You know we love an in-depth form guide here at EN. And we’ve certainly got that for you in the usual sort of sense, with a breakdown and backstory for each of the 65 eventing competitors at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But just as important, and just as worthy of microscopic analysis, are the sixteen teams who’ll be battling it out for podium places. We’ve got major heavy hitters, developing nations, and those exciting middle-ground nations who are transitioning from being the latter to becoming the former amongst the roster this week – and we’ve delved in to each team’s form, their qualification route, and their likely goals and outcomes this week to help you pick where you’ll be lending your cheers. Grab your passport, and let’s take a tour around the (eventing) world.

Chef d’equipe: Will Enzinger

Team members:

• Chris Burton and Shadow Man
• Kevin McNab and Don Quidam
• Shane Rose and Virgil

Team reserve: Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture

When did they last win a medal? At Tokyo. They finished in silver medal position as a team – very nearly the same team as this time around, actually, although Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos were in situ rather than Chris Burton and Shadow Man on that roster. Andrew and Vassily also took home individual bronze. Australia is the fifth most-successful nation in the history of eventing at the Olympics, with six gold medals and fourteen total medals.

What’s their form like? It’s fair to say that Australia, despite being one of the Big Six formidable nations in our sport, comes to Paris having had no shortage of hurdles. Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos are notable in their absence – but they only ran at a couple of three-stars last year and then had winning form, but also distinctly not winning form, at four-star this season. Kevin McNab and Don Quidam, who drops the ‘Scuderia 1918’ prefix to follow Olympic commercial rules for the week, haven’t run cross-country in an FEI evet since May, when they finished ninth in a CCI4*-S at Marbach, and they were steady and 20^th at Strzegom before that. Chris Burton returns from a multi-year hiatus from eventing with Ben Hobday’s Shadow Man; they made their first FEI start earlier this year and laid down four steady runs and one quick one, at Millstreet CCIO4*-S, which saw them win that competition – but Shadow Man, too, hadn’t evented since spring of 2022 before this year. Finally, Shane Rose and warhorse Virgil tend to be hugely reliable, but Shane had a major accident in March that saw him break a femur, his pelvis, an elbow, and numerous ribs, and he’s only been back in the saddle since late May. If they can pull this off, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time Aussie derring-do has triumphed against the odds – but on paper, they’ve got a few hurdles left to face.

How did they get here? Australia’s team qualification was a bit of a bums-on-the-edges-of-seats moment – they missed out on a ticket at the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, where they finished tenth. They were able to rally and grab their qualification at Millstreet in Ireland in June of 2023, where an Olympic Groups F & G qualifier, for nations from Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Oceania, was held. That was a CCIO3*-L qualifier, and Australia won it to take the first of two tickets up for grabs in that event.

What’s their secret weapon? The spirit of tough-as-nails Gill Rolton coursing through their nation’s collective lifeblood, maybe? In all seriousness, though, it’s experience: all three members of the team have been just about anywhere, faced just about anything, and shouldn’t be surprised by much, even if it all goes a bit pear-shaped. Plus, Chris Burton’s last few years in the showjumping world will be a great help come the final day, when he may well find himself in the position of having to jump two clear rounds.

Chef d’equipe: Kai-Steffen Meier

Team members:

• Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Origi
• Karin Donckers and Leipheimer Van’t Verahof
• Tine Magnus and Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z

Team reserve: Cyril Gavrilovic and Elmundo De Gasco

When did they last win a medal? At their home Games in Antwerp in 1920. There, they took team bronze, and Roger Édouard Louis Marie Joseph Ghislain Moeremans d’Emaüs (yes, really) and his horse Sweet Girl very nearly managed an individual medal, too, finishing fourth in the final standings. In comparison, the Belgian jumping team has won nine Olympic medals, and indeed, Belgian-bred horses are a lynchpin of each Games – but the fates and fortunes of the eventing team have never quite matched up.

What’s their form like? Actually, really, really exciting and very much on the up-and-up. Kai-Steffen Meier, himself a former top-level competitor for Germany, took the team leader role four years ago and his effect on his squad has been tangible. He’s been able to bring German systems into place, formalising organised team training – previously, it was every rider for himself, which meant that Championship efforts were incohesive and tricky, with too many trainers and too many separate systems – and bringing in team overseers for each phase. He’s created, in essence, a united front, and an uptick in Belgian results, both as a team and individually, is contributing to a hugely positive ripple effect across the nation’s High Performance riders. At the helm of this? Kai’s wife, Lara de Liedekerke-Meier, who’s overcome no shortage of battles, including learning how to differentiate her husband from her chef d’equipe when they’re the same person. It’s been worth the effort, though – she’s had an incredible run of form, leading the way in the 2023 season for the most runs, clears, clears inside the time, and so on and so forth ad infinitum, and this year, she won Luhmühlen and became Belgium’s first-ever five-star winner.

How did they get here? They qualified at the 2023 FEI European Eventing Championships at Haras du Pin, which was a seriously tough week plagued by difficult conditions and, crucially, held over a course designed by Paris course designer Pierre le Goupil. They’d made colossal headway in the 2023 Nations Cup series, anticipating an eleventh-hour need to bid for their ticket through that avenue, but they didn’t need it: they took one of two tickets at the Euros, and then won the Nations Cup series for good measure. This will be their first time fielding a team for the Olympics since London 2012.

What’s their secret weapon? As above – it’s confidence, and great leadership. The system has changed for the better, and it’s creating a self-belief that we’ve not seen the Belgians possess before. Over the last two seasons particularly, they’ve been getting better and better and better, and while a lot of this still feels like foundational future-building, the fairytale podium finish isn’t actually out of the question at all. And what a story that would be for the sport, wouldn’t it?

Chef d’equipe: Julie Purgly

Team members:

• Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Castle Howard Casanova OR Kilcoltrim Kit Kat
• Ruy Fonseca and Ballypatrick SRS
• Rafael Mamprim Losano and Withington
• Carlos Parro and Safira

Team reserve: TBC from the list of four above.

When did they last win a medal? They haven’t yet. In fact, the only Central or South American country ever to win an Olympic medal in eventing is Mexico – and even the most recent of those dates back to 1980. But Brazil’s presence, and their continued fight for Olympic representation, speaks enormously to the ongoing commitment to the growth of the sport in this region of the world.

