A final flourish

Plodding into a gentle retirement is anathema to some older horses, who continue to compete in the top echelons. Camilla Swift finds out how five veterans rose anew to the challenge of Tokyo

- Camilla Swift

AT this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, we saw numerous veteran horses compete and excel, showing that there are many equines capable of competing at the top levels despite being well into double figures. Some of this year’s Olympic riders explain how they got their veteran horses to Tokyo and what it takes to keep them competing at the highest levels.

Vandiver, 17

Eventing

TOKYO PERFORMANCE: jumped clear cross-country to finish 16th RIDER DOUG PAYNE (US) SAYS: “Because of his vast experience, Quinn – as we call him – doesn’t run a lot of events in preparation for major championships. He always travels with Courtney Carson, our main groom, for whom Quinn is her child. She knows just about everything he does and how he generally reacts so if something is amiss, she’s very quick to recognise it. We also give him a few days after a long journey to recover.

“Quinn performed to expectations at Tokyo. We were quite limited as to what we could do in the three weeks leading up to the Games, which was massively challenging on our horses’ cardio. All of our [American team] horses were more tired than expected.

“However, during the lead-up to the Games, he was sounder and stronger than he’s been in years. Frankly, I think an older horse had an advantage for the Olympic Games.

“Riding Quinn is a joy and relief for me. We know each other so well, I can predict how he will react to almost any situation. Veteran horses allow you to raise your expectations and know what you strive for with the younger ones.