Lily Forado reported that Juan Antonio Jimenez' Spanish Olympic team horse, Euclides MOR, will have their final ride as a duo at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Euclides MOR is a 15-year old Lusitano by Riopele out of Onda (by Gingao). He is bred by Manuel Calheiros Braga in Portugal.
Mexican Owned, Spanish Team Anchor
Mexican Lusitano lover and dressage rider Lorena Morales, who trains and collaborates with Jimenez in Spain, asked Juan Antonio to find her a well bred Lusitano to add to her string.
In 2016 the rising 7-year old Euclides MOR was found in training with Rafael Soto in Andalucia. He was bought by Lorena's Mexican stud farm and moved into training with Juan Antonio.
In 2018 they moved to medium tour and Grand Prix level and as of 2019 claimed their spot on the Spanish team for the European Championships in Rotterdam, where they were 32nd in the Grand Prix (69.969%)
They were members of the team at two further European Championships: in 2021 in Hagen they were 36th in the Grand Prix (69.410%) and in 2023 in Riesenbeck they were 38th in the Grand Prix (70.342%).
Olympic Swan Song
Jimenez' career-starting horse Guizo took him to the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. Twenty years later, Juan Antonio will experience his third Olympics on Euclides MOR.
"It is so satisfying to participate in the Olympic Games," the rider told Lily Forado. "It is a recognition of the work and effort of a career with results. In Sydney it was very exciting to discover the whole atmosphere for the first time, not knowing what that experience was like made it magical. I have very good memories of seeing all the best in the world gathered there. In Athens, I had more knowledge and confidence and we won the team silver medal. In my memory it was indescribable."
Paris will be the swan song for Jimenez and Euclides, their final performance as a pair. After the Olympic event, Juan Antonio Jiménez will hand over the reins to the owner, Lorena Morales.
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