What’s their form like? Fledgling, it would be fair to say, as a team entity – but there’s a huge amount of experience here across the four named riders, all of whom are based in the UK and are familiar faces in very good company on that side of the pond. Ruy Fonseca has two Olympics, three World Championships, and five Pan Ams to his name, so is a real weapon for the team, although his ride, Ballypatrick SRS, has had a fairly low-key spring, and hasn’t run in an FEI event since retiring on course at May’s Kronenberg CCI4*-S, where he had a 20 – though he did have a good run at Sopot CCI4*-S prior to that. Marcio has a choice of rides, both of whom have had the same spring campaigns: both went to Kronenberg for the March CCI4*-S, and finished on very nearly the exact same scores in each phase, and then they both went to Luhmühlen for the CCI4*-S selection trial, where Castle Howard Casanova finished seventeen places ahead of his slightly more experienced stablemate. Carlos Parro comes forward for his fourth Olympics – he made his World Championships debut when he was just eighteen, if you’re thinking he seems rather young for all that – with his Pan Ams partner, the twelve-year-old Safira, who finished sixth in her first-ever CCI4*-L at Sopot in May. She’s very green, all things considered, but also hasn’t ever had a cross-country jumping penalty in 18 FEI runs, so there’s a reason she’s being sent to Paris. Finally, young gun Rafael Mamprin Losano returns after his Tokyo Olympic debut, this time with some more learning under his belt and a new ride in the Sam Ecroyd-bred Withington, with whom he was ninth at the Pan Ams. In short? It’s a team full of promise, but much of it is about building for the future – of their team, and of their sport back home in Brazil.

How did they get here? They qualified at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where they finished in bronze medal position as a team to take the second of two available team spots. Marcio Carvalho Jorge also won individual silver in Chile aboard one of his two named rides, the smart Castle Howard Casanova. The Pan Ams were held at CCI3*-L.

What’s their secret weapon? One newly-retired William Fox-Pitt. He stepped into the role of Brazilian team coach two years ago, and by all accounts, his wealth of knowledge and straightforward teaching style have been a huge boon to the team. What’s also helpful is that everyone, including Fox-Pitt himself, is UK-based, which allows for consistency and cohesiveness in the way that a more spread-out team might not be able to achieve. Brazil’s riders were able to use the Pan Ams as a Paris test run; William wanted to use the opportunity to put them under significant pressure so that when the real deal comes around, they feel mentally ready to hit the ground running. William also coached them through the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni, though their success their felt more developmental than obvious, and they finished 13^th out of 16 nations.

Chef d’equipe: Rebecca Howard

Team members:

• Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS
• Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo
• Michael Winter and El Mundo

Team reserve: Colleen Loach and FE Golden Eye

When did they last win a medal? They won team bronze in Stockholm in 1956, with a team that included the late, long-time eventing supporter John Rumble. That’s the extent of their medal-winning run at the Games, which puts them on level-pegging with Belgium.

What’s their form like? Like Brazil, it’s in a developmental period. Things haven’t always been wholly straightforward in the Team Canada camp, but there’s no shortage of talent in their ranks if the puzzle pieces can fall into place.

One complication, of course, is distance: Jessie Phoenix is based between Ontario and Florida; Karl is based full-time in Florida; Mike is based in the UK; and Colleen is based between Quebec and Florida. That means that the Canadian system has to largely rely on riders developing their own sensible support structures and training systems, which isn’t always that easy to manage once in the hermetically sealed environment of the Olympics. But to their credit, there’s been some great results picked up by all four of the named horses and riders – Hot Bobo won last year’s tough Kentucky CCI4*-S as a ten-year-old with Karl, and was fourth at the Pan Ams, and won the CCI4*-S at Bromont last month. Jessie, who’s been to more Championships than most riders have had hot dinners, has in interesting partner in Freedom GS, who’s a frequent placer in Canada and Florida but doesn’t have a huge amount of ‘real world’ experience. Mike has put a huge amount of work into the hot, talented El Mundo, who was meant to be a sales prospect but became part of the Winter family when he was injured and faced a long, laborious rehabilitation, and the gelding is now a really consistent and rather quick cross-country horse. Finally, Colleen and FE Golden Eye are compelling even in the reserve spot, and won Tryon’s CCI4*-S en route to selection. In short? This feels like one of Canada’s strongest teams yet, and perhaps represents the writing of a new chapter for an often beleaguered nation.

How did they get here? Through the Pan American Games route, where they finished in silver medal position last year to secure the first of the two tickets on offer there.

What’s their secret weapon? Mike Winter, though not in the way you might think (though he is absolutely an asset as a competitor, too). In early 2022, he teamed up with Shandiss McDonald to create the Canadian Eventing High Performance Advisory Group, which is chaired by Emily Gilbert and which has been a crucial lynchpin in raising funds, improving communication, prioritising areas for improvement, and generally reshaping the slightly nebulous being that was the Canadian Eventing Team. You can read more about these efforts to take the next step up the ladder here.

Chef d’equipe: Thierry Touzaint

Team members:

• Stéphane Landois and Ride for Thais Chaman Dumontceau
• Karim Laghouag and Triton Fontaine
• Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe

Team reserve: Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge

When did they last win a medal? France is the seventh most successful nation in the history of Olympic eventing, with nine medals in total to their name. The most recent of those came in Tokyo, where they took team bronze. That team also had Nicolas in situ, though on Absolut Gold HDC, and Karim and Triton Fontaine, too. The French were gold medallists in Rio, though only Karim was on that line-up, and on Entebbe de Hus, not Triton. Astier Nicolas also won individual silver on that occasion on the great Piaf de B’Neville.

What’s their form like? The French are such an interesting nation, because their form so seldom seems to have any bearing on what they actually end up doing at Championships, and they’re often really on-point at an Olympics. Their last Championship run as a team was last year’s European Championships, where they finished in bronze medal position over a course designed by the Paris designer, Pierre le Goupil, and in tough conditions. The World Championships in Pratoni was a bit of a disaster, though – they finished 14^th out of 16 teams, and the national mood was held together solely by young gun Gaspard Maksud, who finished sixth individually with Zaragoza – but who missed out on selection for this all-important home Olympics.

And what of the riders who did get the nod? Well, Nicolas and Karim always felt like shoo-ins, it just came down to which horses they’d bring. An injury to Embrun de Reno meant that Karim’s Tokyo mount Triton Fontaine got the nod – and he’s a seriously solid banker for the team in Paris. He was tenth at the Europeans, second at Pau the year prior, and is always reliably cruising around his CCI4*-S runs. Nicolas, on the other hand, is leaving his Tokyo mount at home – a decision that hasn’t been without drama – in favour of his 2023 Boekelo winner Diabolo Menthe. The eleven-year-old hasn’t finished outside the top ten since 2020.

