Teams for the Paris Olympics

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

Kentucky is done and dusted so time to officially start a Paris Olympic teams selection speculation thread.

Badminton and the Tryon Spring International (May 8-12) are still ahead as US designated selection trials. Full criteria for US selection are here: https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/-KUPSZhT2So/2024-olympic-games---eventing-selection

Final Olympic entries are due July 8.

Following are US and Canadian possibilities mentioned by @Marigold and @Jealoushe in the current Kentucky thread as well as a few possibilities I added for discussion purposes.

US

Liz Halliday: Miks Master C, Cooley Nutcracker, Cooley Quicksilver

Boyd Martin: Fedarman B, Commando, Tsetserleg

Will Coleman: Off the Record, Chin Tonic, Diabolo

Philip Dutton: Jewelent, Azure

Caroline Pamukcu: HSH Blake

Tamie Smith: Maui Baum

Lauren Kieffer: Vermiculus

Mia Farley: Phelps

Sydney Elliot: QC Diamantaire

Canada

Jessica Phoenix: Watson GS, Fluorescent Adolescent, Freedom GS

Colleen Loach: FE Golden Eye

Waylon Roberts: OKE Ruby R

Lindsay Traisnel: Bacyrouge

Karl Slezak: Hot Bobo

Katy Malensek: Landjaeger

Mike Winter: El Mundo

And go…

[initiate1987]

Given the showings today, I think Boyd, Will, and Liz will be our 3 person team. Lauren, Phillip, or Sydney as alternate. Unfortunately, Mia and Phelps’s SJ today will probably hold them back from going to Paris this year. In 2 years for the next world championships though where it’s a 5* track, I think if they keep it up and improve the SJ they have a really good shot.

ETA: Tamie and Jennie for the list of alternates as well!

[NoviceRenegade]

My picks listed in order of most to least certain for selection:

Will Coleman and Off The Record

Boyd Martin and Federman B

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum

Liz Halliday and Miks Master C

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake

Lauren Kiefer and Vermiculus

I think with the combination of good showings from up and coming horses like Diabolo and Commando in addition to the absence of Mai Baum and Chin Tonic, the selectors may have gotten more questions than answers from Kentucky.

[grzywinskia]

Mine is
Boyd with commando. Direct reserve federman
Will with Diabolo. Direct reserve off the record
Liz with Miks master c
Traveling reserve Caroline and Blake but I’d really like it to be Sydney.

Unfortunately my gut tells me that Mai Baum and chin will not be available for selection

[Vaeventer]

My selections assuming no horses are “out” due to injury:

Will & any of his three horses
Boyd & either of his two
Tamie & Mai Baum
Caroline & HSH Blake (makes the team if Mai Baum is out and traveling reserve if not)

I think Liz will just miss it. If they’re looking at recent results, don’t we think Caroline should go based off her recent finishes ahead of Liz? (Thinking this weekend and at the Pan Am’s…)
Caroline seems to be excellent under pressure.

[tres_grey]

I’m thinking:

• Will & Off the Record (Reserve: Diabolo & Chin Tonic)
• Boyd & Fedarman B (Reserve: Commando & Tsetserleg)
• Tamie & Mai Baum

Traveling reserve: Lauren & Vermiculus or Sydney & QC Diamantaire as steady anchors

Sleeper being Caroline. She’s shown really amazing results lately!

[FitToBeTied]

I think you have to wait to see what happens at Badminton first. I think the three riders below are going to be it.

Carolyn is a very impressive rider and developer of horses. She has done well traveling to international competitions and that should factor (e.g., Pan Am games, Strzgom (sp?)). I don’t like the idea of direct substitution. I get why it is done but I think taking good young riders as substitutes is better for building depth. Given the relatively low level of the Olympics,young riders like Carolyn and others can do the job as well.

I do think that the depth the US has to select from is the most impressive we have had in decades. Thankfully we are past, and no disrespect to them, the Phillip, Boyd and someone else because they can get any horse around days.

Liz Halliday: Miks Master C
Boyd Martin: one of his
Will Coleman: one of his

Caroline Pamukcu: HSH Blake

[before_color]

@Vaeventer

My selections assuming no horses are “out” due to injury:

Will & any of his three horses
Boyd & either of his two
Tamie & Mai Baum
Caroline & HSH Blake (makes the team if Mai Baum is out and traveling reserve if not)

I think Liz will just miss it. If they’re looking at recent results, don’t we think Caroline should go based off her recent finishes ahead of Liz? (Thinking this weekend and at the Pan Am’s…)
Caroline seems to be excellent under pressure.

I completely agree with your picks. Especially regarding Caroline & Blake vis-à-vis Tamie & MB.

