The Olympic torch is currently winding its way through France on the way to the “City of Lights” to ignite the cauldron on the evening of July 26 during the opening of the 33rd Modern Olympiad in Paris. Meanwhile, in national equestrian federation offices and training stables around the world, strategies are being formed for the best possible performances at the Olympics.

It’s all about representing one’s country, achieving personal bests, and Olympic dreams now. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games take place July 26-August 11 (with equestrian events July 26-August 6). Find a full equestrian schedule for the Olympics here.

As of this past Monday, July 8, all countries putting forward equestrian teams, or individual horse and rider combinations, had to complete their “definite entries” lists for dressage, eventing and show jumping for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Find a list of definite entries by discipline here, from the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).

2024 Paris Olympics Equestrian Statistics

Jumping: 35 countries, 20 teams, 75 horse/rider combinations
Eventing: 27 countries, 16 teams, 65 horse/rider combinations
Dressage: 30 countries, 15 teams, 60 horse/rider combinations

(Note: The Paris 2024 sport entries (FEI Definite Entries) lists also include additional reserve horses and riders.)

The 49 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represented in equestrian sport at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are: Argentina; Austria; Australia; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; China; Chile; Colombia; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; Estonia; Finland; France; Great Britain; Germany; Greece; Hungary; India; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Republic of Korea; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Mexico; Moldova; Morocco; The Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Singapore; South Africa; Spain; Switzerland; Sweden; Syria; Thailand; United Arab Emirates; United States of America, and Venezuela. Find the full lists here.

Eventing Preview

In a change of order from the last several Olympics, eventing is first up in a very compact Olympic competition schedule (all three equestrian disciplines are crammed into 11 days including horse inspections).

Sixteen national eventing teams (with three riders per team for a total of 48 athletes) will compete for the team medals. This includes the host nation’s riders from France along with Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. These team athletes will also compete for the Individual medals.

An additional 17 Individual rider quota places are allocated through the FEI Olympic Regional Groups (North Western Europe, South Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Central Asia, North America, Central & South America, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and Oceania) and the overall FEI world rankings. That brings the total eventing competitors for Paris 2024 to 65.

Because of the Olympic rule that no individual athlete can earn two medals for the same performance, on the final day of eventing, there will be two stadium jumping rounds separated by a one-and-a-half-hour resting period. The first round will determine team medals (and will serve as a qualifier for moving on to the second round for individual medals). All horse and rider combinations that finish cross-country the day before, and then pass the second horse inspection the next morning, will compete in the first round. Then, the top 25 return for a second round to determine individual medals. In both rounds, the competitors will enter the ring in reverse order of the standings.

Eventing Schedule

Times listed in Central European Time and then converted to U.S. Eastern Time.

Wednesday, July 24
◆ Eventing horses arrive on site

Friday, July 26
◆ Eventing First Horse Inspection, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (3:30 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Saturday, July 27
◆ Eventing Dressage, Team & Individual (65 starters), 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Sunday, July 28
◆ Eventing Cross-Country, Team & Individual (65 starters), 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (4:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Monday, July 29
◆ Eventing Second Horse Inspection, 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. (2:00 a.m. – 3:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Eventing Jumping, Team Final & Individual Qualifier, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (5:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Eventing Jumping, Individual Final (25 starters), 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Eventing Team & Individual Medal Ceremony, 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

In addition to the cross-country course designer Pierre Le Goupil, other FEI officials for eventing will include: Technical Delegate Marcin Konarski (POL); Ground Jury President Christina Klingspor (SWE); Ground Jury Member Xavier Le Sauce (FRA); Ground Jury Member Robert Stevenson (USA); Assistant Technical Delegate Gaston Bileitczuk (FRA).

The US Equestrian (USEF) Eventing Team members were announced on June 3. They are:

◆ William Coleman (Ocala, Fla.) and Off The Record, a 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Arkansas x Ard Ohio) owned by the Off The Record Syndicate and cared for by Hailey Burlock. His Direct Reserve horse is Diabolo, a 2012 Holsteiner gelding (Diarado x Aljano 2) owned by the Diabolo Group and cared for by Hailey Burlock & Erin Jarboe.

◆ Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Fedarman B, a 2010 KWPN gelding (Eurocommerce Washington x Fedor) owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate and cared for by Stephanie Simpson. His Direct Reserve horse is Commando 3, a 2013 Holsteiner gelding (Conner 48 x Amigo XX) owned by Yankee Creek Ranch LLC and cared for by Stephanie Simpson.

◆ Caroline Pamukcu (Springtown, Pa.) and HSH Blake, a 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tolan R. x Kannan) owned by Mollie Hoff, Sherrie Martin, Caroline Pamukcu, and Deniz Pamukcu and cared for by Chloe Teahan

◆ Traveling Reserve: Elisabeth Halliday (Lexington, Ky.) and Cooley Nutcracker, a 2014 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tolan R. x Cobra) owned by Chris Desino, Rob Desino, Deborah Halliday, Liz Halliday, and Renee Lane and cared for by Abby Steger

The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello alongside Team Leader Gemma Stobbs, and supported by team veterinarian Dr. Susan Johns, team equine physiotherapist Linda Vegher, team human physiotherapist Jennifer Mitchell, and team farrier Beck Ratte.

Costello talked about their team spirit on the day of the announcement in early June, “This was a very thorough selection process and after speaking with each of our team members named to this Olympic team, I can say there is a palpable sense of optimism and determination as we enter these final six weeks of meticulous preparation heading into Paris. We have firm, but realistic, expectations together as a team to continue pushing the needle forward for this program. Let’s go USA!”

For more news, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

Dressage Preview

The dressage horses settle in at the Palace of Versailles during the eventing competition, but don’t start competing until the day after eventing finishes. There will be 15 teams (with three riders per team for a total of 45 team athletes). Teams are from the host nation France as well as Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the USA.

Then, there will be an additional 15 Individual competitors (with those places allocated through FEI Olympic Groups mentioned above, qualification events and the FEI Olympic Ranking list). This brings the total number of dressage competitors for Paris 2024 to 60.

Here’s how the dressage competition works. All of the 60 dressage competitors perform a Grand Prix Test, half one day and the other half the next day. The Grand Prix Test serves as a qualifier for both the upcoming team and the individual competitions. The riders from the top ten teams, including any teams tied for tenth place, return for the Grand Prix Special on the third day of competition (after two days of rest) and the Special will determine the team medals. Then finally, the top scoring 18 riders, including any tied for 18th place, from the Grand Prix Test (whether they rode for a team or as an individual) will move on to the Grand Prix Freestyle on the final day to determine the individual medals.

Dressage Schedule

Times listed in Central European Time and then converted to U.S. Eastern Time.

