germany), Isobel Wessels (Great Britain), Mariette Sanders (Netherlands), Magnus Ringmark (Sweden), Michael Osinski (USA) and Susanne Baarup (Denmark)Judges Supervisory Panel Members: Britains Andrew Gardner, Australian Mary Seefried andHenk van Bergen from the Netherlands.Countries fielding teams are:AustraliaAustriaBelgiumCanadaDenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyGreat BritainNetherlandsPolandPortugalSpainSwedenUSACountries fielding individuals are:BrazilDominican RepublicEcuadorIndiaIrelandKoreaLithuaniaLuxembourgMoroccoMoldovaNew ZealandNorwaySingaporeSwitzerlandVenezuelaView our Olympic timetable and find out how to watchMain image: the gold medal-winning German team on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics. (L-R) Dorothee Schneider, Isabell Werth and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl . Image by FEI/Shannon BrinkmanRelated contentBecky Moody promoted to Team GB dressage trio and Andrew Gould confirmed as alternate for Paris GamesA great balance of experience and potential: Para equestrian squad named for Paris 2024Carl Hester and Andrew Hoy share Olympic memories and secrets to longevity ahead of Paris 2024FEI announces provisional suspension for Charlotte DujardinIm deeply ashamed: Charlotte Dujardin withdraws from Paris OlympicsThe post Olympic dressage: British chances, Germanys domination and the format explained appeared first on Your Horse.

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.We certainly had a fair idea of who wed see clustering at the top of the board today as we kicked off a marathon of 64 dressage tests in Paris, and its unsurprising to see British stalwart Tom McEwen out in the front at the lunch break. The Tokyo individual silver and team gold medalist piloted JL Dublin(Diarado Zarinna, by Canto), who is owned byJames & Jo Lambert & Dierdre Johnston, to a 25.8 as the first rider out for the Brits, not quite slipping down to the 23 or 24 we know this pair is capable of but delivering enough to sit ahead of six-time Olympian Karin Donckers andLiepheimer Vant Verahof (26.6).Dubs was awesome. He loves an atmosphere and I must say, he really lit up in the trot a little bit more than I was expecting, and then was actually super relaxed in the walk, which then caught me out from the first change, Tom said of JL Dublin. We did see spectators filing in this morning, rain gear at the ready as weve been met with some very, err, British weather, if I might say, but the early rotations of riders didnt have large crowds to content with. It nearly doesnt matter though, as the towering stands that have been constructed here certainly create a buzz unlike anywhere except perhaps Kentucky or Aachen in terms of atmosphere. I was expecting, when I picked up the canter to have a little bit more electricity underneath me Dubs always is very relaxed and very happy. So sadly missed that first change, but then after that, we picked it right back up where we left off, but hopefully putting Great Britain in a great, strong starting position, which is our main goal. Now my aim is to support the girls and finish on that score.Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.As weve written about before, the Olympic test is incredibly unique. While technically a 5* test, the run time is set at just 3 minutes, 50 seconds, and the movements begin in earnest just as soon as a rider turns off of centerline. Indeed, a horse that has a competitive walk is somewhat at a disadvantage (unless, of course, youre blessed with a horse whos equally gifted in all gaits) as there are just two movements at the walk, and on short diagonals to boot. This opens to door to see some points slip away, and in such an abbreviated test every movement counts more than ever.It was more just concentrating, Tom concurred. This test is so different to our normal ones if we take a five-star test, this just comes so much quicker, and its intense. Dubs got a fantastic walk, but youve got the split second to show it off before its gone. With the mistake in the change, having a horse that was full of energy and pumped underneath me to actually being very relaxed, it can change very, very quickly. I think the girls told me that a few horses have been spooking at the cameras, so actually, for me, it was actually me concentrating.Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Were also in a unique position here in that we will know the full standings of the first phase today, versus other major events where we typically have dressage split over two days. So while Toms score is undoubtedly competitive, the door is still quite open for a low-20s to come in and steal the lead and there are more than a few horses yet to come who could do the task.Belgian rider Karin Donckers is not short on championship experience: with six (now seven, this weekend counting) Olympics and seven World Championships to her impressive resume, shes the most experienced rider in the field in terms of these high-pressure atmospheres. And the pressure, if she felt any, didnt affect her nor the Belgian Warmblood stallion Leipheimer vant Verahof(Vigo d Arsouilles STX Southern Queen xx, by South Gale xx).As the pathfinder for the team-to-watch Belgians, Karin laid down a 26.6, which is something of a best for this pair who typically hover closer to the 30 mark.Karin Donckers and Leipheimer Vant Verahof. