View this post on InstagramA post shared by Boyd Martin (@boydmartineventing)Out of all the photos Ive seen from cross country day at the Paris Olympics and Ive seen some incredible shots, both from our own Tilly Berendt and other talented photographers I think this one hits the hardest. Thats the late Annie Goodwins father looking on as her horse, Bruno, runs around the cross country at the Olympics with Boyd Martin in the stirrups. If that doesnt leave a lump in your thoat, then Im not sure you have a soul. And Im sure that the connections of Stphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau felt much the same way yesterday. Both Boyd and Stphane paid incredible tributes to their horses former riders by delivering beautiful clear rounds on the world stage.Looking ahead now, were in for one heck of the show jumping finale. Dont forget were going to see two rounds of jumping today! In case you need a refresher on how the eventing show jumping works in the Olympics, here you go. U.S. Weekend ResultsMillbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Results]Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Results]UK International EventsBurgham International (Northumberland) [Website] [Results]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]Your Monday Reading List:In case youre new here and not familiar with Boyd and Bruno, USA Today published a really nice article on their bittersweet partnership subsequent to the death of Annie Goodwin in 2021. Grab a box of tissues. The most serious injury on cross country yesterday, to my knowledge, was sustained by Don Quidam, the mount of Australias Kevin McNab. Kevin jumped off the horse as he felt a lame step towards the end the of course. Don Quidam is expected to make a full recovery.The crowds were INSANE! Check out just a couple of neat snapshots to get a feel for the number of spectators that were out and about and cheering on their favorite pairs.After watching show jumping today you might be a little inspired. At least thats how I often feel after watching a big event! If youve got the urge to saddle up and pretend youre riding in the ring at Versailles, considering implementing a few lessons that Olympian Laura Kraut shared with a group of lucky young riders at the recent USEF Horsemastership Training Session.Morning Viewing: Take a look inside the Great Stables at Versailles (not where the competition horses are being housed) and hear from Canadian eventing team manager Emily Gilbert about the logistics it takes to get to the Games.

More golden tickets have been won for the SEIB Search for a Star finals at Your Horse Live, as well as partnerships gaining coveted qualification to the Horse of the Year Show championships later this year. On 7 July qualifiers for theSEIB Search for a Star and SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse 2024 took place at Greenlands Equestrian Centre in Carlisle, Cumbria.The team of judges, Richard Ramsay, Nicki Taylor, Helen Dunwell and Hannah Horton were joined by Michaela Bowling and ex-racehorse trainer, Jonathan Geake.C Helm PhotographyNIKON D500 f/3.2 1/1600s 70mm ISO110The first winner of the day, Anna Higgins and her bay gelding, Millmount Maestro made the trip over from the Isle of Man. The pair won the Working Horse class and then went on to take top spot in the Show Hunter class as well.Hes a great traveller, it takes about four hours on the ferry to get to the mainland, said Anna. He just sleeps and eats his haynet as he goes. Im so excited that now our next trip over will be for HOYS. On the Isle of Man our horses need to be good all-rounders as there arent too many specialist shows.We both really enjoy showing and jumping. We travelled over competed at Aintree yesterday and here today, hes qualified for the London Horse Show too in the Working Hunters so its proving to be an exciting season.As Search for a Star competitors are only able to compete in one of the HOYS championship classes, Anna made the decision that she and Millmount Maestro will go forward to the Working Horse Championship.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/400s 73mm ISO6400Winning the Working Pony class was Ruby with Hannah Johnstones, Double Trouble.Its going to take a while to sink in, Hannah said. It was a great class and we are delighted with how the showing is going. After a trial in the Autumn, we got Double Trouble at Christmas last year for Ruby to concentrate on some showing. Before this year, Ruby had done grassroots showing at our local showing club. They have now qualified for the Royal International in the Pretty Polly Show Pony class and now HOYS in Search for a Star.C Helm PhotographyNIKON D500 f/3.2 1/1600s 112mm ISO100In the Riding Horse Hack class at Greenlands, Lexi McSherry riding Sylvia McSherrys chestnut, Lindeth Quote, took first place.Ive always enjoyed showing my mum and granny introduced me to it, said Lexi. We got Boris, as hes known, when he was five. Hed just been in the field and its taken lots of time, we started off in-hand and recently have been to Somerford camp and we are now getting on great.C Helm PhotographyNIKON D500 f/3.2 1/1600s 70mm ISO100In the Show and Maxi Cob class, grey gelding, Darrowby Ajax took first place with his owner and rider, Carla Hainsworth. Darrowby Ajax is known as Murphy at home.Its been such a journey and this is just our first Search for a Star qualifier, said Carla. I sent him off to be backed by a professional and they sent him back saying he is going to be difficult. Its taken a long time to get there, but he is a real people person and loves it now.We decided to try Search for a Star, but as its our first season showing thought we wouldnt get there this year. I had a show cob 13 years ago and after he was sadly put down I then decided to get a young cob to bring on and hes turned out to be the best ever.C Helm PhotographyNIKON D500 f/3.2 1/2000s 70mm ISO100Morean Hamiltons Rich Man Poor Man won a competitive SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse qualifier with Kirstine Douglas. Rich Man Poor Man was formerly in training with Philip Kirby.Hes still maturing and gets better every year, said Kirstine. Hes won the Great Yorkshire twice, was overall Supreme Hunter at the Royal Highland Show and has also been the Scottish Tattersalls Champion twice. This year so far he was Champion Hunter at the North East Counties Show and Champion Racehorse at the Dumfries and Galloway Show.All the racehorses are so different, they like and cope with different things and each one has to be treated like an individual.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/400s 70mm ISO6400In the Traditional Cob HOYS Search for a Star qualifier at Greenlands, Charlotte Harker riding Caroline Harkers, Charlies Brown Boy took first place.My mum bought him to be her hack, said Charlotte. Shes owned him for four years and its taken plenty of time for him to get going. Weve only started showing this year and this was our fifth show. We will go to TOYS and then have a chilled time for the rest of the summer.Ive competed in eventing and dressage before and we decided it would be good fun to have a go at something else. I lost my old horse and wanted a dun, when I found out his name was Charlie the same as my old horse, I knew he was the one.Your Horse Live qualifying classesC Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/640s 70mm ISO6400A dun Highland Pony won the Your Horse Live qualifying Search for a Star class at Greenlands, he was Orkneyinga Norseman owned and ridden by Amanda Barton. Orkneyinga Norseman is known as Norrie at home.We thought wed give Search for a Star a go as weve done a bit of showing alongside some dressage hes qualified for the BD Area Festival, said Amanda. Ive owned Norrie for a year and have had Highlands for a while. He came from Scotland and we also do plenty of hacking.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/640s 70mm ISO6400The SEIB Search for a Star Open Ridden Veteran class was won by former Search for a Star Show Hunter Finalist, Silver Dream Spirit and ridden by Alanah Finlay. Silver Dream Spirit is known at home as Sylvester and is owned by John Wilson. He took 6th place at HOYS in the Search for a Star finals back in 2017, he is now 18-years-old. The pair also took the In-Hand Veteran class.Sylvester was great today, Im thrilled to be riding him, said Alanah. He does in-hand classes, ridden ones, and loves going on common rides.The SEIB Search for a Star Pony Club qualifying classes included a trial for a new training angle for the Pony Club classes. Show producer and Search for a Star judge Hannah Horton took time to offer each Pony Club rider the opportunity to have a run through of their individual show followed by feedback and tips. After this, each combination completed their show again with Hannah judging to decide the final placings.Ali Oliver, the parent of the First Ridden winner said: The training made the day for us, Hannahs tips were amazing, she is a great ambassador for the series. My daughter was so chuffed to receive praise from the judge, it really encouraged her.Hannah said she really enjoyed helping the children.We have several ponies that I produce from my yard and I am delighted to be a part of this new training side to Search for a Star, its wonderful to see the children doing so well, she said.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/400s 70mm ISO1250In the Lead Rein class at Greenlands, six-year-old Dottie Tucker and her pony Thistledown Pop Idol, known as Ollie took first place.I really enjoyed the experience today and Im in Cumberland Farmers North Pony Club, said Dottie.The First Ridden class went to eight-year-old, Lucy Oliver and Telaid Peter Pan, owned by Ali Oliver. They are members of the Morpeth Hunt Pony Club.We have done a little bit of showing before, he is the perfect pony for the first year off the lead rein and Lucy also enjoys hunting and cross country with him, added Ali.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/500s 104mm ISO4000Emilia Stone of the East Cheshire Pony Club and Brynseion Montague took top place in the Open Pony Club class. Monty as this chestnut Welsh section B pony is called has been owned by Emilias mother Sarah Stone for two years.The Search for a Star In-Hand Plaited Horse and Hogged Show Cob went to Tracy Breeden and her grey Irish Draught mare, Rosehill Noirin, known as Willow.My daughter Josie and I share Willow, she is only just seven, but as good as gold, said Tracy. We do local shows and she has won a few Irish Draught classes. Josie does working hunter, showjumping and hacking with her. A few friends said we should give Search for a Star a go and the qualifier was local so here we are. Josie did the ShowHunter class this morning on her and the judge gave her some lovely feedback.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/1000s 70mm ISO6400In the In-Hand Plaited Pony Class, grandfather, Geoff Storey took the win with his riding pony, Barkway Sansara. This nine-year-old bay mare has been competing in lead rein classes with Geoffs granddaughter.When my first grandchild was born, I bought two pony foals, he said. Ive always been keen on showing. However, my granddaughter has become a bit less keen and so Im doing some in-hand classes now. Weve already qualified for STARS in-hand and Im now looking forward to these finals.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/640s 81mm ISO6400Megan Wright and her own Traditional Cob gelding, Jock Ellis won the In-Hand Native and Traditional class at Greenlands.Weve been showing for two-years now, said Megan. I fell in love with him when we got him as a two-year-old, Jock Ellis has so much character about him. We drive and go showing in-hand weve also qualified for STARS.C Helm PhotographyCanon EOS R7 f/4.5 1/500s 70mm ISO4000The In-Hand Mountain and Moorland class went to Saffron Loasby and her Welsh Section D mare, Coldwell Victora.This is our third attempt at Search for a Star, Im delighted weve qualified, said Saffron. We came second at the last qualifier at Vale View, so Im very pleased we came back again. She can be a bit quirky and is lightly backed and doing some hacking so this series is perfect for us now.C Helm PhotographyNIKON D500 f/3.2 1/2000s 70mm ISO100The British Riding Clubs (BRC) Search for a Star class also took place at Greenlands. This class is open to members of BRC Affiliated Riding Clubs that are also amateur showing riders. The class was won by Hayley Fell and her own Appaloosa mare, Hendrefawr Razamatazz.Hayley and India, as the mare is known, are members of the Cumbria Riding Club.I really liked the look of Search for a Star as there arent very many showing opportunities for Appaloosas, said Hayley. India also loves jumping and mountain rides. Ive owned 14-year-old India for two years. Her old owner Jade Oxley came to support us at Greenlands on the day.Jade owned India for 10 years before me, between us she has her own support club. We have become friends through India. I have wanted to do Search for a Star for ages and then when we saw there was a Riding Clubs class this year and a qualifier relatively nearby we had to come and give it a go.SEIB Search for a Star organiser, Nicolina MacKenzie said: We havent been to Greenlands for a few years now and what a truly wonderful day we had in Cumbria. The unique spirit of SEIB Search for a Star and SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse was in full flow.Thank you to all our fabulous competitors who joined in, supported and celebrated the winners and each other. The working in was orderly and polite and our team and those at Greenlands pulled together. Thanks to Jonathan Geake for stepping in to help judge and we wish Jerome Harforth a speedy recovery.Lead image by C Helm PhotographyFurther readingPerfect your showing performance with nine tips from expert judgesStep-by-step guide to plaiting a horses mane *VIDEO*Tried and tested: 9 shampoos that will leave your horses coat soft and gleamingThe post More combinations heading to Your Horse Live finals following competitive Search for a Star qualifiers appeared first on Your Horse.