The team proper is rounded out by young up-and-comer Stephane Landois, who makes his Olympic debut after finishing sixth individually as part of the bronze-medal-winning Europeans team last year. His partnership is one of the most poignant of the Games: his horse was formerly ridden by young rider Thais Meheust, a great friend of Stephane’s, who died in a cross-country accident while riding the gelding and dreamed wholeheartedly of this Olympics through her short, impressive career. Now, Stephane will ride in her honour with the horse with whom he won a tough Chatsworth last season. Gireg le Coz brings plenty of five-star mileage to the table with the excellent, consistent Aisprit de la Loge, fifteenth at last year’s Europeans.

How did they get here? As host nation, they automatically earned a place.

What’s their secret weapon? The same thing that could be their kryptonite: a home crowd. Every breath they take, every step they make, they’ll be watched and cheered on emphatically, because the majority-French crowd will be desperate for eventing to come home. There’s no nation in the world as enthusiastic about this sport as France is, and the extraordinary roar as these riders tackle the cross-country course is going to be a spectacle that is unlikely ever to be matched. That kind of support can make magic happen and buoy horses and riders to incredible feats of athleticism, but it’s also a hell of a lot of pressure to carry, and the fear of disappointing that home crowd will be colossal. If the French front can bear the burden and find the joie de vivre within it, they will be formidable.

Chef d’equipe: Chris Bartle

Team members:

• Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo
• Laura Collett and London 52
• Tom McEwen and JL Dublin

Team reserve: Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir

When did they last win a medal? In Tokyo, where they took team gold, and where Tom McEwen took individual silver, too, with Toledo de Kerser. It was the feather in the cap of an extraordinary reign of dominance that arguably still continues now, but interestingly, it wasn’t really their best showing, which speaks to the remarkable strength that they bring to this Games, at which they’re the hot favourite to triumph again.

What’s their form like? Almost silly, at this point. They’re the reigning Olympic and European Champions, and their strength in depth is so good that for the second consecutive Games, they have the reigning World Champions in the reserve box. Last time around, that was Ros Canter and Allstar B; this time, it’s Yas Ingham and Banzai du Loir, who won in Pratoni – that made Yas the first-ever individual competitor to become World Champion – and this year, have been victorious in the final selection trial at Luhmühlen and third at Kentucky CCI5*.

The team is helmed by reigning European Champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, who also won Badminton last year. They finished second in the CCI4*-S at Bicton this spring, which was won by Laura and London 52, and they were fourth individually and best of the British team at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022. Laura and London 52, for their part, headed to Luhmühlen after winning Bicton and Burnham Market, but withdrew while in second place before the final horse inspection because the gelding had a cut on his coronet band. That’s all healed now, and so back to their accolades: they were part of the gold medal-winning Tokyo team in 2021, though they tipped a shock two rails in the individual final, and they’ve won Pau (2020), Badminton (2022), and Luhmühlen (2023), which means they have a 100% win rate at the level. Finally, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin have finished second at Kentucky CCI5* and Luhmühlen CCI4*-S this year, as well as winning the CCI4*-S at Kronenberg in March, and although Tom had a late tumble at the Europeans last year, they regrouped to take third place at Pau in October. JL Dublin was crowned European Champion in 2021 as a ten-year-old with former rider Nicola Wilson aboard. In short? They should all have a very good chance of getting individual medals, and collectively, the team gold is their one and only goal.

How did they get here? They qualified in the first batch of nations, all of which took tickets at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships at Pratoni. They just missed out on a team medal, which came as something of a shock with a team full of five-star winners or runners-up, but finished fourth and so took their qualification home (as well as an individual World Champion!).

What’s their secret weapon? Confidence, although that’s a double-edged sword, as we saw in Pratoni. There, the string of experienced five-star horses wasn’t totally rideable on cross-country – was it because the course wasn’t enough to challenge them? Was it complacency or some other human error? Whatever it was, we’re confident that learning will have been done – and again after last year’s Europeans, where the team did win gold, but that was with a 20 for Yas and a 15 for a missed flag for Laura on the tally, and Tom, who was competing as an individual, didn’t even complete. It can never be assumed that the dominant team will automatically produce the dominant result, and the Brits will need to make sure they’re not resting on their laurels even a little bit if they want to continue their reign.

Chef d’equipe: Prof. Dr. Jens Adolphsen

Team members:

• Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz
• Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH
• Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S

Team reserve: Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21

When did they last win a medal? Individually, they took the gold at Tokyo, thanks to a superb performance from Julia Krajewski and the now-retired Amande de b’Neville. As a team, they missed out on the podium that time, because of a string of uncharacteristic crap luck – Sandra and Mat picked up a 20; Michi and Chip had that enormously contentious late MIM activation – but they were silver medallists at Rio in 2016, where they also took individual gold, thanks to Michi and La Biosthetique Sam FBW. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2004 to get to the last Olympics in which a German didn’t win individual gold – and even that’s a nebulous one, because that was the year Bettina Hoy won it and then lost on a technicality, so it was handed over to Great Britain’s Leslie Law and Shear L’Eau retrospectively. Germany’s the most successful country ever in this sport at the Olympics, in terms of gold medals won: they’ve got eight to their name, though their seventeen total medals actually puts them in third place if you’re going by the number won.

What’s their form like? Excellent. They took team gold at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships at Pratoni, and all three horses and riders on this team were on that one, too. They were also silver medallists as a team at last year’s European Championships. Christoph, the ‘young gun’ of the team, is actually in many ways its banker: he and the rangy Carjatan have been extraordinarily consistent at Championships, with that excellent Pratoni round and three similarly excellent rounds at European Championships under their belts, including two top-ten individual finishes. They’ve also finished second at five-star, at Luhmühlen in 2021. They can really be relied upon to finish on, or very close to, whatever they start with, and they can start quite low, although a high-20s is most likely.

And then there’s Sandra and Mat, who are very competitive most of the time, but prone to the odd blip – they had one this month at Aachen, in their final run, in which they had a planned retirement at the halfway point of the course. That was their first cross-country jumping penalty since Tokyo 2021; in the years since, they’ve finished top five at Kentucky in 2023, individual bronze at the Europeans last year, won Aachen in 2022, and contributed to that Worlds team gold, among their accolades.

And finally, Michael Jung, the most medalled man in the sport – but it’s never quite come together for him and the former Julia Krajewski ride, Chipmunk, at Championships. They’ll almost certainly lead the dressage, but that could be followed by a bit of rotten luck like that MIM corner at Tokyo, which fell strides after they’d departed the landing zone, or they could have two rails, as they did at Pratoni to lose the individual World Championship. They had an extraordinarily rare rider fall at last year’s European Championships, and so actually, you have to go all the way back to the Europeans at Luhmühlen in 2019 to find an individual medal for the pair. They finished second there. Will it finally all come together this week?

