Horse Sport Ireland announced that Jumping Team Manager Robert Splaine has chosen Gregory Broderick and MHS Going Global as the individual pair to represent Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, with Bertram Allen, Cian O’Connor and Denis Lynch named as the reserves.

Callan Solem and VDL Wizard completed their first observation event at the Rome CSIO last week, where Solem jumped to 8 faults in Round 1 of the Nations Cup and 4 in Round 2. The U.S. team finished in a tie for second overall. 

We didn’t have the result I was hoping for in Rome. There were a few things that didn’t go to plan, and we had to make some decisions that were in Wizard’s best interest, but that didn’t help the results in the ring. That’s sports, and that’s horses. 

McLain Ward kicked off his spring at the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows in North Salem, N.Y., where he won the $50,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix with HH Carlos Z, the $35,000 Grand Prix of North Salem with Rothchild and the $130,000 Empire State Grand Prix with the up-and-coming 9-year-old mare, Tina la Boheme.

David O’Connor came to the rescue as riders and stakeholders reached a deadlock with Fédération Equestre Internationale representatives over the proposals to reduce teams to three riders with no drop score, as one of the key mechanisms for remaining in the Olympic Games.