3 WM Clients Named to US Olympic Eventing Team!

Three of the five US riders named the the US Olympic Eventing team train daily at home on a Wordley Martin Surface!!  Will Coleman, Phillip Dutton and Karen O’Connor  are headed to Greenwich, England for the 2012 Olympics!!

Team USA – USEF Full Press Release with alternates

Will Coleman (Gordonsville, VA) and Jim Wildasin’s Twizzel
Tiana Coudray (Ojai, CA) and the Jatial, Inc.’s Ringwood Magister
Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) and Jim and Arden Wildasin’s Mystery Whisper
Boyd Martin (Cochranville, PA) and the Otis Barbotiere Syndicate’s Otis Barbotiere
Karen O’Connor (Ocala, FL) and the Mr. Medicott Syndicate’s Mr. Medicott

The selection process for the US Olympic team is an arduous one, and a great challenge for the US selectors, with so many top riders competing for one of those 5 coveted spots.  Several of the horse & rider combinations who were considered to make the team were excluded from the final list, and of course there is debate over the selectors choices.  Will wrote a nice statement on his Will Coleman Equestrian Facebook page supporting his friends who did not make the team & were chosen as alternates:

“I am honored and privileged to have been named alongside this great group of horses and riders to the 2012 Olympic Eventing Team. While my excitement at this remarkable opportunity is at an all-time high, I am equally saddened for those that remain as alternates, many of whom are good friends and all of whom are wonderful horse people and riders. One could easily make a case for each and every one of them. With that in mind, I still see this whole process as a journey that is far from complete.

Selection is but another step forward, but it is in no way an end goal. I want to bring the absolute best out of my horse and myself in three weeks time, and I will commit to a process that will hopefully do just that. All thanks goes to Jim Wildasin, my owner and friend. Same to my family and parents, who couldn’t be more supportive. Equal praise to my groom Sara McKenna, girlfriend Jess Frankfurt, vet Kev Keane, farrier Alan Berardo, and all my other owners, supporters, friends, and sponsors, without whom none of this would be possible. We all share in this together, and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. And, to Twizzel, give me three more weeks of your wonderful character, and let’s leave it all in the ring and galloping lanes of Greenwich Park.”

We’ll be covering their every move on their road to the Olympics wish the entire US Team the best of luck on their road to the Olympics!

Photo Credit Mid-Atlantic Equestrian Services