Friday, July 26
◆ Dressage horses arrive

Sunday, July 28
◆ Dressage First Horse Inspection, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Tuesday, July 30
◆ Dressage Grand Prix Group 1 (30 starters), 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (5:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Wednesday, July 31
◆ Dressage Grand Prix Group 2 (30 starters), 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (4:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Saturday, August 3
◆ Dressage Grand Prix Special, (30 starters), 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (4:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Dressage Team Medal Ceremony, 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Sunday, August 4
◆ Dressage Second Horse Inspection, 7:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. (1:00 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle (18 starters), 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (4:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Dressage Individual Medal Ceremony, 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

FEI officials for dressage include: Technical Delegate Vincenzo Truppa (ITA); Ground Jury President Raphaël Saleh (FRA); Ground Jury Member Henning Lehrmann (GER); Ground Jury Member Isobel Wessels (GBR); Ground Jury Member Mariette Sanders (NED); Ground Jury Member Magnus Ringmark (SWE); Ground Jury Member Michael Osinski (USA); Ground Jury Member Susanne Baarup (DEN).

The US Equestrian Dressage Team was announced on June 25. They are:

◆ Adrienne Lyle (Wellington, Fla.) and Helix, a 2012 Dutch Warmblood (Apache X Zeester T) gelding owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and cared for by Marina Lemay

◆ Marcus Orlob (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Jane, a 2014 Dutch Warmblood (Desperado x Zandra) mare owned by Alice Tarjan and cared for by Allison Nemeth

◆ Steffen Peters (San Diego, Calif.) and Suppenkasper, a 2008 KWPN (Spielberg x Upanoeska) gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki and cared for by Eddie Garcia

◆ Traveling Reserve: Endel Ots (Wellington, Fla.) and Bohemian, a 2010 Westphalian (Bordeaux x Sunshine) gelding owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and cared for by Caroline Hoerdum

The U.S. Olympic Dressage Team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig alongside Team Leader Laura Roberts, and supported by team veterinarian Dr. Laura Faulkner, team human physiotherapist Jennifer Mitchell, and team farrier Chuck Jones.

“There has been a lot of anticipation around the selection of this team, and I am confident in and proud of each of the combinations we have representing the U.S. at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Everyone has been hard at work here in Europe for the past six weeks, working to solidify and build confidence in their partnerships and producing stronger scores for the U.S. We want to be sure our horses are peaking at the right time over the next few weeks, and I know these athletes will give everything they have to make our country proud,”  said Traurig after the U.S. Dressage Team was announced.

Show Jumping Preview

As the event horses say goodbye to France, the jumping horses move into the Olympic stables at Versailles two days before they compete for the first time. A total of 75 competitors will compete in jumping, 20 teams of three riders each and 15 individuals. The team competition runs over the first two days with all 20 teams competing on day one, then the top ten teams, plus any teams in a tie for 10th, returning the next day to compete for the team medals.

Then, the jumpers have two days off while the dressage Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle are contested. Finally, the jumpers return for the individual competition with 75 starters on the first qualifier day, with no more than three from any one nation. That number is pared down on the next day when only the top 30 horse and rider combinations return, plus any tied for 30th place if applicable, to jump for the individual medals. Then, that’s a wrap for equestrian competition at Versailles on August 6, five days before the Closing Ceremonies of the 33rd Olympiad on August 11.

Jumping Schedule

Times listed in Central European Time and then converted to U.S. Eastern Time.

Tuesday, July 30
◆ Jumping horses arrive

Wednesday, July 31
◆ Jumping Teams First Horse Inspection, 7:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (1:30 a.m. – 4:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Jumping Training Session, 6:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (12:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Thursday, August 1
◆ Jumping Team Qualifier (20 teams/60 starters), 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (5:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Friday, August 2
◆ Jumping Team Final (10 teams/30 starters), 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Jumping Team Medal Ceremony, 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Saturday, August 3
◆ Jumping Individual Horse Inspection, 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Sunday, August 4
◆ Jumping Individual Training Session, 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Monday, August 5
◆ Jumping Individual Qualifier (75 starters), 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

Tuesday, August 6
◆ Jumping Individual Finals (30 starters), 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (4:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)
◆ Jumping Individual Medal Ceremony, 12:00 pm. – 12:30 p.m. (6:00 a.m. – 6:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time)

In addition to co-course designers Santiago Varela and Gregory Bodo, other FEI officials for jumpers include: Technical Delegate Guilherme Nogueira Jorge (BRA); Ground Jury President Frances Hesketh-Jones (ITA); Ground Jury Member Patrice Alvado (FRA); Ground Jury Member Harrij Braspenning (NED); Ground Jury Member David Distler (USA); Ground Jury Member Karoly Fugli (HUN); Limb Sensitivity Liaison Judge Manuel Carvalho Martins (POR).

The US Equestrian Jumping Team was announced on July 6. Team members are:

◆ Kent Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) and Greya, a 2014 Oldenburg mare (Colestus x Contessa) owned by Kent Farrington LLC, and cared for by Denise Moriarty

◆ Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) and Baloutinue, a 2010 Hanoverian (Balou du Rouet x Utika) gelding owned by St. Bride’s Farm and cared for by Margo Thomas

◆ McLain Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) and Ilex, a 2013 KWPN (Baltic VDL x Calendula) gelding owned by Bonne Chance Farm and McLain Ward and cared for by Virginie Casterman

◆ Traveling Reserve: Karl Cook (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and Caracole de la Roque, a 2012 Selle Français (Zandor Z x Pocahontas d’Amaury) mare owned by Signe Ostby and cared for by Tessa Falanga.

The U.S. Olympic Jumping Team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland alongside Team Leader Lizzy Chesson, and supported by team veterinarian Heather Sherman, team equine physiotherapist Janus Marquis, team human physiotherapist Jennifer Mitchell, and team farrier Chuck Jones.

Ridland talked about his seasoned team on selection day, “We are very lucky to have three of the most experienced athletes in the sport riding horses that are in top form heading into the Games. Additionally, we have a strong alternate athlete horse combination in Karl and Caracole who have shown great recent form,” said Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland. “Now that selection is complete, we are 100% laser-focused on Paris.”

How To Watch & Cheer

If you don’t have plans to travel to France to support Team USA there, you’ll want to watch all of the action on the NBC Universal family of channels since they hold broadcast rights for the Olympics in the U.S.

NBC plans a mix of coverage of the various sports spread across their regular network  NBC-TV and their cable channels such as CNBC, USA Network and E! as well as Spanish-language broadcasts on Telemundo. Go to NBCOlympics.com to find news and schedules about what sports will air when on what channel.

More specifically for horse sports, visit here for information on equestrian coverage at the Olympics. Most equestrian competition broadcasts will be on NBC, USA Network and E! television channels, as well as online livestreaming options through Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app, and the NBC Olympics app.

If you want to be assured of seeing every ride in every equestrian discipline at the Olympics, it appears that a subscription to Peacock may be your best bet. They have two options, one that offers just livestreaming or a plus level that offers on-demand playback of the competitions as well.

And yes, Snoop Dogg will be a special correspondent once again.

If you would like to support Team USA while enjoying some retail therapy at the same time, shop for US Equestrian swag at shopusef.org or Team USA gear on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s retail site, teamusashop.com.

Contributions to the United States Equestrian Team Foundation (USET) also go to directly support our American riders in international competition. For more information, go to uset.org. Consider hosting an Olympic viewing party with refreshments, Olympic trivia games, and a collection jar for USET Foundation donations. Every little bit helps!

