http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/79318.html?hp=l7 By MACKENZIE WEINGER | 8/2/12 10:00 AM EDT
Ann Romney’s horse Rafalca, who is hoping to bring home the gold as part of the U.S. dressage team, had her London Olympics debut Thursday. Get to know the dancing horse:
1.Rafalca, a 15-year-old Oldenburg mare, was born in Germany in 1997 and purchased by Ann Romney, Amy Ebeling and Beth Meyer in 2006.
2. Rafalca’s dad, or sire, is Argentinius, and her dam is Ratine. Rafalca’s breeder was Erwin Risch Menslage.
3. Inspired Stephen Colbert to declare dressage the Colbert Report’s “Sport of the Summer.”
4. Rider Jan Ebeling and his wife Amy own and run a training and sales facility called The Acres in Moorpark, Calif. According to Ebeling’s United States Equestrian Federation biography, “Ebeling and Rafalca also enjoy relaxing on the trails by their farm.”
5. Has her own clothing line. Supporters can purchase a hat or t-shirts that say “USA 2012/I horsed it!/Rafalca” and “USA London/Rafalca/Ebeling 2012.” A percentage of proceeds will benefit Therapeutic Riding.
6. Refused a command in the ring during the 2009 Dressage World Cup Finals in Las Vegas. “People said later they thought it was the smoke in the air or the judge in the white outfit or the noise or the photographers or the lighting — everybody had a reason for her refusal. I never knew what it was and I don’t really care. My horse shied and refused to go — end of story,” Ebeling wrote in “Dressage Today.”
7. Has danced in freestyle competitions to music from the films “The Mission” and “Rainman” — thanks to Mitt Romney. Ann Romney told Dressage-News.com, “Mitt picked the music… that was his contribution, and we love it.”
8. Ranked 69th in the world, according to the FEI World Individual Dressage Ranking.
9. Shipped to London along with other Team USA horses on a FedEx plane on July 9.
10. This is Rafalca’s first Olympics.
