American Marcus Orlob did not have quite the Olympic debut he had hoped for.
Orlob and his mount were eliminated from the competition after judges spotted a cut on the horse's hind leg. The pair's elimination ends their 2024 Paris Olympics competition and disqualifies the United States from competing for a team medal.
Each dressage team consists of three horse and rider combinations and one traveling reserve. Unlike in equestrian eventing, dressage pairs may not be substituted once competition has begun. Adrienne Lyle and Helix were the second American duo to compete in Paris. The pair finished third in group 3, just short of clinching an automatic berth to the individual finals. They can still qualify if their overall position holds through tomorrow's continuation of the competition.
Jane, the 10-year-old mare ridden by American Marcus Orlob, reared up seemingly in protest of entering as Antonio Vale and Fine Fellow H of Portugal were leaving the arena.
Orlob and Jane settled in as their test progressed, receiving solid marks from the judges. However, partway through the compulsory test, the jury rang the bell and stopped the pair from continuing.
At the time, it was unclear what the judges saw that elicited concern and caused the excusal. It has since been confirmed that a scratch on the horse's right hind leg was the culprit.
The discipline is under heightened scrutiny concerning horse welfare after an incident of alleged abusive behavior by 2x individual gold medalist, Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain, came to light just before the Games.
The qualifying round of the competition continues tomorrow morning with American Steffan Peters and the internet-famous "rave horse" Suppenkasper competing for individual standing in group 6.
