Every 4 years, the best equestrians and the most dedicated horses, along with their excellent farriers, veterinarians and trainers, come together to showcase years of hard work and unmatched talent.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the United States Eventing, Jumping and Dressage Teams are competing with the top athletes from 48 other countries. Integral to their success are Eventing Team farrier Beck Ratte and Jumping and Dressage Team farrier Chuck Jones, who have worked tirelessly with the horses, their riders, their veterinarians and their farriers long before the Games begin.

Though Americans may cross their fingers that Team USA takes home gold — whether in equestrian, swimming, or gymnastics — standing on that podium is not about luck. It requires discipline, passion and years of work to represent the United States in Paris this Summer.

To celebrate the 2024 Olympics and acknowledge that hard work, American Farriers Journal is compiling ongoing social media coverage of the equestrian games here. Check back for updates throughout the week.

Preparing for Paris 2024 with U.S. Team Farrier Beck Ratte

“Steve Teichman really ingrained in me that I need to know as much about these horse and rider pairings as possible, that I need to be thoroughly acquainted with them for a long period before the Olympics because it’s not so much about the Games, it’s about everything that’s led up to them being there at that moment. This is about them, not me.

“...Now is not the time for making changes. Now is the time to work the plan. I’ve been planning these horses’ shoeing cycles, resets, trims and even how much sole I pare out — which is very, very little — for months. I’ve worked their schedules out and shod them so they will be exactly 1 or 2 weeks, depending on the horse, for cross-country day. The 2-week to 10-day time period allows for tight nails, some adjustment period post-shoeing and optimal balance on the longest, most strenuous day of competition.”

Read more about how Eventing Team farrier Beck Ratte has prepared for this year’s Games, including the importance of peer support, out-of-the-box thinking and supportive shoeing packages.

Cross-Country Course Gallery

Updated July 26, 2024

Get an early look at the cross-country track from Horse Sport, designed by Pierre Le Goupil of France, ahead of the start of the Games tomorrow.

Resting Up for the Big Day

Updated July 26, 2024

Team Ireland's Sarah Ennis documents her horse Lottie taking a much-needed rest before the Games. 

Individual Eventing Predictions

Updated July 26, 2024

Check out The Eventing Podcast for expert insights and analysis about potential top contenders and course challenges at the Paris Olympics.

Change to U.S. Eventing Roster

Updated July 26, 2024

U.S. Equestrian announced a change to the Eventing Team prior to the start of competition on Saturday, July 27. Traveling reserve Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker, an Irish Sport Horse gelding, will replace Will Coleman and Diablo. The pair have placed outside the top ten twice in their FEI career and collected two wins at the CCI4*-L level in 2023. 

"The last 48 hours have truly been tough for our team, but particularly for Will Coleman," said Chef d'Equipe Bobby Costello in a U.S. Equestrian press release. "Off The Record looked well in training camp, but Will's direct reserve, Diablo, continued to impress, and was physically in such great condition, so we made the decision to place him into the team roster before moving to the venue. Diablo trotted up 100% sound prior to shipping from training camp and arrived at the venue happy and fit. Unfortunately, shortly after settling into stabling, he showed significant signs of discomfort, and the team immediately got to work to address a potential abscess in the right front foot. Team Farrier Beck Ratte, Dr. Susan Johns, Diablo's groom Hailey Burlock, and Will's wife, Katie, were so diligent and tireless in treating Diablo, and he did in fact trot up sound last night. With that said, we felt after weighing the risk, it was not in Diablo's or the team's best interest for him to move forward with the competition this week. We're all truly devastated for Will and his entire team. It takes so much work to get to this moment, and it's just such an unfortunate turn of events. We've got to look forward though, and with that said, we're heading into this competition with four competitive horses, and I feel very confident in this team's ability to be successful here in Paris."

Eventing Documentary Streaming 

Updated July 25, 2024

Hoof Dreams, a documentary on Eventing and gender equality in Olympic sports, is available to stream on Peacock or VOD ahead of the 2024 games and in Paris at select theaters. 

 Comprehensive Guide to the Equestrian Games

Updated July 25, 2024

Check out Eventing Nation's guide to the 2024 Olympics, which includes a breakdown of all the events, coverage of the athletes and performance predictions here. 

Meet the U.S. Eventing Chef d'Equipe 

Updated July 25, 2024

USA Eventing caught up with Chef d'Equipe Bobby Costello to discuss his role in the Games. 

Day One, Two & Three Roundup

Updated July 25, 2024

Catch up with Ben Benson, AWCF, as he settles into Team Sweden's training base, the Olympic Village and hotel, which the equestrian team shares with the Belgian cycling team. And watch on Day Three as they move to the equestrian venue at Versailles. 

Kentucky Horseshoeing School Representation

Updated July 25, 2024

KHS salutes Dr. Ellen Staples, CJF, of Ocala, Fla., as she prepares to participate in the 2024 Paris Games.

Riding for Annie

Updated July 25, 2024

Boyd Martin, of the U.S Eventing Team, talks with NBC Philadelphia about Fedarman B (Bruno), Annie Goodwin and keeping her memory alive.

Traveling with Olympic Horses

Updated July 25, 2024

How do the horses get to Paris? On the ARK at JFK airport in New York.

 One Last Graze

Updated July 25, 2024

Beck Ratte, farrier for the U.S. Eventing Team, shows Team USA horses getting out for a graze before shipping to Versailles. 

Pre-Olympics Training

Updated July 25, 2024

Boyd Martin, equestrian for the U.S. Eventing Team, posts a video from the U.S. training camp before heading to Paris.

Team France

Updated July 25, 2024

Gotilas, of the French Dressage Team, is shod and ready to go with rider Corentin Pottier to Paris 2024.