Meghan ODonoghue and Palm Crescent. Photo by Amber Heintzberger.Going intoSundays (July 28) show jumping phase at the Millbrook Horse Trials, Meghan ODonoghue and her 18-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Palm Crescent could afford to have one rail down and still claim first place in the Advanced division. They left all the rails up and cantered across the finish line in the time allowed to clinch the win.Allison Springer and No May Moon, second after cross country, very nearly jumped clear, but a rail down at the final fence had them finish third overall. This made room for Ariel Grald and Isla de Coco, a ten-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Annie Eldridge, to move up to second, with Springer finishing 3rdoverall. Phillip Dutton and Possante, leaders after dressage and 3rdafter cross country, had four rails down and dropped to 18thplace overall.Ema Klugman, who rode four horses in the Advanced division this weekend, finished fourth with the syndicated mare Bronte Beach Z who was tied for 16thafter dressage 6thafter cross country, then climbed a couple more places in the rankings with a double clear.One of five siblings, with three older brothers and a younger sister, ODonoghue gave a shout out to her oldest brother James, who celebrated his birthday on show jumping day. This ones for you, she said.ODonoghue said that her horse came out feeling good after the previous dayscross country effort. Hes a one hundred and ten percent trier, so I never have to worry about that, and I find theres something unique about this arena; it has a little bit of natural atmosphere, its up on the hill, they have all the tents set up. Hes an experienced campaigner and pretty reliable about taking all of that in, but if anything I think it helps him a little bit, especially on the last day. Hes not the most naturally scopey jumper but he does everything hes asked.She said that Plan A for the fall is to compete at the Burghley CCI4* in England with Palm Crescent.Ariel Grald and Isla de Coco. Photo by Amber Heintzberger.Grald, who drove all the way from Southern Pines, NC to compete at Millbrook, brought five horses to the competition. She said that most of her horses hadnt been out since the spring season, and said that she likes to bring her horses to Millbrook every year to start preparing them for the fall events. We love the cross country, its got the terrain, its got good questions and as Meghan said, even for the dressage its got a bit of atmosphere. Everything is beautifully done and its a good educational outing to get the horses cranked back up for the rest of the season.She said that she imported Coco from England as a five-year-old and moved her quickly up the levels, but a minor tendon injury kept her sidelined for a little while. Honestly that was the best thing that could have happened to her; shes a big horse, she did a three-star at age seven, and having some time off gave her time to mature a little. Shes just been back out this year, and this was actually her first advanced I just moved her right up the four-star short at Tryon and Bromont. Shes always been scopey and while I wouldnt have said she was the bravest horse, I just hucked her off at the deep and was like, lets go girl. Im just along for the ride shes like, I got it dont get in my way!. Shes a big horse and just needs a little strength on the flat still. Shes amazing on cross country, as long as I put her on the line and show her where to go, shes got it.Grald also won Open Intermediate A riding Adagios Nobility, owned by Annie Eldridge, and she won the Open Preliminary riding Obelisk, also owned by Annie Eldridge. Katie Lichten and Fast Company won the Open Intermediate B. The top Young Rider in the Intermediate was Cassie Sanger, formerly a resident of the Millbrook area. Sanger finished fourth in Open Intermediate A riding Fernhill Zoro.Patrons enjoyed a ringside luncheon today, watching the conclusion of the event with show jumping at the Preliminary through Advanced levels. Millbrook is one of the last horse trials in the Northeast to offer the upper levels. More than 400 horses competed this weekend and the organizing committee, staff and volunteers are to be commended for this huge undertaking.You can also enjoy some Millbrook highlights courtesy of videographer Marion de Vogel:Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook NY) [Website] [Results]

Michael Jung (GER) and CHIPMUNK FRH during the Eventing Cross Country at the Chateau de Versailles for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. © FEI/Benjamin Clark Great Britain continues to hold the lead in the Eventing team competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after a thrilling day of Cross-Country action in the magnificent parkland of Château De Versailles today.   Team...

Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka at the First Horse Inspection in Paris. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Sunday trot-ups are always high in potential for tension with the massive efforts made on cross country the day before. After we saw multiple holds and an elimination in the First Inspection, it was hard to know what to expect this morning. Generally, however, todays Final Horse Inspection was far less drama-filled, a huge testament to both the conditioning and care of the horses as well as the incredible work of the grooms and support staff through the night to help the horses recover well from cross country.We do, however, have one major shake-up to the team podium after a withdrawal from the holding box on the part of Japans Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka.Team Japan was poised to finish on the podium today, securing bronze medal position on a team score of 93.0. But when the team riders came to present their horses to the Ground Jury of Christina Klinspor (SWE), Xavier Le Sauce (FRA), and Robert Stevenson (USA), two were sent to the holding box: Cekatinka as well as Yoshiaki Oiwas MGH Grafton Street. It was then reported that Cekatinka had sadly been withdrawn from the holding box. MGH Grafton Street was re-inspected at the end of the trot-up and was subsequently accepted after a lengthy conferral amongst the Ground Jury.Individual leaders Michael Jung (GER) and Chipmunk FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.This means some big moves on the team standings. Japan will now have to activate Traveling Reserve pair Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson to move a complete team to the final phase. This substitution will incur 20 penalties, putting Japan onto a team score of 113.0. This does not spell complete disaster, as the Japanese will now be in fifth position, but certainly makes the task at hand more difficult to move back up to the podium.Switzerland will now move into bronze medal position with their team score of 102.4, while Belgium moves up to fourth on a 111.0. The remaining team standings, which can be viewed here, remain unchanged, pending any additional substitutions, of which we should see one or two yet.Laura Collett (GBR) and London 52. Photo by Tilly Berendt.In the trot-up,the only other hold we saw was Australias Shane Rose and Virgil, who were accepted upon re-inspection.A handful of withdrawals were announced before the jog: Carlos Parro (BRA) and Safira, Sarah Ennis (IRE) and Action Lady M, Sanna Siltakorpi (FIN) and Bofey Click, and Carlos Diaz Fernandez (ESP) and Taraje CP 21.10.Stephane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau. Photo by Tilly Berendt.We do know that Germany will still send Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S, who parted ways on cross country yesterday, forward to show jumping rather than activating Reserve pair Calvin Boeckmann and Phantom of the Opera, incurring 200 penalties for failure to complete the cross country phase.Aofie Clark and Freelance will be activated as substitutes for Ireland after the withdrawal of Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M, incurring 20 penalties. Australia will also activate Reserve pair Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture after the retirement of Kevin McNab and Don Quidam on cross country, incurring 220 penalties. Brazil will activate Reserve rider Ruy Fonseca and Ballypatrick SRS after the withdrawal of Carlos Parro and Safira, incurring 20 penalties. Scratching your head on all these penalties? You can reference our Scoring Guide here.Update: Poland has substituted Reserve rider Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134 for Jan Kaminski and Jard, incurring 220 penalties as Jan retired on cross country yesterday and did not complete the phase.Boyd Martin (USA) and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Looking to the finale, which kicks off with the team final at 11 a.m. local time, followed by the individual final for the top 25 pairs at 3 p.m. local time, Great Britain will have a slim margin of 4.7 penalties over France after Ros Canters appeal to remove a missed flag (15 penalties) penalty yesterday was not accepted. France is in silver on a score of 87.2, followed by Switzerland on a score of 102.4. Full scores and standings can be found here.Well keep you up to date on any additional changes, substitutes, and confirmations as the day proceeds. Stay tuned for our Companion Guide to show jumping coming later, as well as full reports on both rounds.Update: Order of Go for show jumping in the first round can be viewed here. The Team Start List can be found here.#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [ENs Coverage]

The riders will tackle the following fences during the showjumping phase to decide the team eventing medals at the Paris Olympics today.Fence 1 Enso CircleFence 2 Jardins a la FrancaiseFence 3 New PictogrammsFence 4 Colonnes MorrisFence 5abc Folies de la VilletteFence 6 Paris 2024Fence 7 Rue de ParisFence 8 Pont du GardFence 9 Pont AlexandreFence 10 Toulouse LautrecFence 11 Cabines de plagesFence 12ab Fables de la FontaineFence 13 MascoteRelated contentTeam GB hangs on to overnight lead after Olympic cross-countryView the Olympic cross-country fencesRecord-breaking dressage scores earn solid lead for Brits in ParisHandy Olympic timetables to download plus how to watchUseful linksView the showjumping running order and live resultsView the fullteam standings after cross-countryView the fullindividual standings after cross-countryThe post Walk the Olympic team showjumping course in pictures appeared first on Your Horse.