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Weve of course got a large French contingent crowd here today, and Karin was tasked with riding after home team rider Karim Laghouag.Im happy that we did it so far, because of course we have two more days to go! Karin said. I can even say that I have experience with riding Olympics that helps! You get a bit more mature, you get a bit older, you know whats what they expect from you, and you know how the crowd is going to be of course when you ride behind the French one!Leipheimer vant Verahof, whos actually a full sibling to Karins former Olympic and World Championship horse Fletcha vant Verahof, is the sole stallion in this years eventing field.Team Belgium celebrates a stellar test from pathfinder Karin Donckers. Photo by Tilly Berendt.You have to respect the stallions the way they are thats what I have learned from them, she said. Its not the first time that Ive ridden a stallion. I never had the choice to choose what I got to ride; I grew up on a farm where I started already as a kid So Ive learned throughout my life to get the best out of the horse that you have and what you get You have to respect them more and really accept how they are. If you have a good trust relation with them, then you have to believe that they will fight for you. I find it a bit different than the mares or the geldings the geldings are a bit more easy going, the mares are a bit more of the fighters. The stallions are a bit different. My stallion was sleeping yesterday in his stall!Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21. Photo by Tilly Berendt.As the first to go today (and a late addition to the German team just earlier this week) was defending individual gold medalist Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21(Numero Uno Orchidee V, by Lorentin), who held on to an early lead for several rides with a score of 26.9. Shes currently in third at the lunch break now.Nickel 21 is a horse that really wasnt intended for these Games earlier in his career; he was ridden by a young rider previously and then Julia took over and used him for Arena Eventing but didnt initially have major plans for him. Nearly as if hes got a bit of a chip on his shoulder now, hes really flourished in the lead-up to these games, most notably winning the CCIO4*-S at Aachen earlier in July.Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Julia has remained pragmatic about the Olympics this year. To be honest, I didnt have the Olympics marked in my calendar as Im probably going it was more like, Okay, thats the Olympics, dont book an expensive holiday there, just in case. Im going next week now; didnt want to jinx it! she said. And then Nickel, I really planned the season for the horse, and turned out that he just now felt ready, and proved in Aachen that hes really able to play with the big boys.Hes very genuine, and very, very honest, she continued about the 10-year-old Holsteiner owned by Sophia Rssel. I think he never did anything wrong, never had a run out or anything because he really tries to figure out what I tell him to do. Its a mix of either hes a little bit excited or hes pretty chill and laid back, but hes really just a very, very genuine, honest horse, and that makes me confident for tomorrow.Liz Halliday and Nutcracker. Photo by Tilly Berendt.We have two U.S. riders currently inside the top 10 at the lunch break, and last-minute call-up Liz Halliday has certainly made good on her Olympic debut thus far as the top-placed, currently in fourth with Nutcracker(Tolan R Ballyshan Cleopatra, by Cobra), who is owned by the Nutcracker Syndicate. Caroline Pamukcu and Sherrie Martin and Mollie HoffsHSH Blake (Tolan R Doughiska Lass, by Kannan) were the first to see this morning and scored a 30.4 to currently sit ninth.By now, most of you will know that Liz has had quitethe last 48 hours. After the late withdrawal of Will Coleman and Diabolo due to a suspected abscess, Liz was slotted up to the team slot after initially being named Traveling Reserve.For Liz, its a lot of mixed emotions; on one hand, shes ready and eager to finally have her Olympic shot (she was selected for the Tokyo team and had to withdraw Deniro Z before the Games), but on the other, heavier hand, shes gutted for Will.Liz Halliday and Nutcracker. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Its a really odd place to be in emotionally, because the first thing I felt was devastation for Will, because Ive been there, she said. Before Tokyo. I was in the spot, and I didnt get to go and so youre overwhelmed with the fact that you move into the spot and also overwhelmed with sadness for your teammate, who equally earned his spot here. And then its time to sort of get to business, and it goes from shock to, Oh my gosh, to Okay, now Im going to just be a competitor again.'A competitor she certainly is, piloting Nutcracker, who debuted in 8th place at his first 5* at Kentucky this spring, to a 28.0, besting his only other 5* score of 30.6. Liz commented that shes used cavaletti and poles a lot in her preparation for this test to encourage straightness and relaxation over the horses back, and she felt that work paid off today.He was spectacular, she said. I think hes actually really taken a big leap forward in just the last two weeks in some of his work; Ive sort of changed around some things, just tried to make him more relaxed and just really let it flow, and I think thats helped. He still needs a little bit of work on the changes, of course, but they are breathing and this is a difficult test for a 10-year-old horse. Im thrilled with him.Liz Halliday and Nutcracker. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Recently, Ive just been practicing the movements, especially in the canter work, so he wasnt surprised, Liz continued. I think I wanted him thinking, Oh yes, Im gonna half-pass, change, half pass again; just getting him really comfortable with how things went. I have practiced a lot with poles on the ground to keep him straight, because when hes nervous, he jumps sideways a little I think those are helping the changes just trying to do whatever I can to help him learn to do [the changes] in a relaxed, happy way Its improving and Im pleased that hes getting the clean change every time, but that would be a little bit where he gets slightly nervous and is feeling the atmosphere a little bit. Its a work in progress it will be there.Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Fifth in the early going and representing Switzerland are Robin Godel and his longtime partner,Jean-Jacques FnfschillingsGrandeur de Lully CH(Greco de Lully CH Miola, by Apartos)who earned a 29.1 today from the judging panel. This is a partnership thats quite experienced and well-established; theyve done two World Championships together and four Europeans, including one when Robin was a junior rider.Hes now 16, so we have a lot of experience together, Robin said.We did a lot of championships from the Young Riders [to now], so we know each other very well. Hes not the fastest one, but hes good in the dressage, good on the jumps in the cross country, and then if we can stay clear in the show jumping, we can get a good result. He was one of my choices for Paris I always hoped to have other horses to be ready for that level, but we have prepared him a long time, and we dont do too much with him to keep him motivated. He knows his job well by now.Robin had set a goal to earn a sub-30 today, and he has done so before at a championship with this horse, but he was nonetheless pleased with his efforts today. He can be a bit spooky and looking around we saw that before the center line because he was looking, but then inside [the ring], he was more with me, he elaborated. Still a bit tense, but very happy with how he was today. My goal was to be under 30; we can always do better, but Im still very happy with it.Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. Photo by Tilly Berendt.You can view the rest of the lunch break top 10 below or in the live scores here. At this juncture, Germany is currently in the top spot, but its quite wide open at this phase with still half the field yet to see today. We did also see one Elimination today for the Italians. Emiliano Portale and Future initiallydelivereda lovely, expressive and competitive test, but were later eliminated for blood in the horses mouth. When Emiliano came through the mixed zone, he said he felt the horse bit his lip but at that juncture he did not think he had been eliminated.Emilano Portale and Future. Photo by Tilly Berendt.The FEI released the following statement regarding the elimination: The horse, Future, ridden by athlete No. 13, Emiliano Portale (ITA) was eliminated during the Eventing Dressage test after blood was found in the horses mouth during the post-competition check on July 27. Elimination under this Rule does not imply that there was intention to hurt or harm the horse, but the FEI discipline rules have been put in place to ensure that horse welfare is protected at all times.I hate to refer to a 2,000-word report as a quick lunch update, but weve only got a short turnaround before the afternoon sessions, so stay tuned for much more coming later on this evening, Paris time. In the meantime, you can always keep up with the action and the need-to-know on each pair in our Form Guide as well as Cheg Darlingtons incredibly Companion Guide here.#Paris2024:[Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers][How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [ENs Coverage]

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