Phillip Dutton and Z are on the road to Tokyo! Dutton, the 6-time Olympian, is going into his 7th Olympic Games. Dutton’s first three Olympics he represented Australia and helped secure the team gold medal twice (1996 - team gold, 2000 - team gold, and 2004). The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were the first Olympic Games that Dutton rode for the U.S., and he has been on the U.S. Olympic team ever since. Dutton’s most recent Olympic performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he earned the individual bronze medal with Mighty Nice.
For 2021, Dutton’s Olympic mount is Z, a 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Thomas Tierney, Ann Jones, Caroline Moran, Simon Roosevelt, and Suzanne Lacy. Z and Dutton have a strong and successful partnership together - they were the highest placed American pair at the 2018 Tryon World Equestrian Games. They have completed the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI4*-L three times and have finished in the top 10 every time. They have jumped double clear in show jumping at every outing for the past two years, and they most recently finished second at the 2020 Tryon International CCI4*-L, second at the 2021 Stable View CCI4*-S, and eighth at the 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L.
This strong combination has also earned over 14 national titles as Dutton has been the USEA Rider of the Year an impressive thirteen times (1998, 2000 - 2010, 2012), and Z was the 2019 Horse of the Year.
Get to know more about the veteran Olympian and the horse he’ll be riding from Dutton himself.
“I had heard from Jenni [Autry] that we would be notified by email about the selection before it was announced publicly. So, I kept checking my emails.”
“In Tokyo, I will obviously have Emma looking after Z. Because of the COVID restrictions, none of Z’s owners decided to come - this made it possible then for Evie and Olivia to attend.”
“I’m superstitious about not being superstitious.”
“I like watching all sports. I guess the 100m dash is the highlight.”
“Z started in our barn originally being pretty quiet and shy. As he has moved up the levels, he’s gained much more confidence and interacts with people a lot more easily now. His favorite [person] is definitely Emma, though.”
Z was also the January USEA Horse of the Month in 2020, and more details can be found here: USEA Horse of the Month: Z.
The USEA would like to wish Dutton, Z, and Team USA the best of luck in Tokyo! Make sure to tune in as the eventing competition is in less than a week, with dressage starting on Friday, July 30 (Tokyo time).
One of my passions is continuing to be a good student, because I think no matter how old I get, there are multiple reasons learning new things inspires me. First and foremost, it helps me be a better rider and trainer, so my horses benefit. Second, it helps me be a better teacher by exposing me to different ways to have a relationship with a horse or a student.
This month we’re going to begin a three-part series on how to create positive riding experiences by making sure the words you say to yourself and the thoughts you think to yourself are positive. Referred to as self-talk, internal dialogue, or brain babble; the words you say to yourself can have a huge impact on your performance. In fact, your thoughts and voice are actually considered behaviors, and just like how positive physical behaviors (i.e. a balanced transition) can create success, your verbal behaviors can also accomplish the very same thing. So let's spend the next few months talking about how to talk to yourself!
Being spontaneous has paid off for Kevin Keane and Sportsfield Candy. “I bought him on a Wednesday and showed him on a Thursday,” Keane recalls about his first event with his Irish Sport Horse gelding, then 9 years old, at Plantation Field Horse Trials (Unionville, Pennsylvania) in September 2016. “I owned him for part of a day, and the next morning I showed up at a CCI and jogged him up for a two-star, and we went clean and clean and clean.”
THANK YOU to everyone who has already entered the USEF/USEA Recognized CDCTA Spring Horse Trials scheduled for Sunday, April 9 in Berryville, VA. We will continue to take late entries through Friday, March 24 using USEA’s Xentry system. If you still want to come compete, please enter! The late fee has been waived through Friday, March 24.