http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/rss.php The latest information all all Team GBR activities - British Equestrian Federation en-gb Copyright: (C) British Equestrian Federation Somerset based luxury Jewellery Company Hiho has raised nearly 5000 for Equestrian Team GBR in under 4 months through sales of its specially designed 'Team GBR' range. The range, expected to grow, currently offers a luxurious silver bracelet for the ladies, retailing at 40 and a fantastic durable uni-sex leather bracelet for an amazing 12. Both bracelets have become a huge hit with customers at many of the major equestrian events, as well as being sold online and in stores around the country. With 20% of all proceeds from sales of the range being donated to help fund and support the Equestrian teams of the future, the bracelets are fast becoming this year's must have accessory.'The partnership between Team GBR and Hiho goes from strength to strength; we are very grateful for Hiho Silver's proactive support of Team GBR ahead of the World Equestrian Games this year and I hope that the public will respond by buying more of these fabulous bracelets', says Will Connell, World Class Performance Manager for the British Equestrian Federation. Andrew Ransford, Hiho's Managing Director explains that horses play a large part in Hiho's culture as a lifestyle brand, and the company is really proud to be able to help ensure that Equestrian Team GBR gets the best chance to bring home some much deserved medals.'We love the fact that we're raising money for Team GBR by selling amazing looking jewellery that our customers look fabulous wearing, everyone's a winner!' added Andrew. Order your bracelet today from www.hihosilver.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=533 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?533 Rob Hoekstra has named the combinations that will represent Great Britain in the Gijon CISO 5* Nations Cup which takes place on Friday 3rd September. Northampton based Tim Stockdale will partner Colin Garrett's 9 year old bay gelding Fresh Direct Kalico Bay. This partnership took the King George V Gold Cup title at this year's Royal International Horse Show and were members of the 2010 Falsterbo Meydan FEI Nations Cup. Recent winners of the Great Yorkshire British Showjumping Business Partnership International Stairway Robert Bevis andamp; Courtney 6 will represent Great Britain for a second time this year. Courtney 6, a 9 year old grey gelding owned by Kate Mustill, made his first Nations Cup appearance earlier on in the year at Lisbon. World Equestrian Games (WEG) team members David McPherson andamp; Chamberlain Z will also be making an appearance in the Gijon Nations Cup. Chamberlain Z is a 9 year old grey gelding owned by David, and has been a member of 2 Meydan FEI Nations Cup. Peebles based Scott Brash will ride his WEG partner Intertoy Z. The 11 year old black gelding is owned by Scott's Father, Stanley. This combination made their debut at Top League Nations Cup earlier on in the year where they were members of the La Baule Meydan FEI Nations Cup team. The Nations Cup will take place on Friday the 3rd September at 14:30 CEST, with the Grand Prix commencing on Sunday 5th September at 13:00 CEST. For start list and results please visit www.gijon.es/chipico 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 Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport Lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=534 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?534 With less than 30 days to go before the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, British team member Laura Bechtolscheimer nailed her last minute preparations with the 15 year old Michellino Gelding Mistral Hojris. The pair proved untouchable in both classes, scoring top marks to secure a double win at the Cappeln CDI, Germany (20th August 2010). The pair took the grand prix for kur on 76.64%, a substantial 7.7% higher than Sweden's second place contender Patrik Kittel and went on to seize the grand prix freestyle with 81.45%. Laura commented; 'It was great preparation before WEG, I made a few mistakes in the changes but I was really happy with the way Alf [Mistral Hojris] was going. I wasn't so happy