The 2008 International Roster For Olympic Dressage

To download the full roster in PDF format, complete with photos, click here.

Talent And Experience Combine For A Strong U.S. Team

A year ago the hopes for another bronze-medal performance from the U.S. Dressage Team looked doubtful, but in the past six months, some new talent has fulfilled its promise and some familiar faces have returned. It’s never a given that a team will win a medal, but this year’s Olympic dressage riders plan to fight for every point.

Although Steffen Peters was the highest-placed U.S. rider at the 2006 World Equestrian Games (Germany) and the 2007 FEI World Cup Dressage Final (the Netherlands) with Floriano, he’s no longer riding that horse. He couldn’t have guessed that new mount Ravel would go from showing in his first Grand Prix four months ago to winning the Olympic Selection Trials.

Peters knew the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood was special when he picked him out two years ago, but an injury last year put Ravel way behind schedule.
 
Ravel debuted at the Mid Winter Dressage Fair CDI (Calif.) at the end of February, won the Grand Prix (69.08%) and the Grand Prix Special (69.32%), and hasn’t looked back.

He won all of his Grand Prix tests at the following two CDIs, The Dressage Affaire (Calif.) and the Festival Of The Horse (Calif.), and continued that winning streak by dominating the selection trials with scores in the mid-70s in every test.

“I was beside myself,” said Peters. “We had a good season before, so you expect a lot from yourself, and it adds a lot of pressure. When you’re done and everything worked the way you wanted, it’s pretty normal to be beside yourself.”

Peters believes that Ravel can be even better. “He just keeps offering and offering,” he said. “I think this is not quite his maxed out. There’s a little bit more in there. It’s an amazing feeling.”

And Ravel wasn’t the only surprise on the dressage team. Debbie McDonald and Brentina have anchored the dressage team since 1999. The pair took home individual and team gold at the 1999 Pan American Games (Canada), earned team silver at the 2002 WEG (Spain), team bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics and team bronze at the 2006 WEG.

However, Brentina had to be withdrawn from individual competition at the 2006 WEG due to an injury, and in the past two years the beloved chestnut mare has hardly shown. Another injury in the fall of 2007 while traveling to Europe made it look unlikely that she’d be named to another team.

It was with some trepidation that McDonald brought her out once again at the Festival Of The Horse CDI in March, but “Mama” showed she still had as much desire to show as ever by placing second in the Grand Prix (70.54%) and winning the Grand Prix Special (72.88%).

“It’s so amazing to feel that she’s still so willing and so excited to go down that centerline,” said McDonald. “In all the years I’ve had her, this is the best she’s felt. I never really thought there was a lot more I could bring out in her. I think she’s feeling like she has more expression and more energy. She’s making me realize there’s even more in there than I thought there was.”