US Equestrian is pleased to announce the four athlete-and-horse combinations who will represent the U.S. Eventing Olympic Team as part of Team USA at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. The team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Erik Duvander and Team Leader Jenni Autry. Competition will begin July 30 and continue through August 2, 2021, at the Equestrian Park and Sea Forest Cross-Country Course venues. Three combinations will compete as a team with one traveling reserve. Two direct reserves have been named alongside six alternate combinations.
“I believe we have a competitive team to represent the U.S. in Tokyo. All the horses have had a little break, and we will now be working to improve some details we identified at the Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L and Jersey Fresh CCI4*-L before we head to the team’s Mandatory Outing at Great Meadow in Virginia,” commented Chef d’Equipe Erik Duvander. “Following that outing, we travel to our Pre-Export Quarantine in Aachen, Germany. This is a great facility and will function as our final training camp where we will be working with dressage judges and have Peter Wylde working with us on the show jumping. This is a very focused group of athletes who are committed to delivering a top performance in Tokyo.”
The following athlete-and-horse combinations will represent the United States at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and are listed in alphabetical order:
Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Z, a 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Thomas Tierney, Ann Jones, Caroline Moran, Simon Roosevelt, and Suzanne Lacy
Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) and Deniro Z, a 13-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Ocala Horse Properties
Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Luke 140, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by The Luke 140 Syndicate
• | First Direct Reserve: Tsetserleg TSF, a 14-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Christine Turner, Thomas Turner, and Tommie Turner |
• | Second Direct Reserve: On Cue, a 15-year-old Selle Français mare owned by Christine Turner, Boyd Martin, Thomas Turner, and Tommie Turner |
The following combination has been named as the traveling reserve:
Doug Payne (Aiken, S.C.) and Vandiver, a 17-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Debi Crowley, Doug Payne, and Jessica Payne
The following combinations have been named as team alternatives and are listed in selected order:
First Alternate: Tamra Smith (Murietta, Calif.) and Mai Baum, a 15-year-old German Sport Horse gelding owned by Alexandra Ahearn, Ellen Ahearn, and Eric Markell
Second Alternate: Will Faudree (Southern Pines, N.C.) and Mama’s Magic Way, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Jennifer Mosing
Third Alternate: Will Coleman (Gordonsville, Va.) and Off The Record, a 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by the Off The Record Syndicate
Fourth Alternate: Sydney Elliott (Bossier City, La.) and QC Diamantaire, an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Carol Stephens
Fifth Alternate: Bruce Davidson Jr. (Unionville, Pa.) and Carlevo, a 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Katherine O’Brien
Sixth Alternate: Lauren Nicholson (The Plains, Va.) and Vermiculus, a 14-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding owned by Jacqueline Mars
All team nominations are subject to United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee approval.
It was a somewhat uneventful morning in the final horse inspection for both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L, which is always a great testament to the exemplary horse care that these top athletes receive and the horsemanship exhibited by their riders.
And just like that, it's the final day of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and it's a full one in terms of the schedule. Before moving on to the final phase, competitors in both the CCI4*-S and CCI5*-L divisions will have to undergo the final horse inspection at High Hope Lane which will kick off with four-star competitors at 8 a.m. EST and be followed immediately by the five-star contingency.
When Will Coleman, the overnight leader in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S division at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, walked Derek di Grazia’s cross-country track, he knew time was going to play a major factor in how the results would shake out upon the completion of the second phase.
“I really love riding the horses,” said Michael Jung. “I do it every day— riding the horses, training the horses, going to many, many competitions. I am really into the sport and with horses. I know it can go wrong all the time. So I try to go out, do my best, take care of the horse; if it went wrong, OK. It can happen, now you just be prepared for the next day.”