'Team Champion' head for Abu Dhabi
The four riders who have been selected to represent Great Britain in next month’s CSIO5* in Abu Dhabi UAE have been announced.
Britain’s current number one, Ben Maher from Elsenham in Hertfordshire will partner Mike and Emma Phillips’ twelve year old bay gelding Robin Hood W. He will be joined by cousins Ellen and Robert Whitaker. Ellen will ride Dawn Makin and Steven Whitaker’s fourteen year-old chestnut gelding Equimax Ocolado whilst Robert will partner Clare Whitaker’s fifteen year-old brown gelding Lacroix 9. The quartet is completed by Guy Williams from Canterbury in Kent with his own fourteen year-old bay gelding Torinto van de Middelstede.
The President of the UAE Showjumping Cup will take place from the 3rd – 6th February at the spectacular Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club in Abu Dhabi. The Club boasts an impressive 2000 seater grandstand along with six polo fields and an 1800 metre fibre turf grass racetrack.
Boasting a total prize fund of half a million euro’s, the 100,000€ Nations Cup takes place on Friday 5th February with a whopping 300,000€ on offer in the Grand Prix on Sunday 7th February.
The British squad will be accompanied by Chef d’Equipe Tim Stockdale and Team Vet Robrecht Cnockaert MRCVS.
The British Nations Cup Team is kindly sponsored by Champion. Champion’s sponsorship of the British Nations Cup Team is the result of the brand’s deep-seated belief in the importance of continual development, dedication and professionalism, together with a desire to offer British equestrian talent every possible opportunity to reach the very top of competitive show jumping.
The British Show Jumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme.