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In a cliff-hanger of a finale to the very first Longines League of Nations™ season, Team Germany reigned supreme at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain today where The Netherlands finished second and Sweden pipped Ireland for third place.
It was a close-fought affair with the Germans and Dutch already out in front at the halfway stage when sharing a zero scoreline but with France, Sweden and Brazil nipping at their heels when carrying just four faults into round two.
The Irish carried eight while the USA and Spain carried 12 apiece, but the Swiss were already on the ropes with 24 first-round faults and there would be no chance of recovery. At the end of the day however they did manage to finish ahead of the French who were eliminated when anchorman Kevin Staut had an unscheduled dismount.
“I think no-one can say now that the format isn’t working - it’s super exciting!”
Santiago Varela
(Course Designer)
With the best three results from each four-member team counted in round one but just three riders returning and all scores counting in round two, it was unpredictable and thrilling once again.
“With this format you have to wait until the very end because everything can change in just a second!”, Varela said. And that was exactly how it played out.
Choice
The plank on the vertical at fence nine was the bogey of the first round, with a choice of a long five or short six strides from the previous oxer. When fences were raised in round two however it was the double of verticals at fence seven on the 12-obstacle track that proved the biggest challenge.
The Germans began to look vulnerable when Andre Thieme and his 2021 European individual gold-medal-winning mare Chakaria put four faults on the board as his team’s second-round pathfinders. And when compatriot and newly-crowned individual Olympic champions, Christian Kukuk and Checker, had two down then they seemed to be really losing their grip.
Maikel van der Vleuten and his Olympic double-bronze-medal-winning gelding Beauville Z NOP piled on the pressure with a second clear to give the Dutch an enormous boost, but Kim Emmen and her grey gelding Imagine dropped both elements of the double at seven on the way to a 12-fault total and now, quite suddenly, the two countries were back on level pegging.
Second-last to go, Germany’s Richard Vogel set off with the big-striding stallion United Touch S who looked positively regal as he soared home clear to throw it down to the final Dutch duo of Harrie Smolders and Uricas van de Kattevennen. If this pair could keep a clean sheet it would go to a jump-off because both sides would finish on a 12-fault tally. But the first pole on that bogey double at seven hit the floor to bring the Dutch tally to 16 and hand victory to Otto Becker’s German side.
Strong connection
Becker has a particularly strong connection with the ring in Barcelona as this is where he rode his final Nations Cup for Germany back in 2008. “I’m proud and honoured with our win here today!”, he said.
And at this evening’s press conference, fourth team-member Jana Wargers said that she understood the decision to leave her and her mare Dorette OLD on the sidelines for today’s second round.
“We decided that the other horses were just in a bit better shape than my one today”, she explained.
Olympic champion Kukuk talked about his eight-fault second round that left Team Germany on the edge in the closing stages.
“I just had a feeling I wasn't accurate enough…I could feel that probably condition-wise he (Checker) was not on his peak right now. His last show was Paris (Olympic Games) and that's a few weeks ago. Everything was set up for that goal and then he had kind of a break after and now it's the first big show again”
Christian Kukuk
(GER)
He realised that Kim Emmen’s 12 faults really let him off the hook.
“Unfortunately for her she had a not-so-good round and suddenly we were equal again. And then Richie had an absolutely outstanding second round and that's why we are in the end now the happy winners!”, he added.
Thieme blamed himself for his single second-round error with Chakaria. After clearing the tricky double that had claimed so many previous victims he said he was “kind of happy and relaxed because I realised that I was the first one who jumped that vertical/vertical clear at that point”. But the seven strides bending to the following oxer “were just 20 centimeters too long and she had to make a really kind of a big jump, which she did very well. And then the six strides (to the vertical at fence nine) became extra, extra short and I didn't quite get her back like I did in the first round…”.
He was grateful to team-mate Vogel for wrapping it up with his effortless clear.
Great day
“Today was a great day for us!”, said Vogel who is ranked 10th in the world.
He is one of many riders who relies implicitly on the help of his groom who he talked about his evening. “I have to thank Felicia (Wallin). She actually had him mostly in training since Paris. We gave him a bit of time off and we did Spruce (Meadows, Canada) and then another bit of time off. So since Spruce, I was, to be honest, not too much in his saddle and around him because I was in America. She overtook the training and clearly did a pretty good job. So I guess we have to keep it that way now. The plan works!”
He sees Felicia as a vital member of his team. “I'm very glad to have her by my side and the horses are very happy to have her by their side. We've worked together for three and a half/four years now. We're a young team. She is 24 and I am 27 - we are heading in the same direction and we have high hopes for the future. Her and United have a very special bond. If he could pick between me and Felicia, he always goes to Felicia. Their bond is special. She rides him very well. I'm the one that does the flat work that is more educating for him, which is also important. She's the one that goes in the forest with him and gives him a happy time, which I find very important to have the right balance there. Now, since I was away for two weeks, I said not only in the forest for two weeks, but also for work in between - and she did it very well!”, he pointed out.
Special awards
Felicia and the other winning team grooms, Sofie Karlsson, Heidemarie Jaeckel, Ulla Uusitalo and Johanna Klare all received special awards at tonight’s prize-giving ceremony while Ariel Grange, owner of the mare Legacy competed by Ireland’s Daniel Coyle won the Best Horse title for her performances throughout this first Longines League of Nations™ series.
Coyle also took a four-way share of the €200,000 bonus on offer for the Best Individual Performances in the Final along with Germany’s Vogel, The Netherlands’ van der Vleuten and Armando Trapote - the latter lifting the home crowd when also posting a double-clear with Tornado VS. And Coyle was back on the presentation podium once again when joining van der Vleuten and Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann to share the Best Athlete Award. All three produced five clear rounds during the season.
The Rookie of the Season title went to America’s Callie Schott and of course Chef d’Equipe of the Season was Germany’s Otto Becker whose team also won the opening leg of the inaugural series in Abu Dhabi in February.
At the end of the day the Longines League of Nations™ Final 2024 scoreboard showed Sweden getting the edge over Ireland for third place based on their faster times when finishing on 20 faults. Brazil slotted into fifth with 24, USA and Spain shared a 28-fault scoreline for sixth and seventh placings, and Switzerland racked up a big 40-fault result to finish eighth ahead of the French.
The inaugural Longines League of Nations™ Final is set to be a thriller when it takes centre stage at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain on October 6 with eight of the world’s best teams vying for their place in history.
There was much speculation when the long-established Nations Cup Jumping format was altered for the new series which got underway in early 2024, but at the end of this first season it has proven a big winner with fans who have been kept on the edges of their seats as the action played out. The three-per-team format with all scores counting in the second round has ratcheted up the tension and excitement like never before.
The countries that have made the cut into the Final are Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA and they will be joined by the hosts from Spain who will be making a guest appearance.
With all three individual medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games joined by four of the top 10 in the latest world rankings, the series finale promises a fierce fight for the honour of becoming the very first country to claim the prestigious new title.
Stole the show
It was Team Germany who stole the show at the opening leg of the series in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in February where the top-10 ranked nations set out on in their quest to qualify amongst the best eight and thereby make the cut into next week’s finale.
The Germans pipped the Irish who were ranked first in the world as the year began but who had to settle for runner-up spot ahead of Sweden in third.
“It’s a super start to the Olympic season and I’m very proud of my four riders!”, said German Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker. And that proved quite prophetic because one member of his side, Christian Kukuk, would go on to clinch individual gold in Paris six months later.
The Irish had their revenge when coming out on top at the second leg in Ocala, USA in March where they pinned Switzerland into second place ahead of USA in third. This was another mighty battle in which the new three-per-team in the second-round format ensured another gripping finish.
Last Irishman into the ring, Cian O’Connor had not jumped the first round and a fence down would have led to a jump-off with the Swiss, but with just a single time fault he clinched it.
