The dressage horses and riders hoping to do Team USA proud at the Tokyo Olympics have been confirmed.
US Equestrian has confirmed the following combinations will form the USA Olympic dressage team in Tokyo:
- Adrienne Lyle and 14-year-old stallion Salvino, owned by Betsy Juliano LLC
- Steffen Peters and 13-year-old gelding Suppenkasper, owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki
- Sabine Schut-Kery and 15-year-old stallion Sanceo, owned by Alice Womble
- Travelling reserve: Nick Wagman and 13-year-old gelding Don John, owned by Beverly Gepfer
The team alternates will be:
- Olivia LaGoy-Weltz and 17-year-old gelding Rassing’s Lonoir, owned by Mary Anne McPhail and Olivia
- Ben Ebeling and 13-year-old gelding Illuster van de Kampert, owned by Sasha Cutter for Nuvolari Holdings and Amy Roberts Ebeling
Adrienne and Salvino were part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games alongside Steffen and Suppenkasper. Adrienne competed at London 2012, while Tokyo marks Steffen’s fifth Olympics. He was part of the bronze medal-winning team at Rio 2016, competed at London 2012, Beijing 2008 and the Atlanta Games in 1996. Sabine is making her Olympic debut.
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The US Olympic dressage team will be led by chef d’equipe Debbie McDonald and team leader Hallye Griffin. Debbie was on the bronze-medal winning team at the 2004 Athens Games riding Brentina. She rode alongside Steffen at the Beijing Olympics, and represented Team USA at the 2002 and 2006 World Equestrian Games. In 2003 Debbie and Brentina won the World Cup final in Gothenburg.
“The team selected to represent us in Tokyo is incredibly strong and I’m looking forward to working with these combinations in the coming weeks to ensure we deliver performances our country will be proud of this summer,” said Debbie.
“We’ve worked tremendously hard over the past year to adjust and prepare for these Games and it’s exciting to see all of the hard work begin to pay off. These combinations are up for the challenge that will be presented to us in Tokyo, and we are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our family, friends, and fans around the country.”
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