Go Team USA and best of luck to all of the horses and riders at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Let the Games begin!

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LEXINGTON, KY. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athlete-and-horse combinations selected to represent the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games hosted from July 26 – August 11, 2024. Eventing competition will be the first equestrian discipline on the overall Paris 2024 sporting schedule and held at the equestrian grounds of Versailles, beginning on Saturday, July 27, and concluding on Monday, July 29.

The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello alongside Team Leader Gemma Stobbs, and supported by team veterinarian Dr. Susan Johns, team equine physiotherapist Linda Vegher, team human physiotherapist Jennifer Mitchell, and team farrier Beck Ratte.

“This was a very thorough selection process and after speaking with each of our team members named to this Olympic team, I can say there is a palpable sense of optimism and determination as we enter these final six weeks of meticulous preparation heading into Paris,” said Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello. “We have firm but realistic expectations together as a team to continue pushing the needle forward for this program. Let’s go USA!”

For more news, visit our 2024 Paris Olympics main page.

The following combinations have been selected to represent the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team and are listed in alphabetical order.

William Coleman (Ocala, Fla.) and Off The Record, a 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Arkansas x Ard Ohio) owned by the Off The Record Syndicate and cared for by Hailey Burlock

Direct Reserve: Diabolo, a 2012 Holsteiner gelding (Diarado x Aljano 2) owned by the Diabolo Group and cared for by Hailey Burlock & Erin Jarboe

Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Fedarman B, a 2010 KWPN gelding (Eurocommerce Washington x Fedor) owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate and cared for by Stephanie Simpson

Direct Reserve: Commando 3, a 2013 Holsteiner gelding (Conner 48 x Amigo XX) owned by Yankee Creek Ranch LLC and cared for by Stephanie Simpson

Caroline Pamukcu (Springtown, Pa.) and HSH Blake, a 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tolan R. x Kannan) owned by Mollie Hoff, Sherrie Martin, Caroline Pamukcu, and Deniz Pamukcu and cared for by Chloe Teahan

The following combination has been selected as the traveling reserve.

Elisabeth Halliday (Lexington, Ky.) and Cooley Nutcracker, a 2014 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tolan R. x Cobra) owned by Chris Desino, Rob Desino, Deborah Halliday, Liz Halliday, and Renee Lane and cared for by Abby Steger

The following combination has been selected as the first alternate combination.

Sydney Elliott (Hoffman, N.C.) and QC Diamantaire, a 2010 Oldenburg gelding (Diarado x Sandro Hit) owned by Carol Stephens and cared for by Caitlin Martin

The following combinations have been selected as team alternates and are listed in alphabetical order.

James Alliston (San Ramon, Calif.) and Karma, a 2014 Oldenburg mare owned by Alliston Equestrian & Ric Plummer

Jennie Brannigan (West Grove, Pa.) and FE Lifestyle, 2010 Deutches Sportferd gelding owned by Nina & Timothy Gardner

Will Faudree (Southern Pines, N.C.) and Mama’s Magic Way, 2011 Hanoverian gelding owned by Jennifer Mosing & Sterling Silver Stables

Elisabeth Halliday (Lexington, Ky.) and Miks Master C, 2012 Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Ocala Horse Properties and Deborah Palmer

Elisabeth Halliday (Lexington, Ky.) and Shanroe Cooley, a 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Ocala Horse Properties

The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team will participate in a Mandatory Outing in Aiken, S.C. from June 21-23, 2024, at the Stable View Summer HT, before heading to Europe to begin their final preparations ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

— Edited Press Release

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post 2024 Paris Olympics: US Equestrian Announces U.S. Olympic Eventing Team Ahead of Paris 2024 Olympic Games appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Dressage is halfway complete at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day event CCI5*-L.

Currently in first is Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain and 2011 Selle Français gelding Banzai Du Loir set the bar high with a 26.1, securing her a 5-point lead.

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“His test overall had some really nice highlights overall. We’ve been working on getting more expression in the trot… he has so much presence,” Ingham said.

She added, “His first centerline could have been a little straighter, I think. That’s something I’ll go home and work on.”

Kirsty Chabert, also from Great Britain, sits in second on a 30 riding Classic IV, a 2009 Anglo European mare.

“At 15 years old, she’s improving. Hopefully she’s a really nice bottle of red wine and just keeps maturing with age,” Chabert said of Classic IV.

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When asked about how she feels about the remainder of the weekend and her competition, she added that no matter how the final results settle, “I’ve got my own goals that I’d like to achieve.”

Only 0.1 point behind is German rider Malin Hansen-Hotopp and 2012 Holsteiner gelding Carlitos Quidditch K. A 30.1 puts her in third.

“I got him from a friend as a 5-year-old and she asked me to ride him for a young horse competition,” Hansen-Hotopp said.

After some hesitation with having other horses to ride and young kids, she agreed to give it a go. “He was really grumpy, bucking all the time… but he did a great job when he was jumping.”

With her husband’s support she bought him and since then their partnership has gone “up and up and up.”

In the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, Boyd Martin and Commando 3 sit in first on a 28.9. William Coleman holds both second and third with a 29.9 on Diabolo and a 30.1 with Off the Record.

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Find all of our coverage on our 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day event landing page.

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

This article about the first day of dressage at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Record combined driving entries and a “luck of the Irish” day for show jumper Daniel Coyle highlighted the 33rd renewal of the Live Oak International Combined Driving and Show Jumping Tournament March 14-17, 2024. The tournament was hosted by world champion FEI four-in-hand driver Chester Weber at his family’s 5,000-acre estate near Ocala, Florida. The competition featured four days of both national and international driving divisions and three days of FEI-level show jumping culminating with this season’s final FEI World Cup Qualifier jumping class on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.  

Over 15,000 spectators watched the action over the four days at the 2024 Live Oak International. In addition to competition, the tournament had a vendor village and food court, a children’s activity area, a beer garden, a Net Jets walk-through mock airplane exhibit, and daily KWPN Dutch Harness Horse exhibitions. There was also a tailgating competition sponsored by Ocala magazine and a jungle-themed party on Friday night sponsored by Gold’s Gym of Ocala.  

Weber said he and his family were excited to host the competitors and spectators for a 33rd time. Live Oak began in 1990 as a club-level driving competition and developed into a world-class show using a grass main arena surrounded by picturesque Spanish-moss filled oak trees and a sprawling marathon course featuring seven challenging combined driving obstacles. In 2012, Weber’s sister Juliet W. Reid and her daughter jumper rider Chloe D. Reid asked him to add show jumping competition to the Live Oak schedule and it proved to be a popular combination.  

He shared that Live Oak is the largest spectator event in Marion County, Florida, and that they do their best to offer something for everyone―spectators, competitors and sponsors―to enjoy. “At Live Oak International we challenge ourselves to be bigger and better every year and we continue to strive to ensure the best possible experience for all who visit our tournament.”  

Find out out more about the 2025 Live Oak International Event here.  