Julia Krajewski, who’s the reigning Olympic individual champion, sits in travelling reserve position this time, boosted after an excellent performance saw her win CHIO Aachen with the ten-year-old Nickel 21. As an experienced coach as well as an experienced competitor, she’ll be well able to handle the mental game of preparing to potentially sub in; she’ll also be able to help keep everyone’s headspace in check as needed. She’s a valuable asset even if she doesn’t get the call-up.

How did they get here? Through the first round of tickets, given out at the World Championships at Pratoni in 2022, where they won gold handily.

What’s their secret weapon? Consistency. That dates back a long time, and team trainer Peter Thomsen knows it too – he, after all, also rode for Germany at the Olympics. There’s a single-mindedness to the way that Germany tackles Championships, and the wealth of experience they have within their ranks will make them one of the frontrunners for a gold medal this week.

Chef d’equipe: Dag Albert

Team members:

• Susie Berry and Wellfields Lincoln
• Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M
• Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue

Team reserve: Aoife Clark and Sportsfield Freelance

When did they last win a medal? They haven’t won any Olympic medals yet, though they’ve won medals at World and European Championships.

What’s their form like? On the up and up, with a fourth place finish at last year’s Europeans. They’ll have had their confidence bolstered by a third-place finish in the Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen, even though that wasn’t their Olympic team. There’s a real sense now that they can play with the big guns, and that’s well deserved. Individually, they’ve got a lot to like – the very obvious team leader is Austin O’Connor, who won Maryland 5* last year with Colorado Blue, and this year, they only seem to be getting better and better, with those first-phase scores dipping down to a really competitive place. They’ve earned a reputation for being the fastest duo in the world – very deservedly – and so it’s kind of wild to think that back in 2021, when they finished best of the Irish at Tokyo, they were actually only travelling reserves, and were pulled in early when Cathal Daniels’s Rioghan Rua had some slightly off blood test results.

Young gun Susie Berry managed to qualify a whole handful of horses for this Olympics, and in Wellfields Lincoln, she’s got a really, really exciting campaigner. He might not be wildly experienced, but the smart gelding is capable of doing three competitive, appealing phases. He was third in Kronenberg’s CCI4*-L this spring but his top ten finish at Bramham’s selection trial CCI4*-S feels like more solid evidence that he’s the real deal. Finally, Sarah Ennis’s ten-year-old Action Lady M has been an under-the-radar competitor, but a serious one: she may start her week in the 30s, but she should come really close to finishing on whatever she lays down between the boards, because she’s fast, capable, and a serious jumper. If travelling reserve Aoife needs to step in, much the same can be said of her Sportsfield Freelance.

How did they get here? They qualified at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships at Pratoni, where they finished fifth. The top seven teams booked their tickets there.

What’s their secret weapon?  Like team Belgium, it’s burgeoning confidence. There’s been a lot of shake-ups at Horse Sport Ireland, and now, with team leaders locked in and a lot of drama behind them, the riders are able to just focus on developing within their system and enjoying some stability. Austin O’Connor’s Maryland 5* win last year, which was the first in more than five decades for an Irish rider, has really bolstered belief across the Irish ranks, and it’s no coincidence that we’re seeing remarkable performances from young up-and-comers now, like Lucy Latta, who was second at Badminton, and Jennifer Kuehnle, who made an exceptional five-star debut at Luhmühlen. The Irish are riding as though they believe in themselves now, not as though they expect to be middle of the pack, and that’s showing through. It’s a powerful enough headspace to get them past their ongoing limited budget in comparison to other teams.

Chef d’equipe: Katherine Lucheschi

Team members:

• Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes
• Emiliano Portale and Future
• Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly Temptress

Team reserve: Pietro Sandei and Rubis de Prere

When did they last win a medal? They’ve won eight total Olympic medals, but their heyday ended a while ago. Their last team medal was a silver at the turbulent 1980 Olympics in Moscow, which was widely boycotted – that team included Federico Roman, father of Pietro Roman, who was part of the Italian team at Rio in 2016. Federico was the individual gold medalist that year.

What’s their form like? They’re a team in a building process. The members are fairly widely spread out – or, at least, de facto team helmsman Giovanni is based in the UK, while the others are not, so cohesive, consistent team training isn’t really that feasible. They were ninth out of sixteen teams at the World Championships, and that’s about right for where they’re at right now – there’s a tonne of talent in their ranks, but at a broader level, they’re still using every championship to work out the best way of using it. The fact that they have an Olympic team is a fantastic boost; this will only help in their longer-term development.

So let’s look a bit closer at that talent in their ranks. At the forefront is Gio and the striking Swirly Temptress, who have been competitive on the European four-star circuit, scoring consistent sub-30s and delivering pretty quick clears across the country. They were top twenty finishers individually at last year’s European Championships and should be able to pin down a very respectable finish in Paris. Emiliano Portale is a slightly lesser-known talent on a new-ish ride, Scuderia 1918 Future, who he took on at the beginning of last season from fellow Italian Pietro Grandis. Together, they’ve ade a great start to their partnership, taking fifth place in the Nations Cup CCI4*-S class at Montelibretti earlier this season, finishing in the top twenty in the CCI4*-L at Saumur, and taking tenth place in the Nations Cup class at Avenches, too, as their final FEI prep run. They’ll start around the 32 mark but are swift around a long-format course, though like all of the Italian team, the final phase can be expensive. Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Melezes have had an excellent lead-up to this Games, finishing third in the CCI4*-S at Pratoni this spring and 13^th in the Nations Cup class at Avenches, and they proved at the World Championships in 2022 that they can go sub-30 on the main stage. They’re consistent, though not quite as quick as their teammates, across the country.

In the reserve spot, we’ve got Pietro Sandei and his longtime partner, the nineteen-year-old Rubis de Prere. These two finished tenth in the CCI5* at Luhmühlen in June, and though holds at each horse inspection make it hard to put them on the team proper, they’re very reliable and will be able to be an asset if called upon this week.

How did they get here? Through the FEI Nations Cup series last year. Belgium had a colossal lead throughout the season, and maintained it to the win the series outright at the finale at Boekelo, but because they’d picked up their ticket at the European Championships, it opened up that final leg to be a close battle between Italy and Spain for the golden ticket. Spain had opted out of the European Championships in order to best target this route, but as Boekelo dawned, they were unable to field a team, and Italy won the qualification by default.

