July 28, 2024—The U.S. and Canadian eventers didn’t have the cross-country days they wanted at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The U.S. team stands ninth and the Canadians are in 11th place after tackling Pierre Le Goupil’s cross-country course. But the riders were still pleased with their horses and shared insights about their rounds.
To sum up, the U.S. had a cross-country day marred by just one error and 20 penalties assessed to pathfinders Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake (Tolan R – Doughiska Lass, by Kannan). Teammates Liz Halliday and Nutcracker (Tolan R – Ballyshan Cleopatra, by Cobra) and Boyd Martin and Fedarman B (Eurocommerce Washington – Paulien B, by Fedor) successfully came home clear with small amounts of time. This puts the U.S. onto a score of 128.5 going into Monday’s team and individual jumping final.
After dressage, the Canadian team entered cross-country day in 14th place and moved up to 11th. Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS (Humble GS – Friedel GS, by Fidertanz) incurred 20 penalties. Teammates Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo (VDL Arkansas – Unknown, by Unknown) and Michael Winter and El Mundo (Numero Uno – Calvaro’s Bria Z, by Calvaro F.C.) both jumped clear rounds with time penalties. Ahead of Monday’s jumping phase, they have a score of 158.
Here the U.S. and Canadian eventers discuss their cross-country rides.
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B
After cross country, Martin and Fedarman B are in 17th place individually on a score of 32.1. They had 1.6 cross-country time penalties added to their dressage score.
“He is an absolute legend,” Martin said of the 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. “He just was brilliant every step of the way. I couldn’t have asked for anything more today. He gave me his heart and soul and got a little tired over the last three fences, but he just dug deep and kept going. Very, very pleased with him. I heard more cheers “Go Bruno” than “Go Boyd!” There’s plenty of our stars and stripes out there and a lot of French people going “Allez, allez, allez.” It was a wonderful feeling though I tried not to look around too much, but it was one of the most memorable cross country rounds of my life, just because of the setting, the venue, and the crowds and the moment, so I’ll remember this one forever.”
Liz Halliday and Nutcracker
The U.S. pair of Halliday and Nutcracker replaced Will Coleman and Diabolo last week. Halliday and Nutcracker are in 22nd place individually. They incurred 6 time penalties cross country for a score of 34.
“They’re immense—the crowds are incredible! I will say he noticed it between Fence 2 and 3,” Sharp said of the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. “He’s a sharp, sensitive horse, and I just gave him a bunch of pats and I talked to him—I just said, ‘You’re alright buddy, we’ll settle in, it’s OK.’ I was a little slow to Fence 3 because I just gave him a bit more time and that kind of suits him there. But once he did the first water, he settled in and he never looked at them again. He was just on his job, 100 percent.”
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake
Pamukcu and HSH Blake were the first U.S. pair to ride the course. They incurred 20 penalties at Fence 16ABCD, a drop to a ditch to a skinny. They also incurred 12 time penalties.
“He’s fabulous,” Pamukcu said of the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. “Honestly, most of it felt pretty easy. He felt like a seasoned pro and super rideable in the beginning, and answered all the questions. [He] was really on it on my minutes. I’m disappointed that I had to slow down after that option, but I can’t be upset with him. Hopefully I came back with enough information for my teammates, and then they’ll keep carrying us on. I think just going long cost me and being safe after that. That’s the biggest thing. I’m a counting score at the end of the day no matter what. So I have to make sure that my score counts.”
Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo
Slezak and Hot Bobo are the leaders of the Canadian team, sitting in 27th individually after cross country. They have a score of 40.6 after their clear ride with 4.8 time penalties.
“She was phenomenal,” Slezak said of the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare. “She just came out of the box on fire. And we were way up ahead on her minutes at minute two. So I had to back off a little bit. She was just cruising around, never had to kick her once. So, I mean, when she comes out of the box like that, I just know we’re gonna get around. And then yeah, just took that last long route at the end there just to make sure we didn’t have a pin at the corner. And so we had a little bit of time, but I was super thrilled.”
Michael Winter and El Mundo
Canadian teammate Winter and El Mundo are 38th individually with a score of 49.6. They earned 14.40 time penalties cross country.
“I tried to be a good caretaker of my position of going first and put a score on the board and a good caretaker of my horse’s well-being and give him the best possible ride I could around there and bring him home safely with a score that can contribute to the team,” Winter said of the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. “We have a really cohesive team structure and program that enables individual training pathways that align with competitive execution. Just to clarify, we’ve got Rebecca Howard who’s our coach and technical advisor; she helps me, but she also works together with Grant Wilson—who’s a New Zealand-born resident of Belgium—who helps me with my show jumping about every two to three weeks. So as a team, we work together on every aspect with every individual athlete in the program, but it comes together with Emily Gilbert, our team manager, and Rebecca Howarld, our technical advisor.”
Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS
Phoenix and Freedom GS are 49th individually on a score of 67.8. The received 20 penalty points at Fence TK and 12.40 time faults.
“[Freedom GS] was a little bit within herself,” Phoenix said of the 12-year-old Trakehnar mare. “She came up that bank and jumped beautifully out over the skinny [Fence 6AB], and I just didn’t have quite enough room to get her going forward and ahead of my leg again. She jumped up the next bank [ Fence 7A with a steep grade after it] and just literally never saw the birch railing [Fence 7B]. Was it really a refusal? No, because she didn’t see it. Everything she sees, she jumps. On a day like today, it’s just terrible timing because you feel like you’ve like your entire team and country down. Anyhow, after that we regrouped and she was pure class. I am so excited for this horse’s future. She just galloped around there with such speed and confidence and just got better and better as she went on. I’m really looking forward to show jumping her tomorrow.”
More Information
For a complete report of the Olympic cross-country day, click here.
To see team results, click here. For individual results, click here.
Look for a photo gallery of the horses and riders for cross-country here.
The Paris Olympics continue tomorrow with jumping for the team and individual medals. The action begins at 5 a.m. EST. To see how you can watch the Games, click here.
For Practical Horseman’s coverage of Paris Olympic eventing and show jumping, click here. For Dressage Today’s coverage of Olympic dressage, click here.
