2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games Cross Country Course Designer, Alec Lochore. (Photo courtesy of Alec Lochore/Musketeer Events)
This article was produced by US Equestrian, in partnership with the US Eventing Association. It has been reprinted here on EN with permission.
When Alec Lochore first walked the grounds of Santa Anita Park as a prospective Olympic venue, he wasn’t imagining himself as the designer of the 2028 Olympic cross-country course.
“I’d been to the venue before,” Lochore said. “I understood the challenges the course designer was going to face, but I wasn’t there thinking, ‘What would it be like if I designed this course?’”
So when the call came confirming he would be the cross-country course designer for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, his reaction was simple.
“I was pretty shocked,” he admitted. “And very humbled. It’s a great honor, but it comes with pressure. I feel that pressure every day.”
That pressure is familiar territory to Lochore, whose career has placed him at the center of the sport’s most watched moments, from five-star events to World Championships and Olympic Games. Now, as questions and concerns swirl about how an Olympic cross-country course will fit inside a historic racetrack, Lochore is focused on education, perspective, and — above all — the horse.
A Life Shaped by Eventing
Pierre Michelet and Alec Lochore at the Rio Olympics in 2016, where Michelet was the course designer. Photo by Shannon Brinkman
Lochore’s path to course design was less a career choice and more an inevitability.
Lochore was born into an eventing family: both of his parents competed at what would now be considered five-star level, riding at both the Badminton and Burghley Horse Trials. His mother, Polly Lochore, was a European Champion and team gold medalist at Haras du Pin in 1969, as well as one of the first women to compete at the top level of eventing in the 1960s. Eventing wasn’t something Alec discovered — it was a world he grew up inside.
After briefly stepping away to work in National Hunt racing in the UK, Lochore was drawn back into eventing through competition, this time through organization. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he began running events as a business, designing courses out of necessity before realizing he had found his calling.
From there, his resume expanded quickly: national and international technical delegate, competition manager at Olympic Games, TD at World Championships, Pan American Games, and Asian Games championships. Along the way, Lochore worked closely with many of the sport’s most influential designers, including Giuseppe Della Chiesa (ITA), Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR), Pierre Michelet (FRA), Derek di Grazia (USA), and Ian Stark (GBR).
“You get to walk courses, take notes, and understand the philosophy of the very best,” he said. “That experience is something I draw on constantly.”
Preparations Underway at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park from the front stretch. ©Zoe Metz/Santa Anita Park
For many fans, Santa Anita Park presents an immediate question: Is there enough space?
Lochore understands the concern, but says perception often changes once people see the venue in person.
“Every time I go there, I think, ‘This is actually quite a big space,’” he said. “Google Earth doesn’t give you perspective. The grandstand alone is nearly a quarter mile long (roughly 1,100 feet.)”
While Santa Anita is undeniably different from traditional parkland venues like Kentucky, Badminton, or Burghley, Lochore emphasizes that Olympic cross country has long required adaptability. In fact, some recent Games offer surprisingly relevant comparisons.
“Tokyo’s cross country course was built on a landfill site with a very small footprint,” he explained. “Greenwich Park in London was also a very tight venue, and we still had 50,000 spectators on cross-country day.”
At Santa Anita, the course will utilize approximately three-quarters of the turf track, allowing horses to gallop over ground once graced by thoroughbred racing legends like Loves Only You (JPN), Auguste Rodin (IRE), John Henry, and Dancing Brave.
“That’s quite unusual,” Lochore said. “But also, quite special.”
And despite common assumptions, the venue is not flat.
“There’s an 11-meter drop in terrain from the top of the mile to the finish post,” he noted. “There’s more topography there than people expect.”
Designing for the Horse First
Hayley Frielick and Sportsfield Lumiere compete at TerraNova, a track designed by Alec Lochore currently. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
While visual impact and broadcast considerations matter, especially at the Olympic Games, Lochore is unwavering about his priorities.
“The singularly most important thing is safety for the horse,” he said.
That philosophy guides every decision, from fence presentation to ground preparation. Lochore emphasizes the importance of designing courses that are readable for horses traveling at speed; something spectators may not always consider.
“We walk the [finished] course six or seven times,” he explained. “But the horse gallops up to it at twenty five miles per hour and sees it for the first time. That’s what matters.”
At Santa Anita, significant work is already underway behind the scenes. The footing has been scientifically profiled, analyzed, and mapped to identify where to spike (a process that aerates the soil using tines to punch two- to six-inch-deep holes to enhance water flow and nutrients to the root,) where to water, and where additional improvements are needed.
“We do this at all our events,” Lochore said. “Science plays a huge role in modern course preparation.”
Fairness, Challenge, and Championship Balance
Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo represent Canada at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Designing an Olympic course means balancing two very different needs: providing a clear, achievable route for less experienced combinations while still identifying a worthy gold medalist.
“That’s the challenge of championships,” Lochore said. “You must allow athletes to get home but also reward those with horses who have been winning at championship level.”
He points to past Games like Rio de Janeiro in 2016, where athletes with varying levels of experience jumped clear rounds — even if time penalties followed — while elite combinations still rose to the top.
“That’s when you know it’s working,” he said.
Lochore also acknowledges that new venues often ride more challenging than familiar ones, a psychological factor for both the horse and athlete. This is why test events, athlete representatives, technical delegates, and alternative routes are essential tools in refining a course.
“If something needs an adjustment, you adjust it,” he said simply.
A Venue Ready to Learn
Santa Anita Park features a seven furlong/0.9 mile long main turf track composed of Bandera Bermuda hybrid turf. (©Zoe Metz/Santa Anita Park)
Santa Anita’s experience hosting high-level show jumping events, including FEI Jumping World Cup Qualifier competitions, has helped prepare the venue for the demands of eventing, even with different organizations managing each discipline.
“There’s a real understanding now of what equestrian sport requires,” Lochore said. “[1/ST] has been proactive, engaged, and very agreeable.” Combined with leadership from equestrian-experienced organizers, Lochore believes Santa Anita Park is well positioned to deliver a world-class Olympic event.
With a venue steeped in racing history and a sport built on evolution, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games represent something rare: a chance to reimagine what Olympic cross country can look like without losing what matters most.
For Alec Lochore, it’s a challenge worth every ounce of pressure.
As construction planning gets underway and a test event looms on the horizon, Lochore knows the spotlight will only grow brighter. But for now, his focus remains steady.
“We want horses to have a good experience,” he said. “We want them to progress. We want riders to feel prepared and proud.”