In the balance
The third leg scheduled to take place in St Gallen, Switzerland in June was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, so qualification was still very much hanging in the balance at the final leg in Rotterdam later that month where Team France came out on top.
In a super-tight contest Simon Delestre, Julien Epaillard, Kevin Staut and Olivier Perreau produced seven flawless performances for victory over Sweden in second and Great Britain in third. However, it was all too late for the British at this stage in the series as, along with Belgium, they failed to qualify for the Final just a few weeks before Great Britain went on to win Team gold in Paris.
Top
Ireland finished top of the inaugural League table and Chef d’Equipe, Michael Blake, sends Daniel Coyle, Denis Lynch, Cian O’Connor, Michael Pender and Mark McAuley to Barcelona next week.
Sweden finished second in the League, and Henrik Ankarcrona will expect a big result from Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Amanda Landeblad, Peder Fredricson, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, and longtime world number one Henrik von Eckermann - the latter three in the side that finished sixth in Paris.
Led by newly-crowned individual Olympic champion Christian Kukuk, Otto Becker’s German crew that also includes Jörne Sprehe, Andre Thieme, Jana Wargers and Richard Vogel looks nothing short of formidable. And the Swiss are also super-strong - Martin Fuchs has been on fire with big results of late while reigning individual European champion Steve Guerdat reminded the world of his class when claiming individual silver at the Paris 2024 Games. This pair will be joined in Barcelona by Alain Jufer, Pius Schwizer and Géraldine Straumann.
Brazil finished equal-fifth with France in the Longines League of Nations™ rankings, and reigning Pan-American individual champion Stephan de Freitas Barcha will be flying the Brazilian flag along with Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, Yuri Mansur, Pedro Veniss and Luciana Christina Guimarães Lossio. The French however may prove the ones to beat as Henk Nooren sends out his full side that claimed team bronze on home ground in Paris - Simon Delestre, Olivier Perreau and Julien Epaillard - and with Kevin Staut and Olivier Robert also in his selection.
Tied
Meanwhile the USA and The Netherlands tied for seventh spot on the final series leaderboard, and they too are coming out next week with all guns blazing.
The Americans are on form after victory in Dublin (IRL) last month, and Robert Ridland brings three of that side - Lucy Davis Kennedy, Aaron Vale who also finished third in the Dublin Grand Prix and Spencer Smith who produced a brilliant double-clear in the Nations Cup. Completing the US line-up are Alex Matz and the legend that is Laura Kraut who was a member of America’s silver-medal-winning team in Paris. It is quite clear that this is a side that means business.
The Dutch however will definitely be ones to watch. They finished fourth in Paris, squeezed off the third step of the team podium by an agonising half a second when sharing a seven-fault result with the French.
Kim Emmen was hugely impressive in the team competition at Versailles when double-clear with her lovely grey, Imagine, while Maikel van der Vleuten and the brilliant Beauville Z won individual bronze at their second consecutive Olympic Games. Harrie Smolders picked up just a single time fault in the team competition and with Kevin Jochems and Lars Kersten also on call-up this Dutch side is a powerhouse of potential.
So don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
Full details HERE
Olympic Dressage has long been dominated by Germany. Because since the first edition of the team event in Amsterdam in 1928 only four countries - France, Sweden, what was then the Soviet Union and Great Britain - have ever succeeded in doing so. And with a phenomenal 14 team golds from 21 team contests they arrive at the Paris 2024 Games with a pep in their step once again.
That extra energy is due in no small part to the emergence of a really exciting new partnership between the most decorated athlete in the history of equestrian sport and an exciting new horse.
At CDIO Aachen 5* a few short weeks ago Werth created a sensation with her performances from the 10-year-old mare Wendy which she only started riding six months ago, posting a hat-trick of victories in the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle. Scoring 89.95 in the latter she threw down a marker clearly indicating her intentions, and the pair’s selection has given the German team a whole new dimension.
If Wendy takes to the stadium in Versailles with the same level of confidence as she did in Aachen then it’s definitely a game-changer, because when you add that talent to the most consistently successful partnership of recent times in Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera and further solid back-up from Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD then the defending champions looks truly formidable.
Reigning
The British of course have the reigning individual World Champions in their toolkit.
Charlotte Fry, popularly called Lottie, and her black stallion Glamourdale who clinched world championship double-gold in 2022 before going on to take team gold and Freestyle silver at last year’s Europeans were noticeably absent from the competition arena for much of this year. However they did come out to produce a double of wins at the CDI 3* at Aachen, Germany in May and then another two top spots at the 4* at the same venue two weeks ago which suggests they remain a fiercely competitive force to be reckoned with.
Becky Moody and her 10-year-old home-bred gelding Jagerbomb were British reserves at the 2023 European Championship, and the pair’s third-place finishes in both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle at the World Cup leg in London (GBR) last December placed them even further under the spotlight. Runner-up spot in the Grand Prix Special at CDIO5*-NC Compiègne (FRA) in May and third place in the Grand Prix Special at CDIO5*-NC Rotterdam (NED) in June confirmed the form of the big horse and his popular and talented rider who is also a successful coach and horse-producer working from her base in the Yorkshire countryside in England.
Moody regularly travels more than four hours to train with her team-mate Carl Hester whose presence in these Games is enormous. Not only because he, like the inimitable Werth, is something of an institution in the sport but also because of his massive influence as the trainer of so many other successful athletes and their horses. He has always been a great team player, helping his country to that historic first-ever Olympic team gold on home soil in London in 2012 and to silver at the Rio 2016 Games and then bronze in Tokyo three years ago.
Together these three Britons are sure to make waves when the Paris action gets underway.
Veteran
It was Team USA that slotted into silver medal position in Tokyo and two members of that side are lining out once again in Paris.
Steffen Peters is a veteran of five Olympic Games beginning with Atlanta in 1996 where the US team took bronze and he brings his Tokyo ride, the 16-year-old Suppenkasper who finished fifth in the Grand Prix and fourth in the Grand Prix Freestyle at last year’s FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Omaha (USA). Just a few short weeks ago they finished third in the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle in Aachen (GER) to cement their selection.
Adrienne Lyle, competing at her third Games, brings the 12-year-old gelding Helix who scored numerous victories in Florida (USA) this year before coming to Europe and posting two fifth-placings at Hagen (GER) CDI3* and two runner-up placings CDI4* Kronberg (GER) in June.
Completing the American team is Marcus Orlob who only took over the reins on the 10-year-old mare Jane earlier this year. The pair competed in their first international competition together in March and it’s been a meteoric rise to a place in the US side backed up by good results in Europe too, also at Hagen and Kronberg.
The reigning world champions and European bronze medallists from Denmark are amongst the 15 countries vying for a place on that Olympic team podium, while in the battle for the individual title the reigning gold and silver medallists are back for more.
And they are both Germans
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is determined to make it happen when she comes out to defend her individual title with Dalera but Werth, who had to settle for silver in Tokyo, has something of a secret weapon in her new ride Wendy. And there are plenty of others whose stars are just waiting to shine.
What is Dressage?
Dressage is about training the horse to a high level, highlighting its athleticism and the beauty of its movement and the harmony between horse and rider.
How it will play out…..
The FEI Grand Prix test, in which all athletes must participate, will take place on 30 and 31 July and is a qualifier for both the team (Grand Prix Special) and individual competition (Grand Prix Freestyle). The qualification ranking for the team competition will be decided by the combined results of all three team members in the Grand Prix.
Athletes compete in six groups, with three groups competing on each day. The composition of the groups is based on the FEI World Ranking list position of the horse on the date of definite entries.
The top 10 teams in the Grand Prix (including any team tied for 10th place) will qualify for the FEI Grand Prix Special on 3 August which is the team medal-decider.
