Team USA! From top left clockwise: Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn (photo by Jenni Autry); Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery (photo by Jenni Autry); Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (photo by Jenni Autry); Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen (photo by Libby Law Photography).
The EN team spent the morning obsessively refreshing the USEF website waiting for the big team reveal, and we weren’t disappointed when the announcement came. The team should sound familiar if you’ve been following along on EN over the past week, as we correctly guessed each of the five horse-and-rider combinations that will be traveling to Rio!
Huge congratulations are in order for Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn, Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery, and Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen, who will be representing Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games. Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair are the traveling reserves.
We caught up with all the riders to get their first reactions to being named to Team USA. Boyd Martin chatted with EN while still in Germany, where he just finished 10th at Luhmühlen with Crackerjack. Clark Montgomery kindly chatted with EN from England, though he’ll be stateside soon for Great Meadow! Many thanks to the whole team for taking time to share their thoughts on this very exciting day.
Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Phillip Dutton: “It’s a great honor to have been named, and I’m very excited about the team and the chances for a medal. I’m also really pleased for all the people who have supported me with these horses, especially Emma Ford and the whole crew. I think the team is a great group of experience and talent with four good horses. I’m optimistic about what we can do.
“The Olympics is the ultimate for team competitions, and it’s a great privilege to represent your country; to do that at an Olympic Games on a world stage — that’s as good as it gets. You’re not just out there for yourself and your team, but it’s the whole U.S. equestrian world behind you. Really, the whole U.S. sporting world is behind us. It’s a big responsibility but also an incredible honor. We hope to do everyone proud.”
On the mandatory outing at Great Meadow: “The new arena is exciting, and the footing will be ideal for the final outing. Mike Etherington-Smith will do a great job on the track, and it’s also exciting to have the first Nations Cup leg in the U.S. to coincide with the mandatory outing. We’re looking forward to it.”
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Lauren Kieffer: “We’re all very excited. Veronica has certainly taken my career to the next level. I can’t thank Karen (O’Connor) and the Broussards enough for giving me the chance to ride her. I don’t think any of us realized what we had with her in the beginning.
“I think my team is second to none — all of them. We couldn’t do it without all the help, from the girls in the barn to the farriers, the vets, the stable managers, the owners, the physios and everyone else who is there day in and day out. Without them, there would be a lot of holes in the program.”
On reaching her goal of riding in the Olympics: “I always planned on doing this, come hell or high water. You need a certain amount of luck on your side, and I’ve been very fortunate that I ended up in a fantastic program with Karen and David O’Connor and Ms. Jacqueline Mars. There’s a lot of people who want this. The people around me made it happen.”
On the mandatory outing at Great Meadow: “They’re putting a huge effort into making it a top event. The footing will be fantastic, and it will be a proper Mike Etherington-Smith course. I can’t think of any better place to have the final run.”
On being the sole females on the team: “They had to put some estrogen on the team to keep the boys in line!”
Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Boyd Martin: “I’m elated with the news that I’ve been selected on the U.S. team, and I’m very thankful for everyone that has helped me get to this point. Now it’s time to get down to business and focus on coming up with a medal-winning performance. From here on out, I plan to be living like a monk and only living, sleeping and dreaming of what it takes to put in an all-time best performance in Rio.
“I’m grateful to the USEF for believing in myself and this horse. Thank you to all the people around me: my wife, grooms, staff, owners, sponsors, mentors and coaches, all of whom have helped me get to this place. Now it’s time to step it up a gear and really zero in on what it takes to come up with a performance of a lifetime.
“Blackfoot Mystery is in tremendous form. Silva (Martin) and David (O’Connor) have been working hard on his flatwork, and my jumping coach Richard Picken has come up to help with his jumping. I think we’re in fantastic shape to put in a top performance.”
On successfully syndicating another team horse: “It’s exciting. Blackfoot Mystery is the fifth one (Neville Bardos, 2010 WEG; Otis Barbotiere, 2012 Olympics; Shamwari 4, 2014 WEG; Pancho Villa, 2015 Pan Ams). He has 12 members in his syndicate. A number of them are new to eventing because of their American Thoroughbred racing background, and I’m so grateful that he made the team. I told them that he had a chance at this dream, and we did it.”
On Blackfoot Mystery being off the track: “I think it’s great for an American off-track Thoroughbred to get picked for the biggest championships in the world in the Olympics. It shows that the off-track Thoroughbred still has his place at the top of the sport.”
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
Clark Montgomery: “We decided to move to England to give ourselves the best possible chance of making the Olympic team, and we wanted to be more competitive than we had the last time we tried for an Olympic bid in 2012. It’s an incredible feeling to know that it paid off. It’s been hard, and it didn’t work out two years into it. But we expected it to be harder, and we knew we needed to turn it around, and we did.”
On the possibility of winning an individual medal: “I know who I’m up against. The first priority is to make sure that the U.S. wins a team medal. My preparation between now and then will be thinking about that team medal. Once you’re prepared to do that, then you think about what it takes to win an individual medal.”
On coming to the U.S. for the mandatory outing at Great Meadow: “I can’t wait to come home and feel the energy that the U.S. has to offer about going to Rio. We’re really excited to be a part of that.”
Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Maya Black: “I think the team is a fantastic choice, and I feel honored that I am the traveling reserve. I think about where Cody and I came from and our respective experience levels, and it’s amazing that we will get to go to Rio. It will be an adventure, and I’m excited for the experience.
“I feel lucky that the selectors think highly enough of us to give us this opportunity. I didn’t do Young Riders growing up, so this is my first experience feeling like I’m part of a bigger picture in a team.
“Cody has been doing great. I feel like all the pieces are finally coming together. We’ve been together now for five years, and every day I enjoy him so much. He’s jumping in good form and feels really great on the flat. He also seems like he’s taken a deep breath mentally. I’m really happy with where he is.”
