June 23, 2016–Members of the Short List for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team will compete this week in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ at CSIO5* Rotterdam. The competition will serve as the final of four designated observation events that will help determine the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team will include Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden, and Callan Solem. The U.S. has drawn last in the order of eight teams.
Leading off for the U.S. will be veteran competitor Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) with Amalaya Investments’ Voyeur, a 2002 KWPN gelding. The pair amassed an impressive record of wins in 2015 at world-class competitions across the globe. Farrington and Voyeur have competed lightly in 2016 and were a part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team that tied for the Silver medal at CSIO5* Rome in late May.
Solem (Glenmoore, Pa.) and Horseshoe Trail Farm, LLC’s VDL Wizard, a 2003 KWPN gelding, will go next in the U.S. order. 2016 has been a break-out year for the longtime partners; in April they competed in their first FEI championship at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, finishing seventh as the top-placed Americans. The pair was also a part of the U.S. effort at CSIO5* Rome.
Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) will ride Old Willow Farms, LLC’s Zeremonie, a 2007 Holsteiner mare. This will mark the pair’s third Nations Cup appearance. They were previously a part of the second-placed Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at CSIO4* Wellington and the Silver-medal tie for the U.S. at CSIO5* Rome.
Riding in the anchor position, Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) will ride her famed partner, Cortes ‘C’, a 2002 Belgium Warmblood gelding owned by Abigail Wexner. In 2015, the pair aided in the Gold-medal win by the U.S. team at the 100th Nations Cup of Germany at CSIO5* Mannheim, the Bronze-medal win at CSIO5* Hickstead, and the fourth-place finish at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final. Following the team competition at Hickstead, the pair won the Longines King George V Gold Cup for the second consecutive year.
Start lists, course maps, and results
Watch the Nations Cup live on FEITV.org
Find out more about CHIO Rotterdam
The U.S. will also be represented at CHIO Rotterdam by all members of the Dressage Squad for European Observation Events in the CDIO5* and CDI3*. This competition will serve as the final of three designated observation events for determining the 2016 U.S. Olympic Dressage Team.
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