The FEI Grand Prix test is also the individual qualifier from which the top 18 will go through to the Grand Prix Freestyle Individual Final on Sunday 4 August.
The FEI Grand Prix Freestyle test is the Individual Final Competition open to 18 combinations qualified from the FEI Grand Prix. The qualified athletes will be the top two combinations from each of the six groups and the combinations with the six next highest scores.
The Dressage Tests are the FEI Grand Prix, the FEI Grand Prix Special and the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle.
Some Facts & Figures
30 countries.
15 teams.
15 countries represented by individual competitors.
60 horse/athlete combinations.
Youngest athlete - 24-year-old Canadian team member Camille Carier Bergeron riding Finnlanderin
Oldest athlete - 65-year-old Juan Antonio Jiminez Cobo from Spain riding Euclides Mor.
Of the 60 athletes competing in Dressage in Paris, 35 (56.65%) are female and 25 (43.35%) are male.
Both British team member Carl Hester, and German team star Isabell Werth will be competing at their seventh Olympic Games.
Both became first-time Olympians in Barcelona in 1992.
Germany are defending team champions and are chasing down their 15th team title.
In the history of Olympic Dressage, Germany has long been the dominant force taking 14 team and 8 individual titles.
Defending individual champion is Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl riding TSF Dalera BB. Von Bredow-Werndl set a new Olympic record with a score of 84.666 in the Grand Prix Special at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The most medalled athlete in the history of equestrian sport, 55-year-old Isabell Werth from Germany has 12 Olympic medals in her trophy cabinet including six team gold, one individual gold and five individual silver. She claimed her first team gold and individual silver in Barcelona in 1992 and the last at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Officials
Ground Jury President: Raphaël Saleh (FRA)
Ground Jury Members:
Judges Supervisory Panel Members:
Countries fielding Teams: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and USA.
Countries fielding Individuals: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Moldova, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland and Venezuela.
Full List of Nations: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, USA and Venezuela.
Timetable here
Complete List of Athletes/Horses here
Check the Paris 2024 Press Kit here
The defending champions from Great Britain are bidding to become the first-ever five-time Eventing team champions when the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games spring into action in two days’ time.
The British victory in Tokyo three years ago was the crest of a wave that carried them on to complete domination at the European Championship 2021 in Avenches (SUI) a few months later where they collected team gold and the entire set of individual medals. And although things didn’t go as planned at the World Championship in Pratoni (ITA) in 2022 where the team had to settle for fourth place, 25-year-old Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir claimed the individual title.
They were back in formidable form when taking team gold and individual gold and silver at last summer’s European Championship in France. And, completely spoiled for choice due to the calibre of their pool of contenders, they arrive in Paris with world number one Rosalind Canter riding Lordships Graffalo, Laura Collett with London 52, Tom McEwen partnering JL Dublin and Ingham and Banzai du Loir as reserves.
It’s a sparkling selection. Canter’s 12-year-old gelding claimed the coveted Badminton trophy in May 2023 before taking individual European gold three months later, Collett and her now 15-year-old gelding were on the gold medal winning team in Tokyo in 2021, posted a record winning score at Badminton in 2022 and won Luhmühlen 5* last June before becoming European team gold medallists in August.
McEwen was also in the victorious Tokyo side three years ago with Toledo de Kerser and this time is partnered with the 13-year-old gelding JL Dublin that carried compatriot Nicola Wilson to European double-gold in 2021. The new pairing got off to a flying start last year when runners-up at 5* Lexington in April, parted company at the European Championship in August, finished third at 5* Pau in September and were second again at Lexington this year.
Format
No matter how strong they look however the Olympic three-per-team with no drop-score format, first introduced in Tokyo three years ago, will ensure they will have to be at their very best from the outset in Paris. And they have plenty of super-tough competition.
Like Great Britain, Germany has four Olympic team gold medals in the bag and when Julia Krajewski won individual gold with Amande de B’Neville in Tokyo she was the first female athlete to do so. She is back in the side again in Paris following the late withdrawal of Sandra Auffarth’s Viamant du Matz, and joins Christoph Wahler (Carjatan S) and Michael Jung (Chipmunk FRH) as they also strive for that record first five-time team victory.
Jung is likely to be particularly hungry for success, as the man who took double-gold in London in 2012 and team silver along with the individual title again in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 has been out of luck at more recent championships.
Krajewski’s brilliant mare, Amande de B’Neville, was retired after winning that historic individual gold in Tokyo and then carrying her to team gold and individual silver at the 2022 World Championship. Originally the team reserve, she has moved into the side with the talented 10-year-old gelding Nickel 21 with which she won the CCIO4*-S at Aachen (GER) earlier this month. Wahler and Carjatan were on both the world championship winning team in 2022 and the silver-medal-winning side at last year’s European Championship.
Australia took team silver in Tokyo and they return with two of the same combinations in Kevin McNab with Don Quidam and Shane Rose with Virgil, while completing the side is Christopher Burton partnering Shadow Man.
Rose’s reputation for courage and tenacity, even when the odds are stacked high against him, is second to none. He lines out in Paris with his soul-mate Virgil who he rode to tenth place individually in Tokyo having previously taken team silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
McNab and Don Quidam finished 14th individually in Tokyo while third team member, Christopher Burton, joined Rose on that bronze-medal-winning team in Rio eight years ago before transferring his allegiance to the Jumping arena in 2022. However when offered the ride on British eventer Ben Hobday’s Shadow Man in the spring of this year he turned his focus back to Eventing, and he will be lining out at his third Games.
The French
The French took team bronze in Tokyo and field two members of that side who are also former gold medallists. It’s the same line-up of riders that took bronze at last year’s European Championship but there is one change of horse, as this time 2004 team champion Nicolas Touzaint brings the 11-year-old Diabolo Menthe.
Rio 2016 gold medallist Karim Florent Laghouag will partner his Tokyo 2020 ride Triton Fontaine, and completing the line-up will be Stephan Landois and Chaman Dumontceau who joined Touzaint and Laghouag to clinch that European bronze last summer on home ground at Haras du Pin.
There are many more strong nations also bidding for a place on the podium including the USA and New Zealand who took world championship silver and bronze respectively in 2022, and many exciting individuals too. So the stage is set for a fascinating three days of superb sport starting with Dressage on Saturday 27 July which will be followed by Cross-Country on Sunday 28 and the final Jumping phase on Monday 29.
Eventing has already stolen the spotlight at these Games. Two weeks ago Thibaut Vallette, who joined Laghouag on that gold-medal-winning team in 2016, carried the Olympic Torch through Paris in an emotional celebration on Bastille Day dressed in full uniform and flanked by other horsemen from the world-famous Cadre Noir.
It was a symbolic image and a fitting tribute to the enduring legacy of Eventing which has been embedded in the story of the Olympic programme for well over a century.
What is Eventing?
Once known as “The Military” because it was a test for cavalrymen and their horses, Eventing is the most comprehensive test of horse and rider, combining the separate disciplines of Dressage, Cross Country and Jumping, with results from each phase totalled for a final score. It is the lowest score that wins, both for the team and individual medals.
It has been an Olympic sport since 1912.
How it will play out…..
The Team and Individual competitions will run concurrently over three consecutive days from 27 to 29 July. Dressage tests will be completed on Saturday 27 July, the Cross Country test will be staged on Sunday 28 July and the final Jumping phase will take place on Monday 29 July.
Dressage Test: 2024 Olympic Games 5* test (short).
The top 25 will qualify for the Individual Jumping Final which will take place after the Team Jumping Final on 29 July.
Horses can be substituted for the team competition, and a horse/athlete combination may be substituted by a reserve combination for medical/veterinarian reasons in any of the three tests after the start of the competition.
Substitution will incur a penalty for the team of 20 points. One substitution per team is permitted.
The Athlete rides the same Horse throughout all three tests for the Individual classification.
There will be two horse inspections - on Friday 26 July, the day before the Dressage phase begins, and on 29 July before the final Jumping phase takes place.
A drawn starting order will be used for the Dressage and Cross-Country tests, but in the final Jumping test horse/athlete combinations will go in reverse order of merit.
Some Facts and Figures:
27 countries
16 teams
65 horse/athlete combinations
11 countries represented by individuals
Australia, Germany, Great Britain and USA share the biggest number of team victories in Olympic Eventing history with four each.
Australia, victors in Rome in 1960, has the unique record of winning three team titles in a row - at Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and on home ground in Sydney in 2000.
Team Great Britain are the defending Olympic team champions.
Sweden claimed a hat-trick of team gold. Their last victory was posted in Helsinki in 1952.
Both France and The Netherlands have claimed the team title twice while Italy stood top of the team podium just once, in Tokyo in 1964 when team member Mauro Checcoli and Surbean also clinched individual gold.
Germany holds the record for most individual Olympic Eventing titles with a total of five.
The first German athlete to take the top step of the podium was Ludwig Stubbendorf who rode Nurmi to victory in Berlin in 1936.
German riders have won all of the last four Olympic individual titles - Hinrich Romeike, riding Marius, reigned supreme in Beijing in 2008, Michael Jung and Sam were untouchable for gold at both London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Julia Krajewski steered Armande de B’Neville into pole position in Tokyo three years ago.
When the Olympic Games were last staged in Paris in 1924, The Netherlands claimed team gold and team member Adolph van der Voort van Zijp claimed the individual title with Silver-Piece.
History was made when the USA’s Lana du Pont was the first woman to compete in an Olympic three-day-event in Tokyo in 1964.
Julia Krajewski made history as the first-ever female athlete to claim the Olympic individual Eventing title when coming out on top at the Tokyo 2020 Games held in 2021.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games a total of 23 female riders (31.51%) will compete in Eventing alongside 42 (68.49%) male athletes.
Germany’s Michael Jung is one of three back-to-back individual Olympic Eventing champions.
The first was The Netherlands Charles Pahud de Mortanges who rode Marcroix to victory on home ground in Amsterdam in 1928 and again in Los Angeles four years later.
Kiwi legend, Sir Mark Todd, was back-to-back champion with Charisma in Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988.
Jung recorded his back-to-back double in London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The Officials
Technical Delegate: Marcin Konarski (POL)
Assistant Technical Delegate: Gaston Bileitczuk (FRA)
Ground Jury President: Christina Klingspor (SWE)
Ground Jury Members:
Course Designer: Pierre Le Goupil (FRA)
Countries fielding teams:
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.
Countries fielding individuals:
Austria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, South Africa and Spain.
Complete List of Nations:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.
Timetable here
Complete List of Athletes/Horses here
Image by FEI / Libby Law
When equestrian sport first became part of the Olympic Games, Team Sweden was an unstoppable force taking Jumping gold in Stockholm in 1912, in Antwerp in 1920 and in Paris in 1924. They had to wait 97 years before taking their fourth team title in Tokyo in 2021, but nobody is betting against them making it a fabulous five when the action gets underway at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games next week.
Sweden has dominated the Jumping landscape since that Tokyo victory, taking the World Championship team title in 2022 and the European Championship team title in 2023 while team-member Henrik von Eckermann has stood top of the individual world rankings for the last two years and doesn’t look likely to yield that position anytime soon. So much so that individual Olympic gold is clearly in his sights this time around having clinched back-to-back World Cup titles with his wonderful 14-year-old gelding King Edward who finished just off the podium, in fourth place, three years ago.
Chef d’Equipe, Henrik Ankarcrona, has all three riders from that Tokyo team on call-up and two of the same horses, King Edward and Malin Baryard-Johnsson’s feisty mare Indiana, the latter the alternate selection this time around.
Peder Fredricson who already had team and individual silver medals from previous Games before taking both team gold and individual silver in Tokyo with All In, will partner the 18-year-old Catch Me Not S. And the third Swedish team member is also a veteran, the multi-medalled Rolf-Göran Bengtsson who will bring the 12-year-old stallion Zuccero HV as he lines out at the sixth Games of his sparkling career.
Other nations
Of course 19 other nations will also be battling for the top step of the podium including the Tokyo 2020 silver medallists from the USA and Team Belgium who took the bronze.
Historically, Germany holds the record for the greatest number of Olympic Jumping gold medals with five individual and eight team titles. They won in Berlin in 1936 and were back-to-back champions in Stockholm in 1956, Rome in 1960 and Tokyo in 1964, winners again in Munich in 1972 and in Seoul in 1988, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney in 2000.
The only other country to post back-to-back team gold is the USA. They have topped the podium three times, first in Los Angeles in 1984 and then winning twice in a row at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Notably McLain Ward was on both of those last two winning sides and his exceptionally consistent Olympic record also includes team silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and again in Tokyo in 2021. He lines out once again in Paris next week.
If current form is anything to go by however then the considerably smaller nation of Ireland could be the one to beat. The Irish have been hugely impressive in Nations Cup competitions in recent years and scooped team silver at last year’s European Championship. They were ranked the No. 1 country in the world as 2024 began, and their spectacular victory on the hallowed ground of Aachen (GER) just a few short weeks ago suggests they will definitely be ones to watch.
But those European Championships in Milan (ITA) last summer were a reminder that, in equestrian sport, absolutely nothing is predictable. Even the team members themselves seemed to be completely taken aback when Austria pushed the mighty Germans off the medal podium to take team bronze.
Individual
Meanwhile all three Tokyo individual medallists will be in action again.
Great Britain’s Ben Maher, who steered the brilliant Explosion to victory three years ago, is currently ranked second in the world and will this time partner the 10-year-old stallion Point Break. Peder Fredricson’s silver-medal-winning All In is now retired so Catch Me Not S is stepping up and has been showing brilliant form this year highlighted by their third-place finish at the World Cup Final in April. And Maikel van der Vleuten returns with the same horse who earned bronze last time around, Beauville Z, who went on to also take individual bronze for the Dutchman at the World Championship in 2022.
The three-per-team format is unforgiving and only the best of the best will qualify for the individual final, so the stage is set for four days of intriguing sport before another page is written into the history book of Jumping at the Olympic Games.
What is Jumping?
Jumping is an equestrian sport in which horse-and-athlete combinations jump knockable fences inside an arena, with penalties for knock-downs, refusals, horse or athlete falls and for going over the time allowed. There are a variety of competitions including speed events, and some will conclude with a jump-off which can be compared to a penalty shoot-out in soccer, and the result is just as unpredictable.
How it will play out….
In a change to the format introduced at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Team Competition will take place first, followed by the battle for the Individual medals.
The Team Qualifier will take place on Thursday 1 August and is open to 20 teams of three athletes, all starting on a zero score. It will be a one-round Table A against the clock.
Team scores will be decided by adding the penalties and time incurred by all three team members. Athletes who do not start, withdraw, are eliminated or retire from the competition will not be given a score, and their team will be placed according to the combined scores of the remaining two team-members. Three-member teams will be placed ahead of teams of two.
The best 10 teams, including those tied for 10th place, will qualify for the Team Final which will take place on 2 August. It will be a Table A class against the clock over one round with a jump-off for first place in the event of equality of penalties. Starting order will be in reverse order of merit from the first Team competition. Disqualification of a team member will result in disqualification for that team.
The first Individual competition will take place on Monday 5 August and is a qualifier for the Individual Final the following day. It will be a Table A against the clock and without a jump-off. Athletes will place according to their penalties and in case of a tie they will be separated by the time of their round. If still tied, they will be placed equal.
The Individual Final on Tuesday 6 August will bring the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to a close. It is open to the 30 best-placed athletes from the first Individual competition and will be Table A, one round against the clock, with a jump-off for first place if there is a tie on penalties. All athletes start on a zero score in the Individual Final and the starting order will be in reverse order of merit following the first Individual competition.
Some Facts and Figures
35 countries
20 teams
75 horse/athlete combinations
15 countries represented by individuals.
Teams will consist of three athlete/horse combinations with all three scores counting for the result.
The youngest competitor in Jumping at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is 21-year-old UAE team member Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi.
The oldest competitor in Jumping is Swedish team member Rolf-Göran Bengtsson who is 62.
No female athlete has ever won Olympic individual gold in Jumping, but Great Britain’s Marion Coakes and the amazing pony, Stroller, claimed Individual silver in Mexico in 1968 while in Munich in 1972 her compatriot, Ann Moore, took silver with Psalm.
Three female athletes have won Individual Jumping bronze - Heidi Robbiani (SUI) at Los Angeles in 1984 riding Jessica V, Alexandra Ledermann (FRA) in Atlanta in 1996 riding Rochet M and Beezie Madden (USA) in Beijing in 2008 riding Authentic.
Three former Olympic Individual gold medalists will line out - Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa (Athens 2004), Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat (London 2012) and the defending Olympic champion Ben Maher from Great Britain who took the top step of the Individual podium in Tokyo three years ago.
A total of 33 riders will be competing at their first Olympic Games in Paris.
A total of 65 horses will compete at Olympic level for the first time.
Pierre Jonquères d'Oriola from France is the only athlete to win the Individual Olympic Jumping title on more than one occasion. Riding Ali Baba he reigned supreme in Helsinki in 1952 and with Lutteur B he was victorious once again in Tokyo in 1964.
Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa will be the most experienced equestrian Olympian at this year’s Games when making his eighth appearance. The 51-year-old Jumping rider previously competed in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Tokyo in 2021.
A total of seven former Olympic team gold medallists have been listed for Paris - USA’s McLain Ward (Beijing 2008), Great Britain’s Scott Brash and Ben Maher (London 2012), Frenchman Kevin Staut (Rio de Janeiro 2016) and all three members of the victorious Swedish side in Tokyo three years ago - Henrik von Eckermann, Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Peder Fredricson. Baryard-Johnsson is this time listed as team alternate.
The Officials:
Technical Delegate: Guilherme Nogueira Jorge (BRA)
Ground Jury President: Frances Hesketh-Jones (ITA)
Ground Jury Members:
Course Designer: Santiago Varela (ESP)
Co-Course Designer: Gregory Bodo (FRA)
Countries fielding Teams:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and USA.
Countries fielding Individuals:
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Syria, Thailand and Venezuela.
The complete list of Nations:
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, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, USA and Venezuela.
Timetable here https://inside.fei.org/fei/
Full lists here https://inside.fei.org/fei/
With just over two weeks to go, the tension and excitement is at boiling point ahead of the much-anticipated Paris 2024 Olympic Games which will officially get underway with the Opening Ceremony on the evening of Friday 26 July.
Everything about these Games is destined to be spectacular, including the collection of iconic competition venues. And for the very first time the Opening Ceremony won’t be staged in a stadium, but instead will take place on the river Seine. It’s bound to be like nothing ever seen before.
Three years ago, the lead-in to the Tokyo 2020 Games had challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the statistics for equestrian sport in Tokyo were more impressive than ever, with a record number of countries fielding teams and individuals in the three disciplines of Dressage, Eventing and Jumping.
The Paris sport entries (FEI Definite Entries) reveal that the flags of 49 nations will fly high over 11 days of spectacular sport. A total of 200 athlete-and-horse combinations are listed, along with an additional 51 Alternates/Reserves.
The three-member team format introduced in Tokyo has certainly changed the competition dynamic. Not only is the pressure more intense as each individual performance is so critical, but it has also opened the door for more countries to take part.
In Paris a total of 35 nations will line out in Jumping with 20 of those sending teams while individuals from a further 15 countries will take part. In Eventing a total of 27 countries will be represented by 16 teams and individuals from another 11 countries, and in Dressage 30 nations will compete, 15 sending teams and another 15 fielding individuals.
Venue
When it comes to the venue, equestrian sport has arguably the most sensational of all 32 Olympic sports, as the Château de Versailles, a universally recognised symbol of France, will provide the most stunning backdrop.
Beyond its gardens lies 800 hectares of parkland criss-crossed by straight paths marking out woodland and fields. Some sections of land were lost during the Revolution and the 19th century, but the perimeter retained its original outline and its largest water feature, the Grand Canal designed by André Le Nôtre which runs east-west for 1,670 metres and stretches as far as the eye can see, will be a major feature on Eventing cross-country day when horses and riders gallop across pontoons to get from side to side.
The Canal took 11 years to complete, from 1668 to 1679. During the reign of King Louis XIV his fleet of vessels often resided there, and in the winter months the frozen surface was used for skating and sledding.
The Park is normally open to the public free-of-charge all year round but, during Games time, there will be restricted access.
Equestrian Sport in the Olympic Movement
Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic Games since 1912.
Team and individual medals are awarded in three disciplines - Dressage, Eventing and Jumping.
A three-per-team format applies for the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Canada’s Ian Millar holds the record – 10 – for the most Olympic appearances by any athlete in any sport. He first competed at the Munich Olympics in 1972 and his last Olympic appearance was at London 2012 at the age of 65. He won team silver at the Beijing Games in 2008. He will be Chef d’Equipe for the Canadian Jumping team in Paris which includes his daughter, Amy Millar who also competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games three years ago Sweden won Jumping team gold while Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Explosion claimed the individual title.
In Dressage Germany won the team title for an incredible 14th time and team-member Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera claimed the top step of the individual podium.
And in Eventing Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville were individual champions while Great Britain took team gold for the fourth time.
A Century Ago...
When Paris last staged the Games back in 1924 the principle equestrian venue was the Olympic Stadium of Colombes which lies 22kms from Versailles, while Eventing Endurance was held on the race-track at Auteuil and in the Bois de Boulogne.
A total of 17 nations sent horses and riders. A total of 43 riders from 11 nations competed in Jumping and the individual winner was Switzerland’s Lt Alphonse Gemuseus riding the eight-year-old Irish-bred mare Lucette who was bought as an army remount in 1922 for £48. Sweden’s Lt Ake Thelning (Loke), Lt Axel Stahle (Cecil), Capt J Age Lundström (Anvers) and Capt Georg von Braun (Diana) claimed the Team Jumping title.
The 1924 individual Dressage title went to 56-year-old retired Swedish General Ernst von Linder partnering the Trakehner Piccolomini. His compatriots Bertil Sandström (Sabel), Capt Wilhelm von Essen (Zobel) and Lt Viktor Ankarcrona (Corona) finished second fourth and fifth respectively, and Sweden would have overwhelmingly won team gold if that was possible at the time. However the Dressage team competition was not introduced until 1928. The five judges and their assistants all sat together at a long table in 1924.
In Eventing a format was introduced that would remain in place for many years to come consisting of Dressage, Roads and Tracks, Steeplechase, Cross-Country and Jumping phases. Team and Individual gold went to The Netherlands, with Lt Adolph DC van der Voort van Zijp (Silver Piece) taking the Individual title and joining Lt Charles P Pahud de Mortanges (Johnny Walker), Lt Gerard P de Kruijff (Addio) and Lt Anton T Colenbrander (King of Hearts) to top the Team podium.
Paris 2024 Equestrian Statistics:
Jumping: 35 countries, 20 teams, 75 horse/athlete combinations
Eventing: 27 countries, 16 teams, 65 horse/athlete combinations
Dressage: 30 countries, 15 teams, 60 horse/athlete combinations
The Paris 2024 sport entries (FEI Definite Entries) also include additional reserve horses and riders.
The 49 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
Full lists HERE
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same)….
