French Eventing Team Loses "Hope": Espoir de la Mare Withdrawn From Olympics with Ligament Injury

Espoir de la Mare ("Hope of the Sea") has been withdrawn from the Olympics

Oh, mon dieu. Zut! Pas mal! And all those other French euphemisms we learned in school. Another top horse and rider combination has been forced to withdraw from the Olympics.

French event rider Jean Teulere won't be trotting his horse up for the ground jury tomorrow when the vet inspection begins for the Olympic eventing competition.

Espoir de la Mare had aggravated an old ligament injury back home in France but was believed to be recovered so he made trip, the FEI reported today. French Chef d'Euipe Thierry Touzaint said that the leg flared up again last weekend during a gallop. He said that the injury is not major and that the horse will probably compete again. 

Teulere and Espoir won the individual gold medal at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain in 2002, along with team gold and individual fourth at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

The French team will now be Eric Vigeanel and Coronado Prior, Nicolas Touzaint with Galan de Sauvagere, Jean Renaud Adde with Haston D'Elpegere and Didier Dhennin with Ismene du Temple.