I don’t think Liz has the right horse for what is predicted to be a very twisty turny 4* XC course. Watching her wrestle with Miks Master C around the Pan Ams and then the 4* this weekend was painful; he’s not a short format horse. Have to keep in mind the philosophy of horses for courses.

[Benchmark]

After this weekend, I think we can pick a team of 3 riders each with a direct reserve. Splitting hairs on which horse each should take, in my opinion, but taking show jumping as the tie breaker instead of dressage due to the two rounds for team medals.

1. Will Coleman - Chin Tonic (assuming sound), Off the Record, Diabolo
2. Boyd Martin - Federman B, Commando 3
3. Liz Halliday - Cooley Nutcracker, Miks Master C, Cooley Quicksilver
4. Carolin Martin - HSH Blake (Reserve)

If the show jumping course has the shallow cups (yellow) from Pratoni, that makes a huge difference. Even good show jumpers who get by with a rub here and there at normal events can end up with 2 or 3 down. Those few millimeters of depth really change things.

I would love for Mai Baum to go and get his gold medal and I do still think that’s a possibility… however, I would hate it more if he goes, doesn’t jog up, and ends his amazing career being remembered for costing the US team a medal.

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

Was just looking for something else and ran across a PDF posted today on the FEI Paris Olympics hub: Paris 2024 Logistics Presentation

Here’s a snip from the presentation showing where the cross country course is on the grounds:

[FitToBeTied]

If that is the track then it is not too twisty and turny as some tracks. It’s actually mostly straight lines. Versailles is also very flat.

[Benchmark]

There do appear to be a few very straight “sprints”, but there are a lot over very acute angles on that map too. All those hard turns that are 90 degrees or less will be big gear changes. It looks like a tough course to get the time to me- I think stretches of straight broken up be these elbowed turns really make getting into a good rhythm hard.

Doesn’t look like a very flowing course to me, but it is always tough to tell from the course map. Interesting to compare it to the Pan Ams course map below. Chile might have been more twisty overall, but all the twists are curved vs. acutely angled in Paris (at least from impression the gives map).

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

For what it’s worth, the cross country course designer is Frenchman Pierre Le Goupil who also designed for the PanAms in Santiago.

Re the screensnap I posted from the Paris Logistics slide deck, I am not sure if it is intended to show the final, official route although it’s pretty easy to look at it side by side with Google Earth imagery and match things up. I guess some sort of special pontoon bridges have been built for crossing the canals.

[pk1027]

I was there 2 years ago. We biked around the grounds and there is a lot of area to use. As grand as this event location is, I hope they are able to restore the grounds after this event as they are so lovely.

On the Ground in Versailles: Everything We Learned at the Operational ‘Test...

[brindille]

So how about Canada? Here’s my guess

Jessica Phoenix: Watson GS or Freedom GS
Lindsay Traisnel: Bacyrouge (if his shoulder heals)
Mike Winter: El Mundo

We didn’t see Karl Slezak run Hot Bobo at Kentucky. I wonder why? She had a run-out earlier this season. If she has another run and goes well, I’d pick her as an alternate. Otherwise the only real contender seems to be Colleen Loach and FE Golden Eye, who have had multiple runouts this season and last.

It’s too bad - we seemed to have so much depth last year but this season it looks like some of the horses that moved up a level have faced some challenges. Also, where is Candy King?

[BraveSC]

Karl has Hot Bobo entered at Tryon so maybe thats his plan?

[canuckeventer]

Candy King is running at Tryon, 4S, along with Karl, Katie, and Colleen. TIK, Karl, and Dana are running the 4L at Tryon.

[Texarkana]

I’m another who thinks Will, Liz, Boyd with any combination of their horses. They can also all direct reserve themselves.

My guess is Caroline is the most likely traveling reserve.

I think the standby long list will be some combo of Tami, Lauren, Sydney, Jennie, and probably Phillip just because. I don’t see Mia making that cut, but then, maybe she will.

[FitToBeTied]

@Texarkana

probably Phillip just because.

I don’t see this. His rides at KY weren’t pretty. Phillip is not an equitation rider but he didn’t look like a top world rider there. The Dutton that looked great at KY was Olivia.

[Texarkana]

@FitToBeTied

@Texarkana

probably Phillip just because.

I don’t see this. His rides at KY weren’t pretty. Phillip is not an equitation rider but he didn’t look like a top world rider there. The Dutton that looked great at KY was Olivia.

I don’t disagree. But I think if you have someone with his experience and multiple advanced horses, you keep him in your rotation… even if he is far down the list as an alternate. Because you know if you had to sub him in at the last minute, he would understand the assignment.