The U.S. Jumping Team earned the silver medal Saturday, Aug. 7, after an intense jump-off battle with Sweden in the Jumping Team Final to conclude equestrian competition at the Tokyo Games. The U.S. team of Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Florida) and Baloutinue, Jessica Springsteen (Colts Neck, New Jersey) and Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, and McLain Ward (Brewster, New York) and Contagious put the pressure on the Swedish team. In the end the Swedish topped the podium, with the Belgian team collecting bronze.

Laura Kraut and Baloutinue, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by St. Bride’s Farm, were the first combination to test the second-round track built by Santiago Varela (ESP) for the final night of team competition. The pair delivered a strong start with a clear round.

“Today he was just in the game,” said Kraut. “He was relaxed and focused and just did everything I asked of him. He’s just one of the best horses I’ve ever had the privilege to ride and for him to come in here tonight, he’s still new to this level of jumping, and he’s gotten better each day that he’s jumped.”

Following Kraut’s finish, Springsteen guided Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion owned by Stone Hill Farm, to a fast four-fault round, keeping the team within reach of the podium. In the pair’s championship debut, they excelled under the pressure.

“This course was super technical,” Springsteen said. “The first time I walked it I made a plan, and that was what I stuck with in the ring. There were a lot of half strides where you had the option to choose whether you wanted to do one less or one more and my horse has a big step and I was able to do most of the leave-outs which really helped me with the time allowed.”

As the team’s anchor combination, Ward and Contagious, a 12-year-old Deutches Sportpferd owned by Beechwood Stables LLC, found themselves needing to keep the team within striking range of the Swedish, and delivered with a solid round, as Contagious tapped a rail to add four to their score. Ultimately the team’s total of eight tied them with the Swedish team, forcing a jump-off to determine the gold and silver medals.

“I thought the horses jumped great last night and really well again today,” Ward said. “The task for me was a bit difficult to go in cold to that round last night and I was a little bit anxious about it. I had a feeling that we were going to settle in, and everyone delivered. Jess stayed as cool as can be after having an early rail, and I thought my horse’s rail was a little unlucky, and Laura was just lights out.”

The jump-off order remained the same as the second-round order, with Kraut and Baloutinue entering the ring first to set the pace. The duo finished with a quick clear round and were followed by Sweden’s Henrick von Eckermann and King Edward, who matched their pace and kept the score even. Springsteen was tasked with keeping the team on zero in the jump-off and delivered with Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, crossing through the timers with another fast clear for the United States. Ward pushed Contagious and delivered a fast, clear effort for the U.S., as the rest of the team waited to see what Peder Fredericson and All In of Sweden would deliver. Ultimately, Sweden earned the gold, with the U.S. team securing their second consecutive team silver medal at an Olympic Games.

“This was a hard-fought battle,” said Kraut. “McLain is fast, and we know he’s fast, and he definitely put the pressure on Peder. He had .4 seconds to make up and Peder and All In are just so fast, just like we saw on the individual final. This is what we do this for. It’s a lot of work, sweat, and tears, but I’m just so thrilled and I’m so fortunate to have a great team here with me.”

“This was truly a team of four, plus the army behind us,” added Ward, to Kraut’s testament to the team camaraderie and the support they received from teammate Kent Farrington, who competed in the Individual Qualifier but sat out for the team competition.

Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland was thrilled with how the team’s strategy played to their preparation and noted that they were confident the team competition would most likely go to three rounds. With that in mind, they made a point to ensure the horses were fresh and ready to compete.

“It’s what you dream of,” Ridland said. “We came up with a plan a long time ago and the emphasis was always going to be on the team competition. The plan was, of course, that we’re bringing four riders here and all four were going to be whatever results we were able to get. Today was supposed to be the day that we really channeled everything, and we tried to leave as much gas in the tank as we could through the qualifying round to get there, and we’ve all been saying that the team was going to be three rounds and we were prepared for that. It just became magical. It was sweet revenge for Sweden and it’s a great rivalry. They were amazing and we pushed them to the limit and that’s what has made us proud.”