What’s their secret weapon? Financial support. They’re not quite as robustly well-supported as, say, the Brits or the American team, but Italian riders do get support as part of various wings of their nation’s armed services. That’s why you’ll often see Italians in military dress – and varying military dress at that, because they may be part of, and receiving support from, different areas of the forces. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s a system that allows them to access more assistance than if they had to go it alone.

Chef d’equipe: Shigeyuki Hosono

Team members:

• Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka
• Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street
• Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne

Team reserve: Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson JRA

When did they last win a medal? They’ve not yet won a medal at the Olympics, which was a bit of a heartbreak for them in their home Games in 2021. But they did come close, individually anyway: Kazu and Vinci de la Vigne finished fourth as the hometown heroes, so achingly close to the podium.

What’s their form like? Very good individually, and not always 100% cohesive as a team. Kazu is an absolute weapon for a team to have in their pocket – he only began eventing a few years before Tokyo because the Japanese Federation already had enough showjumpers, and within about five minutes of arriving in the UK and starting his new sport, he’d nearly won Blenheim. He finished last season with a CCI4*-S win at Little Downham with ‘Vince’ and then had a steady start to 2024, running a couple of three-stars to knock the rust off his experienced fifteen-year-old, and then stepping back up to four-star at Bicton, where they had a really uncharacteristic horse fall. The pair bounced back for a decisive third place finish in a very competitive selection trial CCI4*-S at Bramham in June. It’s worth noting, too, that they were eighth in the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, so they’re consistently capable of pulling out their best work at a championship. They’ve always been very quick and very good jumpers, and their excellent sub-30 dressage scores frequently hit the mid-to-low 20s.

The newest partnership on this line-up is Yoshi and MGH Grafton Street, who’s one of those horses that either wins or doesn’t complete, because he’s incredibly talented but also hugely mercurial. Yoshi is an exceptional talent, though – he led the first phase at the London Olympics in 2012, and is a former Bramham CCI4*-L winner, so he’s really blazed trails for his countrymen in this sport. He and ‘Squirrel’ came together over the off-season and have four FEI runs under their belt together, but so far, they’re looking really well-matched – their best result was fourth in Ballindenisk’s CCI4*-L in April, and they’ve got a clean sheet on cross-country so far.

Ryuzo and former Price family mount Cekatinka came together ahead of the Tokyo Games, but Ryuzo was ultimately selected as travelling reserve with another horse. Second place in the CCI4*-L at Ballindenisk in April secured their Paris slot, and will give them the chance to shake off the demons of the 2022 World Championships, where they ran very well but didn’t make it to the final trot-up.

Finally, Toshi as travelling reserve brings a quiet confidence and excellent results with his new mount, the Chris Burton (and latterly Bubby Upton) produced Jefferson JRA. They came together in mid-2023 and have placed in four of their eight FEI runs – the rest were top twenty finishes, plus one withdrawal ahead of cross-country that was rather more circumstantial, as it came at Bicton in late May. All in all, this is a team that, on paper, should put up a strong fight, and if they do, it’ll be great for the sport to see how nations can transform themselves over a couple of Olympic cycles.

How did they get here? In about the most complicated way possible. Technically, they qualified through the Groups F&G qualifier at Millstreet last year, the same as Australia. But actually, in the first instance, they didn’t: it was Australia and China who got the tickets, and Japan, who had no more chances to get a team to Paris, lost much of its funding and support, leaving the riders to fend for themselves. But then, months later in October, it all changed – one of the Chinese horses at Millstreet was deemed to have failed a drug test after trace amounts of Regumate were found in his system, perhaps from contaminated hay, and he was retroactively disqualified. That knocked China out of their advantageous spot and down to fourth, and pushed Japan up into second place in that competition and earned them their team place after months of having been unmoored. So, in short, perhaps not the ideal prep – but each rider has been continuing to work hard in the UK to get their own results and bring it back together this summer.

What’s their secret weapon? In a funny sort of way, it could be that lack of team cohesiveness in the ‘unmoored’ months, because while it wasn’t at all a fun time for Japan’s riders, it also drove them to be necessarily results-oriented as they planned ahead for individual selection. Now, if they can each bring their individual best to the team competition in Paris, they’ll be formidable. Their other secret weapon, though, is British legends of the sport – Kazu is coached by, and based with, William Fox-Pitt, who’ll also be coaching the Brazilians in Paris, and Yoshi bought Burghley winner Grafton Street from Pippa Funnell on the proviso that he keep the horse at her yard and train under her supervision. Add in Ryuzo and Toshi’s coaching from judge and trainer Angela Tucker, and you have some serious input.

Chef d’equipe: Andrew Heffernan

Team members:

• Janneke Boonzaaijer and ACSI Champ de Tailleur
• Sanne de Jong and Enjoy
• Raf Kooremans and Crossborder Radar Love

Team reserve: Elaine Pen and Divali

When did they last win a medal? In 1932 at Los Angeles as a team – the Dutch won silver that year after having been gold medallists the two Olympics previously. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that that means they won the last Paris Olympics, back in 1924. They also took individual gold in 1924, 1928, and 1932, which was really their golden era as an eventing nation.

What’s their form like? They’re building. The Dutch system works a little differently from most nations, in that it’s much harder to get owners in the Netherlands – if someone has the money to have a very good horse, they’re more likely to want a more hands-on role. So getting great horses matched up with the right riders has been hard, and it’s interesting to unpack the line-up and see the different approaches. We’ve got a longtime partnership from bottom to top in Janneke and Champ; a rider on a homebred horse in Sanne and Enjoy; and a rider with a horse purchased from another great talent (in this case, Dutch superstar Merel Blom, via young rider Sterre van Houte) in Raf and Crossborder Radar Love.

It’s also interesting that this is largely such a team of young guns. We don’t have the Netherlands’ two most established stars on this list – Merel and Tim Lips are conspicuous only by their absence – and instead, the baton is being passed to this trio to gain experience on the world stage and help propel the Dutch effort along. (Raf, notably, already has plenty of experience – he rode on the Dutch team at the 2018 World Championships.)

