The U.S. Olympic showjumping team has withdrawn Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’ from competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Cortes 'C' sustained an injury during round one of the team competition on Tuesday and in the best interest of the horse's welfare, the decision has been made to withdraw Cortes 'C'.

The U.S. will head into Wednesday’s team final in a four-way tie for first. As a three-member team, the U.S. will not have a drop-score to utilize in round two.

Beezie and John Madden made the following statement:

"We are heartbroken to announce that Cortes 'C' sustained a tendon injury in yesterday's competition and will be unable to compete for Team USA today. We are confident that he will make a full recovery. While we had hoped to do everything we could to help the USA towards a medal today, Tiny's [Cortes 'C'] best interests must come first. We are so thankful to our teammates, sponsors, and most importantly, his owner, Abigail Wexner, for understanding that in this sport, sometimes winning means doing right by your best friend. We will be there today on the sidelines doing everything we can to support Kent, Lucy, and McLain."

Source: USEF Network // Picture © Jenny Abrahamsson