McLain Ward and Azur (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Show jumping enthusiasts from around the world have been eagerly anticipating the start of the third and final discipline at the 2016 Olympic Games. The show jumping competition got underway at Rio’s Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center Friday with the horse inspection. Representing the United States are Lucy Davis, Kent Farrington, Beezie Madden, and McLain Ward. The U.S. team is led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland.
“The horses traveled well and arrived in great shape,” said Ridland. “We have been in Rio for a few days now and are a little anxious to get going. The horses all looked great in the training session Saturday, and we are looking forward to a great competition.”
Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) is riding in his fourth consecutive Olympic Games, having earned Team Gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Games. He will ride Double H Farm and Francois Mathy’s Azur, a 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare who has proven to be a force in Ward’s barn with impressive wins over the last two years. In 2015, they won the $132,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ class and $75,000 Big Ben Challenge at the Royal Horse Show® in Toronto. This year, they won the $400,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows, the $380,000 Suncast® Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival, and the Loro Piana Grand Prix at CSIO5* Rome. The pair was also a part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Teams at CSIO5* Rome and Aachen where the U.S. tied at both events for the Silver medal.
Davis (Los Angeles, Calif.), a first-time Olympian, will ride Old Oak Farm’s Barron, a 2004 Belgian Warmblood gelding. Aboard the chestnut gelding, Davis was a member of the Bronze-medal winning Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In 2015, Davis and Barron contributed to the U.S. win at the 100th running of the Nations Cup of Germany, and were part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team that finished fourth at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final. The pair also placed ninth at the 2015 Longines FEI World Cup™ Final in Las Vegas. The pair has contributed to multiple successes for the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team this summer. They were a part of the U.S. teams that tied for the Silver medals at CSIO5* St. Gallen and Aachen, and earned the Silver medal at CSIO5* La Baule.
Farrington (Wellington, Fla.), also a first-time Olympian, will ride Amalaya Investments’ Voyeur, a 2002 KWPN gelding. In 2015, the pair amassed an impressive record of wins in world-class competition, including winning the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final, the $250,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ class at Lexington, the $400,000 Pan American Cup and $400,000 RBC Grand Prix at CSI5* tournaments at Spruce Meadows, and the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix at CSI5* Hamburg. Farrington and Voyeur were part of the U.S. Bronze medal team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The pair also contributed to the Silver medal-tie for the U.S. at this summer’s CSIO5* Rome.
Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) is riding in her fourth consecutive Olympic Games, having been teammates of Ward’s for the U.S. Team Gold medal wins in 2004 and 2008, in addition to earning an Individual Bronze medal in 2008. She will ride her famed partner, Cortes ‘C’, a 2002 Belgium Warmblood gelding owned by Abigail Wexner. Madden and Cortes ‘C’ won Team and Individual Bronze medals at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In 2015, the pair aided in the Gold-medal win by the U.S. team at the 100th Nations Cup of Germany at CSIO5* Mannheim, the Bronze-medal finish at CSIO5* Hickstead, and the fourth-place finish at the Furusiyya FEI™ Nations Cup Jumping Final. Following the team competition at Hickstead, the pair won the Longines King George V Gold Cup for the second consecutive year. The pair was also a part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at CSIO5* Aachen where the U.S. tied for the Silver medal.
The show jumping competition will begin on Sunday with a total of 75 athlete-and-horse combinations representing 27 countries. Sunday’s first qualifying round will determine the starting order for the team competition, which commences with round one on Tuesday, August 16. Round two of team competition will be on Wednesday. The competition will come to a close with the Individual Final on August 19.
Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.
Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department