Team USA kick off Nations Cup season with star line-up in Mexico
Six countries have sent a team of four riders to represent their colours at the inaugural 5* Nations Cup event in San Miguel de Allende.
The first leg of the North American League of the Longines FEI Nations Cup is taking place in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, this weekend.
Team USA is determined to secure Olympic qualification this year ahead of Paris 2024 and has selected some of its strongest horse and rider combinations to represent the stars and stripes. Half of the team due to compete in San Miguel already have Olympic experience and know how to bring home the medals. Both Laura Kraut’s Baloutinue (770) and Jessica Springsteen’s Don Juan van de Donkhoeve (723) were on the Olympic team that won Silver at the Olympic Games in Tokyo two years ago and are set on qualifying the US team for Paris next year. These two powerhouse combinations are accompanied by the widely experienced Kent Farrington on his 10-year-old mount, Landon (727), as well as Bliss Heers and her trusted stallion Antidote de Mars (694). All four US horses rank in the Top 7 of the highest-rated horses in the field.
The home team Mexico has also ensured to bring their A-game this weekend. Hometown heroes Eugenio Garza Perez and Contago (739) are fresh off a superb weekend of competing on home soil in Mexico City and will surely look to extend that trend with their team in San Miguel de Allende. The Canadians have also made sure to send a strong team to Mexico, with Erynn Ballard and Gakhir (704) as their frontrunners. We will also see teams from Colombia, Chile, and Argentina compete in the FEI Longines Nations Cup of San Miguel de Allende this weekend.