Sanne and Enjoy are consistent, if slightly steady, across the country, and should start their week sub-35; their showjumping has also become very reliable over the last season or so. Raf and eleven-year-old Crossborder Radar Love finished second in the CCI4*-L at Strzegom in June, which was their most recent FEI run and their best-yet result as a partnership. They’re still new enough to one another – their partnership only began this season – but they’ve shown that they can go sub-30 on the flat, are very capable of a clear showjumping round, and are steady banker types across the country. Finally, Janneke Boonzaaijer and ACSI Champ de Tailleur have some Olympic experience behind them already: they competed as individuals at Tokyo in 2021, though they didn’t complete the cross-country; they were eliminated for missing an obstacle. That’s a hefty learning experience, and now, the longtime partnership will be ready to put everything they’ve taken on into practice. A rare sub-30 at their final FEI run, Bicton’s CCI4*-S, will be a great confidence boost, and they’re very reliable on the cross-country. They can be prone to a rail on the final day, though more often, they jump clear. Finally, Elaine Pen and Divali have had three steady, successful runs at FEI this year, making up for a tricky 2023 which saw them eliminated for a horse fall at the European Championships.

It’s all progressing, though – and while it’s unlikely that we’ll see the Dutch on the podium this week, the fact that they’ve got a team back at the Games for the first time since Rio is really exciting. They earned THAT spot after taking team bronze at the 2014 World Championships, also held in France, and in seriously tough conditions that they triumphed through when many more established nations faltered. They have all the talent, and certainly, proximity to some excellent horses – Dutch horses continue to be among the most sought-after in the world – it’s just a matter of getting the right kind of funding and support to see it through. A solid result here could be the thing that secures that for them.

How did they get here? At last year’s FEI European Eventing Championships. They, like their neighbours in Belgium, took one of two tickets available there in what was a really great moment for both developing eventing nations.

What’s their secret weapon? While this team certainly boasts some exciting younger talent for the future, the team will vastly benefit from the previous championship experience of Raf Kooremans, who was on the 2018 WEG team and who’s got a reputation for staying calm and cool under pressure. This will filter out to the rest of the team as a steadying energy and could help garner a solid finish to build on for this team.

Chef d’equipe: Jock Paget

Team members:

• Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park
• Tim Price and Falco
• Jonelle Price and Hiarado

Team reserve: Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier

When did they last win a medal? They’ve won 10 Olympic medals in total, and the most recent came in London in 2012, when they were the bronze medallists as a team. Both Jonelle – who was then still unmarried and riding as Jonelle Richards – and Caroline were on that team, as was now team head honcho Jock Paget. From 1988 to 1996 they had a three-Games run of taking team medals, but a team gold has always eluded them. Individual gold, though, hasn’t – Blyth Tait and Ready Teddy won it in 1996, and Mark Todd and Charisma took it in 1984 and 1988. Their last individual podium place came at Sydney in 2000, where Mark Todd took bronze on Eye Spy II.

What’s their form like? It’s always been a bit of a surprise that, despite having some of the strongest individual competitors in the world, the Kiwi team doesn’t always make it happen as a collective. But Pratoni’s World Championships in 2022 seemed to herald a shifting of the tide – they finished in bronze position there, and took individual bronze, too, thanks to Tim Price and Falco.

Tim and Falco return for this team, having taken tenth place in the hot selection trial at Luhmühlen in June. But their form is a little tricky to pin down – they’ve had two other runs this year, one in the CCI4*-S at Bicton in May where they activated a MIM clip and then retired, and one in the CCI4*-S at Kronenberg in March, where they were second. Before that, you have to go all the way back to Aachen in June of 2023 to find their last FEI run, and they had 40 penalties across the country there. In his younger years, Falco was prone to quite frequent issues in that phase, but from 2021 onwards had looked to have improved considerably – hopefully, these more recent little issues don’t mean that he’s taking a step back again. On his day, Falco can score sub-25, go quick and clear, and is one of the best showjumpers in the field.

Clarke Johnstone’s Menlo Park is perhaps more obviously on-form – he was twelfth at Luhmühlen CCI4*-S, eighth in the CCI4*-S at Marbach, and third in the CCI3*-S Burnham Market, and in July of last season, he won the CCI4*-L at Kilguilkey House.

Jonelle and Hiarado are, possibly, the surprise choice on this list, which most expected to see Badminton winners Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, who are travelling reserves, on. Hiarado’s tricky patch of cross-country runs came just in 2022; since then, the now-12-year-old finished second in the Kilguilkey CCI4*-L last year, and seventh in the CCI5* at Pau. This season, they were sixth in the CCI4*-S at Wiesbaden and fifteenth at Luhmühlen CCI4*-S, and so the results are there, just perhaps in a quiet way. They’re low-30s scorers, quick-ish across the country, and very good in the final phase.

How did they get here? At the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, where they took one of the first batch of team tickets when they finished third.

What’s their secret weapon? A support team helmed by people who were, until very recently, riding on teams themselves – chef Jock Paget is joined by Australian five-star winner Sam Griffiths in the team trainer role. There’s something to be said for that proximity to top-level success in the saddle – they’ll understand very well exactly the kind of support their riders need and how to manage them.

Chef d’equipe: Andreas Dibowski

Team members:

• Jan Kaminski and Jard
• Robert Powala and Tosca del Castegno
• Pawel Warszawski and Lucinda Ex Ani 4

Team reserve: Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134

When did they last win a medal? They’ve won two in total: they were team silver medallists at the 1936 Games in Berlin, which is probably basically the same thing as winning since they gave nearly all the gold medals to Germany in that, um, contentious Olympics, and they were bronze medallists in Amsterdam in 1928.

What’s their form like? This is another developing team, returning for another slot at the Games. They won’t vie for a team medal, nor individual ones, but every opportunity they get to compete at a major event is a huge foundational step for them – and it has to be noted that there’s such a small pool of top-level athletes in the country that they only sent one individual to last year’s European Championships. This is an exceptional accomplishment.

Their team is made up of Malgorzata Korycka and Canvalencia, who finished third in the Olympic qualifier that got Poland here, and who have competed for their nation previously at the 2021 European Championships at Avenches, though were eliminated there for a fall on the flat on cross-country. They didn’t compete in any FEI events after the Olympic qualifier in May last year until this spring, when they did four internationals – three of them at Strzegom – and had mixed results. They were ninth in the CCI4*-S at Baborowko in May, but retired in their first run at Strzegom CCI4*-S and picked up 11 penalties apiece in both their subsequent runs at the level at that venue. While their reliability profile isn’t always totally on point, they’re actually a reasonably quick pair on their day. That’ll be their biggest boon here – their mid-to-high 30s scores and tendency to knock a couple of rails will matter far less in the grand scheme of Poland’s goals this year.

53-year-old Robert Powala gets his first senior team call-up after riding for Poland at two Junior European Championships back in the eighties. This week, he’ll be riding the Italian-bred Tosca del Castegno, who’s having a very good season after getting some wobbles out of her system as a young horse. She’s just eleven, and other than one tricky run in a CCI2*-S at Pratoni last year, she’s looked really good across the country, taking placings in four-star classes at Montelibretti, Strzegom, and Baborowko. Again, this is a mid-30s horse, but she’s smart in the second phase and reasonably quick, and her rail or two on the final day won’t take the shine off a good finish for the team.

