Olympic Fever!

Here at Horsezone we've been glued to Foxtel London 189, burning the candle at both ends, as Olympic Eventing excitement continued on into the small hours.  It only comes around once every four years and so far (apart from our Eventing Team’s bad luck in Cross Country) the 2012 Olympics has been worth the wait!

It was great to see our eventers performing so well in the Dressage. Their skill and sound training was really apparent. It was also great for the sport to have so many new countries competing. And the Cross Country Phase was absolutely riveting. The beautiful but very testing course in Greenwich Park gave rise to plenty of thrills, spills and drama - keeping our adrenalin pumping and making shut-eye impossible.

There were so many highlights!  Zara Phillips' brilliant ride and her excitement at the finish, Swede Ludvig Svennerstal encouraging the crowd to cheer for him, Kiwi Caroline Powell and Lenamore, the oldest horse in Olympic eventing (who has his own fan club) just to mention a few. Then there was Samantha Albert, representing Jamaica, who clung on for dear life to avoid a fall and instant elimination when her horse skidded over - and went on to finish the course... And the Aussies!!!! Burto and Leilani's fabulous round was a joy and Andrew's save at the drop fence had our hearts in our mouths. Not to mention when Lucinda's youngster decided the jump out of the water wasn't really where he wanted to go. Poor Sam Griffith’s and Clayton's horses probably slipped because of our extra weight. We were all riding that tight and hilly course with them!

The Showjumping phase was also entertaining and really exciting. Who didn't feel the pressure on poor Ingrid Klimke? We held our breath with everyone in that stadium - watching her ride so carefully over the course, feeling the immense weight of expectation from the German team.

Across the phases, the riders from Germany, Great Britain and New Zealand and of course, Sweden’s Sara Algotsson Ostholt (pictured), who just missed out on gold in the individual, were all awe inspiring and truly deserving of their medals.

Horsezone has endeavoured to keep you up to date with Olympic equestrian events in the News section or via Facebook and we'll continue to do so throughout the remaining competitions.

We hope everyone had a good rest last night because it's game on again tonight with the Dressage, and then more Dressage and Showjumping over the next week.  Keep up with the coffee everyone!

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