News

Ravel excused from USA Olympic Selection Trials

May 25, 2012

Ravel, one of the world’s top horses who came within one-third of one percent of winning an individual medal at the Olympics four year ago, has been excused from America’s Olympic selection trials, the U.S. Equestrian Federation announced Friday. Steffen Peters will get to take the KWPN gelding to London as one of up to six combinations from which the United States team will be chosen without putting the horse through two weekends of head-to-head competitions.

The request to excuse Ravel, owned by Akiko Yamazaki, from the stress of 2,400 miles (3,860km) of travel across the United States and intensive competition at the selection trials–the U.S. Grand Prix Championships–at Gladstone, New Jersey, over two weekends of June 8-10 and June 15-17 was made by Steffen in late March. A combination can be appointed to the squad if they have qualified for the trials and have finished in the top six positions as an individual at a World Championship or Olympic Games within the past four years, Steffen and Ravel finished fourth at the 2008 Olympics and third at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010.

Steffen will compete Legolas, also owned by Akiko and bought as a successor to Ravel, in the championships. Since arriving at Steffen’s barn last Christmas, Legolas, a 10-year-old Westfalen gelding, has established himself as the second ranked horse in the United States behind Ravel after competing in just three CDIs in California this year.

Source Dressage-News.com