French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was founder of the Modern Olympic Games and co-founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and this year, from 26 July to 11 August, the capital of his home country, Paris, will become only the second city in the world to host the Summer Olympics on three occasions.
The story of Olympic equestrian competition began at the second Games of the modern Olympiad which were staged in Paris in 1900, but the IOC didn’t officially recognise the equestrian results of that rather muddled edition for more than 50 years. The organisation of the 1912 Games in Stockholm, Sweden, was much improved with the hosts taking team gold in Jumping while the individual Jumping title went to Capt. Jean Carlou from France riding Mignon. However it wasn’t until the Games returned to Paris in 1924 that equestrian sport was firmly established.
The newly-created FEI, at the time with only 14 member National Federations, had spent the previous two years formulating a new Olympic programme. And that has essentially remained the same ever since, embracing the disciplines of Dressage, Eventing and Jumping.
To the fore
With military men to the fore, Switzerland’s Lt. Alphonse Gemuseus claimed individual Jumping gold in 1924 partnering Lucette. A total of 43 athletes from 11 nations - Belgium, the former Czechoslovakia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA - competed and Sweden claimed the team title.
Dressage champion was Sweden’s General Ernst von Linder riding Piccolomini, and individual bronze went to Frenchman Xavier Lesage riding Plumarol. There was no team competition in Dressage in which 24 riders from nine nations - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the former Yugoslavia - took part.
In Eventing the top step of the podium went to Dutchman Lt Adolphe van der Voort van Zijp who also helped his country claim the team title.
A total of 44 riders from 13 countries - Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and USA - battled it out for the Eventing medals.
A century later as Paris 2024 looms large son the horizon, the flags of all of these countries, some of which have undergone significant change, continue to fly high across equestrian sport, demonstrating the enduring legacy of those early days and the resilience, and appeal, of horses and horse sport during ever-changing times.
Consistently
French riders have been consistently on the medal podium down the years with individual silver in Jumping for Pierre Bertran de Balanda and Papillon XIV and for Major Pierre Marion and Linon in Dressage at Amsterdam in 1928.
In Los Angeles in 1932 Major Marion, Xavier Lesage and André Jousseaume took the team title while Lesage claimed individual gold with Taine and Marion and Linon finished in individual silver medal position once again.
Jousseaume joined Daniel Gillois and Gerard de Ballore to take Dressage team silver in Berlin in 1936, and French Dressage was in really great shape when taking team gold again in London in 1948 where Jousseaume claimed individual silver. It was another strong year for the French with Bernard Chevallier and Aiglonne winning individual gold in Eventing and the Jumping partnership of Jean d’Orgeix and Sucre de Pomme taking individual bronze.
Pierre Jonquères d’Oriola claimed individual Jumping gold with Ali Baba in Helsinki in 1952 where Guy Lefrant took individual silver in Eventing and the ever-consistent André Jousseaume was individual bronze medallist in Dressage.
And d’Oriola was gold medallist again in Tokyo in 1964, this time with Lutteur B, while the French also claimed Jumping team silver.
In between those two spectacular wins was the Eventing team bronze secured by Guy Lefrant, Jehan Le Roy, Jack Le Goff and Pierre Durand in Rome in 1960 - the latter two names becoming more than legendary over subsequent years.
In Mexico in 1968 D’Oriola was joined by Jenou Lefèbvre and Marcel Rozier to take Jumping team silver while Jean-Jacques Guyon and Pitou were individual Eventing champions. And in Montreal in 1976 the Jumping team of Rozier, Hubert Parot, Michel Roche and Marc Roguet stood top of the podium.
In 1980 on home soil at the alternative Olympics in Fontainebleau it was the Eventers who would clinch shiny gold thanks to Joel Pons, Jean-Yves and Thierry Touzaint and Armand Bigot.
Memorable
Perhaps one of the most memorable podium moments however was at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 where the reigning European champions Pierre Durand and his mighty little horse Jappeloup pinned the glorious Gem Twist ridden by America’s Greg Best into silver medal spot while Germany’s Karsten Huck and Nepomuck claimed the bronze. It was an unforgettable Olympic triumph that won its way into the hearts of the public worldwide and eventually onto the silver screen.
French horse-breeding has long been the envy of the world, but Jappeloup, who stood at just 15.2hh, was not classically bred for his discipline. By a French Trotter, Tyrol ll, out of a thoroughbred by Ourai he was tiny compared to many of the horses he competed against at the time. But what he lacked in stature he more than made up for in strength of character and self-belief. When the unlikely ones come out on top it is even more heart-warming, and he carried Durand to also take team bronze at that edition alongside Michel Robert, Frederic Cottier and Hubert Bourdy.
In Dressage Margit Otto-Crépin and Corlandus claimed individual silver in Seoul.
It was Jumping bronze again for the team of Robert, Bourdy, Eric Navet and Hervé Godignon in Barcelona in 1992, and then at Atlanta in 1996 Alexandra Ledermann and Rochet M landed individual Jumping bronze.
There were huge celebrations in Athens in 2004 when Nicolas Touzaint, Jean Teulère, Didier Courrèges, Cédric Lyard and Arnaud Boiteau claimed the Eventing team title, and then at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games the French equestrian teams were really on fire.
Eventers Karim Laghouag, Mathieu Lemoine, Astier Nicolas and Thibaut Vallette took team gold, and Nicolas also claimed individual silver with Piaf de B’Neville who he described as “the horse of my life, a good friend and a very, very nice person!”
And in Jumping, despite a series of setbacks in the lead-up to the final day, Roger-Yves Bost, Pénélope Leprevost, Philippe Rozier and Kevin Staut did exactly the same.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games three years ago it was Eventing team bronze for Laghouag, Christopher Six and Nicolas Touzaint, and in just a few short weeks’ time the French can be expected to give it everything they’ve got once again in all three disciplines.
Versailles
The fabulous Palace of Versailles will be the most extraordinary backdrop to the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games during which other sports will also be located at iconic venues including archery at Esplanade des Invalides, fencing at the Grand Palais, skateboarding at La Concorde and beach volleyball in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
Equestrian athletes and their horses from all around the globe will soon be gathering in the French capital as the final preparations are put in place. In a world where so much has changed over the last 100 years the unique bond between horse and rider continues to fascinate the public, and the stories of courage, determination and pure brilliance as man and horse face the Olympic challenge together will soon begin to unfold once more.
After clinching that very special individual gold in Seoul in 1988, Pierre Durand described his delight at sharing that special moment with his equine partner. “Few men have been as fortunate as I am today because I have touched my dream. I wish I could cut the medal in half and share it with Jappeloup!”, he said.
The French connection with Olympic equestrian events has been long and distinguished, and at Paris 2024 the host-nation competitors will be as determined as ever to do their country proud.
The City of Light awaits, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad getting underway in only just over three weeks’ time and with equestrian sport still very much at the heart of it all…..so don’t miss a hoofbeat….
With exquisite timing, just five weeks ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Team France soared to victory when producing an impeccable performance at the fourth and last leg of the Longines League of Nations™ 2024 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Copybook clears from Simon Delestre (I Amelusina R 51), Kevin Staut (Scuderia 1918 Viking d’La Rousserie), Julien Epaillard (Donatello d’Auge) and Olivier Perreau (GL Events Dorai d’Aiguilly) saw them stand alone on a zero scoreline at the end of a thrilling day of sport that had their own supporters, and the electric Dutch crowd, on the edges of their seats.
In an epic contest Henrik Ankarcrona’s all-powerful Swedish side had to settle for second this time out when fractionally faster than the third-placed British who also finished on a four-fault tally. Belgium lined up in fourth, Brazil slotted into fifth, the Dutch finished sixth, Switzerland seventh and Ireland lined up in eighth place.
It was a tense and close-fought affair from start to finish - so close that two giants of the sport, Team Germany and Team USA, missed out on the second round when slowest of four teams sharing a four-fault result at the end of round one.
