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].
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.
After the success of the first annual USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, members are not going to want to miss the second edition in 2025! Barry and Cyndy Olliff, owners of Stable View, and their team are gearing up for an even bigger and better event in the coming year. If you are a current or prospective member of the Intercollegiate Eventing Program or the Interscholastic Eventing League, be sure to block off the weekend of May 3-4, 2025 to attend these exciting Championships.