US Equestrian Olympian Jessica Springsteen to Retire Qualification Horse for Younger Stallion

Jessica Springsteen made headlines when she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Daughter of the legendary Bruce Springsteen, Jessica will aim to make her father and country proud at the Olympics. However, will her horse selection play a factor in Tokyo?

Jessica Springsteen not using the horse that won her qualification

Springsteen qualified for the Olympics a week ago alongside RMF Tinkerbell, a 13-year-old mare. She put on a wonderful performance at the CSI4* on 19th June at St. Tropez-Grimaud, winning the jumping Grand Prix. With a score of 36.16, Springsteen picked up the prize money of 25,000 EUR.

Despite the success with RMF Tinkerbell, Springsteen retired her before the Olympics. Instead, she will ride Don Juan De Donkhoeve. With Don Juan, Jessica registered a decent performance at Windsor, one of the last stops on the way to the Olympics. She finished 18th at Windsor, behind her teammates Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington.

Although the result wasn’t what she expected, Don Juan is a younger stallion. Her preference for the younger stallion could emerge out of an injury to RMF Tinkerbell or simply because she has faith in him. Don Juan’s most impressive performance with Springsteen came at the FEI Nations Cup in Wellington, Florida, where they finished first.

Springsteen and Don Juan’s combination began in 2019, after the stallion’s former owner Eleonore Lambilliotte from Belgium moved on to a different horse. Will this two-year-old combination put up a tough challenge at the Tokyo Olympics 2021, or will they succumb to the stiff competition?

Springsteen rises in jumping world rankings

With the news of her Olympic qualification hitting the internet, Jessica Springsteen rose in the jumping world rankings by a huge margin. The 29-year-old moved up from #27 to #14, a thirteen point jump. She lies ahead of her teammate and former trainer Laura Kraut and US show jumping legend Beezie Madden.

This jump isn’t simply attributed to her Olympic qualification but her impressive performances at Grand Prix’s. Picking up wins in Florida and St. Tropez placed in the upper echelon of athletes heading to the Olympics, but she remains below two of her more experienced teammates.

McLain Ward ranks at #10 and is the most decorated Olympian in the current show jumping team. The highest ranked athlete is Kent Farrington at #5, who is also a former silver medalist at the Rio Olympics 2021.

Read more: French Equestrian Gold Medalist Out of Tokyo Olympics 2021 as Horse Gets Injured