La Baule, France – Members of the Short List for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team will compete this week in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at CSIO5* La Baule in France. The competition is a designated observation event as part of the selection process for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team will include Lucy Davis, Margie Engle, Lauren Hough, and Todd Minikus. The U.S. has drawn fifth in the order of eight teams.

“We are down to [our Short List of] 10 combinations and we have half of them here. We want to win tomorrow, but it’s going to be tough. It is a really stacked field, everyone has brought their A-team. We are ready though, this is what we came for. Our horses all went really well today and we are ready to give them a run for their money,” said Ridland.

Pathfinding for the U.S. will be veteran competitor Hough (Wellington, Fla.), who will ride Ohlala, a 2004 Swedish Warmblood mare owned by The Ohlala Group. The talented mare came into her own in 2015, contributing to multiple medal-winning efforts with Hough. The pair aided the U.S. team to a second-place team finish in the 2015 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Edge Brewing Barcelona at CSIO4* Ocala. At the Pan American Games, Ohlala impressed in her first championship competition, securing Team and Individual Bronze medals for Hough.

Next in the order will be Davis (Los Angeles, Calif.) aboard Barron, a 2004 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Old Oak Farm. In 2015, Davis and Barron contributed to the triumphant U.S. win at the 100th running of the Nations Cup of Germany, and were part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team that finished fourth at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final.

Engle (Wellington, Fla.) and Elm Rock Partners, LLC’s Royce, a 2004 Oldenburg stallion, will be the penultimate U.S. combination. The pair produced a solid record in 2015, including wins as part of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at the FEI Nations Cup presented by Kingsland Equestrian at CSIO4* Wellington and at HITS Thermal in the $65,000 Sunshine Classic CSI5*.

Anchoring the U.S. team will be Minikus (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Jack Snyder and Two Swans Farm’s Babalou 41, a 2005 Oldenburg mare. The pair has contributed to multiple medal-winning performances as members of the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team, including a win in February at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Edge Brewing Barcelona at CSIO4* Ocala. Earlier in the year, the pair topped the $130,000 Adequan® Grand Prix CSI3* at the Winter Equestrian Festival.

Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup competition at La Baule gets underway on Friday at 2 p.m. local time and can be watched live on FEITV.org.