The 2024 Paris Olympic Games weren’t necessarily on my bucket list this year, but when one of your best friends since you were badly behaved teenaged working students together 25 years ago reserves tickets and accommodations for you, you say yes.
That was how I found myself walking through the golden gates of the most famous chateau in France at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, for Olympic cross-country day.
For almost two decades, equestrian championships dominated my calendar as a Chronicle of the Horse staff member. The best part of an already cool job was attending these pinnacles of horse sport, traveling to championships and World Cups in far flung places. The last time I’d visited France was a decade earlier for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, but I’d only spent a day in Paris before heading to Normandy, so I hadn’t had much time for sightseeing.
In my new role as spectator, I could actually take in my surroundings. You can’t help but be awed by the Palace of Versailles and its expansive, immaculate grounds. The building itself is so large it covers more than 16 acres and contains 2,300 rooms. Then there are the grounds: 2,000 acres of gardens, fields and forest paths, punctuated by elaborate statuary, fountains and the Grand Canal—a man-made, cross-shaped basin that stretches more than a mile in length.
Spectators were encouraged to arrive two hours early for cross-country, so many used the extra time to tour the palace or take selfies in front of pretty much everything. Volunteers waved pink foam fingers indicating the path we should take once we were ready to head out on cross-country.
My group of seven took a few minutes to capture our own selfies, including asking a group of heavily armed military guards to take a photo with one of our party, then got down to business: finding the right spot to start spectating cross-country. We followed signs to the nearest water jump and planned to walk the course backwards once we’d seen a few riders come through. We spent about 30 minutes at 5ABC, the Menagerie Pond, making friends with our neighbors (including German rider Christoph Wahler’s family) and anxiously waiting for the morning’s sport to begin. Two minutes before the start, a tone sounded, and the crowd began cheering and clapping all around us.
Riders from other nations have been commenting on the enthusiasm—and decibel level—of the crowds at these Games, and from being in the heart of that throng, I understand what they mean. The audience energy and excitement continued throughout the day, particularly whenever a French rider came through. You could follow someone from the home team by listening to the shouts and cheers that went up all over the grounds as they galloped by. The crowd was intense, lining the ropes throughout the course, sometimes multiple rows deep. Our group attempted to watch at least one rider jump every fence, and we spent extra time in the Jumbotron locations so we could maximize our spectating experience.
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One of the most curious animal incidents of the day had nothing to do with horses. A deer somehow managed to jump into the Grand Canal and then panicked when it realized there were crowds lining every possible exit. Rather than watching it drown from exhaustion in front of thousands of horrified spectators, the officials staged a rescue, using a rope to steer it to shore and then assisting it onto dry land. There wasn’t even a pause in the equine action as they accomplished this task.
About three-quarters of the way through the day—with almost 20,000 steps logged—we opted to sit down in front of a Jumbotron near the finish to watch the remaining riders. I felt chills as a deafening roar went up for Frenchman Nicolas Touzaint, the penultimate rider on course. Touzaint won Olympic team gold 20 years ago in Athens and was returning for his sixth Olympic Games. What must it have been like for him to hear that sound as he galloped around the hallowed grounds of one his nation’s most famous monuments?
That said, as an athlete, I think you pretty much have to treat the Olympics like any other major competition: Do your best to prepare and then stay focused on your job. Attending these types of competition as a member of the media is similar. Yes, it’s an amazing opportunity to participate in an historic event, but it’s also long hours and minimal time to take in the atmosphere. You’re not there to have fun, although I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that at least a little fun usually happens along the way.
As a spectator, I tried to embrace the idea that my only agenda was to enjoy myself. To experience the Olympic Games to the fullest. To remember how lucky I was to be there at all. It wasn’t hard given the perfect weather, the safe day of excellent cross-country sport, and the incredible backdrop of Versailles. Did we run around after cross-country and take way too many photos in front of Olympic fences? Of course we did!
Given how the sport of eventing has changed to remain in the Olympic Games and the general concerns about horse sport in the Olympics, it’s important to ponder whether it’s worth it to keep fighting to remain a part of this athletic pinnacle. Those conversations about horse welfare and sport should and must continue. But as a spectator, it was crystal clear that watching top horse sport set against the backdrop of this magnificent and revered setting was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Sara Lieser grew up in Maine and learned about eventing through the U.S. Pony Clubs. She worked in professional barns before, during and after college and eventually landed an internship at the Chronicle, where she stayed for the next 17 years, working her way up to managing editor. Sara and her husband Eric own a small farm in Virginia and have two children and an evolving cast of animals. Sara left the Chronicle to pursue a master’s degree in social work and is currently taking a gap year from horses while her family explores life in Colorado.