Jumping to retain their title, Team GB are headed up by Laura Collett and London 52, who were part of the gold medal winning team in Tokyo and currently sit in second individually. Photo by Tilly Berendt.This is it! It all comes down to this Well, not all, theres still the small matter of individual medals to go once alls said and done for the teams (oh yes, even MORE eventing coming up, the Olympics just giveth and giveth), but well get down to the nitty gritty of individual honors in due course. Right now our ears are pricked and very firmly pointed towards the team podium. Its time to get ready to find out which nations will be celebrated in the medal ceremony. Ooh l l baguette! Eek.Just in case you missed yesterdays (and Saturdays) explanation of why things are looking different in our live blogs for the Olympics, heres what you need to know: 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 each of the horses and riders show jumping today, 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. Our roving reporters extraordinaire Sally Spickard and Tilly Berendt are mostly resisting the urge to crack open le champagne early in the Chat Zone, maybe. Well have a few of the riders reactions to their rounds coming at you but, as you can imagine, things are a little crazy back there so make sure you stay tuned for our full report later which will have everything you need to know, and more. Buckle up and prepare to be hit with absolutely everything you didnt know you need to know about the horses and riders as we reach the conclusion of the team eventing competition at the Paris Olympic Games.There was a bit of a shake up at this mornings horse inspection, which has left the top-5 going into the final phase looking like this:1 Defending their Olympic title from Tokyo, Team GB go into the final phase in gold medal position on a combined score of 82.5.2 Theyll bring the house down if they make it onto the podium. Home team France currently sit in silver on a combined score of 87.2.3 Climbing up into bronze spot following this mornings horse inspection, Team Switzerland are on a combined score of 102.4.4 Belgium are just outside the medals as things stand. Theyre on a combined score of 111.5 Japan have slipped from third to fifth after incurring 20 penalties for making a substitution this morning, putting them on a combined score of 113.8.And heres the rest of the top-10:6 New Zealand 118.27 Sweden 120.18 Ireland 121.19 USA 128.5 The Netherlands 147.5Canada, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Australia and Poland round-out the team competition (in that order). This is what the team start list looks like.You can follow along with the live scores here and youll find the order of go here. Before we get down to official Olympic business, here are some links of interest: If you missed yesterdays cross country companion guide, youll find it right here. And if youve a hankering for even more Paris action, heres the dressage edition. The substitute rule and scoring is, shall we say, a little complex at the Olympics, but never fear, EN is here with the clearest explanation we could manage of how things work. Heres everything you need to know about the Olympic show jumping rounds. Yes plural, because there are not one, but two rounds at the Olympics. Click the link and all will be revealed. Even more you say? You want more eventing? More EN? Well here you go all the info and links you can ever require (and some you dont but actually, you do) in our Ultimate Guide to Eventing in Paris. Safe to say, here at EN we are now looking entirely on point for an extra role in a remake of The Walking Dead, which is ironic as were more at the crawling stage, to be honest. Bloodshot, sunken eyes from severely limited sleep and 100 hours a day screen time Sallow, sun-starved skin A desperate, please-dont-let-me have-run-out-of-frozen-pizza-just-yet aura Basically fingerless by now due to excessive scrolling/typing Except for Sally and Tilly, who are no doubt as dog-tired as the team at home, but a trs chic version, because, Paris, baby, Paris. Click to appreciate all the sweet fruits of our labor.Please remember to keep this page refreshed so that you dont miss a thing. Ill be adding in the riders reactions to their rounds as they come in, so keep flicking through to gather all the goodies. This is it, sports fans. Theyre going for glory, and gold.Eyes on and aller, aller, aller eventing!#Paris2024: [Website] [Equestrian Schedule, Timing, Scoring] [Peacock for U.S. Viewers] [How to Watch Guide] [Ticket Resale Market] [Spectator Guides] [ENs Coverage]________________________________________________________________________________ Miroslav Trunda and Shutterflyke (Ind.) Photo by Tilly Berendt.Miroslav and Shutterflyke have Olympic and World Championships completions under their cinch, and would love to add another one from the Paris Games. They find this phase a little tricky, because, well, it is tricky, but they jumped clear in their most recent run so Miroslav will be channeling that energy as he enters the ring on the Olympic stage.Form, Facts & Stats:Miroslavs championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) As well as being an Olympic eventer, Miroslav is also an equine veterinarian. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 53Cross Country Penalties 72Overall 125 53rdShow Jumping They had three rails in Tokyo and 1.6 time; at the World Championships in Pratoni they had four poles, and 2 time. They do have clear round form at short-format, but 4 jumping penalties is the best theyve been at a long-format competition. ________________________________________________________________________________ Nicolas Wettstein and Altier dAurois View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nicolas Wettstein (@wettsteinnico)Sometimes those poles just dont wanna stay in the cups, and thats often the case for this pair. Nicolas thinks such a lot of the gelding though, and acknowledges that Altier always tries his best. Theyve jumped on the final day of an Olympics once before, so they know the drill. Now all they need is for those poles to stay firmly lodged.Form, Facts & Stats:Nicolas championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Rio 2016 Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Tryon 2018 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Ind.) Nicolas is a true polyglot, with five different languages in his arsenal. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 42.3Cross Country Penalties 65.4Overall 107.7 52ndShow Jumping They had 16 jumping faults in Tokyo, and 16 at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last year. They went through a spate of one-or-nones after the last Olympics, but that ended with five down in the 4*-L at Montelibretti last season, and since then theyve had three lots of 12 penalties, a 16 and a 4. So really, its anyones guess where theyll land in Paris.________________________________________________________________________________ Alexander Peternell and Figaro des PremicesPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Alex is back at the Olympics after a twelve year hiatus, and brings forward Norman, as hes known at home. This combination dont have a ton of runs together under their cinch and will be aiming for a solid Olympic completion to add to their record.Form, Facts & Stats:Alexanders championships experience: London 2012 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Ind.) Figaro des Premices is joint-youngest horse in the field, at nine. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 39Cross Country Penalties 33.2Overall 72.2 48thShow Jumping This combination had one pole in their most recent run at Strzegom on their way to fifth place, their only event at 4*-L. They rolled three in the 4*-S at Bramham in June but jumped clear in the 4*-S at Bicton this season. They almost always add a handful of seconds too.________________________________________________________________________________ Esteban Benitez Valle and Utrera AA 35 1Photo by Tilly Berendt.Estebans in Paris with his eleven-year-old Spanish-bred mare, making his Olympic debut for his country. Hes represented Spain at European and World Championships with another mare, Milana, whos now going eventing for fun at 1* with his girlfriend.Form, Facts & Stats:Estebans championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Esteban has been based in Germany since 2016. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 39.9Cross Country Penalties 29Overall 68.9 47thShow Jumping This pair have a bit of a mixed bag of results in the show jumping ring on their record, with a four or eight as likely as a clear round. They jumped clear in the 4*-L at Strzegom last season on their way to third place, rolled one pole in their most recent run in the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Montelibretti, and had two in the 4*-S Nations Cup leg in Arville last fall. So none, one, or two well have to see how things fall.________________________________________________________________________________ Peter T. Flarup and FascinationPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Peter gave up his role as head trainer for the national eventing team in order to focus on making it to Paris with Tokyo ride Fascination. They tend to rattle the poles a bit in this phase, but kept it to one in Tokyo. How will they fare this time around?Form, Facts & Stats:Peters championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Ind.) Beijing 2008 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Ind.) Lexington 2010 (Ind.) Aachen 2006 (Team) Rome 1998 (Team) Peter and Cooper (hey, their names kind of rhyme) have been going arena eventing over the winter. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 32.4Cross Country Penalties 33.6Overall 66 45thShow Jumping They havent had a clear in their last six FEI competitions, which include short-format events and arena eventing. There are more single poles on their record than anything else, but there is the odd 8 penalties dotted in there. They kept it to one in Tokyo and jumped clear at their last long-format event.________________________________________________________________________________ Balsz Kaizinger and Herr Cooles ClassicoPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Balsz is making his Olympic debut as the first Hungarian eventer at a Games since 1996. Its such a huge achievement to make it onto the world stage like this, and even more-so for those riders hailing from countries without such extensive support for the sport that others enjoy. Good for you Balsz!Form, Facts & Stats:Balszs championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Balsz took over the ride on Herr Cooles Classico in 2022. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 45.8Cross Country Penalties 16Overall 61.8 42ndShow Jumping This pair have got a bit of a mixed bag of show jumping scores on their card, with one pole in their most recent run, the 4*-S at Luhmhlen, and two in their only 4*-L run. They had three in the 4*-S at Montelibretti last season. They do tend to add time penalties to those scores.________________________________________________________________________________ Noor Slaoui and Cash In Hand View this post on InstagramA post shared by Noor Slaoui (@noor_slaoui_eventing)Trailblazing for Arab women and Moroccan equestrians, Noor has made history with her appearance at the Paris Olympic Games. She progressed from BE90 to 3* in just a couple of years, and now is the first North African representative ever in Olympic eventing.Form, Facts & Stats: Noor is involved with a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities that her mother set up following a cycling accident which left her paraplegic when she was in her 30s. Noor has made visits to the center with horses and ponies for equine therapy sessions. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 36.4Cross Country Penalties 24Overall 60.4 40thShow Jumping This pair rolled a pole in the 4*-S at Ballindenisk this season and two in the 4*-L at Montelibretti last fall. They were clear at the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Arville, but theyve added time in almost every round theyve jumped.________________________________________________________________________________ Veera Manninen and Sir Greg View this post on InstagramA post shared by Veera Manninen (@veera_m_eventing)How exciting it must be for Veera to be on the cusp of completing at her first Olympics with her long-time partner, friend and Juniors horse. Dreams really do come true in Paris.Form, Facts & Stats: Veera describes Greg as adorably grumpy. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 36.8Cross Country Penalties 18.4Overall 55.2 37thShow Jumping Greg is generally a one or none kind of guy, although hes only jumped clear in a long-format competition once. He does come to Paris with a clear in his most recent competition, although that came at the expense of 1.2 time penalties. ________________________________________________________________________________ Harald Ambros and Vitorio du MontetPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Haralds no stranger to the final round of a championships, having been to three Olympics and four World Championships. Hes in Paris with exciting new ride, former French horse, Vitorio. 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 Harald may be an Olympic eventer, but its not actually his full-time job; in his real life hes a dentist. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 36.5Cross Country Penalties 6.8Overall 43.3 31stShow Jumping This combination had a pole in their most recent long-format run but have jumped three clears together at short-format. Historically, the horse is a relatively careful jumper, and has jumped clear on the final day at 5*.________________________________________________________________________________ Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van BareelhofPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Alex is very familiar with jumping in the final phase at a championships event, having contested three Olympics and three World Championships, as well as the Asian Games, which he won last year. Hell tumbled down the order after a flag penalty out on cross country, and will be hoping to scramble back into the top-25 for a spot in the individual final with this reliable show jumper.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.)Form, Facts & Stats: Alex enthusiastically represents China but has been based in the UK for many years. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 22Cross Country Penalties 20.6Overall 42.6 30thShow Jumping Theyre on a streak of four clear rounds, all at short-format. The had two poles in their most recent long-format competition, the 4* in Montelibretti last year, and they dont always make the time, but Alex will be focusing on those clears as he takes to the ring in Paris.________________________________________________________________________________ Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134 View this post on InstagramA post shared by Wiktoria Knap (@wiktoriaknap_eventing)Wiktoria is making her Olympic debut with her long-time partner Quintus 134. Theyve been together since Juniors and Young Riders and Wiktorias brought the gelding up through the FEI levels to, now, the Olympics. Theyve slotted into Team Poland after the elimination of Jan Kaminski and Jard on the cross country, and are ready to show the world what theyve got in the show jumping phase. Form, Facts & Stats: Quintus 134 has been with Wiktoria since he was a six-year-old.Show Jumping Safe to say, show jumping is not this pairs favorite phase, with penalties accrued in almost every round. Sometimes two poles will go, sometimes three, sometimes four.________________________________________________________________________________I am very grateful for this horse, for my team, that I am in this place where I am, and I was nominated for the Olympics.