A silver medalist at the last Pan American Games, Emerson will take to the stage on Thursday at the Paris Olympics, during the first stage of the team show jumping competition, which will be held in the magical setting of the Palace of Versailles.
Ridden by veteran Quebec rider Mario Deslauriers, he will team up with Truman (Amy Millar) and Nikka vd Bisschop (Erynn Ballard).
Arriving Tuesday after a week of training and acclimatization in Belgium, the 12-year-old horse passed his veterinary exams without difficulty Wednesday and was due to do a first familiarization lap of the competition track at the end of the day with his rider. “We are very lucky. France is a great country for equestrian competitions and this site is incredible,” Mario Deslauriers said in an interview with Duty.
Emerson had not yet had the chance to see the course. However, in such competitions, one must expect something demanding, made up of obstacles and spectacular scenery referring to famous monuments or well-known tourist sites, which can harm concentration, even for the most experienced horses. And then, even the animals can crack, sometimes, under pressure.
“You always feel a little tingling at the beginning, but it usually goes away when you’re together. Horses feel it when one competition counts more than another. Especially since it’s in front of a big audience,” explains Mario Deslauriers, who, after being the youngest member of the Canadian equestrian team at the 1984 Los Angeles Games at 19, will be the second-oldest athlete in the entire Canadian delegation in Paris at 59. This will be his fourth Games, since he also went to Seoul (1988) and Tokyo (2021).
The horse accounts for 75% to 80% of our performance. If you are in even the slightest bit of good physical condition, you can really practice the sport for a very long time.
A surreal site
The temporary site of the equestrian competitions and the modern pentathlon at the Paris Olympics is simply surreal. The large U-shaped stands erected at the place called the Étoile royale open onto the Grand Canal with, at the very end, the Palace of Versailles, a little more than three kilometers away (Louis XIV had large gardens).
As soon as we arrive on site, we feel, from the immense trees and the surrounding nature, a certain softness accompanied by a light breeze which would have been appreciated in Paris, where the heat is overwhelming these days.
The peaceful and friendly atmosphere is found even in the stadium, which can accommodate more than 15,000 spectators. The crowd of enthusiasts present on Wednesday respected an almost religious silence during the dressage events, so as not to distract the stars of the competition: the horses. The sun was still beating down hard on the stands, where the fans were fluttering.
As soon as their event was over, the riders rushed to caress their mounts, pat them affectionately and give them the applause of the crowd. As they entered and left the competition arena, the superb four-legged athletes were refreshed, brushed, bathed, stroked, in a word, pampered, in a calm and attentive atmosphere.
From 75% to 80% of performance
“The horse accounts for 75% to 80% of our performance. If you are in the slightest bit of good physical condition, you can really practice the sport for a very long time,” says Mario Deslauriers. Originally from Bromont, the rider has lived in the United States for many years. He is there with his wife, Lisa, and his daughter, Lucy, who were both part of the American equestrian team and with whom, in addition to competing 35 weekends a year, he has a business that consists of finding horses for buyers.
But with age also comes maturity. For a rider, “it helps to better control his nerves, to better control his horse and his environment. When you recognize the course, you also spot difficulties more quickly, you evaluate distances better and you usually manage to adapt better to circumstances.”
It’s a bit the same for horses. “Emerson is a very experienced horse. He’s done a lot of big shows.”
It’s true that he doesn’t always have the easiest temperament, continues his partner of three years. “He’s a pretty vibrant horse. Not super calm. Who has energy. But he’s also a very brave horse, who has a lot of strength and is very willing. As soon as he enters the arena, you feel that he wants to go for it, that he wants to attack the jumps. I think that puts us in a good position for the Games,” says the rider.
Thursday is the day of the preliminary round of the team competition, at the end of which Canada has a good chance of qualifying for the final event scheduled for Friday. Next week, all the horses will return for two more days of similar competition, but this time in the individual competition.
With Truman and Nikka vd Bisschop, Emerson should have a good chance in the team competition, says Mario Deslauriers. “Emerson is coming in in good shape. We had a big competition in Calgary just before leaving for Europe and the horses jumped really well. There were three Canadians in the top eight.”
“It’s always exciting to go to the Olympics,” said the rider. “Especially this year, because our team is very well placed. We hope to perform well.”
This report was funded with support from the Transat International Journalism Fund-The duty.