Combined Driving Results

This year’s Live Oak International combined driving competition saw the largest number of entries in the history of the event thus far with drivers from five countries competing (Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S.). The driving included national classes for youth, para and able-bodied competitors and international classes at the FEI 2* and FEI 3* levels. In addition to the youth and para-driving classes, other national driving divisions offered were Intermediate-level divisions for single horses, single ponies, horse pairs and pony pairs. International driving divisions included single horse, single pony and pony pairs at the FEI 2* level, and single horse, single pony, pony pair and horse teams at the FEI 3* level.  

Winner of the FEI 3* Horse Teams was Chester Weber and his team of four Dutch horses. First place in the FEI 3* Horse Single division was Raymond Helmuth of Cambridge, Iowa, driving Kendro. Topping the FEI 3* Pony Pair was Yannik Scherrer of Switzerland driving Mary Phelps’ small, but mighty, ponies Bugsy Malony and Al Capony. Anna Koopman of Middleburg, Va., grabbed the blue with Chandler Creek Eclipse in the FEI 3* Pony Single. For a full set of 2024 Live Oak driving results, click here.

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FEI Show Jumping Results

Everything was coming up shamrocks in the Live Oak International FEI World Cup Qualifier with five competitors from Ireland, two of those (Daniel Coyle and Dermott Lennon) qualifying for the four-rider jump off. Overall, there were 32 competitors from 11 countries in the World Cup class. In the end it was Ireland’s Daniel Coyle riding Incredible, owned by Coyle and Canadian Ariel Grange, who jumped clear in both the first round and the jump off and had the fastest time (40.37 seconds) over a track designed by Germany’s Olaf Petersen, Jr.  

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Coyle, who ended the FEI North American League season at the top of the standings and is thus qualified for the 2024 World Cup Finals in Saudi Arabia in April, said he has only been riding Incredible, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Clinton-Heartbreaker) since January. He credited Dutch horseman Jeroen Dubbeldam for recommending the horse to him.

“Every time I go in the ring, I’m finding something new [about Incredible]. It’s great that I can find that out while competing at the top of the sport. He was incredible before I got him. And, it’s good to know that I was a good rider before, he was a good horse before, and today I can say that we are also very good together,” said Coyle in an interview after the competition.  

Kent Farrington of the U.S., riding his and Rabbit Root Stable LLC’s Toulayna, also qualified for the jump off and were also clear, but went before Coyle and Incredible and stopped the timers 2.21 seconds slower. Finishing third was Lennon on Millview Cicero, who had an unfortunate rail when Cicero slipped on a tight turn back to an oxer, which caused a rail to fall.  

Helpful Live Oak International Links

◆ Complete results from the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Jumping Qualifier

◆ Other show jumping results from the 2024 Live Oak International 

Watch replays of all of the action from the 2024 Live Oak International Tournament on FEI TV/Clip My Horse. A paid subscription is required, but a free 30-day trial is offered. 

Live Oak was the last qualifier for the FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 16-20, 2024. For more information about the 2024 World Cup Finals, click here.

This recap of the 2024 Live Oak International Combined Driving and Show Jumping Tournament is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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A creation of Teton Ridge, The American Performance Horseman takes place during The American Western Weekend — a multi-event western showcase known for its title event, The American Rodeo. With support from the American Quarter Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association, National Cutting Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, and the National Reined Cow Horse Association, The American Performance Horseman remains the only event to showcase each of these three western performance disciplines in the same night at the same venue. 

Following the same format as its debut last year, The American Performance Horseman saw the top five horsemen from the NCHA, NRHA and NRCHA battle head to head. A team format sent one horse and rider pair into the ring per discipline, with five horses and horsemen facing off per event for a total of fifteen performances. An individual winner was crowned for each respective discipline, and the cumulative final of all three disciplines determined the winning team.

2024 American Performance Horseman Teams

Burnt Orange Team

1. Morgan Cromer and Cool Guitar – Cutting
2. Brian Bell and Gunna Whoa – Reining
3. Corey Cushing and SJR Talkin Diamonds – Reined Cow Horse

Racing Green Team

1. Wesley Galyean and Nineteen 42 – Cutting
2. Andrea Fappani and All Bettss Are Off – Reining
3. Matt Koch and Smart Ladies Sparkle – Reined Cow Horse

Royal Blue Team

1. Adan Banuelos and Storyteler – Cutting
2. Casey Deary and Down Right Amazing – Reining
3. Clayton Edsall and Bet He Sparks – Reined Cow Horse

Imperial Purple Team

1. James Payne and Summer Time Fun – Cutting
2. Jason Vanlandingham and Gunnabebigtime – Reining
3. Justin Wright and Scooter Kat – Reined Cow Horse

Regal Red Team

1. Austin Shepard and Kittennish – Cutting
2. Cade McCutcheon and Finals Bound – Reining
3. Sarah Dawson and Smart Chic An Tari – Reined Cow Horse

Cutting

The cutters were the first up to bat, delighting the crowd with their athleticism as they separated cattle from the herd. The audience roared with cheers and whistles as the cutting horses dug deep in the dirt and turned on the dime while working the cattle.

Ultimately, it was Adan Banuelos who defended his title as The American Performance Horseman Cutting Champion. Banuelos clenched the victory with a score of 230 aboard the AQHA/APHA double-registered stallion Storyteler, an eye-catching sorrel whose agility in the cutting pen was remarkable.

At the awards ceremony as a large crowd gathered, Banuelos was clearly touched by what this fan-focused event has done for western performance sports.

“Thank you for acknowledging the fact that horses are the original athlete in here,” Banuelos said. “I’m very grateful. I love you guys very much.”

Reining

After an intermission that featured a performance from jazz-infused rock band Ghost Hounds, reining was on deck. Performing NRHA Pattern 10, each horse and rider team galloped down the center of the arena before coming to a sliding stop at the beginning of their individual performances, setting up the excitement.

Medleys of classic rock and current pop hits roared through the ballpark as each horse displayed their athleticism and ability to be willingly guided. The audience howled at the thrilling maneuvers of sliding stops, electric spins, brisk circles and powerful rollbacks.

Yet again, a title from the original 2023 event was redeemed in 2024 — this time aboard the same horse. Last year’s The American Performance Horseman Reining Champion Casey Deary aboard the AQHA/APHA stallion Down Right Amazing performed an outstanding pattern, earning a score of 226.5.

For Deary, it was all about protecting the talented horse’s reputation. When asked what makes Down Right Amazing so special, he had nothing but admiration for the flashy sorrel stallion.

“His temperament is fantastic,” Deary said. “Nothing rattles him. He shows up to work and is just a real honest horse.”

Reined Cow Horse

The final inning of The American Performance Horseman featured the reined cow horse competitors, where horse and rider must prove their ability to work a cow. Though this event combines reining and cow work, the reined cow horse competitors performed their rein work earlier in the day, saving the exciting cow work for the Friday night crowd.

The tension in the air was palpable as the crowd watched each horse and rider team maneuver their assigned cow, first holding it at one end of the arena (boxing), before then running the cow down the rail of the arena and turning it back (fencing), and finally pushing the cow into tight circles (circling).

The athleticism of these western performance horses was vividly on display in this event, and one gleaming palomino stood out from the others. Wowing both the crowd and judges was the duo of SJR Talkin Diamonds, an AQHA/APHA stallion, and Corey Cushing, a legendary name in the reined cow horse industry with more than $3 million in earnings and a collection of important titles to his name.

