Tag Archives: 2012 Olympic Games

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, Olympic Games, USEF

US Olympic Eventing Team Rises to Fifth Place Following Cross Country

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Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper over the last fence. (Photos: Shannon Brinkman)

Greenwich, UK – The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team climbed into fifth place with three strong cross country rounds around Sue Benson’s testing cross country course against the stunning backdrop of Greenwich Park. Germany continues to lead the team effort on a score of 124.7 followed closely by Great Britain (130.2) and Sweden (131.4). New Zealand is on a score of 133.4 in fourth and the USA’s score of 155.2 has them comfortably in fifth ahead of the Australians.

The sellout crowd was incredible and cheered every horse every step of the way.

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) continues to lead the American effort with the best score of the three scores to count. Riding Jim and Arden Wildasin’s Mystery Whisper, Dutton added just 2.8 time faults to his dressage score and lies 12th individually on a score of 47.10. It is incredibly close however, Germany’s Ingrid Klimke on Butts Abraxxas and Sweden’s Sara Algotsson Ostholt on Wega lead the way, tied on a score of 39.30. New Zealand’s Mark Todd sits third, unforgiving himself for the 6/10th of a second which cost him 0.4 time penalties and the lead. A mistake at the last fence was the culprit.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Olympic Games

Tight at the Top for Olympic Team and Individual Eventing Medals

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Sweden's Sara Algotsson Ostholt and Wega (pictured) share the individual lead with Germany's Ingrid Klimke and Butts Abraxxas going into the final jumping phase tomorrow. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

London (GBR), 30 July 2012 – Olympic Eventing cross-country produced spectacular sport in Greenwich Park today where at the end of an afternoon filled with thrills, spills, dramas and excitement, team Germany maintained the advantage. But it’s only a slight one, as the host British side lies just over five penalty points behind in silver medal position going into tomorrow’s final jumping phase, while Sweden is just over a single point further in arrears.

And first-day dressage joint-leaders – Ingrid Klimke (GER) and Sara Algotsson Ostholt (SWE) – returned to the top of the individual leaderboard when Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa was one of 10 fallers on the track over which 15 of the 70 starters were eliminated. Should Klimke and Algotsson Ostholt hold firm tomorrow, the German may live to regret her speedy and seamless tour of the track with Butts Abraxxas, as it her Swedish rival who crossed the finish-line closest to the optimum time with her mare, Wega, meaning the Swede would finish ahead.

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*Featured/Spotlights, FEI, Olympic Games

State-of-the-Art Olympic Veterinary Clinic in Greenwich Park

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London (GBR), 29 July 2012 – Equine athletes competing at the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events in Greenwich Park will have the best possible veterinary care available to them at the on-site Veterinary Clinic, a temporary facility constructed specially for the London 2012 Games.

The state-of-the-art Clinic, built in the incredibly short timeframe of just three weeks, has been kitted out to the highest specifications and provides 24-hour veterinary care throughout both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Not only is specialist care available on-site, the Clinic staff also have access to a team of experts that can be called in if necessary, and there are also three specialist equine hospitals on call throughout the Games.

“We are very lucky in the UK to have the best of the best veterinary experts on tap,” Veterinary Services Manager Jenny Hall said. “We know the Olympic Veterinary Clinic facilities will be used a lot for routine supportive veterinary care. We hope they won’t be used for any emergency first-aid, but if anything should happen, we are extremely well prepared to cope with anything that comes our way.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, Olympic Games, USEF

US Olympic Eventers Perform Well on First Day of Dressage

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Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere (Photos: Shannon Brinkman)

Greenwich, UK – The first day of Eventing Dressage at the 2012 Olympic Games featured three of the five American horses. Boyd Martin was the very first rider in the ring on Otis Barbotiere and made the most of his first Olympic experience, having the best test of the horse’s career so far. The venue is stunning and although the arena proved full of atmosphere, the three U.S. combinations handled the occasion admirably.

Judged by the Ground Jury of Anne-Mette Binder, Nick Burton and Gillian Rolton, Martin felt that their score of 50.7 did not necessarily reflect how much progress the Otis Barbotiere Syndicate’s 9-year-old Selle Francais gelding has made in the last year.

“It was a better test than he did at Kentucky; I could have done better changes at the end,” said Martin. “I managed to get him a bit steadier… I’ve got a lot of confidence in this horse; I haven’t had him a long time. He’s all class. I haven’t had him for a long time but I have a lot of confidence in this horse. He’s a confident horse and a brave horse.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, Olympic Games

A Great Day for Germany, but the Aussies Hold Team Reins

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Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and Butts Abraxxas took the early lead in the dressage phase of Eventing at the Olympic equestrian events venue in Greenwich Park today. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

London (GBR), 28 July 2012 – German riders filled the top two places in the individual rankings as Olympic Eventing got underway at Greenwich Park in London (GBR) today with the first of two days of dressage. Ingrid Klimke, team gold medallist at the Beijing Games equestrian events in Hong Kong four years ago, steered Butts Abraxxas to a score of 39.30 for a narrow lead over Dirk Schrade partnering King Artus. The host nation’s Mary King and Imperial Cavalier slotted into third, just one penalty point further adrift, but it is Australia that heads the team standings.