For French team manager Henk Nooren and his side however it was a glorious win after a period of inconsistency. And the timing couldn’t be better.
“To have seven out of seven clears - that was for me was something to be really proud of!”, he declared this evening.
Quality
The quality of the field was such that 25 of the 40 starters jumped clear in the first round, not because the 12-fence track set by Dutch course designer Quintin Maertens was easy, but because the teams were filled with Olympic-level combinations all striving to either confirm their selection potential or to prove that they have what it takes.
Qualification for the inaugural Longines League of Nations™ Final was also on everyone’s minds, especially the athletes from Belgium, France and Great Britain who were languishing at the bottom of the League table from which only the best eight of the ten competing nations would make the cut to the much-anticipated finale at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP) in October.
Despite putting up a mighty fight today the British and Belgians won’t be making that trip to Spain. The French however rose like a phoenix from the ashes and lifted themselves out of the danger-zone to finish joint-fifth in the final standings.
Sharing the lead
At the halfway stage they were sharing the lead on a zero score with Sweden, Britain and Brazil while the Dutch and Belgians were close behind carrying just a single time fault.
But when Maertens raised and widened a number of fences his course began to take a greater toll in round two. Swedish stars Henrik von Eckermann with the great King Edward and Peder Fredricson with the evergreen Catch Me Not S each secured double-clears, but Malin Baryard-Johnsson and H&M Indiana faulted once, and with just three athletes in each team in the second round that proved costly.
Ben Maher and Point Break and Harry Charles and Romeo 88 also kept a double clean sheet, but Joseph Stockdale and Equine America Cacharel fell victim to the middle element of the triple combination at fence seven which loosened Great Britain’s grip. And when both Stephan de Freitas Barcha with Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio and Luciana Diniz with Vertigo du Desert left a pole on the floor then Brazil also slipped off top spot. Because the French were just too good.
All four jumped in the first round despite the fact that they had their zero score in the bag after great runs from Epaillard, Perreau and Delestre. Staut, according to team manager Henk Nooren, had something to prove when going last. And when Perreau was left on the bench second time out, Staut did just that when executing a brilliant second clear after Delestre led the way with another fault-free performance.
The result was left in the hands of Epaillard, the world number 4 athlete who was runner-up at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2024 in Riyadh (KSA) in April and individual bronze medallist at last year’s FEI Jumping European Championship in Milan (ITA). Sweden’s Baryard-Johnsoon had faulted before he went into the arena as the second-last rider to go, and the man who thrives on riding at speed knew what he had to do, wrapping it up with another classic run from Donatello to ensure his was the only country to finish on that coveted clean sheet.
Reflected
Team manager Henk Nooren reflected on how French fortunes have played out during this first season of the Longines League of Nations™. It certainly wasn’t a smooth run.
As he explained his team was short of combinations suitable to compete in the LLN or any 5* Nations Cup competition “so we gave all the possibilities to new and upcoming combinations to see if we could create some. Leg one in Abu Dhabi was not a good start because we ended up last of last, but Ocala was already better and then St Gallen was cancelled. So everybody was really, really sharp to prove themselves here!”, he pointed out. They didn’t disappoint today.
“Our biggest goal is the Olympics, especially because it is a home Olympics, but we also wanted to qualify for Barcelona Final at the same time”, Nooren explained.
His Olympic selections seem to be clarified this evening, Simon Delestre already in the running with Cayman Jolly Jumper “but Amelusina now especially after this performance today is definitely one that could replace in a couple of weeks”, he said.
He was clearly impressed by the performance of Kevin Staut who had a smile as wide as an ocean after he left the ring for the second time. “The last time Kevin jumped in a Nations Cup was 2022, he got injured in April 2023 and only got back in the ring in the beginning of this year…so for Kevin today there was not only the pressure from the Nations Cup and the LLN and but it was also an enormous pressure to prove himself again that he has a horse to go perhaps to Paris within a couple of weeks”, the French Chef d’Equipe pointed out.
He didn’t need to see so much of Olivier Perreau’s GL Events Dorai d’Aiguilly because “we saw the horse a couple of times last year coming up to the level and jumping clear…especially at the European Championships where he had three really great days and ended up eighth individual and we've seen him quite a bit ever since. That's why we took him out of the second round today because we wanted this half to get more information about the other horse/rider combinations. With him we have basically enough information for ourselves”, he said.
“And then Donatello - no matter how much success he already had he never jumped in any Nations Cup in his life. The first choice for Julien is Dubai that’s for sure. But now it's also clear that over two rounds and let's say the second round today was a really championships round. So yes, he also has a replacement if necessary.
Long way back
Staut was understandably delighted this evening. As he said “it’s been a really long way to come back to this level so it's really emotional. Some clears don’t have the same value as others for this reason. We have had tough days, tough weeks, tough shows and a few weeks ago I was not really sure that we could come here and be ready - but here we are! I’m proud of my horse and all the team around us!”
The brand new Longines League of Nations™ series has produced some unforgettable sport this season and today was another fantastic contest.
Despite their disappointing result today Team Ireland still finished at the top of the League table and they will fight for the inaugural series title in October along with Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, France, USA and The Netherlands.
Don’t miss a hoofbeat….
The teams have been confirmed for the fourth and last leg of the inaugural Longines League of Nations™ 2024 series which takes place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in ten days time, and for Belgium, France and Great Britain the pressure will be immense.
Languishing together at the bottom of the leaderboard in joint-eighth place with just 85 points apiece, they need to finish prominently next week if they are to make the cut into the top-eight nations that will qualify for the inaugral Final of the brand new series at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain on 6 October.
After the first two legs, in Abu Dhabi, UAE in February and Ocala in Florida, USA in March, Team Ireland had the whip hand with a 30-point lead over Germany in second place, and with two legs still left to run there was no great cause for alarm for the sides at the bottom of the League table. But the cancellation of round three in St Gallen, Switzerland two weeks ago due to adverse weather conditions has changed all that.
The Belgians, French and British really need to step it up this time out, and even the home side can’t afford to be complacent. As next week’s competition gets underway the Dutch will be lying seventh with 115 points and they’ll need to build on that for sure. However they’ve been unbeatable on home ground for the last three years, so no doubt they’ll be doing all in their power to make it four wins in a row.
Chosen
Henk Nooren’s French side looks really strong with Simon Delestre, Julien Epaillard, Olivier Perreau and Kevin Staut flying their flag this time out. And the British are not holding back, fielding Harry Charles, Tim Gredley and Joseph Stockdale along with reigning Olympic champion Ben Maher. Meanwhile the third of the vulnerable teams at the bottom of the table, Belgium, also looks rock solid with Pieter Devos, Abdel Saïd and Gilles Thomas joined by Koen Vereecke.
After their back-to-back hat-trick of home wins the Dutch crowd will be expecting big things from their foursome, but Kim Emmen, Willem Greve, Harrie Smolders and Maikel van der Vleuten are well up to the task. Just five points separate them from Team Sweden in sixth place, so those Swedes need to stay on their toes too. However team manager Henrik Ankarcrona has selected three of the team that won Olympic gold in Tokyo (JPN) three years ago - longtime world number one Henrik von Eckermann, Peder Fredricson and Malin Baryard-Johnsson - along with five-time Olympian Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, and they look very formidable indeed.
The exciting Brazilian side consists of Stephan de Freitas Barcha, Luciana Diniz, Rodrigo Pessoa and Pedro Veniss and with 125 points collected so far they lie in fifth place on the leaderboard, just ten points adrift of fourth-placed Team USA who will be represented by veteran multi-medallists Laura Kraut and McLain Ward along with Jessica Springsteen and Callie Schott.
