Both Kevin Staut and Julien Epaillard have announced they won't compete at the Olympic Games. For both riders their horses are not fit to compete at the moment.
"In view of the MRI results, Viking (Viking d'la Rousserie, f. Quaprice Bois Margot) has to take three weeks off jumping. He can only walk and trot. For my part, I felt he needed to build up his strength for the Games, which meant a series of CSIO5* events in Rome and La Baule, where he had to jump the in the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix each time. If there had been a three-week period without jumping once he had reached his peak, I think we could have gone to the Olympics, but now, it's impossible."
At the same moment compatriot Julien Epaillard has also declared that he will not take the road to Japan, as his two leading horses are resting. "Queeletta has jumped a lot and given us a lot of happiness in the past two years. For some time, even though there were no physical issues, she has showed a little less desire. We have given her a little rest, but she didn't jump very well in Doha and s'Hertogenbosch, so I prefer to give her a long break. She should be back in a few weeks, but she will not be operational for the Games. It will be the same for Kosmo van hof Ter Boone, who gave himself a mild knock, and will not be able to jump for some weeks. The deadline of the European Championships would perhaps be an option for him, but I never look that far ahead."
