Page 27 - The Hunt - Spring 2024

Riders Phillip Dutton and
Jennie Brannigan seek spots on the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team.
BY ROGER MORRIS | PHOTOS BY JIM GRAHAM
and Brannigan will still be waiting to find out if they’ll be packing their bags for Paris. In most other Olympic sports, the national team is chosen early, then goes into training to prepare. “The selection process is over a two-year period,” says Dutton.
Eventing is often described as the triathlon of riding. It consists of three equestrian events: dressage, cross-country and show
jumping. Its genesis stems from the
cavalry training of years past, when men
on horseback were a vital part of any land-based battle plan. Eventing is also unusual among Olympic sports because
it’s the one event where men and women compete as equals for medals in all three categories. Their combined results decide which three countries win the team medals.
At the time of this writing, Dutton was ranked second among U.S. riders behind his younger Chester County neighbor and fellow Australian by birth Boyd Martin, who is trying to make his fourth Olympics. Brannigan, the sixth-ranked American, is more of a long shot to make the team. As with any sporting event, a bad showing, an injury or an accident can jumble rankings at any time.
Veteran rider Phillip Dutton at Fair Hill International in Maryland.
TheHuntMagazine.com 25