Favourites have to call on reserve after eventing trot-up at Rio Olympics

Andreas Ostholt has been replaced in the German eventing team at the Rio Olympics. Travelling reserve Julia Krajewski will now compete instead.

Andreas’ ride So Is Et, the Badminton runner-up, passed the horse inspection this morning, but he had been unsound after losing a shoe back home in Germany shortly before the training camp. As there was still a risk with running the horse, it was decided to bring Julia and Samourai Du Thot into the team.

Andreas Ostholt and So Is Et during the first horse inspection at the Rio Olympics. Picture by Peter Nixon

The teams with a travelling reserve trotted up that horse this morning too, and they can be substituted until two hours before the dressage starts tomorrow morning at 10am.

Julia will make her Olympic debut, riding alongside the experienced trio of Michael Jung (Sam FBW), Ingrid Klimke (Hale-Bob OLD) and Sandra Auffarth (Opgun Louvo). The Germans start the competition as strong favourites with great chances of successfully defending the team and individual gold medals they won in London.

Julia, 27, and 10-year-old Samourai Du Thot will be among the least experienced combinations competing in Rio, but have really impressed this year. They finished third on their four-star debut at Luhmühlen in June and were the two-phase leaders in the CIC3* at Aachen but withdrew before the cross-country.

Julia has been based at the national centre at Warendorf for nine years. She juggles competing five horses with working in the national federation office part-time and helping train the under-21 teams. She has also recently finished three years studying sports coaching and science at Cologne.

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.