with our performance in the grand prix, it was very hot and I used my old style of warming up and didn't really get him started, the performance was not spectacular. I made sure I allowed longer for warm up in preparation for the freestyle, got him into action and he was fantastic! We've all got our fingers crossed he travels well for WEG now.' Another Michellino progeny to encounter success at Cappeln was rising star Elmegardens Marquis with Emile Faurie. The 11 year old Danish bred gelding continues to go from strength to strength earning fourth place in both the grand prix and grand prix special with scores of 71.28% and 71.13% respectively. In the same class Oxfordshire based UK rider Henriette Andersen was placed tenth with scores of 66.43% and 62.75% on Mrs Paula Potter's bay gelding Louis D'or III. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=532 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?532 Tim Rogers, riding his own home-bred horse Corrieview Owen, won the Individual Bronze medal this weekend at the Junior Eventing European Championships held at Bad Segeberg, in Germany (19-22 August). 18 year-old Tim from Wyke, Devon, competing against 74 other riders from 16 nations produced a personal best in the dressage of 42.3, a foot-perfect cross country round inside the time and added just four faults in the Show Jumping to finish the competition on 46.3 and in the Bronze medal position. Tim, who is a member of the World Class Development Programme, produced this fantastic result on his British team debut, having been reserve for the British Pony Team back in 2008. Regional Foundation Programme member David Doel finished in 10th place with Louise Whitehead's Pick and Mix II. The British team finished fifth in the team competition dropping from second to eighth after Cross Country but climbing back up the ranking in the show jumping. Chairman of Junior Selectors, Michael Munden says of Tim's performance - 'Tim's medal reflects the benefits which the lottery funded World Class Development Programme has provided for him. We are very proud of the way in which this squad has worked together as a team throughout the past weeks. Tim was the last rider to show jump and with very few clears the pressure on him was enormous; the squad's support for him was tremendous". Final Team Competition Results: Gold Germany - 134.6 Silver France - 149.5 Bronze Italy - 158.2 4th Ireland - 178.7 5th Great Britain - 188.9Final Individual Competition Results:Gold Alina Meister andamp; Hill Dream AA (Germany) - 39.0 Silver Celina Nothofer andamp; Simba 121 (Germany) - 39.6 Bronze Tim Rogers andamp; Corrieview Owen (Great Britain) - 46.3* 10th David Doel andamp; Pick and Mix II (Great Britain) - 48.8 33rd Lucy Loughton andamp; Abigail III (Great Britain) - 70.9* 35th Millie Dumas andamp; Action Packed (Great Britain) - 71.7* 36th Dani Evans andamp; Uchin (Great Britain) - 73.7* 37th Helen Dunning andamp; Pebbly Flux (Great Britain) - 74.3 * Denotes team rider The British Junior Squad is sponsored by Hows Racesafe and kindly supported by UK Sport and the World Class Programme (Team Funding), Toggi (Team Clothing), Ariat (Team footwear), N.E.W Equine Wear (Parade Boots), moloh (Trot up Jackets) and the Horse Trials Support Group (Funding for Training). General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=531 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?531 Emily Baldwin has beaten stiff competition to win her first HSBC FEI World Cup event at the inaugral Haras du Pin CIC3*-W in France (18-22 August), the penultimate competition of the 2010 series. Baldwin, 29, and her 14-year-old Dutch-bred Drivetime, are an experienced combination and are renowned for producing elegant, expressive Dressage tests, so it was no surprise to see them lead this phase. They slipped to fourth with a handful of Cross-Country time penalties, but then regained the top spot with a clear Jumping round to finish just 2.2 penalties ahead of Belgium's Karin Donckers on Lamicell Charizard. Baldwin and Drivetime, by Zuidhorn, are now heading for the Pau CCI4* (FRA) in November, the last of the five 2010 HSBC Classicsandtrade;. 'I'm absolutely thrilled,' said Baldwin. 