Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High, aka “Woody,” enter the dressage court to begin their WEG performance in Tryon by themselves on Friday. But like all their fellow competitors, they carry with them the hard work and high hopes of the many who’ve made their quest possible.

As Selena says, “Team work makes the dream work.”
The Canadian contender’s team is headed by Selena’s mother Morag O’Hanlon and longtime-groom Anne-Marie Duarte. Both bring oodles of experience to the task.

Morag has her own impressive competitive resume as an eventer and is an accomplished international coach specializing in rider balance and position. She trained with American eventing legend Bruce Davidson for many years and arranged for Selena to do the same when she was first contemplating a professional horsewoman’s career.

Head groom Anne-Marie has been with O’Hanlon Eventing for 10 years, including at many of the world’s most rigorous eventing competitions. An A-rated graduate of Canadian Pony Club, she’s an eventer, too.

Team O’Hanlon arrived at Tryon International Equestrian Center on Saturday, fresh from a late-August tune-up with Bruce Davidson, then Canadian team camp in Virginia. “Everyone is settled in and the Canadians are ready to rock it!” Selena reported on arrival.

As Canada’s anchor pair, Selena and Woody ride in the Friday afternoon rotation, which is scheduled to begin at 1:15 pm EDT. We’ll keep you posted on that, along with news of many other Haygain believers riding for their countries and their critical support teams this week and next.