The United States dressage team has been eliminated from the Paris Olympics after judges discovered a cut on a horse's leg. The horse, Jane, was spooked by the crowd and stepped on herself, nicking her hind right fetlock. The judges deemed the cut a violation of the FEI Blood Rules for Dressage and eliminated the combination.
The United States dressage team has been eliminated from the Paris Olympics after judges discovered a cut on a horse's leg. The horse, Jane, was spooked by the crowd and stepped on herself, nicking her hind right fetlock. The judges deemed the cut a violation of the FEI Blood Rules for Dressage and eliminated the combination.
Marcus Orlob was set to make his Olympic debut with Jane, but the horse's injury dashed their hopes. Orlob said he was "really, really sad to hear the bell" because he knew something was wrong.
U.S. Dressage Team Out of Olympics After Horse's Cut
"I was happy, excited to go down centerline; clearly Jane [was] too," Orlob said. "It was a little bit of a, I would say, explosive entry. I believe she may have nicked herself in the entry, because I never have had this issue. She felt in the ring amazing. I was super happy with her. Once she went down centerline, she settled nicely. Once I got going, she felt more and more relaxed. I was really happy. I said, ‘OK, I got this now.’ And then I was, like, really, really sad to hear the bell, because I knew something’s not right."
USA chef d’equipe Christine Traurig said the elimination was "very unfortunate" because Jane had been performing well up until that point.
U.S. Dressage Team Out of Olympics After Horse's Cut
"This was very unfortunate because in fact the beginning of the test was beautiful for a horse that is just 10 years old and has done this at this level for [a] very short time, only since February. [Jane] is amazing. That was very unfortunate because up until that point, they were running around a 73%, and it would’ve gone up higher with the canter work and the last centerline."
The ruling comes a week after Great Britain equestrian rider and three-time gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the Olympics after an alleged video of her "engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare" emerged. Dujardin said the video was "from four years ago" and it was an "error of judgment."
U.S. Dressage Team Out of Olympics After Horse's Cut
PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has called for the banning of equestrian events after the U.S. dressage team's elimination.
"We need to listen to the horse because while we applaud officials for eliminating the U.S. dressage team from the competition, the horse’s message is what the International Olympic Committee must now pay attention to: She reared up because she didn’t want to enter the competition," the organization said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "These horses aren’t 'partners' — they’re subjugated and coerced to submit to authority and to behave in ways that aren’t natural. The Olympic Games are about the excellence of willing participants, and the equestrian events must go."
Two other American riders, Adrienne Lyle and Helix, and Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper, will compete as individuals.
The U.S. dressage team's elimination is a major blow to the country's hopes of winning a medal in the sport. The team had been ranked fourth in the world going into the Olympics.
The FEI Blood Rules for Dressage state that any blood on a horse's body, regardless of how it got there, is a violation. The rule is in place to protect horses from injury and infection.