________________________________________________________________________________ Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture View this post on InstagramA post shared by Shenae Lowings Eventing (@shenae.lowings.eventing)Shenaes making her Olympic debut with OTTB Bold Venture, or Bentley as hes known in the barn. Shes traveled from Down Under for her second championships appearance under the Australian flag, the first coming at the World Championships in Pratoni. Theyve had some exciting results since then and are surely coming to Paris full of confidence. Theyre jumping for the Australian team following the retirement of Kevin McNab and Don Quidam on cross country. Australia incur 200 penalties for the non-completion of a phase by a team member and a further 20 penalties for making a substitution. Shenae will be competing solely for the team, not as an individual.Form, Facts & Stats:Shenaes championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Bold Venture is the only Thoroughbred in the field. When he was on the track, he was known as Hell on Wheels.Show Jumping They rolled three poles for 12 penalties at the World Championships in Pratoni, but thats the most theyve ever had in this phase. They generally jump clear in long-format competitions, but do tend to have a pole at short-format, as they did in the 4*-S at Adelaide this season; it didnt stop them from winning though. ________________________________________________________________________________ Christoph Wahler and Carjatan SPhoto by Eventing Nation.Despite having been eliminated on yesterdays cross country after Christoph took the side exit and had to walk home, in terms of todays test, this pair are coming in hot, with a clear round streak of eight. Under Olympic rules, following medical/veterinary checks, a combination who didnt complete the cross country can go on to show jump for the team. Christophs out of the individual competition though. Team Germany will incur 200 penalties for having a rider not complete a phase. Form, Facts & Stats:Christophs championships experience: Team Pratoni 2022 Amazingly, Christoph doesnt consider himself to be a full-time eventer, despite being so darned good at it. Instead, he considers his role at the helm of his familys breeding business to be his main job.Show Jumping This horse is incredibly careful in the show jumping ring, and hasnt had a pole since before the World Championships in 2022. They were clear inside the time at the European Championships, notably, a long-format event, where they finished fourth, and added nothing in Pratoni, or at Luhmhlen in 2021 on their way to second place. Dont get me wrong, there are faults on their record, but like I said, theyve been on a clear round streak for a while now.________________________________________________________________________________ Pietro Sandei and Rubis de Prere View this post on InstagramA post shared by Pietro Sandei (@pietro_sandei)Pietro finds himself part of Team Italia after having occupied the traveling reserve slot initially. He took his place on the cross country line-up following the elimination of Emiliano Portale and Future following their dressage test. Hes in Paris with long-time partner and pal Rubis, making his Olympic debut.Form, Facts & Stats:Pietros championships experience: Tryon 2018 (Team) Pietro and Rubis finished 10th at Luhmhlen 5* last month.Show Jumping There is the odd penalty for this pair in the final phase, mostly one or none, but theres very occasionally one or two more than that. They jumped clear at Luhmhlen in the 5* on their way to tenth place, and were clear in their other run this season, the 4*-S at Pratoni, which they won, so they come into the show jumping round in Paris on good form.________________________________________________________________________________ Ruy Fonseca and Ballypatrick SRSPhoto by Eventing Nation.Ruys got plenty of championships experience with the Brazilian team, with two Olympics and three World Championship caps in his locker. Initially selected as traveling reserve, he finds himself on the team, and chomping at the bit to do his bit for Brazil in Paris. Ruy has been substituted into the team following the withdrawal of Carlos Parro and Safira. That means that the team will incur 20 penalties for having made a substitution and Ruy will compete solely for the team, not as an individual.Form, Facts & Stats:Ruys championships experience: Rio 2016 (Ind.) London 2012 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) Lexington 2010 (Team) Ruy is a three-time winner of the Best Eventing Rider of the Year awarded by Olympic Brazil.Show Jumping In 12 FEI show jumping rounds over the last two seasons, this gelding has had just one pole down, which came at short-format. Theyre sometimes a second over the time but have been inside in each of their three runs this season.________________________________________________________________________________ Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jessica Phoenix (@officialteamphoenix)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 have complete at both Badminton and Burghley. This mares not so experienced as her barn buddy, but Jessie takes her pure show jumping, competing at CSI4* last season, and it shows in her form. Form, Facts & Stats:Jessies championships experience: Rio 2016 (Team) London 2012 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) 2010 Lexington (Ind.) Jessies life philosophy is, If you can dream it, you can become it. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 35.4Cross Country Penalties 32.4Overall 67.8 46thShow Jumping In 15 FEI competitions, this mare has had show jumping penalties five times, all but one at short-format and all five just the one pole. She was clear inside the time on her latest run in the 4*-S at Bromont, and was clear with 1.2 time in the 4*-L at TerraNova last November, the only time shes added time in the show jumping. ________________________________________________________________________________ Sanne de Jong and Enjoy View this post on InstagramA post shared by Sanne de Jong (@sanne__dejong)Sanne spends a fair bit of time doing pure show jumping, so shell be feeling comfortable in the ring today. This pair know each other so well, theyve basically grown up together, and there cant be a better feeling than completing an Olympic Games with your best friend.Form, Facts & Stats:Sannes championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Enjoys mom was bred to compete, but an accident as a youngster left her blind in one eye and so she became a brood mare instead, and now her daughters at the Olympics. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 34.8Cross Country Penalties 48.2Overall 83 50thShow Jumping They jumped clear at the European Championships last year, and have been clear in each of their three rounds since then. Before that, their form was a bit patchy the mare kind of went from a one or none kind of gal to a short spate where eight seemed to be her favorite number, to getting over that and producing a bunch of clear rounds. Lets hope that trajectory continues for Sanne as they finish up their Olympic debut.________________________________________________________________________________ Aoife Clark and Freelance View this post on InstagramA post shared by Aoife Clark (@aoifeclark)Aoife was off games for much of last season with an injury, but shes back and fighting fit, taking up her place on the Irish team after being substituted in for Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M following yesterdays cross country. Ireland will incur 20 penalties for making a substitution and Aoife will be competing solely for the team, not as an individual. Form, Facts & Stats:Aoifes championships experience: London 2012 (Team); 7th individually Caen 2014 (Team); 20th individually Aoifes been top-10 at Badminton more than once.Show Jumping This season, the mare had a pole in the 4*-S at Bramham in her most recent run and was two seconds over the time, but jumped clear in the 4*-L at Saumur on her way to fourth place and a finishing score of 29.6. In her season opener, the 4*-S at Kronenberg, she had two poles and was one second over. So, a bit of a mixed bag thus far this year.________________________________________________________________________________ Caroline Pamukcu and HSH BlakePhoto by Tilly Berendt.They had a pole at the Pan-Ams in Santiago, one of only two show jumping penalties on their record. Will they pull out a more characteristic clear in Paris? Form, Facts & Stats: HSH Blake is joint-youngest horse in the field, at nine. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 30.4Cross Country Penalties 32Overall 62.4 44thShow Jumping Theyve got 20 clear rounds in their locker and have never had a time fault will they make it 21? Hold your breath.________________________________________________________________________________ Sofia Sjborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z View this post on InstagramA post shared by Sofia Sjoborg Eventing (@sofia_sjoborg_eventing)Sofia and Belle may be making their Olympic debut in Paris, but theyve got two European Championships and a World Championships together in their locker. Form, Facts & Stats:Sofias championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Sofia has produced Belle through the levels right from the start of the mares career in 2017. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 33.3Cross Country Penalties 15Overall 48.3 35thShow Jumping They had a pole at the Europeans but jumped clear at the World Championships in Pratoni. Their recent form suggests theyre likely to have a pole, but thats all from short-format competitions. They did jump clear in their most recent run, the 4*-S at Luhmhlen last month.________________________________________________________________________________ Jonelle Price and HiaradoPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Since this pair have been together, they havent had a show jumping pole down thats got to have Jonelle feeling confident as she comes into the ring. Shes got plenty of experience jumping on the final day of an event and will be going in there aiming to bring their tally of clears to nine.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 has won three of the worlds seven 5*s Luhmhlen, Pau and Badminton. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 30.8Cross Country Penalties 28.4Overall 59.2 39thShow Jumping Theyve added nothing in the show jumping phase at both long- and short-format competitions, including at 5*. Clear round incoming? Eyes on ________________________________________________________________________________ Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson View this post on InstagramA post shared by (@japan_equestrian_federation)Toshiyuki spent the week leading up to the Games thinking he was firmly situated in the traveling reserve slot, and then, well, Olympics things happened and here is is, in the team and ready to complete an event for his country once more. His late call-up came just this morning, following the withdrawal of Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka. Japan will incur 20 penalties for making a substitution and Toshi will compete for the team only, not as an individual.Form, Facts & Stats:Toshiyukis championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) London 2012 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon (2018) Team; 15th individually Jefferson came to Toshiyuki via Germany, Australia and Great Britain.Show Jumping Every now and again this gelding takes a pole or two, but the vast majority of the time hes clear, although thats often at the expense of a time penalty or two.________________________________________________________________________________ Tine Magnus and Dia van het Lichterveld ZPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Belgian farmer/eventer Tine may be making her Olympic debut, but she knows exactly what its like to be at the top of her game, having been Belgian national champion in 2022. Incredibly, shes not a full-time eventer, but theres no mistaking a pure talent for the sport. The future sure looks bright for Belgian eventing with this pair in their ranks.Form, Facts & Stats: I have it on good intel that this mare has been in hot demand, but her owners are hanging onto her very tightly. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 44Cross Country Penalties 2Overall 46 32ndShow Jumping They were clear inside the time in their most recent long-format run, the 4*-L at Saumur; they had one pole in the 4*-L at Montelibretti last season. Thats their form across the board, really one or none, more likely none.________________________________________________________________________________ Mlody Johner and de RueirePhoto by Tilly Berendt.Mlody was top-20 individually in Tokyo, where they very nearly finished on their dressage. Their dressage test in Paris didnt go exactly to plan for them, but they only added 3.2 out on cross country. Theyre in 30th coming into the final phase.Form, Facts & Stats:Mlodys championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 17th individually Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Mlody was Swiss Junior Champion in jumping, so shes got a solid foundation for the final phase of an event. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 38.4Cross Country Penalties 3.2Overall 41.6 28th=Show Jumping OK, lets first talk Tokyo. They were just one second over the time on cross country day and followed up that superb performance with a clear round in the first of the two show jumping rounds. And then the poles came, three in total, plus 1.2 time. To be honest, the clear round was the anomaly in terms of their form, they more often have a pole than not they had one at the European Championships last season but they mostly keep it to one. Unless they dont, like they didnt at the World Championships in Pratoni, where they had four. ________________________________________________________________________________ Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo MenthePhoto by Tilly Berendt.Despite only being 44, Nicolas has the experience of five Olympics, two World Championships and nine Europeans in his arsenal he sure knows how to pack a whole lot into a career. Hes gunning for team and individual honors at his home Games, and theres every chance hell do it with this exciting gelding, whos already proved his mettle by finishing on his dressage at the 4*-L Nations Cup event in Boekelo last season to take the win.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) Eventings in Nicolas genes his dad and uncle are both eventing Olympians, with his uncle going on to coach the French team. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 27.2Cross Country Penalties 3.2Overall 30.4 11thShow Jumping This gelding is a one or none kind of guy; across his career thus far its around a 50% clear jumping rate, but more recently hes been clear more often. However, at long-format its exactly 50:50. He was clear inside the time on his way to winning the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo last season but had a pole in his season opener this year at short-format. Only time will tell how he copes with the two-round format of the Olympics, but one thing is for sure, based on his form thus far in his career, this horse has a sparkling future ahead of him.________________________________________________________________________________ Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ros Canter (@ros_canter_eventing)When youve got a horse whos as good in each phase as Walter is, you know youre onto an eventing winner. Hes accurate and precise in the dressage ring, and an absolute machine cross country, in terms of both jumping and time, and well, in the final phase he more often than not leaves the poles in the cups. Wonderful Walter will have won over many hearts over the weekend, adding to his fan club every time he goes out there and does his thang.