Falsterbo, Sweden – The Falsterbo Horse Show presented by Longines will host elite equestrian competition this week as dressage and show jumping teams arrive from many countries. The United States will be represented in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup competition by an accomplished team of show jumping athletes. Guided by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team has drawn second in the order.

“Our hopes are always high up. We are up against stiff competition, but the horses are in good form and jumped great today,” said Ridland. “What we are doing here is what we did all last year, which is giving lots of opportunities to different riders and being quite successful. Two riders have been on Nations Cup teams this year and for the other two this is their first team of the year; it should be a good experience.”

Riding in the lead-off position, Kirsten Coe (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) has participated in Nations Cup efforts for the U.S. and is a veteran of international competition. Beginning the year in Florida, she garnered top finishes in Live Oak International CSI2*-W and the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Ocala. She represented the U.S. at the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas. Coe will partner with Czardas 30, Lovsta Stuteri’s 12-year-old Hanoverian stallion.

Charlie Jacobs (Boston, Mass.) arrives in Falsterbo from a successful outing at Spruce Meadows. He accomplished top ten finishes in CSI5* competition against some of the world’s finest athletes. In 2012, Jacobs helped the U.S. team win the Nations Cup competition at the CSIO2* Buenos Aires. Jacobs will ride Flaming Star, CMJ Sporthorse, LLC’s 16-year-old Irish gelding.

Heather Caristo-Williams (Saugerties, N.Y.), the youngest member of the team, will participate in her second European Nations Cup competition this year with Eventing Star. She and Holly and Ralph Caristo’s 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding helped the U.S. to a fourth-place finish at the CSIO3* Lisbon earlier this year. Caristo-Williams was an accomplished junior rider who has now moved up the ranks into the international Grand Prix level. In 2015, she had a successful start on the Florida circuit with top placings in CSI4* Grand Prix classes. Heading to Europe, she won and was second in CSI2* classes in Madrid before contesting the Nations Cup in Lisbon.

Acting as the team’s anchor, Callan Solem (Glenmoore, Pa.) is representing the U.S. in her second Nations Cup appearance in 2015 with VDL Wizard, Horseshoe Trail Farm LLC’s 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. She helped the team to victory in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at CSIO4* Coapexpan, also finishing fifth in the Grand Prix. This year she has also earned top placings in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, the $50,000 Idle Dice Grand Prix, and the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix.

The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Sweden is on Friday, July 10 at 2:30 p.m. CET, with the Longines Falsterbo Grand Prix occurring on Sunday, July 12.

Find out more information about CSIO5* Falsterbo.

Watch the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Sweden on feitv.com.