Olympics

Following their performance at the Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge (Fla.) CPEDI*** team qualifier for the Paralympics, held Jan. 25-29, the U.S. para-dressage team has qualified for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

"It's very exciting," says Chef d'Equipe Missy Ransehousen. "I was very pleased with not only the team but with the individuals. They are a good group of people, working hard, and going forward with a good plan in mind."

William Fox-Pitt’s strongest potential Olympic mount, Cool Mountain, will sit out of competition in 2012 as a result of an injury sustained at last year’s HSBC European Championships (Germany) according to The Telegraph.

In the final days of 2011, Great Britain’s show jumping team lost three potential Olympic mounts as they were sold to Saudi Arabia and Australia. Dec. 31 was the deadline for a nation to acquire horses in time for them to be eligible to compete for the country at the upcoming Olympic Games in London. As that cut-off approached, this summer’s host country said good-bye to top jumpers Sultan V, Talan and Titus.

Poplar Place Farm, which runs multiple recognized horse trials and CICs in Hamilton, Ga., has added an early season CIC*** to the Feb. 4-5 event. The decision came after a contingent of U.S.-based foreign riders asked show organizer Donna Stegman to consider running one.

“These riders who were trying to qualify for the Olympics as an individual had to get their points in by February,” Stegman said. “We felt that it was right to help the riders who frequent our shows and bring us revenue by putting this on.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has secured the final qualifying slot for the team show jumping competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Saudi Arabia earned its qualification on the basis of the team’s combined classification among the FEI Olympic Group F teams—consisting of Africa and the Middle East—at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (Ky.) and the 2011 FEI Group F Special Olympic qualifying competition, which took place Dec. 30 in Doha, Qatar.

Byth Tait might have been a little ambitious when he announced he was coming out of retirement to make a bid for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Tait retired from competitive riding after the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. 

In March of 2011, the 50-year-old New Zealand native moved to Great Britain with Santos, a four-star mount formerly ridden by Jenna Mahoney. He said he’d campaign the 13-year-old gelding with the 2012 Olympic Games in mind. Santos had been competing in New Zealand and Australia and placed eigth in the 2009 Adelaide CCI**** with Mahoney. 

The dressage team qualifications for the London 2012 Olympic Games are officially over. Australia and New Zealand both qualified on Nov. 2 as a result of their first- and second-placed finishes in the two-part regional qualifiers in Sydney and Ermelo, the Netherlands.

Only three teams competed at the qualifiers: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The Australian team won with a team average of 69.25 percent from riders Rachael Sanna on Jaybee Alabaster, Chantal Wigan on Ferero, Lyndal Oatley on Potifar and Mary Hanna on Sancette.

Christian Ahlmann has another shot to make the Olympic Games in 2012. The German show jumper received an eight-month suspension after his horse Cöster tested positive for capsaicin at the 2008 Olympic Games.

U.S. Equestrian Federation officials have determined the date and location for the USEF selection trials for the U.S. show jumping team for the 2012 Olympic Games. The competition will be hosted by Equestrian Sport Productions at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Fla., from March 21-24, 2012.

This competition will also serve as the 2012 USEF Show Jumping National Championship. It will consist of four rounds over three days of jumping.

Three nations clinched spots for the 2012 London Olympic Games at the FEI European Dressage Championships, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Sweden, Spain and Denmark all qualified based on their finishes in the team competition on Aug. 18.