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 a little girl called Ziggy who can often be seen cheering for her mom at events. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 23.4Cross Country Penalties 15Overall 38.4 24thShow Jumping If you were being threatened by something like, really threatening and absolutely had to pick out Walters weak phase, youd probably say this one. Although really, were pushing it here. In 22 FEI competitions hes had a total of seven poles down. One of these came at the European Championships, but when your dressage score is 21.3 and you added nothing on cross country day, you can have a pole and still win. Thats the only time hes had show jumping penalties at a long-format event; he even jumped clear round Badminton last year on his way to the win, a feat that many found tricky given the ground conditions of the day before. They had a very unfortunate 15 penalties for a missed flag on yesterdays cross country which dropped them right down the order, but wherever they end up today, the futures certainly very bright for Ros and her buddy. ________________________________________________________________________________ Robert Powala and Tosca del Castegno View this post on InstagramA post shared by Robert Powala (@robert.powala)Robert should be feeling pretty cool, calm and collected as he comes into the show jumping ring, given the fact that hes competed at World Cup competitions in pure show jumping previously.Form, Facts & Stats: Robert is based in Italy, a childhood dream of his that came true. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 34.7Cross Country Penalties 60Overall 94.7 51stShow Jumping This season, in four short-format runs Tosca has jumped clear three times, and once had two down. In their most recent long-format run, the 4*-L at Montelibretti last season, they rolled just the one pole. There is often a bit of time to be added in the final phase for this pair.________________________________________________________________________________ Shane Rose and Virgil View this post on InstagramA post shared by Shane Rose (@shane.rose.eventing) Incredibly, Shane is in Paris completing at his fourth Olympic Games with his long-time pal, Virg. At nineteen, Virg knows a thing or two about this eventing lark, and its very cool to see these veterans of the sport turn out and look so damn good. All credit to the teams at home for the obviously excellent care and attention they pay to these horses and their, obviously totally on-point, training programs. Shanes comeback from a serious injury just a couple of months ago is nothing short of amazing and wherever this pair end up today will be an enormous achievement and great testament to their relationship. Form, Facts & Stats:Shanes championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020; 10th individually Team Rio 2016 Beijing 2008 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team); 13th individually Tryon 2018 (Team) Caen 2014 (Team) Aachen 2006 (Ind.) Rome 1998 (Ind.) Dare I mention mankini-gate? I do. Well, Shane said, on record, that should he win a gold medal in Paris, he will wear a gold-kini. Oo la la. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 34.6Cross Country Penalties 2.8Overall 37.4 23rdShow Jumping He had a pole at Pratoni and also had one in the first round at Tokyo, adding another in the second round. But there are many more clears on this geldings record than there are poles. He finished on his dressage when he won the Horse of the Year event in New Zealand this season and has jumped clear in the final phase in each of his five 5* appearances. ________________________________________________________________________________ Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21Photo by Tilly Berendt.A clear round is in no way a dead cert for this pair, so Julia will be holding her breath and hoping that all of the poles stay in the cups as she takes to the Olympic ring.Form, Facts & Stats:Julias championships experience: Individual Tokyo 2020 Team Rio 2016 Team & Individual Pratoni 2022 Tryon 2018 (Team) Julia originally wont have thought she had a seat on the flight to Paris, having been allocated to Block 3 on the German longlist. Then she won Aachen and was named as traveling reserve. Then Sandra Auffarth withdrew, meaning that yes, in fact, the reigning Olympic Champion is in situ to try and defend her title. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 26.9Cross Country Penalties 4.8Overall 31.7 14th=Show Jumping Nickel 21 jumped clear at Aachen on his way to the win a couple of weeks ago, but had a pole at the two competitions leading up to that. He hasnt done a lot of long-format events, and he had a pole in the 4*-L at Montelibretti last season, where he finished second. Before that were going back to a 3*-L in 2022, where, incidentally, he did jump clear. Hes a one or none kind of guy which will it be?________________________________________________________________________________ Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly TemptressPhoto by Alex Jeffery.After her extravagance in the dressage ring and determination on cross country, Swirl can be a bit tricksy when it comes to the show jumping. She has penalties more often than not, sometimes quite a few, even incurring an automatic elimination in the 4*-S at Chatsworth last season for having more than five fences down. Form, Facts & Stats:Giovannis championships experience: Caen 2014 (Team) Giovanni may be very much Italian, but hes been based in the UK for over a decade. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 25.7Cross Country Penalties 36.4Overall 62.1 43rdShow Jumping OK, are you ready for this? This mare rolled three poles in her most recent run in the 4*-S at Luhmhlen, but jumped clear in her other two runs this season, two of only four clear rounds on her record. She had one pole at the European Championships last season, a long-format event, which is generally where she sits one pole, or maybe a few more. It was six at Chatsworth last year, resulting in elimination due to it being a short-format event. How will she find Paris?________________________________________________________________________________ Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Castle Howard CasanovaPhoto by Shannon Brinkman Photography.This gelding is for sure one to watch in the show jumping ring, with his 2022 Sunshine Tour practice showing up as clear in the final phase of an event more often than not. Theyre on a streak of seven clears, will they make it eight today?Form, Facts & Stats:Marcios championships experience: Rio 2016 (Team) London 2012 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Marcio is a trained doctor and anaesthetist. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 33.3Cross Country Penalties 42.2Overall 75.7 49thShow Jumping In 15 FEI competitions theyve had poles on just three occasions, all coming in the first two years of the geldings career. They havent had a pole this season, and didnt have any last season, including at the Pan-Ams in Santiago where they won bronze. They did have 0.8 time that day but they finished on their dressage in the other two long-format runs on their FEI record. Eyes on this one ________________________________________________________________________________ Michael Winter and El MundoPhoto by Tilly Berendt.This combination know just what its like to stand at the top of the podium, having won team gold at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last season. Theyre an experienced pairing with World Championships and 5*s under their cinch, and now an Olympics. Its around 50:50 whether theyll jump clear in this round place your bets.Form, Facts & Stats:Mikes championships experience: Beijing 2008 (Team) Athens 2004 (Team) Pratoni 2022(Team) Mike actually came from a non-horsey family, with his introduction to the madness coming at summer camp, and we all know how contagious the horsey bug is, he had no chance. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 35.2Cross Country Penalties 14.4Overall 49.6 36thShow Jumping They were on a clear show jumping streak of five until they had a pole in the 4*-S at Bramham this season. That includes the Pan-Ams, where they were fifth individually and won team gold, and the 4*-L at Bramham last season. Before that, the last time they had a pole was at the World Championships in Pratoni. He tends to be a one or none kind of guy, and its around 50:50. There are a smattering of time penalties on his record too, at both long- and short-format. He was two seconds over in Santiago, and one at Pratoni.________________________________________________________________________________ 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 within striking distance of a place in the individual final. 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) Rafs making his Olympic debut but hes represented the Netherlands a bunch of times at European Championships as well as being part of the World Championships team in Tryon. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 27Cross Country Penalties 5.6Overall 32.6 18thShow Jumping Since Raf took to the saddle, this geldings show jumping stats have improved- hes had one pole in six rounds this season and has delivered by far the most consecutive clears of his career. The pole came in their only 4*-L competition together, so theyre still untested in terms of the Olympic format should they secure a spot in the top-25, but Raf must be feeling pretty good about how far hes come with this horse in such a short time.________________________________________________________________________________ Susie Berry and Wellfields LincolnPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Susies in the enviable position of having a string of five horses which were all on the Olympic selectors radar. Wellfields Lincoln may not have quite as many miles on the clock as some of his stablemates, but hes proved himself to be a good all-rounder, and particularly careful in the final phase, so Susie should be feeling good as she enters the show jumping ring in Paris.Form, Facts & Stats:Susies championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Susie helped Ireland to qualify for the Paris Olympics when she made her Senior team debut at the World Championships in Pratoni. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 33Cross Country Penalties 15.2Overall 48.2 34thShow Jumping In 17 FEI rounds, this pair have had poles on just three occasions, none of which have come at long-format competitions. Theyve jumped three clears inside the time already this season. Eyes on this one for a play to move up the leaderboard ________________________________________________________________________________ Elisabeth Halliday and NutcrackerPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Liz is making her Olympic debut after a few weeks of thinking she would have to watch from the sidelines as traveling reserve. Shes been part of a successful Team US before, winning the team silver at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last year. Nutcrackers an exciting young talent and will be gaining so much valuable experience to take forward as he struts his stuff on the world stage.Form, Facts & Stats: In the barn, Nutcrackers known as Bali. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 28Cross Country Penalties 6Overall 34 22ndShow Jumping This combination do roll a pole, on occasion, having one down in the Kentucky 5* in the spring, where they finished eighth on the geldings debut at the top-level. They jumped clear in the 4*-L at Galway Downs last season, which they won, and again in the 4*-L at Tryon, which they also won. They do have the odd pole, but theyre almost always at short-format.________________________________________________________________________________ Louise Romeike and Caspian 15Photo by Tilly Berendt.Caspian 15 is a bit of a triple threat when it comes to eventing. Hes consistently low-30s in the dressage, hasnt had a cross country jumping penalty ever and is speedy to boot, and very, very rarely has a show jumping pole. Lucky Louise to be at the Olympics with such a talent. Theyre rounding out the individual final places as they come into this round.Form, Facts & Stats:Louises championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Tryon 2018 (Team) Caspian 15 is owned by Louise, her father-in-law, and Dutch eventer Madeleine Brugman, whos grooming for Louise in Paris. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 37.7Cross Country Penalties 0.8Overall 38.5 25thShow Jumping In 26 FEI competitions this guy has had show jumping penalties on just six occasions, all of them at short-format events. They were two seconds over the time in the 4*-L Nations Cup event in Boekelo last season, which isnt unusual for them in this phase.________________________________________________________________________________ Clarke Johnstone and Menlo ParkPhoto by Eventing Nation.This pair are on a streak of five clear rounds and havent had a pole this season. Thats come at the cost of a smidge of time sometimes though. Double clear today? Only time will tell.Form, Facts & Stats:Clarkes championships experience: Rio 2016 (Team); 6th individually Team Pratoni 2022 Lexington 2020 (Team) Clarke has won all of the major eventing titles in his native New Zealand. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 25.7Cross Country Penalties 4.8Overall 30.5 12thShow Jumping They had a pole at the World Championships in Pratoni, as well as being two seconds over the time. Theyre on a good run of clears as they head to the Olympics, which should have Clarke feeling confident for another one, or two.________________________________________________________________________________ Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la VignePhoto by Shannon Brinkman Photography.Kazuma began his equestrian career in the show jumping ring, so hes well-used to the pressure of the two-round format we see at the Olympics. In Tokyo, he actually jumped better in the second round, having had a pole in the first, so hell be hoping for two clears and potentially a medal this time around.Form, Facts & Stats:Kazumas championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 4th individually Pratoni 2022 (Team); 8th individually Tryon 2018 (Team) Vinci de la Vigne is known as Vince at home. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 27.4Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 27.4 8thShow Jumping This pair are on a streak of six clears inside the time, but theyve all come at short-format events. They had a pole at the World Championships in Pratoni, and one in the first round in Tokyo, and the horse had one at the World Championships before that, when he was being campaigned for France by Astier Nicolas. Hes currently enjoying his best ever show jumping form though, so Kazuma will be keeping everything crossed that it continues at least a little longer.________________________________________________________________________________ Karin Donckers and Liepheimer Vant VerahofPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Surely one of the most experienced riders in the field, Karin knows what it takes to complete at an Olympics, shes a six-time Olympian after all. Shes been a huge part of Team Belgium over the years and has very much been a part of the nations growing success and upward trajectory they finished top of the standings of the Nations Cup series last year. Shes here with a relatively inexperienced ride, proving that the future is very bright for Belgian eventing.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.) This combination havent finished outside the top-20 in an FEI competition since mid-2021. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 26.6Cross Country Penalties 7.2Overall 33.8 21stShow Jumping They were clear inside the time in the 4*-L at Boekelo last season, the last FEI long-format competition on their record. Theyre on a run of four clear rounds, matching the highest number of clears theyve had consecutively. There are a smattering of one pole rounds throughout their 29 FEI competitions, a couple of 8 penalties and one 12. Will they make it five clears in a row in Paris? Or even six, given the two round format and the fact that theyre currently in one of the spots for the individual final.________________________________________________________________________________ Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH Photo by Tilly Berendt.This combination have a whole bunch of championships experience under their cinch, with two World Championships, three Europeans and a whole slew of Nations Cup appearances on their card. Robins looking for his first Olympic completion in Paris and hes hoping to do it with his long-term partner, Grandeur, who hes been competing with for nine years. They are just outside the individual final slots as they come into this round.Form, Facts & Stats:Robins championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team); 15th individually Tryon 2018 (Team)Form, Facts & Stats: Robin and Grandeur won their last two FEI events thats gotta have him feeling confident as he came into the Olympics. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 29.1Cross Country Penalties 9.6Overall 38.7 26thShow Jumping They had a pole in the final phase at the European Championships last season, and one at the World Championships in Pratoni; in fact, theyve had at least one pole at each of their championships appearances. Generally, this is a one or none kind of gelding, more often one, and sometimes the time can creep up on him too.________________________________________________________________________________ Karim Laghouag and Triton FontainePhoto by Eventing Nation.This pair got caught out by the two-round format in Tokyo but theyll be buoyed up by the home crowd this time around, and, despite Karims happy-go-lucky nature, theres no doubt that hes the fiercest of competitors. Form, Facts & Stats:Karims championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020; 12th individually Team Rio 2016 Lexington 2010 (Ind.) Aachen 2006 (Ind.) 10th Karim is known for his epic sense of humor, arguably one of the most important traits in eventing. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 29.6Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 29.6 10thShow Jumping They were on a streak of eight clear rounds until their most recent run in the 4*-S at Marbach, where they had a pole, and that includes long- and short-format competitions and Pau 5*, where they added just 0.4 show jumping time to their dressage score across the entire event and were runners-up. The last time they had jumping penalties in the show jumping ring was Tokyo, where they had one pole in the first round and two poles and 0.8 time in the second round. That must have been disappointing as this horse really is a great jumper, who very much more often than not leaves the poles in the cups.________________________________________________________________________________ Tom McEwen and JL DublinPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Dubs is very much a one or none kind of guy in this phase, happily more often none than one. But hes not infallible, and the two-round format caught out a couple of the Brits in Tokyo, not Tom though, who took home the individual silver medal with Toledo de Kerser. It would be a fairytale should Dubs find himself up there after alls said and done today, and we know that anythings possible in eventing.Form, Facts & Stats:Toms championships experience: Team & Individual Tokyo 2020 Team Tryon 2018; 12th individually3 Tom is currently World No. 3 Tom keeps fit by running and can often be seen at events undertaking his course walk rather more speedily than the rest of the competition. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 25.8Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 25.8 6thShow Jumping In long-format competitions with Tom, Dubs has 50:50 form one or none. He had a pole and added 1.2 time penalties on his way to second place at Kentucky 5* in the spring, expensive penalties considering he would have won the thing without them. He also had a pole at Pau 5*, where he was third. He was clear at Kentucky last year though, where he was second, and finished on his dressage in the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo in 2022, where he was also second. Theres a lot of bridesmaid-ing going on for this pair, but its surely only a matter of time before they take a win.________________________________________________________________________________ Malgorzata Korycka and Photo by Tilly Berendt. Malgorzata and Valencia know perfectly well what its like to enter the show jumping ring for the final of a championships, having competed at the World Championships in Pratoni as individuals. This time theyre part of the team on their Olympic debut.Form, Facts & Stats:Malgorzatas championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Do you think Malgorzata and and fellow Olympian (and fiance) Jan (Kaminski) have been asking the Prices for advice about being an Olympic eventing couple? Score coming into this phase:Dressage 39.4Cross Country Penalties 21.2Overall 60.6 41stShow Jumping This pair had two poles and 2 time faults in Pratoni at the World Championships and have two eight fault rounds on their card thus far this season. Theyre a bit of a none, one, or two kind of combination, with the three variables being around about equal, really, and spread between long- and short-format events.________________________________________________________________________________ Christopher Burton and Shadow ManPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Chris has, handily, spent the last two seasons on the pure show jumping scene, so hell be well-prepared for the two round format, something we only see in eventing at the Olympics.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 part of the team that helped Australia qualify for the show jumping at Paris, and had horses qualified for both eventing and show jumping at the Games. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 22Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 22 3rdShow Jumping This gelding jumps clear more often than not. He was on a streak of seven clear rounds until he lowered two poles in the 4*-L at Strzegom, Poland, in April (spanning both Chris and his previous rider, Ben Hobday). He kept them in the cups in his most recent run though, when he finished on his dressage score. He was a second over the time in the 4*-S in Kronenberg this spring, but theres only been one other occasion that he hasnt been inside in this phase.________________________________________________________________________________ Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH View this post on InstagramA post shared by MichaelJungOfficialNews (@michaeljungofficialnews)The curse of the last fence must still hang over Michi and haunt his dreams to this day. It cost him and Chip the title at the World Championships in Pratoni, and its not the only time an unlucky rub has scuppered his chance of a win. Is it their turn to convert their bridesmaid status to bride? Form, Facts & Stats:Michaels championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 8th individually Team & Individual Rio 2016 Team & Individual London 2012 Team & Individual Caen 2014 Individual Lexington 2010 Michis won Badminton, Burghley, Luhmhlen and Kentucky, some of them multiple times. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 17.8Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 17.8 1stShow Jumping Its a similar story for this combinations show jumping form as it is for their cross country form. They dont have poles often, but when they do, they really count. In 33 FEI competitions together, theyve had poles on nine occasions, including one in the second round of jumping in Tokyo. They were on track to win the World Championships in Pratoni, with a fence in hand, but when one went and everyone held their breath, no one could have predicted that the last would go as well, dropping them down to fifth place. Theyd jumped clear since then, until the 4*-S at Luhmhlen this season when they had one pole, dropping them from first to third. They did jump clear for the win at Kentucky 5* in 2022, and we all know that Michi will be absolutely determined not to let the mistakes of the past haunt his present-day hunt for another Olympic title.________________________________________________________________________________ Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des MelezesPhoto by Tilly Berendt.This pair have had a bit of a tricky time of it in the final round at championships thus far in their career. Will they put that right in Paris?Form, Facts & Stats:Evelinas championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Ind.) Caen 2014 (Team)Form, Facts & Stats: Evelina took over the ride on Fidjy in 2020. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 26.6Cross Country Penalties 6.4Overall 33 19thShow Jumping This is the phase where this combination may fall down a little, with faults usually coming in the form of two poles, as happened in their most recent run in the 4*-S Nations Cup event in Avenches. They also had eight show jumping penalties as well as 1.2 time at the European Championships last season, a long-format competition. It was a similar story at the World Championships in Pratoni, but there they pulled a third pole and added 1.2 time. There are clear rounds on their score sheet, but theyve mostly come at short-format.________________________________________________________________________________ Rafael Mamprim Losano and WithingtonRafael may be young but hes got Olympic experience in his locker from Tokyo and a Pan-Ams medal in his trophy cabinet, thanks to a team bronze at Santiago, which he won with his Paris ride, Withington.Form, Facts & Stats:Rafaels championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team) Rafael has almost a century of FEI starts under his belt, and hes a few years off turning thirty yet. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 32.4Cross Country Penalties 9.2Overall 41.6 28th=Show Jumping In their eight FEI runs together since Rafael took over the reins in 2023, this pair have had poles on two occasions, both long-format. They had 8 faults at the Pan-Ams in Santiago, where they won team bronze, but jumped clear in the 4*-L at Montelibretti this season; it came at the cost of 3.2 time penalties though.________________________________________________________________________________ Karl Sleazak and Hot Bobo View this post on InstagramA post shared by Team Slezak Eventing (@teamslezakeventing) They had a taste of what a team gold medal feels like at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last season, and now theyre Olympians with the brightest of futures ahead of them. If you follow Karl on social media, is is abundantly clear that he thinks the absolute world of this mare, and for good reason. Whatever the outcome at the Games, shes an exciting talent, thats for sure, and well be seeing very much more of her in the future. We may even spot her foal, Hot Tamale, in the start box one day. Form, Facts & Stats:Karls championships experience: Pratoni 2022 (Team) Karl affectionately refers to Hot Bobo as the bestest mare. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 35.8Cross Country Penalties 4.8Overall 40.6 27thShow Jumping There are a smattering of show jumping faults throughout this mares record, but only once has she had more than one pole; that came at the Pan-Ams in Santiago last year, where they won team gold and were fourth individually (their placing wouldnt have improved had they had their more usual 4 penalties, but they would have been third if theyd gone clear). They have been clear in the final phase at long-format once, but that was a 3* back in 2022 theyve had jumping penalties at every long-format event theyve done since then. ________________________________________________________________________________ Janneke Boonzaaijer and Champ de TailleurPhoto by Tilly Berendt.This long-term partnership have been together since 2018 and Janneke has brought the gelding up from 2*. Theyve got plenty of Nations Cup experience under the cinch, as well as two European Championships and the Tokyo Games.Form, Facts & Stats:Jannekes championships experience: Tokyo 2010 (Ind.) Janneke was part of the team at the Europeans last season which secured the Netherlands spot at the Olympics. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 31.9Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 31.9 16thShow Jumping Every now and then this gelding will have a rail, but more often than not he jumps clear, really. He left the poles in the cups at the European Championships last season, a long-format competition, although it cost them two seconds over the time allowed. He had a pole in his last run, but that was short-format.________________________________________________________________________________ Austin OConnor and Colorado Blue View this post on InstagramA post shared by Austin & Amy OConnor (@teamoconnor_eventing)Austin and Salty got their first Olympic call-up at the very last minute, when they were bumped into the Tokyo team due to the late withdrawal of Cathal Daniels. They stepped up to the plate and did Ireland proud then, and this time around there mustnt have been any doubt about his place being firmly on the team, what with a third place at Badminton and a Maryland 5* win now on their record.Form, Facts & Stats:Austins championships experience: Tokyo 2020 (Team); 13th individually Beijing 2008 (Team) Sydney 2000 (Ind.); 17th Pratoni 2022 (Team); 18th individuallyForm, Facts & Stats: Austin was the first Irish rider since 1965 to win a 5* when he took the Maryland crown last fall. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 31.7Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 31.7 14th=Show Jumping Previously, you wouldnt have pegged Salty for a certain clear round in the final phase, but recently he proved that he can keep all the poles in the cups, at both long- and short- format, particularly when others cant. Thats what earned him the win at Maryland 5*. Looking back to his championships appearances, he rolled two poles in Pratoni, and one in each round at Tokyo. But Austinll have his more recent form in mind and will be channeling his Maryland luck as he takes to the ring in Paris. ________________________________________________________________________________ Boyd Martin and Fedarman BPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Boyd rides regularly with Olympic show jumper Peter Wylde, so hes well-placed for a good go at the final phase in Paris. And Bruno is a clear round kinda guy. Hold your breath Team USA fansForm, 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 mom and dad both competed at the Winter Olympics. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 30.5Cross Country Penalties 1.6Overall 32.1 17thShow Jumping Since this pair started competing together, theyve had one single pole, which came at Luhmhlen last season and dropped him down a couple of places to eighth. But he was clear at Pau, where he was also eighth, and has kept the poles in the cups at five long-format events with Boyd. Were looking for a double clear for this pair in the two-round format, but as we know, always with horses, well have to watch this space.