Finally, on the team proper, there’s Pawel and Lucinda, who are very capable of starting their week on a 30 or thereabouts, though we’ll have to hope that their 20 on course at Wiesbaden on CCI4*-S in their penultimate international run before Paris sharpened them up, rather than dented their confidence. Their clear in the CCIO4*-S at Strzegom last month suggests the former, rather than the latter. They’re a steady pair across the country, but generally reliable, and will likely have two rails down in the final phase. Wiktoria, in the reserve spot, had a recent 20 at Baborowko but placed in that final run at Strzegom, and is sitting on one of Poland’s quicker cross-country horses.

How did they get here? They won the Olympic Group C Qualifier for Central European nations at Baborowko in Poland last spring. They beat the Czech Republic and Hungary in the competition, which was held at CCIO4*-L. That was accomplished by very nearly the same line-up of horses and riders we see here – the only difference is that Jan Kaminski, who won the class with Jard, has sadly had to sit out the Games due to a fall in June that left him with a couple of fractures. He’s already back out competing as of the first week of July but for the Olympics, he’s been replaced by Robert and Tosca.

What’s their secret weapon? The depth of wisdom imparted by team leader, German superstar Andreas Dibowski. Poland occupies a funny sort of middle ground in the sport – it hosts some top-notch events, including Strzegom, Sopot, and Baborowko, but there’s not a huge amount of support or funding for competitors. In the recent past, we’ve seen Polish success most deftly attained by the likes of Pawel Spisak and Banderas, and that’s in no small part because they relocated to Germany to train in the heart of the sport with Michael Jung. Bringing that kind of depth of knowledge out of the core of the sport and into Poland proper can only further enrich the sport’s culture there.

Chef d’equipe: Dominic Berger

Team members:

• Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH
• Mélody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire
• Felix Vogg and Dao de l’Ocean

Team reserve: Nadja Minder and Toblerone

When did they last win a medal? Like Poland, they’ve won two, and both are historic medals: they were silver medallists in Rome in 1960, where Anton Bühler and Gay Spark (yeah, we’re not kidding) won individual bronze, too.

What’s their form like? Switzerland has had one of the really fun trajectories to follow over the last couple of cycles, because they’re a developing nation that’s really begun to hit its stride, in much the same was as Belgium has more recently. It’s not totally beyond the realm of possibility to think that they could be a dark horse contender for a podium spot, which would be – let’s be real for a moment here – cool as hell for the sport. They were fifth as a team at last year’s European Championships, so they’re inching closer and closer to those podiums.

Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully feel like the natural team leaders here – they’ve got the 2018 and 2022 World Championships and three Senior Europeans under their belt already, all with smart completions or better, and Robin was also a part of the Swiss team at Tokyo, though his week ended with tragedy there. He’s an extraordinary competitor who rides with a maturity well beyond his 26 years, and with a cross-country prowess that calls to mind that of Andrew Nicholson, who has been so instrumental to the Swiss team over the last few years. This pair have won both their FEI runs this year and come to Paris brimming with confidence, and rightly so: they’re capable of starting sub-30, they’re quick – though not lightning fast – and seriously consistent across the country, and they’ll either have one or none on the final day.

Speaking of consistency, it seems to be a rite of passage for Swiss talent to take the next step up the ladder aboard Toubleu de Rueire, and it’s something that’s making us consider a change of nationality so we can have a go, too. Mélody Johner is the third Swiss rider to have the horse, and she’s been campaigning him since 2020, so they have a well-established partnership now. In their 21 FEI starts together, they have 14 top-ten finishes, and have competed for Switzerland at the Europeans last year, the World Championships the year before that, oh, and the Tokyo Olympics, too, where they finished in the top twenty individually. They can be mid-30s scorers but they’re very, very good across the country – they’re naturally speedy, and have never had a cross-country penalty together – though they are prone to a rail on the final day.

Felix Vogg made Swiss history when he won Luhmühlen CCI5* two years ago, becoming the first Swiss five-star winner since the 1950s, but his ride this week isn’t Colero, with whom he took that title. Instead, it’s the slightly under-the-radar Dao de l’Ocean, who notched a top-ten finish at Boekelo’s CCIO4*-L last season. They won the CCI4*-S at Wiesbaden and finished second in the CCIO4*-S at Avenches this season, and are consistently scoring sub-30, but often creeping further and further towards the mid-20s. They’ve never had a cross-country jumping fault at four-star and they’re quick enough when they need to be – and arguably the best showjumpers on this team.

Finally, young gun Nadja Minder and Toblerone, occupying the reserve slot, are hugely capable: they finished just outside the top twenty at last year’s tough Europeans, and competed at the 2022 World Championships, though had a very rare parting of ways there. They know each other inside and out from growing up together, and they’re arguably the fastest cross-country pair in this line-up. If they get the call-up, they’ll deliver – though they, too, are nearly guaranteed a rail or two.

How did they get here? They scored a team ticket through the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni, where they finished seventh – and it was the top seven teams that would get the nod. This was a huge moment for them and their major goal of that Championship – to score a qualification in the first batch is no small feat.

What’s their secret weapon? Andrew Nicholson, arguably, who stepped into the cross-country coach role before the pandemic. He’s been instrumental in taking them from riders who play it safe and just try to get round to riders who have the base instincts and foundational skills to take smart, calculated risks and ride much more aggressively and competitively. That’s been the lynchpin, really, in their progression, but there’s another side to the coin, as well – there were some disputes between Felix and Andrew at the Tokyo Olympics that Felix has been outspoken about, and regardless of the details and who’s actually in the right or in the wrong here, they’ll all have to work hard to make sure that the rift doesn’t affect the rest of the team this week.

Chef d’equipe: Fred Bergendorff

Team members:

• Frida Andersen and Box Leo
• Louise Romeike and Caspian 15
• Sofia Sjöborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z

Team reserve: Malin Asai and Golden Midnight

When did they last win a medal? They’re actually – and this is pretty wild – the second-most successful nation ever in terms of gold medals won at the Olympics. In fact, it could be argued that the Swedes really started this sport, and certainly for those first few Olympics, they were extraordinarily dominant. They took individual gold in the first-ever Olympic event, in Stockholm in 1912, and at the second, at Antwerp in 1920, where they also took individual silver. They were also individual gold medallists in 1956 – again in Stockholm – and in 1960 in Rome, and as a team, they took gold in 1912, 1920, and 1952. But that 1952 gold was also the last time we saw their team take a medal. Their most recent individual medal is much more modern – at London 2012, Sara Algotsson Ostholt won the silver medal with Wega. She was the first Swedish Olympic eventing medallist since 1972.

