By Amber Heintzberger
✮✮✮✮ A four-star event horse recently
returns to the sport after suffering a tendon injury.
victory to his impressive resume—which includes an Olym- pic gold—but he noticed a swelling in his competitive part- ner Mr. Medicott’s tendon the morning after cross-country and sadly withdrew from the competition. This past March Phillip and Mr. Medicott made their comeback debut at the Carolina International in North Carolina, placing eighth in the CIC**. With the 2015 Rolex Kentucky three-day around the corner, even though Mr. Mendicott was feeling in top form, Phillip announced that the pair will not be participat- ing in this year’s four-star competition—a difficult decision, but one in the horse’s best interest.
O1
Who is Mr. Medicott? Mr. Medicott, known as “Cave”, is a 16-year-old chestnut
Irish Sport Horse gelding (Cruising–Slieveluachra, Edmund Burke) and a seasoned Olympic and World Equestrian Games competitor. He came to the United States when Karen O’Connor purchased him through a syndicate from Germa- ny’s Frank Ostholt in late 2011 as a prospect for the 2012 London Olympics. He had previously finished eighth indi- vidually in the 2008 Olympics with Frank and helped clinch
14 May/June 2015
NE of the leading three-day eventing riders in the world, Phillip Dutton won the 2008 Rolex Kentucky three-day event riding Connaught. In 2014, standing third after cross-country, he had a solid chance of adding another Rolex
the team gold medal for Germany. He placed tenth at Pau in 2011 and third there the previous year. He also competed at the World Equestrian Games in 2010, where he had a stop on cross country. With Karen, he finished fifth in the Red Hills CIC3*, fourth
at The Fork CIC3*, fourth at Rolex and won the Bromont CIC3* before being named to the 2012 Olympic team and finishing ninth individually in London. Phillip became the manager of and rider for the Mr. Medi-
cott Syndicate when Karen broke her back in a rotational fall at Morven Park in 2013. She was forced to retire from upper- level competition and give up the ride on the horse that she had ridden to the highest U.S. placing at the London Olym- pics in 2012. In order to keep the horse in Phillip’s barn, new owners joined the existing syndicate for the horse, a partnership that was facilitated by Mark Hart and the Event Owners Task Force (an advisory organization to support the sport and promote syndicates). Phillip’s loyal owners include Bruce Duchossois, Annie Jones, Stephanie Speakman, Tom Tierney and Caro- line Moran, who worked together to ensure that the talented horse would remain part of the U.S. Eventing High Perfor- mance Program.
TOP: Phillip and Mr. Medicott were in third place after cross country at Rolex last year when he suffered his tendon injury and withdrew.
Mr. Medicott
Indomitable The
Jen Emig/MacMillan Photography
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