Though their first cow required a call by the judges to reassign a new cow, that official performance from Cushing and SJR Talkin Diamonds was stellar, scoring a 220.5 (for a total of 439) to claim the win.

“I believed in that horse ever since I started taking him down the fence as a 3-year-old,” Cushing said in his winning interview. “We’ve been the bridesmaid quite a few times but never the bride, and tonight was his night. If I had to do it all again, I’d turn right around and call on him again to give me everything he got again.”

Team Results

With repeat wins in their divisions, Adan Banuelos and Casey Deary yet again boosted their team — Team Royal Blue — to victory. Joined by reined cow horse rider Clayton Edsall, who had a good start in his cow work but unfortunately ended up with a bumpy performance, the trio stepped on stage before the large crowd to accept their hardware and give a nod to the horsemen they’ve had the chance to work with and learn from.

“Just on our way up here, I learned a reminder that we all have ups and downs,” Banuelos said. “[Edsall] is one of the best horsemen I know, and him handling a day like today and supporting us the way that he did. I know that it wasn’t a good go at it, but he made the most of it and got us a win. And that’s what it’s all about to me. It’s all about family, it’s all about keeping your chin up, about making somebody feel good on their way out of the arena. And we’re very grateful for this man right here.”

Deary also acknowledged the teamwork that went into play with this event.

“Every single point counts toward that deal,” Deary said. “The first one counts just as much as the last one.”

This article about the 2024 The American Performance Horseman is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated and Western Life Today magazines. Click here to subscribe!

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For horse lovers of all ages and backgrounds, this was an affair to remember—the four-day Equine Affaire held at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Mass, November 9-12, 2023.

Tens of thousands of enthusiastic horse owners, riders and trainers from every discipline, as well as vendors and spectators, attended. An exceptional lineup of presenters simultaneously taught seminars, interactive clinics, and breed demonstrations across six different arenas. Unparalleled shopping at the largest horse-related trade show in the East kept visitors busy browsing acres (yes, you read that right!) of products and services. Healthy, beautiful horses were available for adoption. And the sold-out, not-to-be-missed Fantasia presentation was truly unforgettable.

Clinics, Seminars, and Demonstrations

Equine Affaire is North America’s premier equine exposition and equestrian gathering—and affords top-notch education from Olympians, World and National Champions, judges, and veterinarians.

Steffen Peters, a four-time Olympic dressage competitor, three-time USEF Horseman of the Year, and co-owner with his wife, Shannon, of SPeters Dressage at Arroyo Del Mar, presented engaging, comprehensive clinics. He helped riders to analyze the horse’s reaction and commitment of energy to the use of aids.

“We can only change something that the horse is aware of,” Peters said in his clinics.

Julie Goodnight is the producer of the award-winning TV show, Horse Master with Julie Goodnight, and training programs at JulieGoodnight.com/Academy. She is a spokesperson for the Certified Horsemanship Association and an Equine Affaire Exceptional Equestrian Educator. Julie’s brand message is “Helping horses… one human at a time,” and she enthusiastically explained her training philosophy at multiple clinics.

Jeanne McDonald is a Grand Prix dressage rider, U.S. Dressage Federation bronze, silver, and gold medalist, and U.S. Equestrian Federation “S” 4* judge. She shared her expertise with riders starting higher level dressage figures and movements. She drew attention to patiently listening to the horse: “The horse will breathe if you do,” and showing compassion, “Give her a second to be a horse.”

Phillip Dutton is a seven-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist, a co-owner of True Prospect Farm and Phillip Dutton Eventing with his wife Evie, and he was voted the Developing Rider Coach of the Year. He shared expert tips to help riders improve their jumping and create a more confident horse and rider team.

Mark Bolender, co-owner with his wife, Lee, of Bolender Horse Park, founder of the International Mountain Trail Challenge Association (IMTCA), and a three-time National Mountain Trail Champion, presented clinics demonstrating how to safely introduce and ask a horse to walk over any obstacle. Within minutes of establishing leadership and trust, Mark had each horse and rider walking a balance beam, a teeter-totter, and even a suspension bridge.

Breed Pavilion

The Breed Pavilion was the place to be for discovering fascinating horse breeds from around the world. Dozens of horse breeds and registries were available for an up close and personal introduction, including Freibergers, Gypsy Vanner, Gypsy Cobb, Lippitt Morgan, and the Dales Pony. National, regional and local breed association representatives happily answered questions and shared a wealth of information about these unique breeds.

Versatile Horse & Rider Competition

One of the most popular events at Equine Affaire is the exhilarating Versatile Horse & Rider Competition. This is a judged and timed race through an obstacle course, testing the communication between the horse and rider. Riders navigated intense trail riding challenges, including jumping over obstacles, pole bending, working gates, and backing up through a pattern — truly a team performance!

Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge

New to Equine Affaire in 2023 was the Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge, a fun competition where participants showed off their skills and muscles in three barnyard Olympic-style events. No horses here — just you and your hay-stacking, stall-mucking, tack-cleaning, and wheelbarrowing skills put to the ultimate test.

Adoption Affaire

The Adoption Affaire introduced visitors to healthy, trained horses of all different breeds, disciplines, and ages — and ready for adoption. Rescue and adoption organizations carefully process all applications to ensure the horses find the perfect forever home. At the Ohio Equine Affaire in 2023, 24 out of 37 horses onsite were adopted.

Trade Show and Marketplace Consignment Shop

The Trade Show and Marketplace Consignment were buzzing with retail excitement to outfit you, your horse, and your barn. With riding apparel, tack, grooming supplies, feed and supplements, gifts, fencing, farm equipment, trailers, and more, shoppers needed all four days to see it all.

Drive a Draft

Sam and Kellie Rettinger of Whispery Pines Percherons offered the thrilling experience of learning how to drive a gentle giant — the majestic Percheron. And these gorgeous black geldings wowed the crowds during a six-horse hitch performance at the Fantasia.

Fantasia

This breathtaking 2-hour event is filled with stunning horses, talented riders, and a musical backdrop that stirs your emotions and quickens the pulse. Fantasia’s mesmerizing choreography of remarkable horsemanship, fast-paced action, dramatic lighting, and overall energy was outstanding.

The Allure of Equine Affaire

Equine Affaire is a massive undertaking. The dedicated staff working tirelessly behind the scenes throughout the year and over 50 volunteers — many of whom return year after year— keep everything running smoothly.

Allison Rehnborg, Marketing Coordinator of Equine Affaire, says: “Working for Equine Affaire is a dream job. It’s a lot of work to put on two events each year, but when it’s all about sharing and spreading the love of the horse, that makes it all worth it.”

She adds, “When you participate in putting on an event like this over and over, you become a family… We work hard, but we also laugh together and enjoy watching what happens when you bring horse people from all different disciplines and breeds together for four days of sharing everything horse.”

If you missed out on all the excitement of Equine Affaire 2023 in Massachusetts, don’t despair! Make plans now to attend Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio (Ohio Expo Center) April 11-14, 2024. Visit equineaffaire.com/events/ohio for a schedule of events, presenters, exhibitors, and to purchase tickets.

