Will Coleman and Off the Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Team USA heads to Stable View’s Summer H.T. (Aiken, SC) this weekend, where they will undertake a final Mandatory Outing set out by US Equestrian, competing in an Advanced division to put the finishing touches on their preparations for Paris before they begin their journey overseas next month.
Team members Will Coleman (Off the Record + direct reserve Diabolo), Boyd Martin (Fedarman B + direct reserve Commando 3) and Caroline Pamukcu (HSH Blake), along with traveling reserve Liz Halliday (Cooley Nutcracker) will all be present competing, as well as the alternate list consisting of James Alliston (Karma), Jennie Brannigan (FE Lifestyle), Sydney Elliott (QC Diamantaire), and Liz Halliday (Miks Master C and Shanroe Cooley). Will Faudree had earlier withdrawn himself from the alternate list with Mama’s Magic Way, opting instead to focus on preparing for Burghley later this summer.
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
This competition will primarily be used as a fine-tuning fitness run for these pairs, allowing them to get some time competing together as a team before Paris, which is key to success in any sport. An advantage of naming a team earlier (the U.S. was the first nation to confirm its definite team; to date we have only Ireland and Japan confirmed with most other nations still narrowing down a shortlist) is just that: to allow for more time to prepare, foster team camaraderie, and of course to also have flexibility in timing should a pair have an issue or an injury and need to sub in an alternate.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. Photo by Sally Spickard.
The Advanced pairs will compete in dressage and show jumping on Friday, June 21, followed by cross country on Saturday, June 22. There is no live stream for this competition, but Taleen Hanna will be our trusty boots on the ground to bring us daily reports as well as a final recap of the team’s travel plans, etc. at the end of the weekend or on Monday.
For those of you attending, you’ll also want to check out some opportunities to send the team off properly, as the organizing crew at Stable View has really gone all out to make it a real party. On Saturday, VIP Luncheon ticket holders will receive access to the Pavilion and upstairs decks with a 360-degree view of the property, lunch catered by Blue Collard, beer + wine, and Stable View swag from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can pick up a VIP ticket by clicking here.
Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Stay tuned for more from Stable View, coming your way soon!
Stable View Summer H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.
