Lisa Wilcox, a native American from Phoenix; AZ, and employed in Cappeln, Germany, had to be withdrawn from the 2000 USET Olympic Selection Trials and can no longer move on to the semi finals in May.
Although the charming young lady covered a second position in the provisional Grand Prix rankings with a high total of 69.17%, she and her Oldenburg stallion Rohdiamant were refused as a legitimate contenders for an American Olympic Dressage Team spot.
Due to the fact the three star CDI in Dortmund, Germany, was degraded into a national show, Wilcox was unable to complete the requirements within the USET given time frame. The sudden degradation of Dortmund forced Wilcox either to participate in the CDI 's Hertogenbosch (late March) or the CDI Kreuttal, Austria. However, due to Rohdiamant's intensive breeding career, Wilcox has been forced to stay on the ground and see her chance to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Sydney fade away.
Even though Lisa did provide the team with a letter from the Dortmund show manager, the USET refused to acknowledge the Dortmund show as a criterion in the trials. This "forced" withdrawal profoundly demotivated Wilcox' enthusiasts. "The selection committee followed their rules to the T and expressed a fear of being sued by the riders. Unfortunately the team has been sued twice
before and they are gun shy," said one of them who believed Lisa would have been a great asset to the team.
The US team lost perhaps their most reliable horse who was definitely on the upswing and certainly lost a most valuable asset as a rider.
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