Almost a third of the horses that will participate in the summer Olympic Games were bred in Belgium, the Belgian equestrian federation has confirmed.
This amounts to 25 out of a total of 90 horses. In the last Olympics in Rio, seven horses bred in Belgium helped their riders take home a medal.
As for riders, Belgium will be represented by Niels Bruynseels, Jerôme Guery and Grégory Wathelet in the show jumping event. High hopes for a medal are expected for the team finals, as the Belgian team won the prestigious Nations Cup in Rome in 2019.
The finals for individual jumping take place on 4 August, and the team finals on 7 August.
The team dressage - or training - showing the mastery of a set of movements between horse and rider, will take place on 27 July, followed the next day by individual dressage.
In the complete eventing competition which incorporates cross country jumping, dressage and stadium jumping, Belgium’s Lara de Liederkerke competes on 2 August.
The Brussels Times