What’s their form like? They were sixth at last year’s European Championships and the same placing at the 2022 World Championships, which is an uptick in form on the world stage – in recent history, they’ve been a nation that’s consistent at Nations Cup series, as they keep showing up and plugging away, but translating that to championship success has been a bit trickier. But it’s certainly proving to be on the up and up, and now, their one real hurdle left to overcome is the first phase. Frida’s Box Leo will be a mid-to-high 30s scorer; Sofia’s horse can go into the 40s, though is more often a high-30s type; and Louise’s Caspian has gone sub-30 at three-star test but hasn’t translated that to the four-star test with its flying changes yet. Similarly, Malin and Golden Midnight in the reserve spot are similarly a high-30s to low-40s pair.

But if they start off the pace, they will climb. Sofia and Belle are very, very quick and consistent across the country, though prone to a pole on Sunday; Frida and Leo are similarly quick and slightly less prone to that pole; and mega-experienced Louise and Caspian might have the horse’s relative inexperience to contend with, but the ten-year-old is naturally lightning-fast and has never had an FEI cross-country jumping penalty, and showjumps like a dream, too. If Malin is called up, she and stalwart Golden Midnight have a tonne of mileage behind them to put down a banker round. If the cross-country is influential this week, this really could be Sweden’s moment to make a great dark horse play and give us all some ABBA-based headlines to write.

How did they get here? Like the Swiss, they had a huge, wonderful victory as a team at the 2022 World Championships when they secured their team ticket in that first round of qualifications. They managed that by finishing sixth as a nation – and three of the horses and riders on this line-up (Frida and Box Leo, Sofia and ‘Belle’, and reserves Malin and Golden Midnight) were on that team.

What’s their secret weapon? Other than their gorgeous chef d’equipe, who everyone in eventing universally has a little crush on? And other than ABBA, which they have to listen to every single time they do a dressage test anywhere outside their home nation? It’s probably the fact that they’re not in the spotlight. They haven’t had a recent major win for a rider, like Belgium or, in the longer term, Switzerland – they’ve just been plugging away in their various home bases and bringing it to the table when they’re able to train together. They come in without the pressure of the world’s expectations, which could be a perfect recipe to help them surprise everyone and have a very jolly time doing it.

Chef d’equipe: Bobby Costello

Team members:

• Liz Halliday and Nutcracker
• Boyd Martin and Fedarman B
• Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake

Team reserve: Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire [UPDATED 7/26]

When did they last win a medal? Fun fact: on medal count, the US is the most successful eventing nation ever at an Olympics. They’ve got 25 in total – that’s more than even the Brits (21) or Gerrmany (17), though Germany and Sweden beat them on number of golds, and they’re neck and neck with the Brits on that tally. Their last medal as a team, though, came back in 2004 in Athens, when they took the bronze. That was the end of a three-strong podium run as a team. Their last team gold came at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Individually, they’ve visited the podium more recently: Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice were bronze medallists at Rio in 2016, and Gina Miles and McKinlaigh took silver in 2008 at Beijing. In 2000, David O’Connor and Custom Made took individual gold, making them the USA’s last Olympic Champions, though the nation has since sort of adopted Britain’s Leslie Law, in spirit if not on paper, who was the 2004 Olympic champion and now acts as a crucial part of the high performance developing rider system in the country.

What’s their form like? After a fallow period, the USA has really hit their stride. There’s been a lot that’s contributed to this – an overhaul of the high performance system, notably, and with it, a shift in how each rider’s own system is incorporated. Rather than the old toe-the-party-line system, there’s now much more scope to use what has worked on an individual level for each competitor, and maximise it so it can benefit the team. Bobby Costello, who became the permanent chef d’equipe after a successful stint as an interim one, is obviously doing a few things right.

And how does that stack up on a fundamental level? Beyond even this high-flying team, the US has finally broken its Kentucky duck, with a poignant win for Tamie Smith and Mai Baum last spring, and the US were gold medallists – even if with a slightly out-of-character final phase performance – at last year’s Pan American Games, which they didn’t have to use to qualify for the Olympics this time, which was great. They also finished second as a nation in the very prestigious team competition at Aachen a couple of weeks ago, with a team of developing riders and horses.

Boyd Martin had a laundry list of good horses on the up and up for this Games, but it’s poignant that the nod should go the way of Fedarman B, who was produced and campaigned by the late, much-loved Annie Goodwin before her tragic passing a few years ago. Now, she can ride along with Boyd on the horse she loved so much – and they should have a super shout at a great finish, too. Boyd and Bruno have finished in the top ten in all bar three of their 13 FEI runs – two of those saw them withdraw before cross-country, and the other, which ended in a retirement on course, was their very first international together. They were eighth at both Pau and Luhmühlen’s CCI5* classes last year amongst strong European company.

Caroline Pamukcu is on the form of her life with HSH Blake – they won the individual gold at the Pan Ams last year, took Tryon CCI4*-L this year, and haven’t finished outside of the top five in an FEI class since 2022. All three horses on the team should be sub-30 any day of the week, and nine-year-old Blake can try for the mid-20s – and all three, similarly, are fast and reliable across the country and good jumpers. Liz Halliday and Nutcracker are extraordinarily strong reserves – they come to Paris off the back of an eighth place finish in the CCI5* at Kentucky this spring. It’s time, in short, for Team USA to bring the noise and fight for a medal. The most coveted one of all is not at all beyond their grasp.

Editor’s Note: On July 26, US Equestrian announced the withdrawal of Diabolo, Will Coleman’s Direct Reserve horse. Liz Halliday subsequently was put onto the team, and was replaced with Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire as Traveling Reserve.

How did they get here? That silver medal at the 2022 World Championships secured it for them.

What’s their secret weapon? Whatever it is, we want some. A combination of openmindedness within the system, we reckon, is a key part of it, and whatever secret sauce Bobby Costello is bringing to the table is obviously working. Pippa Funnell can definitely earn a nod here for the part she’s played in helping Caroline find her peak, and the newly-found cohesiveness of the team and its wider support system is definitely influential, too. Riders, owners, grooms, friends, and family are now a really solid community when the team crosses the pond, and that has a bigger positive knock-on effect than you might think.

Coming next, our traditional in-depth Form Guide to the full individual field, complete with stats from our friends at EquiRatings. Stay tuned!

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