The Plains, Va. – All U.S. horses passed the horse inspection for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team competing in the FEI Nations Cup™ CICO3*at the Great Meadow International, presented by Adequan®. The team consisting of Boyd Martin, Jennie Brannigan, Lynn Symansky and Phillip Dutton will be the third and final team in the order.
“This is a really good team,” says Joanie Morris, acting as Chef d’Equipe. “We’re looking forward to this weekend. It’s always great to come to Great Meadow. The consensus is that the cross-country course is a step up from last year; it’s always interesting to see how these courses evolve. The facility is beautiful and they should be commended for all their efforts. We are really excited to be here and can’t wait to get started!”
Boyd Martin will be the sole U.S. team member competing in dressage on Friday afternoon with the remaining three to go on Saturday.
The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team will compete in the following order:
Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) aboard Steady Eddie, a 2003 New Zealand Thoroughbred owned by Denise Lahey, Pierrie Colin, and George and Gretchen Wintersteen. Martin is a two-time Olympic veteran (2012, 2016) and two-time FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) competitor (2010, 2014). He was also a 2015 Pan American Games team gold medalist.
Lynn Symansky (Middleburg, Va.) riding Donner, a 2003 Thoroughbred gelding owned by The Donner Syndicate, LLC. Symansky is a 2011 Pan American Games team gold medalist and WEG veteran (2014). She also won the Bromont CIC3* (2014) and was second at the Great Meadow International CIC3* in 2015.
Jennie Brannigan (Reddick, Fla.) on Nina Gardner’s Cambalda, a 2002 Thoroughbred Cross gelding. Brannigan was named as an alternate to the U.S Team for the Pan American Games in 2015 and won the CIC3* at Great Meadow and The Fork that same year.
Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) rides anchor on Kristine and John Norton’s I’m Sew Ready, a 2004 Dutch Warmblood gelding. Dutton is a six-time Olympic veteran, earning team bronze (2004) and individual bronze (2016) for the U.S. Dutton is a six-time WEG veteran and a two-time Pan American Games team gold medalist (2007, 2015) and individual silver medalist (2007). Dutton has the distinction of winning the Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship a record five times.
Buck Davidson (Unionville, Pa.) originally was scheduled to ride Sherrie Martin and Carl Segal’s Copper Beach, but withdrew in an effort to rest the horse who received stitches last week.
“He’s a super horse and he is sound, but Buck decided to withdraw him to save him for another weekend. It’s just some bad timing for everyone,” said Morris. “Buck will be a great asset for the team this weekend and will be our biggest fan.”
Learn more about the Great Meadow International and catch all the active live on the USEF Network.