The United States will be represented by a team of some of the most powerful women in American show jumping: Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, Calif.), Lauren Hough (Wellington, Fla.), Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.), and Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.). The team has drawn 16th in the order and will be led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland.
“With this format, the competition begins right away with arguably the most important round. All the teams here feel the same way as we do, that we have really good shot at doing well, but tomorrow to get into the final round we will have to beat 11 teams. Our expectations are high, and we certainly have our work cut out for us. The horses all arrived in good shape, we had a good practice session, and everyone is ready,” said Ridland.
Each of these athletes has an impressive resume of wins on both the national and international stage. Leading off in the order for the U.S. will be a stalwart figure in U.S. show jumping, Kraut. Kraut brings years of international competitive experience and impressive successes to the ring in Barcelona. Known for her mighty feats aboard the diminutive Cedric, Kraut has a vast and promising string of Grand Prix and championship horses. She has long been a valued team member, producing impressive Nations Cup, World Cup Final, Olympic Games, and FEI World Equestrian Games results. This summer, Kraut and the Evita Group’s Nouvelle, a 2004 KWPN mare, were members of the all-female “dream team” that won the 100th Nations Cup of Germany in Mannheim, Germany. Weeks after Mannheim, she again piloted Nouvelle in Nations Cup competition, this time to a Bronze-medal finish at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines at CSIO5* Hickstead.
Next in the order will be Davis, who is the youngest member of the squad at age 22. As a junior rider, she made a splash in her debut at the 2008 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. At only 16-years-old, Davis won the Individual and Team Gold medals at the event held in Parker, Colo. From there, Davis’ riding career has had meteoric success with numerous Grand Prix, World Cup qualifier, and Nations Cup achievements. Davis will partner with longtime mount, Barron, a 2004 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Old Oak Farm. Aboard the chestnut gelding, Davis was a member of the Bronze-medal winning Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. More recently, Davis and Barron contributed to the triumphant U.S. win at the 100th running of the Nations Cup of Germany, held in Mannheim, Germany. Earlier this month, she and Barron won the Rolex Grand Prix presented by Audi at the Brussels Stephex Masters.
Hough arrives in Barcelona after a very successful summer in Europe. A veteran of World Cup Final and Olympic, World Equestrian, and Pan American Games competition, Hough has proven to be a formidable presence for the Americans. With Madden, Hough has the benefit of having competed in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final in 2014, where the U.S. won the Challenge Cup. Hough will ride, Ohlala, the talented 2004 Swedish Warmblood mare, owned by The Ohlala Group. The pair has contributed to multiple U.S. successes this year, including the second-place finish in the 2015 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Edge Brewing Barcelona at CSIO4* Ocala. At this summer’s Pan American Games, Hough competed brilliantly with Ohlala in the mare’s first championship competition as they contributed to the U.S. Bronze medal-winning effort and earned an Individual Bronze medal.
Madden will fill her familiar role as anchor for the impressive U.S. team. Madden has accomplished an unparalleled tally of wins in both team and individual events, including two Olympic Team Gold medals and an Individual Bronze medal, a FEI World Cup Final Title, four FEI World Equestrian Games medals, and three Pan American Games medals. She is currently the winningest American rider and is ranked third in the world by the FEI Longines Rankings. Last summer, Madden and her famed partner, Cortes ‘C’, continued their winning ways, earning Team and Individual Bronze medals at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The 2002 Belgium Warmblood gelding, owned by Abigail Wexner, and Madden aided in the Gold-medal win by the U.S. team at the 100th Nations Cup of Germany at CSIO5* Mannheim and the Bronze-medal win at CSIO5* Hickstead. Following the team competition at Hickstead, the pair won the Longines King George V Gold Cup for the second consecutive year, becoming the first woman to win the class back-to-back. Capping off a superlative summer, Madden and Abigail Wexner’s Simon produced the only clear round in the 2015 $1 Million CP Grand Prix CSI5* in Saugerties, N.Y.
The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final in Barcelona is eagerly anticipated as the greatest international teams compete head-to-head to determine which country can call itself “the world’s best.”
Competition gets underway Thursday, at 10:15 a.m. ET with the first round. Following the first round, the top eight teams will move forward to Saturday’s final round, while the remaining 11 teams will compete in Friday’s Longines Challenge Cup. All rounds of competition can be viewed live on FEITV.org.
To learn more about the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final, visit www.csiobarcelona.com.
The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members. Without the support of these organizations and individuals, it would not be possible to support our athletes. The USEF is especially grateful to individuals who give generously of their time and money to support the equestrian teams.