Olympics Cross Country Day News and Notes from Fleeceworks

Riders at the Friends Combined Tests at Fair Hill show their support for the team. Photo courtesy of Holly Covey. Riders at the Friends Combined Tests at Fair Hill show their support for the team. Photo courtesy of Holly Covey.

IT’S CROSS COUNTRY DAY AT THE OLYMPICS. Team USA made us proud this weekend with four solid tests to put the team in sixth place after dressage. We have four good cross country horses ready to roll today, but it’s not going to be easy as horses and riders will face what is being called the toughest Olympic cross country course since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. We’re on pins and needles, crossing all our fingers and toes, and sending thoughts of safe, clear rounds to our friends – from every country.

EN will be providing rock solid content all day so keep it locked here. Jenni is on the ground bringing us all the latest updates, snapping stunning pics and posting constantly on Twitter. Maggie has been providing brilliant statistics and predictions, more of which are coming up shortly.

Hopefully you’ve all found a place to park out and watch the cross country action LIVE on ABC Network or NBCOlympics.com, but if you’re boss isn’t keen on letting you watch at work or you haven’t just taken the day off completely (the best idea if you ask me), I’ll be running the live updates so you can join me when we get under way at 9 a.m. EST and covertly refresh your internet browser to your heart’s content.

U.S. Weekend Action:

Millbrook H.T. [Website] [Results]

Olney Farm H.T. [Website] [Results]

River Glen Summer H.T. [Website] [Results]

Catalpa Corner Charity H.T. [Website] [Results]

Cobblestone Farms H.T. [Website] [Results]

Monday News and Notes:

We’ve been warily following news regarding the stray bullet that fell through the roof of the media tent at the Olympic Equestrian Center yesterday. Initially an Olympic spokesman insisted that the incident was unrelated to the Olympics and there was some speculation that the bullet may have been accidentally fired from the nearby military base. On Sunday, the Minister of Defense stated that the bullet came from a community far from the Equestrian Center and that the gun had been aimed at a police blimp. [Minister of Defense says stray bullet came from a slum]

Equestrians are proud of the fact that men and women compete together on a level playing field. The New Yorker picked up this as well as our very own Lauren Kieffer’s story. They chatted with her about her rise to the top of the sport, her goals for Rio and what it’s like competing against men. [An American trying to beat the boys in Rio]

Camilla Kruger is the first Zimbabwean to represent her country in equestrian at the Olympic Games. Camilla still feels very close to her home country despite being based in the UK and hopes that her journey inspires others to reach for their dreams. [Pride of a Nation]

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville secured a Gold Cup win this weekend at the Millbrook Horse Trials in New York. Their confident performance was a great prep for their upcoming trip to Ireland for the Millstreet International Three-Day Event. The toughest part of the day? Not getting to watch Phillip’s dressage test on the live stream of the Olympics, which Millbrook kindly kept on all weekend! [Halpin Wins Gold Cup Advanced at Millbrook]

What kind of accommodations do the horses enjoy during the Rio Olympics? Go behind the scenes for a sneak peak. [Back at the Barn in Rio]

Monday Video: