Equestrian is a popular international sporting discipline that has been contested at the Olympic Games dating back to 1912. Equestrian events include dressage, vaulting, jumping, and eventing. German riders Isabell Werth and Reiner Klimke are among the most accomplished individuals in equestrian events at the Olympics. However, the United States is among the most successful countries in international equestrian competition. It leads all nations in Olympic jumping and eventing medals.
US riders compete with and receive funding and training support from the US Equestrian Federation (USEF). The USEF also selects the top riders in each event to compete in the Olympics. It also places riders in other international competitions, including the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Championships.
Below is a look at the US teams in four events for the 2022 FEI World Championships.
1. Land Rover US Eventing Team
The five-person Land Rover US Eventing Team and their horses included: Tamara Smith (Mai Baum), Lauren Nicholson (Vermiculus), Boyd Martin (Tsetserleg TSF), Ariel Grald (Leamore Master Plan), and Will Coleman (Off the Record). The team won one silver medal in the four events at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships held from August 14-25 in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy.
A native of Murrieta, California, Smith was a reserve for the US at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and was part of the US Eventing Team that reached the top of the podium at the 2019 Pan American Games. Nicholson competed with Team US at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and won gold with the US at the 2015 Pan American Games. More recently, she finished in fourth place at the 2022 Luhmühlen CCI5. A three-time Olympian, Martin was the most experienced member of the team. He was born in Australia, but he has been competing for the US since 2009 and, in 2021, became the first American to win a CCI5 event since 2008.
Grald, meanwhile, was the least experienced member of the team. The Southern Pines, North Carolina native was part of the 2020 USEF Development Training List and finished third, riding her horse Leamore Master Plan, at the Luhmühlen CCI5 event in Germany in 2021. Finally, Coleman was part of the US Eventing Team at the London 2012 Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018.
2. The Dutta Corp. US Dressage Team
The 2022 ECCO FEI World Championships were held this past August in Herning, Denmark, and the Dutta Corp. US Dressage Team finished in sixth place, securing a berth to the Paris 2024 Olympics—the top six countries automatically qualified for the upcoming Olympics. Steffen Peters, a native of San Diego, California, produced a solid score under pressure to punch the Americans’ tickets to Paris.
“When you go into the ring you always get a little bit nervous, and I’ve accepted that,” Peters said following his performance. “Back in the barn when you go to get ready, that’s usually when your heart rate starts to go up, but it’s the most normal thing in the world. I’ve learned to take that with me into the arena, but the pressure is there for sure.”
Peters, who has competed at five Olympics, was joined by teammates Adrienne Lyle, Ashley Holzer, and Katie Duerrhammer. Lyle competed in the 2012 London Olympics and was part of the US team that won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Holzer, a four-time Olympian, was a top-10 finisher at the FEI World Cup Final earlier in 2022. Duerrhammer hasn’t competed in the Olympics, but she was a gold medal winner at the 2008 North American Youth Championship.
3. NetJets US Jumping Team
The NetJets US Jumping Team finished in 11th place at the Agria FEI World Jumping Championships in August 2022. The team, led by managing director of jumping Lizzy Chesson, featured Lillie Keenan (Argan De Beliard), Brian Moggre (Balou Du Reventon), Adrienne Sternlicht (Cristalline), McLain Ward (Contagious), and Jessica Springsteen (RMF Zecilie). Springsteen and Ward were on the US Jumping Team that won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Keenan, a 27-year-old native of New York City, New York, has participated in several Nations Cups events and won the individual gold medal at the 2013 North American Youth Championship. Moggre, the youngest rider on the team at just 21 years old, won team gold medals at the USEF Junior Jumper National Championships in 2017 and 2018. Sternlicht won a team gold medal at the 2020 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Wellington CSIO4.
4. US Vaulting Team
Led by Jennifer Arntsen and Michelle McQueen, the US Vaulting Team at the FEI World Vaulting Championship in Denmark featured the following competitors: Jace Brooks, Calle Davis, Tessa Divita, Todd Griffiths, Miriam Griffiths, Paula Hampshire, Daniel James, Jaynee Meyer, Kimberly Palmer, Emily Rose, and Alyssa Stoddard. Todd Griffiths is Miriam Griffiths’s father. Another of his daughters, Gracie Griffiths, has also competed with the US Vaulting Team.
Palmer had the best performance in Denmark. The native of Half Moon Bay, California finished first among all American women and fifth overall, with an overall score of 8.415.