________________________________________________________________________________ Frida Andersn and Box Leo Photo by Tilly Berendt.Frida didnt get the chance to show jump at her other Olympic appearance in Rio, after withdrawing before the final horse inspection. Shell be relishing her chance of an Olympic completion and maybe even an individual final as she takes to the ring in Paris.Form, Facts & Stats:Fridas championships experience: Rio (Team) Pratoni 2022 (Team) Fridas a bit of a smart cookie, with degrees in dental hygiene and sport and business Score coming into this phase:Dressage 33.3Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 33.3 20thShow Jumping This pair have a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to form in the final phase. They had two poles at the European Championships last season, and one at the World Championships in Pratoni. They generally have a pole at long-format events, but that second one at the Europeans was unlucky, theyre mostly a one or none kind of combination.________________________________________________________________________________ Tim Price and FalcoPhoto by Tilly Berendt.Tim and Falco spent some time pure show jumping on the Sunshine Tour in Spain this season, so theyll be well primed for the two-round Olympic format. Eyes on this pair to deliver a clear round Form, 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 Tim has won four of the seven 5*s, been on the podium two of the three he hasnt (already) won and top-10 at the other. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 26.5Cross Country Penalties 2Overall 28.5 9thShow Jumping This pair havent had a pole since 2021 and you have to go way, way, way back to 2017 to find another one on their record. Thats two poles in 27 FEI competitions. They were a second over the time when they jumped for victory at Pau 5* in 2021, but Tims produced a streak of seven clears without going over the clock since then.________________________________________________________________________________ Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton StreetPhoto by Tilly Berendt.In 2017, Yoshi became the first Japanese rider to win a 4* outside Japan and is, now, based with Pippa Funnell in the UK, after a condition of the sale of MGH Grafton Street was that he stay at her home. Before that, hed based himself in Germany with Dirk Schrade.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 This gelding delivered Pippa Funnell a superb Burghley win in 2019. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 25.5Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 25.5 5thShow Jumping In their four FEI runs together, they have a 50:50 jumping clear rate, with two poles over two competitions and two clears. Historically, this gelding can be a little tricky in the show jumping phase, with more faults than clears across his many events, but it looks like hes going well for Yoshi thus far. How will they do in the Olympic ring today?________________________________________________________________________________ Lara de Liederkerke-Meier and Origi Photo by Tilly Berendt.It was an emotional day all round when Lara won Luhmhlen this season, the first Belgian to win a 5*. Lara didnt even watch the rounds of those who went after her, she was just pleased with her performance and didnt think anything more of it. And then her husband, Belgian team trainer, Kai Steffen Meier came into the collecting ring and informed her that she was a 5* winner. Thats eventing magic right there, my friends.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 one smart cookie As well as being a 5* winning eventer, shes also got a Masters degree in Commerce. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 30Cross Country Penalties 1.2Overall 31.2 13thShow Jumping In 25 FEI competitions, this combination have had show jumping faults on just four occasions, each time just a single pole. Two of those times came in long-format competitions, of which theyve done three. They occasionally add a smidge of time but far more often than not they add nothing at all in this phase.________________________________________________________________________________ Felix Vogg and Dao de lOceanPhoto by Eventing Nation.Felix is no stranger to the final round of a championships and hes sitting on a very, very good jumper. The geldings untested over a two-round format, but his penchant for clear rounds sure does stand him in good stead.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) Felixs grandad competed in eventing at the 1956 Olympics in Stockholm. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 22.1Cross Country Penalties 0Overall 22.1 4thShow Jumping This pair jump a lot of clear rounds, but theyre not infallible. They had a pole in the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo last season, which tumbled them down the order to ninth place. Theyve jumped clear at each of the four competitions theyve done this season, all short-format events. Well have to wait and see how Dao finds the format at Paris, but this guys got a very exciting future ahead of him no matter how things ultimately play out.________________________________________________________________________________ Stphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau Photo by Tilly Berendt.It cant be easy for Stphane to ride in his friends honor as he does, but honestly, he does it with such grace and humility, reminding us all that the gelding is Thas in the stylized prefix he usually adds to the horses name Ride for Thas. Its one of the most poignant stories of eventing Chaman Dumontceaus rider was involved in a fatal fall and her friend took it upon himself to ride for her. And now all three are representing France at their home Olympics.Form, Facts & Stats: As well as her horse continuing in Thas name, her family continue her legacy with a foundation which raises money for safety devices in the sport. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 24.4Cross Country Penalties 2.8Overall 27.2 7thShow Jumping This is a one or none kind of guy, more often one. Hes had a pole in each of his last three FEI competitions, jumped clear in the 4*-S at Chatsworth last season (which he won), and then had a pole at each of his three events before that. He was on a streak of three clears up to that point. I think that gives a bit of a picture of how things tend to go in the show jumping ring for this combination. Theyre generally inside the time, but can add a little here and there.________________________________________________________________________________ Laura Collett and London 52 View this post on InstagramA post shared by Laura Collett MBE (@laura_collett)One third of the team who took the gold in Tokyo, Laura and London 52 are surely here for redemption after an expensive second show jumping round saw them drop down the Olympic order last time around. Laura mustve been cursing the two-round format at the Games, but Im willing to bet that shes been practicing for it since, well 2021.Form, Facts & Stats:Lauras championships experience: Team Tokyo 2020 Pratoni 2022 (Team) Theres no prizes for guessing who Lauras eventing idol is. Of course, its British eventing hero Pippa Funnell. Score coming into this phase:Dressage 17.5Cross Country Penalties 0.8Overall 18.3 2ndShow Jumping So yes, Laura and London 52 jumped clear in the first round in Tokyo, but then had two poles in the second round. At that point, this horse had only ever had eight faults in a show jumping round once before, way, way back in 2018 (hes since had two poles in a 4*-S competition in 2022). He did go through a spate of rolling a pole, around the time of Tokyo to the World Championships in Pratoni (where he had a pole), but once he came out of the other side of that, its been clear all the way. ________________________________________________________________________________

The Olympics is in fully swing, with a busy equestrian schedule. This year its in the incredible Palace of Versailles. As a long time fan of the giant building, Im also a fan of riding next to it. Im never going to the Olympics but I can still dream of riding there, maybe theres a trail ride. Something much more low key.But if you need a break from watching, heres some drama from previous years to try to fill in the gap.Bertil Sandstrm 1932We are first going to go way back in time to the 1932 games, where Karl Bertil Sandstrm was riding for Sweden. He was an experienced Olympian who had ridden in 2 other Olympics, earning silver medals. 1932 was looking to be another good year for him, as he got another silver in the team dressage. He also was about to earn a second silver medal in the individual event, but he was accused of the unthinkable making clicking noises while riding his horse. He pleaded with the judges, saying it was just the sound of his saddle creaking. Back in this time when there were no video camera for instant replay, it was just one mans word against another. And they believed the other guy. Bertil Sandstrm was banished all the way back to last place.So kids, just remember, dont you dare talk to your horse, or, make sure your saddle is fully lubricated to avoid any squeaks. Or dont, if you want to try to play off the squeaky saddle angle. But it didnt work for Sandstrm so it probably wont work for you.The Dressage Judging Scandal of 1956Henri Saint Cyr, Sweden, Gold Medalist winner of Individual and Team DressageIn 1956, the Olympics were held in Australia. Except for the horse part, because it turns out that Australia soil cant hold the weight of a horse. Just kidding, Australia has (had?) a 6 month quarantine rule, and no one wanted to wait around that long. Instead, the equestrian part of the games was moved to Stockholm, Sweden.This was the stage for some major dressage drama.Turns out, even in the ye old times of old, people still had different opinions of what dressage should look like. Germany judges thought that German dressage was the best. Swedish judges thought that Swedish dressage was the best.But of course, despite these strongly held beliefs on dressage, people who werent the German and Swedish judges thought they were simply showing extreme favoritism towards their own countries.This was such a big deal that the International Olympic Committee threatened to remove dressage from the competition. By the time the next Olympics came around, 1960, the FEI managed to reach a compromise with them. The team competition was removed, and only individual competition was allowed. The three judges had to be from non-participating countries, and the judges discussed for 20 minutes after each ride. The final rides were filmed and reviewed. It took them 3 days to announce the results.The Olympic Committee evidently forgave dressage, as the next Olympics (1964) reintroduced team dressage, and picked up the pace for judging. It was only a 2 hour delay in announcing the results.2020 Pentathlon EventIn 2020, many horse lovers were surprised to find out there was an obscure Olympic event that included horses. Except that surprise quickly turned to outrage when they saw what was going on.Pentathlon is an event that includes fencing, swimming, show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. Its modeled off of the original pentathlon held in ancient Greece, meant to test soldiers for battle. However in these modern times, none of these people are going into battle, so they are just randomly assigned a horse, and given 20 minutes to practice with it before they are sent into the arena of with 12 jumps.In 2020, the German athlete was unable to control her horse. The horse was refusing, and the athlete seemed unable to deal with the pressures, and/or wasnt that great of a rider. Her coach, who had been encouraging her to hit the horse, eventually hit the horse herself.The athlete ended up in last place and the coach was disqualified from the Olympics, but it started the broader conversation of, what on earth is going on here? Are these people even riders?After much discussion, the horseback riding part of the pentathlon was dropped for future Olympic games. I dont think anyone was sad to see it go.I hope youve enjoyed this brief intermission in the Olympic games. Now lets return to the eye feast that is the Equestrian sports in Paris.The post Olympic Equestrian Controversies appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

Team GB is celebrating its first gold medal of the Paris Olympic Games this afternoon after the British eventing team secured gold.Laura Collett (riding London 52), Tom McEwen (JL Dublin) and Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo) travelled to France as the defending champions and were favourites to win team gold again. Three spectacular performances from all three riders made it happen.Im on top of the world. Ive never ridden into an atmosphere like that, said Laura. Luckily London is a trusty partner and so are my teammates. We brought it home!Ros confessed that it was terrible watching Laura who was the last Brit to jump and so the teams fate rested in her hands go in.I hid behind whoever was taller than me, which is most people, she said with a smile. It was terrifying but amazing.Tom added: Its been a rollercoaster and fantastic that were all here in this position. We rose to the occasion.Record gold number fiveThis is Team GBs fifth team gold in eventing.Three other nations Germany, Australia and the USA have won four team golds in the past, but Britain is the first country to do it for a fifth time.There are no words to describe the atmosphere here [in Paris], said Laura.I didnt think you could top the cross-country yesterday but riding into the arena today with quite a bit of pressure was unreal. Luckily these two [Tom and Ros] had already done such a good job.[Gold] is what we came here for and Im so proud of them, said Yazmin Ingham, Britains reigning world champion who went to Paris as a reserve with Banzai du Loir but didnt compete. It has been amazing to experience these Games, especially with these guys.Team GB also set two new dressage records in Olympic eventing. Laura scored the lowest ever mark as an individual, while the teams combined score after the first phase was also a record breaker.Historic medal for JapanThe host nation, France, claimed team silver, ahead of Japan in bronze.This is another record, as it is the first Olympic medal Japan has ever won in eventing.Laura and Tom were a part of the British trio that won gold in Tokyo three years ago ending a 49-year golden drought for Team GB in Olympic eventing in the process while Ros Canter travelled to Japans capital city as reserve and wasnt needed.There was plenty of pressure on the British team today, as their lead was narrow after yesterdays cross-country phase.A controversial 15 penalties was added to Ros score when she was deemed not to have passed the correct side of a white flag at one fence.An objection was logged by the British team and it was reviewed by the ground injury, who ruled that the penalties would be upheld due to a lack of evidence.In this situation, evidence must be in the form of video footage or good quality images.Individual chancesAll eyes now turn to the second showjumping phase this afternoon, in which the top 25 riders will come forward to compete for individual medals.Germanys Michael Jung is still out in front with Chipmunk FRH.Australias Chris Burton is 0.6 of a penalty behind him with Shadow Man.Then two British riders are in third and fourth Laura Collett on 23.1, closely followed by Tom McEwen on 25.8.Four penalties separate the top four individuals at this stage, which means a single showjump down (which costs four penalties) could cost a medal.The final showjumping kicks off at 2pm (BST)/3pm in Paris.More images will be added to this story asapView the full final team leaderboardRelated contentWalk the Olympic team showjumping course in picturesBrits hang on to overnight lead after cross-country in ParisRecord-breaking dressage scores earns solid lead for BritainThe post We brought it home!: Britain wins historic fifth team eventing gold appeared first on Your Horse.