This article about Equine Affaire 2023 in Massachusetts is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post An Equine Affaire to Remember appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Individual Jumper Final: USA Riders Silver and Bronze; Brazilian Gold

After the excitement of the team jumper finals on Wednesday at the Pan American Games where the USA pulled out all of the stops to win gold with Canada silver and Brazil bronze, thoughts turned to individual medals yesterday. The day was the hottest by far of the two weeks of Pan Am Games equestrian competition, with the temperature reaching the upper 80s Fahrenheit and bright sunshine all day.

The Pan American Games individual jumper finals comprised two rounds (A and B) both over 1.60-meter courses judged under Table A rules (not against the clock). Once again the jumps were beautifully decorated with themes from Chilean history and architecture, traditional hats worn by Chilean cowboys called “chupalla,” Native American culture, Chilean wildlife (flamingos and penguins), a semi-precious stone called lapis lazuli mined in Chile, and more.

Twenty-eight horse and rider combinations representing 13 nations (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela), and one independent athlete, took their turn over course designer Marina Azevedo’s (BRA) Round A track. The course was technically challenging and the fences were big. Penalty point scores carried over from previous days and they jumped in reverse order of placing thus far.

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USA Show Jumping Team Wins Pan American Team Gold, Canada Silver, Brazil Bronze

It might be enough to say “Job done, next stop Paris 2024!” but expounding on that theme, the U.S. Show Jumping Team put on a spectacular show today at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games equestrian sports venue near Quillota, Chile. Competitors jumped two rounds yesterday over designer Marina Azevedo’s (BRA) challenging, but fair, and beautifully decorated courses.

Seven of eight rounds that the U.S. Team members jumped today were “foot-perfect” with Karl Cook’s first round on Caracole de La Roque the only outlier (12 faults). McLain Ward riding Contagious, Kent Farrington riding Landon and Laura Kraut on Dorado 212 rubber stamped clean round after clean round to produce a winning team score of 12.37.

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Jumpers Take Center Stage at Santiago 2023 Pan American Games

The first of three days of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games show jumping competition kicked off yesterday with the “speed” class, an FEI jumper rules “Table C” class where rails knocked down are converted to time and added to the time it took the horse and rider to complete the course. The course was listed as a Table A course, but judged under Table C rules (no jump off to break ties).

The 1.50-meter course featured 13 obstacles and 16 jumping efforts with a length of about 600 meters and a time limit of 120 seconds. The class was both a team and an individual qualifying class. Forty-six starters tackled the show jumping course with two being eliminated for refusals, Andres Julio Soto Peña riding Optimus Blue from the Dominican Republic and Bolivia’s Diego Alejandro Bedoya Yañez and Skara Glen’s Para Bellum.

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2023 Pan American Games Eventing Final Day: Individual Gold and Team Silver for USA, Team Gold and Individual Bronze for Canada

Yesterday was the first day since the 2023 Pan American Games began in Chile that it rained here in Quillota. But a damp morning gave way to drier conditions and partial sunshine when the show jumping phase of eventing kicked off at noon here at the Grenadier Regiment Riding School. The pressure was on with the push to win medals and to claim the two qualifying spots for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Earlier in the day 25 event horses (all who had finished cross-country the day before) were presented to the ground jury at the second horse inspection for eventing. Of those 25, three horses were sent to the hold box (Canada’s Bacyrouge ridden by Lindsay Traisnel, Mexico’s Anahuac SDN ridden by Fernando Parroquin Delfin, and Argentina’s Chaman Ginn ridden by Juan Benitez Gallardo), then represented and were accepted to show jump on second look by the jury.

The eventing show jumping course for 2023 was created by Marina Azevedo from Brazil, the first time a women has ever been the official course designer for a Pan American Games eventing show jumping course. She created a challenging course worthy of a continental championship. The CCI4* (Table A, 1.25-meter-high, 470-meter-long) course had 12 numbered obstacles and 15 jumping efforts, including double and triple combinations, and a time allowed of 76 seconds.

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Cross-Country Day at the 2023 Pan American Games

Nestled in low mountains on the border of La Campana National Park about half an hour inland from the Pacific coastline, the Grenadier Regiment Riding School (a military cavalry school) is the equestrian venue for the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games. Both the Pacific Ocean and part of the Andes mountain range can be viewed from the 6,170-foot mountain called Cerro La Campana which is located inside the park.

British explorer Charles Darwin visited the area in 1834 while on one of his many excursions. In fact, there is a large tree within the compound of the military post that was already planted and growing in the year that Darwin visited. The area is known for producing lemons, avocados and cherimoya fruit, among other agricultural products.

This scenic backdrop gave Pan American Games cross-country course designer Pierre Le Goupil (FRA) and course builder Dominic Moore (GBR) a wonderful opportunity to incorporate the landscape and history of the area into his course design. Each jump had some sort of theme related to Chilean history, culture, agricultural and mining products and geography.

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American Eventers Top Three After Dressage at Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games

It was time to play in the sandbox for the Pan American Games eventers today as they did their best to correctly execute FEI CCI4* Dressage Test B. Thirty-four competitors from nine Pan American countries moved down center line in front of ground jury members Sandy Phillips (GBR) at E, Robert Stevenson (USA) at C, and Marina Sciocchetti Campello (ITA) at M.

The four U.S. riders all scored well, with three of them receiving marks under 30 and all in the top ten. Their scores and placings after dressage are: Liz Halliday and Miks Master C, first, 24.8; Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake, second, 26.8; Sharon White and Claus 63, third, 28.2; and Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire, tenth, 33.3.

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Eventing Begins at Santiago 2023 Pan American Games

As the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games dressage competition ended, event horses grazing alongside their grooms starting dotting the landscape around the Grenadier Regiment Riding School here in Quillota. It is their turn to mix it up for medals and their country’s honor in eventing at the Pan American Games.

Having safely qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at last year’s World Championships in Italy, the United States has the luxury of giving Pan American Games experience to several riders who have not yet participated in a major games representing the stars and stripes. But for Canada it is do or die time; they have to qualify for Paris 2024 with a good performance here.

There are two Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying spots up for grabs at this Santiago 2023 Games. Teams seeking to claim one of these two Olympic qualifying spots are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay.

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2023 Pan American Games: Ecuador’s Julio Mendoza Loor, Based in USA, Wins Gold in Dressage Freestyle, Joao Victor Macari from Brazil Silver and Anna Marek from USA Bronze

United States-based Ecuadorian rider Julio Mendoza Loor, riding the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Jewel’s Goldstrike, captured Ecuador’s first-ever gold medal in dressage today at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Mendoza is a familiar face to most U.S. dressage fans since he and his wife Jessica are based in South Carolina, about an hour from the Tryon International Equestrian Center. His 87.230% score was a personal best and he and “Goldie” were in synch and spot on the entire test.

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Three U.S. Riders Qualify for Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Dressage Freestyle – Watch Live or On Demand

Watch the Pan American Games dressage freestyle competition today, Wednesday, October 25, 2023, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central, 9 a.m. Mountain, 8 a.m. Pacific and 5 a.m. Hawaii.)