Solidify
Lying third, Switzerland carries 150 points into next week’s contest and it is up to Romain Duguet, Edouard Schmitz, Pius Schwizer and Janika Sprunger to solidify their position while Otto Becker’s German team of Marcus Ehning, Christian Kukuk, Richard Vogel and Philipp Weishaupt won’t be wanting to relinquish their second-place slot. And with their noses out in front the Irish won’t be keen to lose their advantage either.
So Irish Chef d’Equipe, Michael Blake, is sending a crack side that includes Daniel Coyle, Cian O’Connor, Shane Sweetnam and Mark McAuley and clearly the green-team mean business and intend to stay top of the Longines League of Nations™ 2024 standings ahead of the Final. But of course horse sport being what it is, no-one can predict the outcome until the last combination has galloped through the timers in Rotterdam on Friday 21 June.
Statistics
Here are some statistics from the two legs of the series so far:
A total of 80 horse-and-rider combinations have started, jumping 124 rounds with four eliminated and two opting to retire. A total of 1,801 fences have been jumped and there have been 19 single clear rounds and 10 double-clear rounds while just seven refusals have been recorded - one at a vertical fence, two at an oxer and four at the open water obstacle. You can find lots more interesting details here
https://leagueofnations.fei.org/statistics
CHIO Rotterdam is one of the Top Three hospitality events in The Netherlands, and in 2024 celebrates its 75th anniversary. It is the only Dutch outdoor 5* FEI event, and is organised at the beautiful Kralingse Bos, a wooded park surrounding the Kralingse Park lake.
The teams for the fourth leg of the Longines League of Nations™ 2024 will parade in the Rotterdam arena at 15.30 on Friday 21 June and the action will get underway at 16.00 local time. With qualification for the Final hanging in the balance it will be crunch time for the top 10 nations, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….
Today marks the 50-day countdown to the start of the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the excitement is mounting with every moment.
The three Olympic disciplines of Dressage, Eventing and Jumping will take centre stage in the beautiful gardens of the Palace of Versailles from 26 July to 6 August, so here are some things you might like to know when marking your calendar and making your plan to follow it from start to finish, whether you are travelling to the French capital or watching the action from afar.
The venue
Initially built as a simple hunting lodge, the magnificent Château de Versailles was home to the court of Louis XIV in 1682 and became the epicentre of French royalty. In 1883 it became a national museum open to the public and it was the first French site to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979.
The Paris 2024 equestrian events will play out over its 2,000 acres of parkland, and a temporary outdoor arena, flanked by several stands, has been created on the Etoile Royale esplanade to the west of the Grand Canal at the heart of the palace’s gardens. The Eventing cross-country course will take competitors across the Canal and along both sides of it, with the Château providing the most stunning backdrop.
Despite challenging weather conditions works on site are well up to speed with all major infrastructure in place including field of play, warm-up, training arenas and stable tents. Right now internal fit-out is underway including stable boxes, the veterinary clinic, the media centre and the judge’s tower. The main cross-country obstacle features such as water jumps, banks and ditches have been completed for some time, and other obstacles will be brought in as pre-constructed portable jumps and positioned by the course designer in the coming weeks.
It won’t be long until all the facilities are buzzing with even more activity when the horses begin to arrive on 24 July.
Eventing
Eventing will stand alone in that the entire competition will run, without interruption, on consecutive days between 26 and 29 July.
It will begin with the First Horse Inspection on Friday 26 July at 09.30, and the following day 65 horse-and-rider combinations will line out in the Dressage phase, also starting at 09.30 local time.
Eventing Cross-Country is bound to attract a massive audience on Sunday 28 July as the sound of galloping hooves will thunder out across the royal turf beginning at 10.30 in the morning and running right through to 15.00.
And on Monday 29 July, following the Second Horse Inspection at 08.00, both the Team and Individual medals will be awarded following the final Jumping phase back in the arena. The Team medals will be decided in the round that begins at 11.00, and at 15.00 the top-25 will battle it out for the Individual title.
The Dressage Test for Eventing will be the 2024 Olympic Games 5* test (short), the cross-country course will be a maximum of 5,800 metres long with a maximum time of 10 minutes. And the height of fences in the final Jumping phase will be 1.25m for the Team competition and 1.30m for the Individuals.
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)
Course Designer - Pierre le Goupil (FRA)
A total of 16 Teams and 48 athletes will compete for the Team medals including the hosts from France along with Germany, New Zealand, Great Britain, USA, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan and Italy. Team athletes also compete for the Individual medals.
An additional 17 Individual quota places are allocated through the FEI Olympic Groups and the overall FEI Olympic ranking. The regional distribution covers
North Western Europe, South Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Central Asia, North America, Central & South America, Africa and the Middle East, South East Asia and Oceania.
Dressage
The first Horse Inspection for Dressage will be held on Sunday 28 July at 08.00, and at 11.00 on Tuesday morning 30 July the first 30 horse-and-rider combinations will compete in the Grand Prix while the remaining 30 will do their tests on Wednesday 31.
The top ten ranked Teams in the Grand Prix, including those tied for tenth place, will qualify for the FEI Grand Prix Special which will begin at 10.00 on 3 August and will decide the Team medals.
The second Dressage Horse Inspection will take place at 08.00 on 4 August and will be followed at 10.00 by the Grand Prix Freestyle. This is the Individual Final Competition which is open to 18 combinations qualified from the FEI Grand Prix. The Individual medal ceremony is scheduled for 13.30 on Sunday afternoon.
Officials for Dressage will include:
Ground Jury President - Raphael 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 Judges Supervisory Panel will consist of:
Member - Andrew Gardner (GBR)
Member - Mary Seefried (AUS)
Member - Henk van Bergen (NED)
There will be a total of 15 Teams and 45 athletes along with 15 Individual competitors. The qualified Teams are France, Denmark, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, USA, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Finland.
Another 15 countries will be represented by Individuals. Places are allocated through FEI Olympic Groups, qualification events and the FEI Olympic Ranking list.
Jumping
The Jumping horses arrive on 30 July and their First Horse Inspection takes place the next day, followed by an evening Training session from 17.15 to 20.00.
The Team Qualifier on Thursday 1 August begins at 11.00 and is open to 20 teams consisting of three athletes per team with all three scores counting.
The Team Final, which kicks off on Friday 2 August at 14.00, is open to the ten best placed teams in Thursday’s competition including those tied for tenth place. Teams that withdraw before the start on Friday will not be replaced, and all teams taking part in the Team Final re-start with zero penalties.
The contest for the Individual medals will take place over two days beginning on Monday 5 August with 75 starters from which the top-30 will go through to the Individual Final on Tuesday 6 August, running in reverse order of classification and all starting again on a zero scoreline.
The Final competition, which will begin at 10.00, will be conducted under Jumping Rules Art. 238.2.2, with one round against the clock with a jump-off in case of a tie on penalties for first place and will bring the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to a close.
Officials for Jumping will include:
Ground Jury President - Frances Hesketh-Jones (ITA)
Member - Patrice Alvado (FRA)
Member - Harrij Braspenning (NED)
Member - David Distler (USA)
Member - Karoly Fugli (HUN)
Course Designer - Santiago Varela (ESP)
Co-Course Designer - Gregory Bodo (FRA)
The 20 qualified Teams are France, Sweden, Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Poland, USA, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Japan and Brazil.
Another 15 countries will be represented by Individuals and again places are allocated through FEI Olympic Groups, qualification events and the FEI Olympic Ranking list.
Deadline
There’s just over two weeks left to go before the deadline for National Federations to submit Certificates of Capability to the FEI on 25 June while Monday 8 July is the deadline for Definite Entries. By then we will have the full list of horses and athletes in all disciplines, including those on the reserve lists.
The Games of the XXXlll Olympiad are just around the corner. Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
Timetable
https://inside.fei.org/fei/games/paris2024/timetable
Rules and Regulations for all disciplines here
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