Word: equestrian
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...supposed to ride into the Beijing Games on a pony. And not just any pony, but Teddy, a pint-sized fighter who was rocking the equestrian world. Karen O'Connor's story had all the elements: a 50-year-old baby boomer shooting for gold, an undersized competitor taking on the big horses, and a touching relationship between, not just a rider and her horse, but a rider and her pony! The NBC suits were jumping in their suites...
...emotionally devastating, but O'Connor the athlete had to move on. She saddled another horse, a thoroughbred named Mandiba, to continue her Olympic quest. Then she suffered a more common form of sports heartbreak. On July 15, the U.S. Equestrian Federation named its five riders for the eventing team. Eventing is the triathlon of equestrian, a competition that combines dressage (the so-called "horse ballet" in which the rider guides the horse through a series of movements), cross-country riding and show jumping. O'Connor, a two-time Olympic medalist and one of the most decorated riders...
...Jeez, the woman's pony dies and they chuck her off the squad? Who's running this show - older brothers who liked to torture little sis's dolls? At the Olympics, however, the pursuit of medals can be cruel. Equestrian officials want to win just as badly as those in the more high-profile sports. "It would have been a great story if Karen went on Mandiba and won a gold medal," says James Wolf, executive director for sport programs at U.S. Equestrian. "Believe me, I would have loved...
...Connor likely would have made it with Teddy, the pony who became an equestrian star after he carried O'Connor to both individual and team eventing gold at the Pan American Games last year. But Mandiba isn't as seasoned as the other horses that made the Olympic team, and it cost O'Connor...
...Connor doesn't want pity to put her on the team. But she insists that even though the other U.S. horses are more impressive "on paper," she and Mandiba could have won in Hong Kong, where the equestrian events will be held. "I totally respect the decision," says O'Connor, from England, where she's training with the U.S. team (she and Mandiba are Olympic alternates). "Am I happy about it? Heck...