Lexington, Ky. – May 2, 2016 – Seven athletes and nine horses have been named to the U.S. squad that will travel to Europe to compete in observation events, which serve as the next stage of the U.S. team selection process for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Athlete-horse combinations will each compete in at least two of the designated observation events taking place May 19-June 26. These events include the Compiegne (FRA) CDIO5*/3* (May 19-22), the Roosendaal (NED) CDI4* (June 1-5), and the Rotterdam (NED) CDIO5*/3* (June 22-26).
Two athletes will each be competing two horses in observation events: Shelly Francis, with Doktor and Danilo, and Steffen Peters, with Legolas 92 and Rosamunde. The squad is a mix of seasoned veterans, including Olympic medalists Steffen Peters and Guenter Seidel, and rising stars aiming to clinch their first spot on a U.S. team at a major championship.
The following athletes and horses have been named to the squad (in alphabetical order):
Allison Brock (Loxahatchee, Florida) with Claudine and Fritz Kundrun’s Rosevelt, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion
Shelly Francis (Loxahatchee, Florida) with Patricia Stempel’s Danilo, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding, and Doktor, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding
Laura Graves (Geneva, Florida) and her own Verdades, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding
Arlene “Tuny” Page (Wellington, Florida) and her own Woodstock, a 13-year-old KWPN gelding
Kasey Perry-Glass (Orangevale, California) with Diane Perry’s Goerklintgaards Dublet, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding
Steffen Peters (San Diego, California) with Four Winds Farm’s Legolas 92, a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding, and Rosamunde, a 9-year-old Rheinlander mare
Guenter Seidel (Cardiff, California) with James and Charlotte Mashburn’s Zero Gravity, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding