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ROME, ITALY – MAY 27: Show jumping champion rider of the United States Equestrian Team and daughter of musicians Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, Jessica Springsteen leaves her horse at the end of a training session of the CSIO Rome Piazza Di Siena International Equestrian Competition at Piazza Di Siena on May 27, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Franco Origlia/GC Images ) /Credits: Getty
Getty
ROME, ITALY – MAY 27: Show jumping champion rider of the United States Equestrian Team and daughter of musicians Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, Jessica Springsteen leaves her horse at the end of a training session of the CSIO Rome Piazza Di Siena International Equestrian Competition at Piazza Di Siena on May 27, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Franco Origlia/GC Images ) /Credits: Getty
Equestrian is a complicated sport with two moving parts:- the horse and the athlete. Having a strong connection with your horse is crucial draw success. Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Jessica Springsteen assures everyone that her connection with Don Juan is splendid.
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Jessica Springsteen has a lot of faith in Don Juan
Bruce Springsteen’s Olympian daughter made headlines when she qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Games. Alongside McLain Ward, Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington, the world #14 will gun for gold in the show jumping event. Like eventing and dressage, one must really rely on their horse to get them over the line, or in this case over the obstacles.
Substituting her Olympic qualification horse with a younger stallion, Springsteen has boosted hers and the US team’s chances at clinching gold. She said goodbye to RMF Tinkerbell and said hello to Don Juan De Donkhoeve. In an interview with the Today Show on NBC, Springsteen talked about Don Juan’s attributes and why he could take her to the podium.
“I think this team is very strong. I think our chances are good.”
We’re catching up with the U.S. equestrian jumping team – Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, McLain Ward and Jessica Springsteen, daughter of Bruce Springsteen, before they compete in the #TokyoOlympics. pic.twitter.com/yAyw7qEweU
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 19, 2021
“We’ve been building a partnership over the last couple of years and he’s everything I would want in a championship horse. We have so much trust in our relationship and he is so powerful, and he kinda does everything so effortlessly. I can really rely on him.”
With Don Juan, Springsteen put on a decent performance at the Windsor Grand Prix. However, she finished in #18 place and remained behind her teammates Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington. Despite that, her faith in Don Juan remains unwavered and we could see both of them with a medal around their necks.
Who are the rest of the US showjumping team riding for the Tokyo Olympic 2020?
While all eyes will be on Jessica Springsteen and Don Juan, one can’t help but look at three of Jessica’s teammates, all of whom are former medalists. McLain Ward, a two-time gold medalist and silver medalist in Rio; Kent Farrington, a silver medalist in Rio and Laura Kraut, a gold medalist from Beijing 2008.
On the interview, Kent Farrington claimed his horse Gazelle has the most travel stamps on her horse passport. However, will she bring him a second medal in his second straight appearance? Speaking of medals, McLain Ward, the most decorated member of his team, will ride Contagious, a gelding whose name with a subtle warning to all athletes taking part in the 2020 Olympics.
Finally, Laura Kraut will ride an eleven-year-old gelding named Baloutinue. Will these rider-horse combinations bring some gold back to the United States?