A total of 37 horse-and-rider combinations lined out, but just seven of the 12 competing nations fielded three riders – the remaining four sending in just two of their five team members, while only one of the three-strong Dutch squad took their turn in accordance with the draw. So while the team leaderboard shows the Aussies on top, with a score of 133.20 for a four-point lead over Germany, and almost 17 points ahead of the third-place team from the USA, there is likely to be some considerable change when the action resumes tomorrow morning.

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Competitions, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, Olympic Games, Show Jumping, USEF

USEF Equestrian Olympic Media Guide Now Available

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Lexington, KY – The USEF Equestrian Media Guide for the 2012 Olympic Games in now available online at the USEF Network “Live from London” page. The guide includes rider bios along with pictures and video. It also includes biographies of the Chef d’Equipe and Team Leader of the U.S. Olympic Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping teams.

You can find the 2012 Equestrian Olympic Media Guide here: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/olympics2012/rosters/teamusa.aspx.

Jump to the guide for a specific team by clicking on the team name below.

Eventing

Dressage

Jumping

Follow the 2012 U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team at http://usefnetwork.com/featured/Olympics2012/.

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Olympic Games

America’s Boyd Martin Gets London 2012 Equestrian Events Underway

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New Zealand legend Mark Todd and his horse Campino at the first horse inspection for Eventing at Greenwich Park today. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

London (GBR), 27 July 2012 – It’s been a long four-year wait, and the tension has been building steadily all week, but Greenwich Park will burst into action at 10.00 tomorrow morning when Eventing gets the London 2012 Olympic equestrian events underway with America’s Boyd Martin first into the dressage arena.

The first horse inspection had its moments of drama this morning, with four horses sent to the Holding Box for further assessment.  And there was an audible intake of breath when Great Britain’s Zara Phillips was asked to trot her horse, High Kingdom, before the Ground Jury for a second time.  But Ground Jury President Anne-Mette Binder (DEN), Nick Burton (GBR) and Gillian Rolton (AUS) passed all 74 horses in the final analysis, and with 12 full teams of five riders battling it out for the medals, along with a three-strong side from The Netherlands and 11 individuals, the next four days promise an Olympic feast of sparkling sport.

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Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, Olympic Games, USEF

Olympic Eventing Set to Begin at Greenwich Park; Five U.S. Horses Accepted at the First Horse Inspection

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Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere at the first horse inspection (Shannon Brinkman)

Greenwich, UK – The first of the three Olympic Equestrian Disciplines is set to begin on Saturday, July 28 after 74 horses were presented for the first horse inspection. The team from the United States drew second (behind Ecuador’s individual) and were first to present their horses before the Ground Jury of President Anne Mette Binder, Nick Burton, and Gillian Rolton.

The stunning Greenwich arena hosted horses from 22 nations, all of which were accepted.

All five American horses looked fantastic, a testament to their grooms, the veterinarians, physio, farrier, and entire team. Dr. Brendan Furlong is serving the U.S. in his fifth Olympic Games. He is supported by farrier Steve Teichman, Dr. Wendy Leich, and physio Angie Cooney – they had the horses looking their very best.

Boyd Martin (Cochranville, PA) will ride the Otis Barbotiere Syndicate’s Otis Barbotiere in the lead-off position for the team. The 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding looked sharp at this morning’s jog. Otis survived a fire last May and has returned to fighting form under the care of his groom Lindsey Taylor.

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Art/Photography, Contributors/Press, Olympic Games, Products/Services

Metlar Launches The London 2012 Collection

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(July 20, 2012, Riverhead, NY) – Metlar is pleased to offer The London 2012 Collection, stylish belts adorned with Swarovski elements in celebration of our American riders.  This limited edition group of products is the first offering by the premium performance saddlery founded by Mette Larsen with goal of creating, distributing and selling the best quality equestrian products.  This initial product line of belts was designed by Larsen and manufactured by Schumacher, a leading European company specializing in high quality horse equipment.

“We chose Schumacher for our partner based on their reputation for excellence and the individual attention given to each hand made product,” said Larsen. The finely crafted calfskin belts feature silver hardware and are hand adorned with Swarovski elements. Choose from red, white, blue or tan in several different designs in sizes from 32 to 40 (additional sizes on request).  In addition Metlar offers bracelets in the same theme as well as one of a kind vintage designs.

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*Featured/Spotlights, FEI, Olympic Games

Watch the London 2012 Olympic Equestrian Events Online!

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London (GBR), 27 July 2012 – The global online community needn’t miss out on any of the Olympic equestrian action from Greenwich Park as extensive online coverage of the London 2012 Olympic equestrian events will be available to sports fans globally thanks to the national/regional rights-holding broadcasters.

European viewers will be able to enjoy wall-to-wall coverage via the new Olympic Eurovision Sports Live platform launched by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The platform will offer a complete viewing experience including live simulcast feeds from EBU members, 12 live multi feeds with comprehensive coverage of most events available across the territory without commentary, a 24/7 Olympic News Channel with English commentary, as well as highlights clips per discipline with English commentary updated twice per day.

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