Dressage-News

June 27, 2016

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

The United States Olympic team of Steffen Peters on Legolas, Laura Graves on Verdades, Kasey Perry-Glass on Dublet and Allison Brock on Rosevelt was announced Monday by the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

The team for the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro Aug. 8-15 will be competing for the first medal for America since the Athens Games in 2004 with the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special deciding team medals and the Freestyle individual honors.

Steffen is the only rider with Olympic experience, team bronze medalist from the 1996 Atlanta Games and on the team at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games while Laura is the only other rider with world championship experience, the World Games in Normandy in 2014.

The four combinations with Steffen’s mount Rosamunde as a direct reserve plus Shelly Francis on Doktor that were named reserve to travel with the team was selected for Olympic starting places from nine horses and seven riders that went to Europe to compete in at least two of three events over the past six weeks. During the European events, Kasey on Dublet posted the highest Grand Prix score of 77.440 per cent, Steffen on Legolas next at 76.820 per cent, Laura on Verdades on 76.300 per cent, Ali on Rosevelt at 73.920 per cent, Shelly Francis and Doktor at 71.120 per cent and Tuny on Woodstock 70.000 per cent.

The team (in alphabetical order):

Allison Brock, 36, of Wellington, Florida and Rosevelt, 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion (Rotspon x Lauries Crusador XX) owned by Claudine and Fritz Kundrun. World Ranking 34
Career highlight: 2015 Nations Cup, Wellington, Florida.

Laura Graves, 28 years old of Geneva, Florida and Verdades, her 14-year-old KWPN gelding (Florett AS x Goya). World Ranking 13
Career highlights: 2014 World Equestrian Games; 2015 World Cup Final; 2015 (team gold, individual silver) Pan American Games; 2015 U.S. Grand Prix champion.

Kasey Perry Glass, 28 years old of Wellington, Florida and Dublet, 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Diamond Hit x Olympic Ferro) owned by Diane Perry. World Ranking 24
Career highlights: 2015, 2016 Nations Cups, Wellington.

Steffen Peters, 51, of San Diego, California and Legolas, 14-year-old Westfalen gelding (Laomedon x Florestan II) owned by Four Winds Farm. World Ranking 7
Career highlights: 1996 (team bronze), 2008, 2012 Olympic Games; 2006 (team bronze), 2010 (2 individual bronzes), 2014 World Equestrian Games; 2002, 2007 2009 (winner), 2015 World Cup Finals; 2011 Guadalajara, Mexico (team and individual gold), 2015 Toronto (team and individual gold) Pan American Games; record seven-time U.S. Grand Prix champion.

Reserves:

Direct Reserve

Steffen Peters, 51, of San Diego, California and Rosamunde, nine-year-old Rhinelander mare (Rock Forever x Fidermark) owned by Four Winds Farm. WR: 17 USA OR: 2

Traveling Reserve

Shelly Francis, 57, of Loxahatchee, Florida and Doktor, 13-year-old Oldenbur gelding (Diamond Hit x Renoir I) owned by Patricia Stempel. WR: 50
Career highlight: 1998 World Equestrian Games; 2013 Wellington & Hickstead, 2014 Wellington Nations Cups.

Robert Dover is the Technical Advisor/ Chef d’Equipe.

The Americans are based in Retie, Belgium. Some may compete at the CDI4*/CDIO5* Nations Cup in Aachen, Germany July 11-17 before going to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic dressage competition Aug. 8-15.