Centuries ago, it was the epicentre of French royalty.
For six days in August, the Chateau de Versailles becomes the hot spot of riding royalty.
The magnificent palace and grounds 19 kilometres west of Paris — which started out as a hunting lodge but became home to the court of Louis XIV in 1682 — will host the 2024 Olympic Games equestrian and modern pentathlon competitions, featuring the best of the best in the sport.
Significantly, horses will be at the forefront in a location that has always idolized the animal. A temporary outdoor arena, including several stands, will be set up on the Etoile Royale esplanade to the west of the Grand Canal at the heart of the palace’s gardens.
Also importantly for Canada, it’ll mean a return to the jumping team portion of the event, after missing out at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. In the team event, the scores from three riders are combined for a total score.
A fixture at major jumping competitions, Canada lost its berth at those Olympics over coca tea. The sport’s Court of Arbitration determined that Nicole Walker of Aurora, Ont. had inadvertently ingested a cocaine metabolite drinking South American tea at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru. That dropped the team from fourth to seventh and out of the last qualifying spot.
But in 2024, Canada is back where it belongs.
“It’s very exciting,” conceded veteran rider Mario Deslauriers, who was the lone Canadian to take part in Tokyo on Bardolina 2. “The last Olympics it was very quiet because there was no public and it was a funny thing atmosphere-wise for the horses and the riders. Now, looking forward to Paris, I’ve seen some of the design with the grandstand all around the Chateau right there and I think it’s going to be a great Olympics.
“The French federation and obviously the French organization for the Games really went all out. It’s going to look great! And I’m very looking forward to it.”
Competing in his fourth Olympics, Deslauriers and his mount Emerson anchor a squad that includes Erynn Ballard, Amy Millar and Tiffany Foster as alternate.
“I think every Olympics is special,” the 59-year-old Deslauriers pointed out. “My first one was in Los Angeles, at Santa Anita, the race track. The decor was fantastic. The jumps at every Olympics are very special. It’s not a scene we’ve seen before.
“Imagine Paris with all the old buildings or the designs they’ll have. It’s going to look incredible. I think they have room for 10- to 15,000 people around the arena on three sides and then the open side gives onto the Chateau. I think horses and riders, you’re going to feel the atmosphere when you walk in there. There’s no doubt; there’s no doubt.”
For Millar — whose father Ian is the chef d’equipe for Team Canada — it will be her second foray into the Games.
“I’m so excited,” she smiled. “This has been a mission of mine since I went to Rio (2016 Olympics); that was such a fantastic experience that when I finished with that, I said to myself I need to do this again. Unfortunately we didn’t send a team to the next Olympics.
“But this whole year I have been gearing my horse with a plan and a focus to peak him when I get to Paris. We’re on strategy and being named … I’m so excited and so proud. It’s going to be amazing.
“Being in Versailles is going to be unbelievable because the French people, they love show jumping. It’s such a popular sport there. The crowd will be really educated and into it and that makes for an amazing competition situation.”
Equestrian sports are unique in the sense that human rider must count on an unpredictable animal in order to succeed. The four-legged partners in question have all proved their considerable worth in the past, so there is nothing but optimism in the ranks.
“Truman is great when he understands that it’s important,” explained Millar of her 15-year-old bay. “I’ve been riding him for a really long time — Pan American Games, world championships — and now to be at the Olympics with him. When I first got him as a seven-year-old he didn’t love people that much, he thought we were OK. We’ve really cultivated a really great relationship with him over the years and let him understand when it’s important and praise him when he’s good. He’s very laid back so when he feels the energy, it gets him to where he needs to be, gives me that extra try.”
Ballard, making her Olympic debut, has qualified with Gakhir and Libido Van’t Hofken, but it’s her newest collaboration with Nikka Vd Bisschop that elicits excitement. Ballard began riding the 11-year-old mare, who was previously partnered with Canadian Beth Underhill, in April of this year. The two needed three top finishes in order to qualify and got them, the last one being at Spruce Meadows in June. Talk about cutting it close.
“It’s every rider’s dream to go to the Olympics,” said Ballard. “There’s just so many emotions right now … we’re taking it all in, taking the success of the last six weeks, of the last two years, of the last eight years of Ilan (owner Ferder) and I and this partnership. My situation is different from everybody else’s. Other people get a horse and have a long-term plan. We get a horse and we have a short-term plan that turns into a long-term plan.
“The last-minute opportunity with Nikka came. It was an unproven relationship. We needed three results and we did it, pretty impressive. We proved to the world in a short period of time, even if this partnership is new, we’re fully capable to present ourselves and support Canada at the Olympics.”
Ballard, at 44, is a newbie. Canada’s developmental squad has other individuals who were being considered, including 35-year-old Kyle Timm from Calgary who is now based in France. It is those riders who willingly take up the mantle of the old guard like Eric Lamaze, Yann Candele and Ian Millar.
The locale, yes, is majestic. In 1883, the venue became a national museum open to the public and was the first French spot to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
But when all is said and done, the competition is the thing. And how, then, will Canada fare against the best in the world for the highest stakes imaginable in the sport?
A straw poll among the participants is pretty unanimous.
“I think we have a very strong team this year,” insisted Deslauriers. “Amy is going well with her horse Truman and Erynn with her new mount is going excellent also. My horse has been solid.
“Tiffany and Figor are also on their way back. I think the three girls are in good form. Strong horses and experienced people. Ian is the leader of our team so I think we’re in good form.”
“I think we have a great chance,” agreed Amy Millar. “Show jumping is such a funny sport; you’re working with an animal. You can do all of your preparations and have a bad day or you can get lucky. For sure, we have very strong riders and very strong horses and we have been doing everything we can to peak at this ideal time. Yeah, we have as good a chance as anyone else.”
“Especially, with the new format, with only three people riding and naming four, I think all four of us can be very strong,” Ballard noted. “We’re a strong group, a small group, but we all feel we deserve to be there and compete. We’re small in numbers, but mighty in ability.”
“Listen, I will tell you one thing,” added Foster, who as the alternate will be cheering from the sidelines. “Our team of riders, Erynn, Amy, Mario … I don’t think there’s a country that is as supportive as this country. Between Ian and Gail (team selector Greenough) and everybody … I’ve watched other countries and I don’t think it feels the way this country does.”
And with a breathtaking backdrop, what a memorable Olympics this could be for Canadian show jumping.
“I just can’t wait for the pictures,” admitted Ballard, “the memories that they hold for us; the significance of having those moments in that venue.
“But if you’re talking about the Olympics Games, whether it’s in Versailles, or in Sydney, or in Rio or in a field in somebody’s backyard … who cares? You’re riding in the Olympics.”
Equestrian events take place July 27 to Aug. 6, beginning with eventing. Jumping is the final discipline and runs from Aug. 1-6.