United States riders competing will be Codi Harrison on Katholt’s Bossco, Anna Marek on Fire Fly, and Sarah Tubman on First Apple. U.S.-based Ecuadorian rider Julio Mendoza Loor, who lives in South Carolina, will also be competing on Jewel’s Goldstrike.

Twenty riders representing a total of 10 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, U.S., Venezuela) will ride either an Intermediate 1 freestyle or Grand Prix freestyle to compete for Pan American Games individual medals. In the team competition the two previous days, the USA won gold, Brazil silver and Canada bronze.

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The post 2023 Pan American Games appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

After the excitement of the team jumper finals on Wednesday at the Pan American Games where the USA pulled out all of the stops to win gold with Canada silver and Brazil bronze, thoughts turned to individual medals yesterday. The day was the hottest by far of the two weeks of Pan Am Games equestrian competition, with the temperature reaching the upper 80s Fahrenheit and bright sunshine all day.

The Pan American Games individual jumper finals comprised two rounds (A and B) both over 1.60-meter courses judged under Table A rules (not against the clock). Once again the jumps were beautifully decorated with themes from Chilean history and architecture, traditional hats worn by Chilean cowboys called “chupalla,” Native American culture, Chilean wildlife (flamingos and penguins), a semi-precious stone called lapis lazuli mined in Chile, and more.

Twenty-eight horse and rider combinations representing 13 nations (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela), and one independent athlete, took their turn over course designer Marina Azevedo’s (BRA) Round A track. The course was technically challenging and the fences were big. Penalty point scores carried over from previous days and they jumped in reverse order of placing thus far.

By virtue of having the top 14 scores from previous days, the U.S. (3), Brazilian (2), Mexican (2) and Canadian (3) riders, along with riders from Argentina (2), Colombia (1) and Venezuela (1), all jumped in the second half of the order in Round A. Only three riders jumped clear in Round A: Brazil’s Stephan de Freitas Barcha on Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio who had been third going into the day; Argentina’s José Maria Larocca Jr. on Finn Lente who had been 17th going into Friday, and with much applause from the home crowd, Chile’s Agustin Covarrubias on Nelson du Petit Vivier who was in 18th going into the Round A Finals.

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All of the U.S. riders had rails down in the first round, one each for Laura Kraut on Dorado 212 and Kent Farrington on Landon, and two down for McLain Ward and Contagious. However, they had all carried top scores from previous days, so after Round A they remained in in the top five with Kraut in second (7.39), Farrington in fourth (9.64) and Ward in fifth (11.34). At the end of Round A, the leader was de Freitas Barcha (BRA) with 4.06 and rounding out the top five was Mexico’s Eugenio Garza Perez on Contago in third (9.63).

Canadian rider Amy Millar on Truman was the top for her country after Round A, sitting in eighth on a score of 13.71. Teammates Tiffany Foster on Figor and Beth Underhill on Nikka Vd Bisschop were in 12th (16.4) and 13th (17.02), respectively.

Round B would sort it all out in the end to determine the individual medals. The riders faced another technical and big course from Azevedo with 10 numbered fences and 13 jumping efforts. Twenty riders returned for Round B from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United States and Venezuela. This included all three U.S. riders and all three Canadian riders.

Fences 9 and 10 ended up causing the most grief coming down for most of the competitors, including fence 9 falling for Ward and Contagious to add only four faults to their final total of 15.34 to finish in bronze position. Kraut and Dorado 212 had two unlucky rails in Round B, which dropped them into fourth place just behind Ward and Contagious.

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Ward talked about his round, his horse and the week of Pan American Games jumper competition after the awards, “It was really a brilliant week for the American team. Really the goal for us here was to win a gold medal and qualify for Paris and I think we did that with a lot of style on Wednesday. I’m very proud of my team and my horse. Contagious really fought for me today. We got a bit unlucky in a few places, but there are always things that I can do better, but he performed great and I’m just really thankful to all of the people that make it possible for me to have a horse as special as him.”

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Kent Farrington and Landon had a stellar Round B with the only double clear of any combination over the course to finish on a score of 9.64, which in the end earned them Pan Am silver behind gold medalists de Freitas Barcha on Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio, a 12-year-old mare, who did take one rail down to finish on 8.06.

Canadian Amy Millar on Truman jumped what was initially marked as a clear round within the time, which would have put her in the bronze medal spot. However, after she finished the course, but before she crossed the timer, a rail fell from fence 4b. The Canadian Team did file a protest because it was uncertain whether the rail fell before or after she stopped the timer, but in the end the ground jury upheld the 4 fault score and she finished in 6th on 17.71. Fellow countrywomen Beth Underhill on Nikka Vd Bisschop and Tiffany Foster on Figor finished in 9th (21.02) and 14th (26.40), respectively.

An emotional de Freitas Barcha talked about his win and his horse, “Since I started this journey 25 years ago in Rio de Janeiro, I worked every day for a day like this. I want to just say thank you to everybody that has helped me during this journey. I have a good team now, good people behind me, but this victory is for two people who are no longer here. It is for a teacher I had since I was 15, and also my friend who I lost at the beginning of the year. I know he was with me in every round supporting me this week and this victory is for Vava, my good friend who was like a brother to me. My mare―the way she jumps―she is amazing. I just have to work to keep her calm. I know her. I’ve been riding this mare since she was six.”

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Silver medalist Farrington said about his horse, “As a more inexperienced horse coming into this event, I think he continued to grow and improve throughout the week, and I’m just really thrilled with the result. These were big rounds today and some real jumping and I think that shows what the Pan Am Games has become in our sport. I’ve had him since the end of his 7-year-old year and he’s now ten, so really coming into his own. He’s won two five-star Grand Prixs already and just jumped better and better as the week went on. He’s an incredible athlete and you can see that he will battle his way out and finished very strong.”

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U.S. Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland summed up his riders’ performances as the Pan Am equestrian competition closed here in Chile, “We really came here for Wednesday [the Team competition to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics]. They were just brilliant and got the job done there. Today, as the individuals always are, is just the icing on the cake. All three of our combinations today have been impressive. We had some building partnerships on this team, with Kent and Landon and Laura and Dorado, and I couldn’t be happier with them, both of them jumped as well as they ever have all week.”

This coverage of the jumper finals at the 2023 Pan American Games is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Individual Jumper Final: USA Riders Silver and Bronze; Brazilian Gold appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

It might be enough to say “Job done, next stop Paris 2024!” but expounding on that theme, the U.S. Show Jumping Team put on a spectacular show today at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games equestrian sports venue near Quillota, Chile. Competitors jumped two rounds yesterday over designer Marina Azevedo’s (BRA) challenging, but fair, and beautifully decorated courses.

Seven of eight rounds that the U.S. Team members jumped today were “foot-perfect” with Karl Cook’s first round on Caracole de La Roque the only outlier (12 faults). McLain Ward riding Contagious, Kent Farrington riding Landon and Laura Kraut on Dorado 212 rubber stamped clean round after clean round to produce a winning team score of 12.37.

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U.S. Jumping Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland shared his thoughts after the team medal ceremony, “I think there’s a huge sense of relief with the team’s finish today. We really brought this down to the wire in terms of qualification, and the team produced today, especially with three clears in the first round and four in the second. I don’t think people have talked about how competitive the Pan American Games has become. It’s very stiff competition for all of the teams. For us, this gold is just the icing on top, because our priority was to secure our qualification [for the 2024 Paris Olympics.] So, now the team can enjoy this moment, but we have to immediately start shifting our focus and planning for Paris.”

Canada’s riders were pretty consistent as well with Tiffany Foster on Figor jumping clear in both rounds and Beth Underhill on Nikka Vd Bisschop and Amy Millar on Truman each producing one clear round and one 4-fault round. Mario Deslauriers and Emerson turned in two 4-fault rounds. Their final score was 17.62 to capture silver.

Brazil grabbed the bronze with 20.32 and Mexico finished fourth on 22.58. The three open spots to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games available here went to the USA, Canada and Mexico, since Brazil was already qualified. Argentina finished fifth, Colombia sixth, Chile seventh, and Uruguay eighth.

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Kraut talked about the pressure of the day, “This day was extremely nerve-wracking, but we had a very good first-round performance. But, you still know that it can all go away with the second round and two mediocre rounds could have lost it for us. I was so relieved when the three before me went clear. I almost enjoyed riding the last round.”

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Farrington said he was thrilled with the performance of his horse Landon who is relatively green at this level. “We really needed clear rounds today or we weren’t going to qualify. It was as simple as that. He showed his greenness a bit yesterday, but he really rallied back today over a much more difficult course. [It was] great progress for my horse, and [I am] happy we got Team USA into the Olympics.”

The theme for jump decoration was “scenes from southern Chile” and included Emperor penguins, other animals of Chile, Chilean wine, famous churches and cathedrals, stilt houses of Chiloé, a famous Chilean railway viaduct, Chilean volcanoes, the Mapuche people, artisan handicrafts of Chile, Patagonia and more.

After a day off from competition and a second horse inspection today, the final day of the 2023 Pan American show jumping will be tomorrow, November 3, to determine individual medals. The horse and rider pairs will again jump two rounds, the first from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and the second from 2-3:30 p.m. Chile time (Chile is one hour ahead of the Eastern U.S.).

Three of the four U.S. riders currently sit in the top ten qualifiers for the individual medal competition. Ward and Contagious top the overall leaderboard on 3.34 penalties, Kraut and Dorado 212 in second on 3.39 penalties, and Farrington and Landon in eighth on 5.64 penalties.

Fans can watch on either ClipMyHorse.TV (with paid subscription, although a free trial membership may be available) or possibly on the Pan Am Sports Channel for free at this link (may have to download a free app).

For more information on the U.S. Equestrian Team competing in Chile, click here.

Find schedules, start lists and results on the official games website here and click on “equestrian jumping.”

This coverage of show jumping at the 2023 Pan American Games is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post USA Show Jumping Team Wins Pan American Team Gold, Canada Silver, Brazil Bronze appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The first of three days of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games show jumping competition kicked off yesterday with the “speed” class, an FEI jumper rules “Table C” class where rails knocked down are converted to time and added to the time it took the horse and rider to complete the course. The course was listed as a Table A course, but judged under Table C rules (no jump off to break ties).

The 1.50-meter course featured 13 obstacles and 16 jumping efforts with a length of about 600 meters and a time limit of 120 seconds. All but one of the jumps were decorated with themes from the north of Chile. The exception was the first jump which was one borrowed from the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Jump decorations included: The Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna); Chilean flamingos; the flowering Atacama desert (Desierto Florido de Atacama); traditional music from Native American people in Chile; a famous Chilean poet named Gabriela Mistral; mining in Chile, and others.

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The class was both a team and an individual qualifying class. Forty-six starters tackled the show jumping course with two being eliminated for refusals, Andres Julio Soto Peña riding Optimus Blue from the Dominican Republic and Bolivia’s Diego Alejandro Bedoya Yañez and Skara Glen’s Para Bellum.

The U.S. Team had drawn sixth to go in the order, so with individuals competing without a team mixed in, the first U.S. rider to jump was McLain Ward in the ninth time slot. Ward rode his long-time partner Contagious, a 14-year-old Zweibrücker gelding owned by Beechwood Stables. They pulled one rail and finished in 79.56. Through a complicated formula, their first qualifying score — which will carry into today’s first class — was converted to 3.34.

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Another 10 riders later, Kent Farrington, USA, guided Landon, a 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Haitey McNerney, around the colorful course. They pulled two unfortunate rails, finishing in 84.16 which converted to 5.64 qualifying points going into today.

Twelve spots after Cook, the final U.S. rider was Laura Kraut on Dorado 212, an 11-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by St. Bride’s Farm. The pressure was on them to produce a good round and they responded by jumping clear and in a time of 79.66 which converted to 3.39 qualifying points going into today.

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U.S. Jumping Team Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland commented on the day and their end goal, “Our takeaway today is no different than what we knew coming in. You can’t also leave everything on the table on the first day, because there are twice as many jumps tomorrow and it only gets bigger from here on out. Our team needs to focus on what we can control, which is how we approach tomorrow; it’s a new day for each of the teams here.”

Marlon Modolo Zanotelli from Brazil riding Deesse de Coquerie topped the standings after yesterday’s class with a clear jumping round and a time of 72.87 which converted to a qualifying score of 0. His countryman Pedro Veniss and Nimrod de Muze Z were second in the standings with a qualifying score of 0.26. Colombia’s Rene Lopez Lizarazo on Kheros Van’T Hoogeinde is in third with a qualifying score of 0.72 and Mexico’s Eugenio Garza Perez riding Contago is next best with a qualifying score of 1.63. Canada’s Amy Millar on Truman had the fifth best qualifying score of 1.71.

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The team standings after one class are:  Brazil, first, 4.32; Colombia, second, 7.29; Canada, third, 9.62; Argentina, fourth, 12.01; USA, fifth, 12.37; Mexico, sixth, 14.58; Chile, seventh, 16.75; Uruguay, eighth, 35.57, and Ecuador, ninth, 40.98.

The three highest ranked teams from the 2023 Pan American Games, from FEI Olympic Groups D (North America) and/or E (Central and South America) and excluding teams already qualified, will punch their ticket for Paris 2024. The countries here chasing qualification for Paris are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay and USA. Brazil has already qualified. Four individual qualifying spots for athletes from countries without teams, in Groups D and E, are also up for grabs.

Today’s show jumping will be over two rounds, the first from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Chile  time (1 hour ahead of the Eastern U.S.) and the second from 2:30-5 p.m. (1 hour ahead of the Eastern U.S.).

Fans can watch on either ClipMyHorseTV.com (with paid subscription, although a free live stream is mentioned for today, November 1) or possibly on the Pan Am Sports Channel for free at this link (may have to load an free app).

For more information on the U.S. Equestrian Team competing in Chile, click here.

Find schedules, start lists and results on the official games website here and click on “equestrian jumping.”

This coverage of show jumping at the 2023 Pan American Games is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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