The opening ceremony, scheduled for July 26, will mark the official kick-off of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The very next day, on July 27, French eventing riders will take to the track for the dressage events. The show promises to be great, but what happened before? What criteria were used to select the riders? How have the rider-horse pairs prepared?
"Horses for Paris": a rigorous selection process
To make up its Olympic teams, the Fédération Française d'Équitation (FFE) has set up the “À cheval pour Paris” program. This program is designed to support and prepare rider-horse pairs throughout their competitive career. As the competitions progressed, an initial list of high-potential Olympic and Paralympic pairs was drawn up, then revised, based on sporting performance, the health of the horses, and the commitment of all stakeholders (rider, horse owner, entourage) to the Olympic project.
A High Performance Department
To win as many medals as possible, the FFE has also developed an ambitious athlete support program, with the creation of a High Performance department. Headed by the tandem of Davy Delaire (former vaulter and coach of the French vaulting teams) and Jean-Luc Force (ex-rider and eventing coach), this department's mission is to coach and prepare riders by adapting training to their specific needs. Working closely with riders in the field, the federal staff went out to meet them in their stables, to better understand their expectations. The FFE has also decided to break the mould and take a cross-disciplinary approach to training, drawing inspiration from other disciplines. It's time to share knowledge, and the FFE is open to other models for coaching elite riders!
Mental preparation and horse care: two priorities
In addition to physical preparation, stress management and mental preparation with a personal coach are also part of the follow-up. Compulsory since the last Games in Tokyo, this support helps to cope with the pressure, which is all the more intense this year, with the presence of families and friends.
At the same time, the horses, the true athletes of these competitions, have benefited from regular monitoring, with a personalized competition program and rigorous veterinary follow-up involving specific care, adapted feeding and the use of sensory sensors to better analyze “horse-rider” interactions during training.
EquiAction, the FFE's endowment fund
Finally, the riders have benefited from privileged access to support from the French National Sports Agency (ANS) and the FFE's EquiAction endowment fund, to offer them the best conditions to excel.
Let's hope that these meticulous preparations will bear fruit at the Paris 2024 Games. On July 27, let's all join them!