A few days from the start of the Olympics, the horses for de equestrian competitions have been taken to the air with passports and carryons, and are now just arrived this Wednesday 24 July to the Olympic Village. This journey for the horses on the U.S. eventing team began on a farm in Pennsylvania.

They were driven to JFK airport last Wednesday to board an eight hour flight to Luxembourg. The following afternoon the horses went by lorry to their pre-Olympic base camp in Vittel, located about four hours outside of Paris.

Having rested, shaken off jet lag and done some gentle trotting, they are scheduled to reach the Palace of Versailles for their Olympic check-in on Wednesday 24 July. The eventing competition gets underway Saturday with team and individual dressage in the regal gardens of Versailles, once the residence of French royalty where Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette held lavish banquets.

Susan Johns, the team veterinarian, said the horses actually prefer flying. “To be honest it’s much easier than being in a lorry, there’s much more stability than being driven. Padding, bedding, everything possible was provided in case the take off and landing was abrupt,” Johns explained to The Associated Press during a phone interview. “They don’t really sleep on the flight, they’re standing upright. But they’re good at resting, they have hay nets and are mostly eating.”

Will Coleman, one of the equestrian favourites

Coleman, had a stellar 2024 season, is one of the favourites of the US Team for this Games. He ended the year with both Off the Record and new mount, Diabolo. The pair finished one-two at the competitive CCI4-S at the Kentucky Three-Day Event. Ultimately, Coleman was selected to his second U.S. Olympic Eventing Team, opting to take Off The Record, with Diabolo as a direct reserve for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Also Coleman made history in 2021, riding Off The Record, owned by Off The Record Syndicate LLC, to victory at the CCIO4*-S at CHIO Aachen, becoming the first American to ever win the prestigious event. The following year, the pair were part of the silver medal-winning U.S. team at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championship in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. In 2022, Coleman was a USEF Equestrian of Honor and was awarded the William C. Steinkraus Trophy at the USEF Pegasus Awards.

Rumours of horse abuse in Team GB

British dressage star Charlotte Dujardin, ranked fourth in the International Equestrian Federation's (FEI) world dressage standings, believes she has a "really good chance" of success at the Paris Games and just needs a medal of any colour to take the lead from now-retired cyclist Dame Laura Kenny: with whom she is currently tied on six medals. But her luck has been turned because she has been withdrew from the Paris Olympics after a video emerged allegedly showing her mistreating a horse.

Dujardin, a three-time Olympic champion and the joint most-decorated British woman Olympian, said she had made an "error of judgement" and expressed deep remorse. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) suspended her with immediate effect, just days before the start of the Games.

The governing body said it had received a video "depicting Ms Dujardin engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare". "This video was submitted to the FEI by a lawyer representing an undisclosed complainant," the FEI added.

"According to the information received, the footage was allegedly taken several years ago during a training session conducted by Ms Dujardin at a private stable." The FEI said Dujardin had confirmed she was depicted in the video and had acknowledged that her conduct was "inappropriate".

It said she had asked to be provisionally suspended pending the outcome of the investigations and voluntarily withdrew from the Paris Olympics. "The FEI condemns any conduct contrary to the welfare of horses and has robust rules in place to address such behaviour," it said. "Our commitment to ensuring the highest standards of equine welfare and sportsmanship remains unwavering”, concludes.