Good Luck to Our USA Olympic Riders
As the Olympic Games gear up in Paris, France, the Virginia Horse Center wishes competitors Will Coleman, Elisabeth Halliday, and Alice Tarjan’s horse Jane, ridden by Marcus Orlob, the best of luck!
It was so exciting to watch these amazing athletes compete at the Virginia Horse Center. We will all be cheering for them when they represent the United States on the biggest stage in the world!
Will Coleman
Will Coleman, a Virginia native and Gordonsville resident, recently competed at VHC Eventing, presented by Capital Square with his 2024 Olympic mounts, Off The Record and Diabolo.
A veteran of the 2012 London Olympics, Coleman earned a spot on the US Olympic Eventing Team with Off The Record [Timmy], owned by the Off the Record Syndicate. His direct reserve horse is Diabolo.
Coleman and Off The Record, a horse with extensive 5* Eventing experience, has become one of Coleman’s most consistent and successful FEI mounts since their career started together in 2015. The pair debuted at the CCI1* level, successfully moving through the levels. The pair finished their first CCI5*-L in 2021, taking 15th overall at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, KY.
They continued to showcase their talent and grit, notching an incredible win at the CHIO Aachen in 2021 and becoming the first U.S. combination to win the iconic event. Their success has continued to build at the CCI4* and CCI5* levels, with a top performance in their first championship together at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. The pair added only 0.8-time faults on cross-country to their dressage score of 26.4 and marked the only double-clear show jumping round for the U.S. Eventing Team. Most recently, the pair finished third in the CCI4*-S at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, adding just 0.8 time faults to their dressage score 30.1. Coleman and Off The Record have notched 36 international starts in their career, together with five wins and 15 top-five finishes.
Elisabeth Halliday
Elisabeth Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker named Traveling Reserve on the US Eventing Team.
Halliday competed at VHC Eventing, presented by Capital Square in May 2023, winning first and second in the CCI2*-L with Newmarket Cooley and Mayback, respectively.
Alice Tarjan
Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, New Jersey, was a competitor at the 2023 MADFest: The Mid-Atlantic Dressage Festival and Lexington CDI3*, presented by Täkt Saddlery. Tarjan and her horse Jane won the CDI2* FEI Intermediate B division with a score of 70.757.
Tarjan is known for selecting her horses as youngsters and patiently bringing them along herself, pointing toward FEI level, with intermittent consultation from professional trainers on a slow and steady journey.
A longtime student of Marcus Orlob, Tarjan purchased Jane as a young horse and participated in the Young Horse program in the US. Tarjan rode the mare to Small Tour level before handing over the reins to Orlob, who made his first Grand Prix start with Jane in March of 2024.
The Dutch Warmblood mare and Orlob continued to gain experience at the level. They impressed in the final observation outing for the Short List, earning 73.913% in the Grand Prix in Kronberg, followed by an impressive 75.340% in the Grand Prix Special.