Horse jumping competition © Henry Bush@flickr CC-BY
With the 2012 Olympics fast approaching everyone is gearing up for the games. The equestrian world is full of anticipation as to who will be proudly representing their countries at this extremely prestigious event. Walking away with an Olympic medal has to be seen as the very pinnacle of success in whatever sport a competitor takes part in, but when it comes to partnerships, there is nothing so wonderful as a rider and their mount.
French riders prove themselves time and again at equestrian events all over the world. Show jumping, cross country and dressage competitions that take place on various continents set the incredibly high standards and proves the partnerships of both riders and their horses as they qualify as real contenders for the London Olympics in 2012.
Julien Epaillard is an International Show Jumper who has kept spectators on the edges of their seats with his marvellous performances in the show jumping ring for a quite a while now. This very talented rider has had some amazing first class horses which have taken him to the very top and this includes the wonderful horse, Icare du Manet. He has got to be a serious contender for the Olympics next year, and I for one will really enjoy watching him in the show ring.
Timothée Anciaume French rider ©Eponimm@wikipedia CC
From a young age the talents of rider Timothée Anciaume were clearly visible to the equestrian world. Recently he had a stupendous ride at Fontainbleau along with a fellow French rider Kevin Staut where they showed their pure genius in horsemanship on some of the most talented French horses around today.
With riders like Eugénie Angot and Jérôme Hurel, the 2012 London Equestrian Olympics promises to be very exciting and the competition in the show jumping ring will be rife. For a long time the French contenders have proved to be serious competitors for medals at the Olympics. The build up to the games with all the qualifying rounds at various events has at times been nail bitingly nerve racking for both the spectators and the competitors.
Horse jumping © Erik (HASH) Hersman@flickr CC-BY
The world of show jumping really does come to a climax both with the team and individual riders taking part in any Olympic games. A gold medal is of course the pinnacle award but any medal at the games or even just taking part proves that both riders and mounts are more than just superstars of their sport.
We have to remember that equestrian events first started at the Olympics back in 1900 when the games were held in Paris. However, they stopped after this and did not start again until 1912 but have been part of the games ever since. The format may not be quite as it was in the early days but the dressage, eventing and show jumping of today really show the amazing standards of horsemanship. France has always been right up there with the best of them and with over 34 Olympic medals under their belts, the French riders and their superb horses are going to prove their talents yet again next year.