Lexington, Ky.—June 3—The United States Equestrian Federation 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 – Aug. 11. 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!”
The following combinations have been selected to represent the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team and are listed in alphabetical order.
William Coleman (Ocala, Florida) and Off The Record, a 15-year-old 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 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Diarado x Aljano 2) owned by the Diabolo Group and cared for by Hailey Burlock & Erin Jarboe.
Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pennsylvannia) and Fedarman B, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding (Eurocommerce Washington x Fedor) owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate and cared for by Stephanie Simpson.
Direct Reserve: Commando 3, a 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Conner 48 x Amigo XX) owned by Yankee Creek Ranch LLC and cared for by Stephanie Simpson.
Caroline Pamukcu (Springtown, Pennsylvannia) and HSH Blake, a 9-year-old 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, Kentucky) and Cooley Nutcracker, a 10-year-old 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, North Carolina) and QC Diamantaire, a 14-year-old 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.
The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team will participate in a Mandatory Outing in Aiken, South Carolina, from June 21-23 at the Stable View Summer HT before heading to Europe to begin their final preparations ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
For media inquiries, please contact Carly Weilminster, Sr. Director of Sport Communications & Social Media at [email protected].
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)/US Equestrian has announced the appointment of former USEF Eventing Development Coach Leslie Law to the position of Chef d’Equipe and High Performance Manager for the Defender U.S. Eventing Team, and Karyn Shuter, who will take on the newly developed role of U.S. Eventing High Performance Advisor. Both Law and Shuter will begin in their respective roles immediately.
Last year was a big one for USEA Young Event Horse program graduate Arden Augustus. He made a successful move-up to Modified with Sharon White in the tack, followed by a smooth transition to Preliminary, then went on to win two CCI2*-S divisions and ended the year with a CCI2*-L win.
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Start your young horse’s career out on the right path by joining the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program! Since it became a USEA program in 2005, YEH strives to identify talented young horses with the potential to excel at the highest levels of eventing in the years to come. The primary goal is to highlight future 4- and 5-star contenders, setting them up on a pathway to success.