There’s no ‘I’ in team: Will hacking Happy/Mighty Nice after Phillip left for Greenwich on Wednesday
The lucky five selected to represent the USA at the London Olympic Games may have left Eddy Stibbe’s dream facility but that doesn’t mean for a moment it isn’t still a hive of activity. The Dutch Dressage Team is in training (yes, I glimpsed Anky riding, and Edward sunbathing topless, swoon!)
Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend Dressage Riders Must-Have Accessory
Despite having been at the yard at 4am to help pack everything up and see the team off, Clark Montgomery, his groom Sally, Will Faudree and Nat V-C were still busy with their own horses and keeping an eye on the horses left behind for the rest of the day before the remaining American horses ship out to Maizey Manor. Will and Andromaque will stay put at Lavender Hill until Burghley while the rest of the US contingent ships to Maizey Manor until they leave. Sinead and Allison will prepare Manoir de Carneville and Arthur for Burghley from there, while Remi, Neville, Happy and Loughan Glen will meet the US team horses at Stansted on Thursday 2nd August and all fly home together from there. The US team horses, God willing, go straight from show-jumping, to Eddy’s old yard Waresley Park Stud as they have to vacate Greenwich Park that night, and will spend the night there before shipping to the airport.
Third time was not to be a charm in 2012 for Will Faudree and he kindly shared some of his thoughts about the disappointment, and his plans for the future.
“This is the third Olympic Games I’ve been a reserve at. I was the traveling reserve at Athens. I didn’t actually come to England in 2008 but I was shortlisted – they named the eight that flew over and I was number nine. In different ways this trip has been absolutely more frustrating than both the other times. In 2004 I was left off because of my age and inexperience, I was 22 , I’d never done an overseas competition and the selectors told me they didn’t want to send me to an Olympics as my first one. I understood that, even though it was still frustrating. In 2008 it was really frustrating to be left off that squad because I had done everything (Badminton, Burghley, WEG) and that horse (Antigua) had a flawless cross-country record, he’d never had a cross-country penalty in his life. He was 18 years old, but look at Lenamore. I think he was left off because of his age, and that was a particularly hard year for me; it was the summer that my sister was diagnosed with cancer and I was desperately hanging on to that dream of going to the Olympics. I had a good mandatory outing, but that was something that horse always did – he always did things well, he never won anything big, he just always did things well so it was frustrating to be left off that squad.” (McKinlaigh won individual silver but Poggio was eliminated while Mandiba and Courageous Comet accumulated multiple stops cross country).
Will and Andromaque jumping clear at Barbury
“This year has been really, really frustrating, I’ve had a lot of things go on in my life throughout the Spring, not that I’m blaming my fall at The Fork or my stop at Kentucky on anything, but I gave them reasons to leave me off and I understand why I was left off. Then Marilyn Little-Meredith’s horse was unfortunately withdrawn due to veterinary reasons and I got moved on to the short list which I was really excited about. Then I get on the short list, come over here and have a really good Barbury – she was sensational cross country. I cannot think of another horse that I would rather ride around that track at that venue because she is so fast cross country, she doesn’t pull and I can turn. I had a bit of a bad go at Barbury and scored a 52, you can blame it on a lot of things especially the weather, but she’s such a workman. I thought after Barbury that maybe they would look at my cross country round and that she could be a good pathfinder.”
“When the team was announced of course I was upset – anybody whose name isn’t called is upset, it wouldn’t be human nature to not be, but I understood why I was left off because of the issues I’d had in the Spring. I’m going to do my best in four years to not give them a reason because unfortunately this year I did. Things change, in every team that I’ve been a part of they’ve never taken the original team that they’ve named: in 2004 My Beau was switched for Poggio, in 2006 Stephen Bradley was switched for Karen O’Connor….so I just keep training as if I’m going and keep that glimmer of hope and that dream alive that I could still get there. I’ve told Nat that Missy feels as good as she’s ever felt, she’s as sound as she’s ever been and happy, and if the Olympics don’t happen they don’t happen, and I’ll take her to Burghley. I’m excited about that, it’s a huge honour in itself to have a horse to go to Burghley on.”
“Being a reserve is such a hard thing because you know you want to go to the Olympic Games so much, that’s your goal – you want to go and be competitive and win medals, and I right now, today, feel like I could do it – I feel so prepared and ready – but you also know that the only way you’re going is if someone else drops out and you don’t wish that on anybody. I’ve been lucky. At the end of the day I’m 30 years old, I can do this for many more years and whenever I have things like this happen I have to remember – I get to travel around the world and ride horses, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I would rather be known as a really good horseman and a really good producer of horses than for the number of medals around my neck. Having said that, I want one of those medals around my neck so badly I can taste it! If it doesn’t happen though, it’s not like I’m going to wake up tomorrow and give it all up, I’m still going to take care of my horses, I’m still going to keep producing them to the best of their capabilities, and the partnership I have with my horses is my focus. Hopefully someday the Olympic Games will be a part of that path and that journey.”
My thanks and respect to Will, and all the reserves for their time, and thank you for reading. I’ll also be bringing you news of Clark Montgomery, Allison Springer and hopefully Manoir De Carneville within the next few days. In exciting news looking ahead, Will hopes to take Pawlow to Boekelo, and Clark told me he’ll apply for the grant to take Glen there too, as well as Phillip with Mighty Nice, just three that I’ve heard of in the last few days. To make it extra special the Dutch event will mark the passing of the torch as Captain Mark Phillips hands over the reins as US team coach and it will be David O’Connor’s first official international competition in charge of the American squad. Go USA Eventing!
