Shane and Taurus, photo courtesy of John Lechner
Just a few days before the beginning of the Olympics, Shane Rose has officially withdrawn his mount Taurus from competition on the Australian team. Taurus has been withdrawn due to a soft tissue injury, and the decision was made in the best interest of the horse. This sad news is tempered by the fact that Taurus is only 9 years of age, and has many future competitions of the international nature.
Australian equestrian section manager Brett Mace said the injury to Taurus was already known, but the team had hoped the horse would recover in time for the games.
“While the injury is not serious, there is just not enough time for recovery with just under a week to go,” Mace said.
“There is no doubt this is a blow for the team,” Mace said. “We feel for Shane, who has worked for many years preparing Taurus for these games. He is a hard working athlete who was a formidable part of our silver medal Beijing team.”
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Shane and Taurus will be replaced by Megan Jones and Allofasudden, winners of the 2012 Bates Saddles Eventing Equestriad CIC3*. Megan was also on the Beijing silver medal team, finishing in fourth place individually.
Here is the link to watch a video of Shane’s official withdrawal: [Shane Rose Withdraws]
Megan Jones and Allofasudden at the Sydney 3* in 2010:
