The U.S. Equestrian Federation Ad Hoc Committee on Selection approved naming Sapphire and McLain Ward to the Show Jumping Long List for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., Sept. 25-Oct. 10.

Per the USEF Selection Procedure for the Show Jumping Team, the selectors have the discretion to recommend up to six of the 15 horse-and-rider combinations to the Long List prior to the conclusion of the Selection Trials. The remaining nine combinations will be chosen according to their ranking at the conclusion of the Selection Trials, which run Feb. 25 –Mar. 7 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Fla.

Long-listed riders will travel to Europe and compete at CSIOs La Baule, Rome, St. Gallen, Rotterdam, Falsterbo, Aachen, Hickstead and Dublin before selection for the WEG is finalized in late September.

Ward and Sapphire, a 15-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock, had an amazing year in 2009. They won three major events in Florida, placed second in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final, won the Devon Grand Prix (Pa.), the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic (N.Y.) and topped off the year with a victory in the CN International Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows in Alberta, Canada. Sapphire and Ward won team gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and were on the silver medal-winning team in 2006 at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. 

Check www.chronofhorse.com on Friday, Feb. 26, when Tricia Booker will be posting results from the selection trials in Wellington.