The USEF named a diverse group of riders to the Pan American list today, from talented up and coming riders at the dawn of their careers to international riders at the top of their game even to a full time veterinarian on the substitutes list. Here are a few notes on the short list:
1) With 15 riders being picked from nearly 50 final applicants, there isn’t one single criteria that describes all of the selections. In many respects I think the selection strategy was just to pick 15 really solid pairs. There are less experienced 2* horses such as Oboe O’Reilly, veteran 3* horses like Rafferty’s Rules and everything in between on the list, and the same goes for the spread of the riders.
2) The list guarantees that some new riders are going to get international experience competing for the USA. There are only two riders with pinque coats on the list (Buck and Boyd). None of the USA’s veteran multi-team riders even applied, whether because they are focusing on their advanced horses this fall because they don’t have a great 2* horse, or a variety of other reasons. Almost all of the applicants who I would consider “bigger names” made it to the short list.
3) The USA will send 5 riders to the Pan American Games, all of whom will compete in the team competition and individually. The 3 best scores will count towards team results, meaning 2 are dropped. That’s a world class University of Virginia math education working for you right there folks.
4) Being able to drop two scores means that each country can afford to ‘swing for the fences,’ so to speak, and send horses they know will go low in the dressage and then hope to finish on that. Another strategy might be to send riders for the future to get them experience. The US list is diverse enough to employ either strategy, or even a mix of the strategies when it comes to final squad selection.
5) Having seen the initial Canadian list and feeling almost certain that Jessie Phoenix and James Atkinson will be added to the Canadian list, it’s going to be a race to the wire between the US and Canada for Pan American gold.
6) There are some top 3* horses on the US short list. Absolute Liberty placed 4th at the Bromont CCI3* this year, Last Call was 5th at Jersey and won the Galway CIC3*, and Rafferty’s Rules was 5th at Bromont. Jolie Wentworth’s GoodKnight was just 4th in the 3* at Rebecca Farm, with Last Call finishing one place better.
7) A few other names on the list that made an appearance last weekend include Jennifer Taxay Kelly and Taboo, who made the reserve list after finishing 4th in the Rebecca Farm CCI2*, and Kristin Schmolze who finished 7th in the same division with Ballylaffen Bracken.
8) Here’s to You, Harbour Pilot, Oboe O’Reilly, Hanni, and Mar de Amor all jump off the page at me as horses who could win the dressage in Mexico and hold onto the lead with a good weekend of jumping.
9) According to the USEA, 2 Young Event Horse champions (Breakthrough and Project Runway) made the list. I maintain that the success of the YEH and FEH programs is based on their ability to identify horses for the future and therefore indirectly encourage the breeding of better event horses. While a much larger study is needed to measure how successful the programs are, that is definitely a vote of confidence.
However you look at the short list, we’re a long way and a selection trials at Richland Park away from knowing what the US Pan American Games final squad will look like. Congrats to all the pairs who made today’s list, you’re one step closer to hanging out for two weeks in the birthplace of tequila. Go eventing.
