Simpson and Anne Kursinski- and Simpson got the nod. As a primarily national rider, Simpson had never before been on a team, much less an Olympic team. The moment was not lost on him. “For my story, it was, ‘Wow, make the top ten, what an accomplishment.’ Then, it was, ‘Make the Team. What an incredible feat. Represent the country…’” Simpson’s voice trails off remembering the enormity of the experience. And so it was, off to Hong Kong. “The horses jumped great all week, all of them, and we started to think that maybe we’ve got a chance here. We could win this thing,” he recalls. After the final jumping round, the oddest of things happened: there was a tie. Laura Kraut was, by her own admission, in the rider’s tent chomping on a hot dog when she and her sister, Mary Elizabeth, realized that there would be a jump off against Canada for the Gold Medal. Full stomach aside, Kraut and Cedric gave a fault free round, as did Ward and the great mare, Sapphire. The Canadians had a four fault score, meaning that if Will and Carlsson slithered around just right, the band wasn’t going to be playing Oh, Canada. So, this is the backdrop for Morris and Ward running up to them in the warm-up arena. As Simpson puts it, “After 35 years of doing circles in the sand, this was it.” And, like he says, jump offs are his thing. The jumps were still as big as houses, so they found a good forward rhythm. A tough liverpool liverpool one stride combination leads the way into fourteen strides to destiny. Simpson let Carlsson roll right down to the base of the last big oxer, and the horse exploded off the ground, as Simpson knew he would. “And, the next thing I heard was ‘U.S.A. gold!’” Simpson recollects. “After the victory gallop, I started saluting my son, Ty, something we started in Rome. But, I didn’t know where he was, so I just saluted everywhere.” As many know, Carlsson vom Dach was sold to Double H Farm immediately following the Games. In the bittersweet irony of history, that victory gallop was Simpson’s last ride ever on Carlsson. Their thirteen plus month odyssey from strangers to Olympic Gold partners was over. But, what a ride it was. While Carlsson vom Dach’s career never again approached that magical year, Simpson keeps on winning, including nine Grand Prix wins at the 2015 HITS Thermal circuit alone. As he concluded the interview, Simpson added, “And, after all this time, this morning I showed a horse for the first time in a 1.30 meter class that I bought myself and that has all the talent. His name is Chacco P and this time, instead of thirteen months, I have three years.” Will Simpson only glances in the rearview mirror because he still has his eyes on the road ahead. ◼ BY TIMOTHY WICKES
theplaidhorse.com • September 2017 • 73
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