Celebrating our Olympians

For horse lovers and fans of equestrian sports alike, the 2024 Paris Olympics had plenty of edge-of-the-seat moments, and our eventers did us proud.

First shout out is of course to Chris Burton and Shadow Man. Their dressage test was a stand out with a score of 22.0, placing them 3rd behind Great Britain’s Laura Collett in 1st place with her record-breaking 17.5. The pair then produced a faultless cross country and a thrilling final jumping round to win Individual eventing silver. That’s a sensational result when you consider that Chris and Shadow Man have only been partners for five months.  

Shane Rose, who four months previously was in a horror fall that put him in ICU with 18 broken bones, which required multiple surgeries and a lengthy and painful rehabilitation, stunned us all with his courage and determination to be back in the saddle in time for the Olympics. Shane and long-time partner 19-year-old Virgil finished 20th in the individual rankings, and have achieved what many thought was impossible. 

The eventing team’s third combination, Kevin McNab and Don Quidam, were powering around the cross country when they suddenly pulled up after the horse suffered a tendon injury. Sadly, the 200 penalty points Kevin accrued by retiring from the competition effectively put the Australian team out of medal contention, but has won him high praise for making the welfare of his horse his top priority. Don Quidam is expected to make a full recovery. 

And finally, to travelling reserve Shenae Lowing and OTT Thoroughbred Bold Venture. Now fully fledged Olympians, the pair stepped up for the third phase of the competition and put in a fantastic jumping round in their debut Olympic appearance.  

Congratulations to all of you from the team here at Equestrian Hub. We couldn’t be prouder.