With the future of horse sport as part of the Olympics under threat, the FEI is encouraging everyone to show their support for our sport by marking any social media posts about Equestrian disciplines with a variety of tags – including their own #TwoHearts and the simple tag #equestrian.
We equestrians are a distinctly social media loving bunch, and to help you spread the word and share the love of your sport, The Gaitpost’s Social Media Guru, Alex Calder, has put together a list of some of our favourite rider accounts to follow during the games for an insider view of this elite and exhilarating event.
Charlotte Dujardin | GB
https://www.instagram.com/charlotte_dujardinobe/
The reigning Olympic gold medallist and all round wonder woman is sharing shots of hoovering in the Village, team life, and of course the beautiful Blueberry as he settles into his temporary lodgings in Rio.
Patrick Kittel | SWE
https://www.instagram.com/patrikkittel/
Swedish rider Patrick Kittel brings us the Swedish team hanging out on the famous Olympic rings, snuggling selfies with the his horse Deja, and videos of warm up and training.
Catherine Dufour | DEN
https://www.instagram.com/cathrinedufour/?hl=en
Young Danish rider Catherine Dufour has a great eye for a photo (and a strong following to prove it) and has been documenting her journey to Rio with her horse Cassidy every step of the way.
Carl Hester | GB
https://twitter.com/hesterdressage
No equestrian social media cohort would be complete without British dressage supremo Carl Hester – he’s been tweeting the journey to Rio, and arena familiarisation funs with teammate Dujardin.
Ingrid Klimke | GER
https://www.instagram.com/ingridklimke/
Ingrid Klimke’s lovely personality shines through on her Instagram which is filled with lots of collages of her horses and support team, and lots of thanks to everyone who helps her to be the world class athlete that she is.
Ludwig Svennerstal | SWE
https://www.instagram.com/ludwigsvennerstal/
You can see the sheer excitement on the face of British based Swedish rider Ludwig Svennerstal in his airplane selfie before leaving for Rio. He’s sharing lots of team shots and training sessions at the Olympic equestrian venue.
Phillip Dutton | USA
https://www.instagram.com/duttoneventing/
A man after my own heart – Phillip is sharing shots from the back of his star horse Mighty Nice as they take a walk around the main arena. Most of all, you get a glimpse of just how hard this five time Olympian works – traveling from the USA to compete in Aachen in Germany before making the journey to Rio.
Michael Jung | GER
https://www.instagram.com/michaeljungofficialnews/
Having only recently joined Instagram, what is already the best thing about Michael Jung’s profile shows what a happy and fun person he seems to be, outside of his cool competition exterior. The shot of him in the Olympic ring sunglasses – priceless.
Camilla Speirs | IRL
Snapchat: speirsy-c
Snapping live from Rio is Irish travelling reserve and London 2012 rider Camilla Speirs, check her account out for various members of the Irish team experiencing virtual reality for the first time, and fun times in the Village.
Alex Hua Tian | CHI
https://www.instagram.com/alexhuatian
China’s first Olympian in equestrian, Alex Hua Tian shares his journey step by step, with lots of training session photos and regular updates.
Kitty King | GB
https://www.instagram.com/kittykingeventing/?hl=en
Whilst not all of Team GBR are on Instagram, Kitty is snapping great pics of the team and the horses as well as keeping us up to speed with the adventures of Team Great Berry, in memory of Hannah Francis.
The showjumpers haven’t arrived in Rio yet, but a few who are sure to share some great behind the scenes shots are:
Malin Baryard | SWE
https://www.instagram.com/malinbaryard/?hl=en
Simon Delestre | FRA
https://www.instagram.com/simondelestre/
Kent Farrington | USA
https://www.facebook.com/KentFarringtonLLC/
Lucy Davis | AUS
https://www.instagram.com/gooseydavis
Ben Maher | GB
https://www.facebook.com/Ben-Maher-216341001736213/
Ben is also on Instagram at
And of course, keep up to date with all the news from the Olympics, and everything #TeamGB here on thegaitpost.com and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – @thegaitpost where we’re proudly supporting the glorious athleticism of #TwoHearts at the Olympics Games.
Let the Games begin. Hooves crossed for all nations competing, the riders, horses, owners, support teams and connections.
© 2026 The Gaitpost is published by Sarah Heseltine. All rights reserved.