After two days of rain here in the le-de-France at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it was sunny and cool-ish with temps beginning in the high 50s and ending the day near 80 degrees (Fahrenheit) yesterday during the cross-country phase of eventing. Although there was plenty of mud in the walking paths for the estimated over 40,000 spectators arriving here, the galloping track on course looked to be fairly nicenot too hard, not too muddy, but perhaps sticky in a couple of spots.Designed by Frenchman Pierre Le Goupil, the course was just under 3.2 miles (5,149 meters) and contained 28 obstacles with 41 jumping efforts. Placed on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, the track ran along the picturesque Grand Canal with the Palace in the background in some places, and through the woods where royalty once hunted deer and other game. The prescribed speed was 570 meters/minute with a time allowed of 9 minutes 2 seconds.Laura Collett (GBR) and London 52 on course with the Palace of Versailles setting the scene. Photo courtesy FEI/Benjamin ClarkAs always in this sport, especially with the current super-intense format of Olympic eventing, the story of the day boiled down to it was the best of times and worst of times to paraphrase Charles Dickens. There were some spectacular rounds, the current leader Germanys Michael Jung and Chipmunk FRH among them; they pulled ahead of Great Britains Laura Collett and London 52 by 0.5 going double clear when Collett and London had 0.8 time penalties.Cross-Country StatsMichael Jung (GER) and Chipmunk FRH took the lead in eventing at the 2024 Paris Olympics after cross-country. Photo courtesy FEI/Benjamin ClarkOnly 10 horse and rider combos out of 64 made it round within the time. In addition to Jung they were: Christopher Burton and Shadow Man (AUS), currently in third; Felix Vogg and Dao de LOcean (SUI) currently in fourth; Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street (JPN), currently in fifth; Tom McEwan and JL Dublin (GBR) currently in sixth; Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne (JPN) currently in eighth; Karim Florent Laghouag and Triton Fontaine (FRA) currently in 10th; Austin OConnor and Colorado Blue (IRL) currently in 14th; Janneke Boonzaaijer and Champ De Tailleur (NED) currently in 16th; and Frida Andersen and Box Leo (SWE) currently in 20th.Looking at the cross-country fence analysis, there were two rider falls (Ronald Zabala (ECU) at fence 23a and Christopher Wahler (GER) at 16a, and one horse fall (Portuguese rider Manuel Graves horse Carat De Bremoy at fence 3; I saw them both walking back to the stables looking unharmed). There were 13 refusals total, with one pair being eliminated due to three refusals (Polish rider Jan Kaminski on Jard). Six horse and rider pairs missed flags for 15 penalties each. One rider was eliminated by the Ground Jury (Finnish rider Sanna Siltakorpi on Bofey Click).Kevin McNab from Australia retired on Don Quidam on course between fences 11 and 12. The horse was taken to hospital for evaluation and the Australian Team issued a statement that he had a soft tissue injury and was being treated.Another thing of note was that after the dressage phase, Brazilian rider Carols Parro, who rode Safira, was issued a yellow card by the FEI for using rollkur in training which is defined by the FEI as causing unnecessary discomfort to the horse; the issue was reported to the FEI by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In 51st place after dressage, he was allowed to run cross-country and finished the day in 42nd place after 22.4 time penalties.Team StandingsTeam Great Britain headed into cross-country with a comfortable 14.5-point lead over the French Team but by the end of the day the story was quite different. Great Britains Rosalind Canter and Lordships Graffalo were assessed a 15-point penalty for missing a flag on fence 21D (other than that they went clear and inside the time; later Canter filed an official protest on the matter, but the ground jury denied her request).For more coverage, visit our2024 Paris Olympics main page.With all three French pairs jumping around cleanlyone of them with no time penalties they closed the gap significantly and are now only are only 4.7 points (just over one show jumping rail) behind the British Team after cross-country (87.20). In addition to Laghouags double clear, the other two French riders had only a few time penalties (Stephane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau, 2.8 time penalties for 7th place after cross-country, and Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe, 3.2 time penalties for 11th place).Karim Florent Laghoug and Triton Fontaine went double clear in cross-country. Photo by Sarah Miller/Kim MacMillanJapan was another headliner yesterday. The Japanese have been working incredibly hard on achieving equestrian success in recent years and just missed the podium in Tokyo, finishing fourth there. They took the bronze medal spot after cross-country yesterday on 93.8, 8.6 points ahead of fourth-place Switzerland (102.40). After his teammates went double clear, Japanese rider Ryuzo Kitajima riding Cekatinka jumped clear on cross-country but they were assessed 6.4 time penalties putting them in 28th after cross-country.Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street. Photo by Sarah Miller/MacMillan PhotographyThen, there was an unfortunate turn of events for the Japanese Team this morning in the second horse inspection when Kitajimas horse Cekatinka was sent to the hold box where the Japanese Team decided to withdraw the mare and not re-present. In order to stay in the team competition, they opted to substitute reserve rider Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson and took a 20-point penalty. This dropped them into fourth place (113.80) behind Switzerland before show jumping.Beyond the top four team places after cross-country, this is where the other countries stood: Belgium, fifth; New Zealand, sixth; Sweden, seventh; Ireland, eighth; the USA ninth; the Netherlands, 10th; Canada, 11th; Brazil 12th; Italy, 13th; Germany; 14th; Australia; 15th; Poland 16th.The USA team, two of which were mounted on very young horses (Caroline Pamukcus HSH Blake at 9 years old and Liz Hallidays Nutcracker at 10) had a credible go on cross-country, in general. But, in an unlucky turn, Pamukcu and Blake miscommunicated at fence 16c which caused a refusal, adding 20 penalty points to their score; the rest of their round was quite good, but they also had time penalties (12) to stand in 47th after cross-country. Halliday and Nutcracker and Boyd Martin and Fedarman B jumped around clear, but incurred time penalties (1.6 penalties for 17th place for Martin and 6 penalties for Halliday for 22nd place).Boyd Martin (USA) and Fedarman B clear the most recognizable fence of the 2024 Paris Olympics cross-country course. Photo by Sarah Miller/MacMillan PhotographyMartin spoke well of Fedarman Bs effort on course, Hes an absolute legend. He just was brilliant every step of the way; I couldnt have asked for anything more today. He gave me his heart and soul, and got a little tired over the last three fences, but he just dug deep and kept going. I was very, very pleased with him, said Martin.Chef dEquipe Bobby Costello commented the teams cross-country rounds, [Caroline] had a great round the rest of the way around after the miscommunication at the 16 combination. Both Liz and Boyd really did the U.S. proud. I think they all did. It was just a real shame for Caroline that happened. Were incredibly disappointed at the result to be honest, because we have put in so much work to be more competitive here. I think it shows why this Olympic format is, for better or worse, intense; its completely unforgiving, and thats the game we came to play today, and it didnt go our way.Going into Sundays show jumping phase, the Australian, Brazilian, German, Irish and Polish Teams each had to take the hard hit of penalty points substituting in new riders, each after losing one team member on cross-country (with Australias McNab retiring his horse on course due to the injury, Germanys Wahler falling off, and the Polish rider being eliminated due to refusals) or because one of their horses was not presented for inspection today (see below). This dropped each team way down in the rankings and will be quite hard to recover from today.Also, replacing a team member before cross-country yesterday, and thus incurring penalty points, was Italy when blood was discovered in the mouth of Emiliano Portales horse Future after their dressage ride on Friday resulting in their elimination due to the FEIs no blood rule.Eventing Second Horse InspectionIn this mornings eventing second horse inspection, three horses were sent to the hold box, two from Japan (Kitajimas Cekatinka which was withdrawn as already mentioned and Yoshiaki Oiwas horse MGH Grafton Street who was re-presented and passed) and Australian rider Shane Roses horse Virgil which was passed on re-inspection. Four horses that had finished cross-country yesterday were not presented for inspection, three of which were team horses causing substitutions: McNabs Don Quidam (AUS); Sarah Ennis Action Lady M (IRE); Parros Safira (BRA); Sanna Siltakorpis Bofey Click (FIN, riding as an individual), and Carlos Diaz Fernandez Taraje CP 21.10 (ESP, riding as an individual).Eventing Show Jumping Phase PreviewToday, there will be two rounds of show jumping, the first to determine team medals and a qualifier to move on for the second individual round. This is because Olympic rules do not allow an athlete to earn two separate medals for one performance. Then, the top 25 horse and rider combinations come back an hour and a half later to jump again for individual medals. Then, team and individual medal ceremonies will happen.The eventing jumping team final and individual qualifier begins at 5 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time, and the individual final begins at 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. NBCs Peacock and NBCOlympics.com will livestream the competition.Team Start List Individual Start ListThanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.The post 2024 Paris Olympics: Eventing Cross-Country Summary & Show Jumping Prelude appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.