'It's my biggest win to date. I have won a CIC3* before, but not an HSBC FEI World Cup event. My horse is quite a character in the stable yard anyway, and now he will be very pleased with himself!' Nicolas Touzaint (FRA) finished third and best of the home side on Tatchou. Touzaint overtook long-time Cross-Country leader Fabrice Lucas (FRA) on Keep du Mesnil with a characteristically fast round inside the optimum time but hit two Jumping rails. Lucas, unfortunately, was one of five riders who had to withdraw before the final Jumping phase. Fifty-five completed the Cross-Country, with 48 clear rounds, seven of which were inside the optimum time. An impressively large field of 59 started the competition, and the Dressage was of such a high standard that double-figure time penalties or Jumping rails down proved expensive: Paul Tapner (AUS) and Kilfinnie slipped from sixth to 13th with three rails down, Jean Teulere (FRA) and Matelot du Grand Val went from ninth to 22nd, and Lucinda Fredericks (AUS), fourth after Dressage on Prada, dropped to eventual 20th with 11.2 time penalties and two Jumping rails down. All riders were united in praising the efforts of the Haras du Pin organising team, headed by the le Goupil family, and the excellent standard of the footing. Course-Designer Pierre le Goupil commented: 'I designed the course to make riders concentrate. It's nice to be back at Haras du Pin - it's been a long time coming and we've all worked hard to make it happen.' No-one managed to trouble the top of the HSBC FEI World Cupandtrade; rankings table, and Michael Jung's (GER) position at the head of affairs remains safe. However, Ruth Edge (GBR) made a meteoric rise from 24th place after Dressage on Carnaval Prince to sixth with one of only eight clear Jumping rounds, and this, added to sixth place at Chatsworth (GBR) back in May, has proved significant: she is now in 11th place on the points leaderboard. John-Paul Sheffield (GBR), was the other main beneficiary, his 10th place at Haras du Pin on Crown Farm Consort added to fifth at Chatsworth moves him into equal 13th place with Frank Ostholt (GER). To view highlights from Haras du Pin visit the FEI TV website at www.feitv.org. The last event of the 2010 HSBC FEI World Cup takes place at Schenefeld in Germany (26th-29th August).Results 1 Emily Baldwin/Drivetime (GBR)40.0 + 5.6 + 0 = 45.6 2 Karin Donckers/Lamicell Charizard (BEL) 40.8 + 4 + 3 = 47.8 3 Nicolas Touzaint/Tatchou (FRA) 41.6 + 0 + 8 = 49.6 4 Donatien Schauly/Seculaire (FRA) 49.4 + 0 + 4 = 53.4 5 Regis Prud Hon/Debiut (FRA) 49.0 + 0.4 + 4 = 53.4 6 Ruth Edge/Carnaval Prince (GBR) 50.8 + 2.8 + 0 = 53.6 7 Eddy Sans/Kramique (FRA) 46.2 + 0 + 8 = 54.2 8 Pascal Leroy/Glenburny de Leou (FRA) 49.6 + 0.8 + 4 = 54.6 9 Arnaud Boiteau/Expo du Moulin (FRA) 52.2 + 2.4 + 0 = 54.6 10 John-Paul Sheffield/Crown Farm Consort (GBR) 53.8 + 4.4 + 0 = 58.2 Full results on www.legrandcomplet.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=530 Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?530 The European Jumping Team have today won Gold at the first Youth Olympic Games Equestrian Competition in Singapore after an exhilarating jump-off which saw Australasia take Silver and Africa the Bronze. The European team, which consisted of Nicola Philippaerts (Belgium), Carian Scudamore (Great Britain), Valentina Isoardi (Italy), Wojciech Dahlke (Poland) and Martin Fuchs (Switzerland), produced three exceptional rounds to take the title. Lying in joint first place with Australasia and Africa after the first round on Wednesday, it looked as though Europe would clinch Gold when Nicola began his ride in the second jumping round but a fault on the last fence ensured the jump-off against the clock to decide the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, after all three teams were tied in first place with a total eight faults over the two rounds of the competition. Martin and Wojciech lead the way in the jump-off, both producing clear rounds, before Valentina, finished her round on 24 faults. Carian was next to jump and after producing clear rounds in the earlier competition rounds, lowered a single pole to finish the jump-off on four faults. Following Carian's round it was clear that the Australasian and African teams would be unable to beat the European time, which meant that Nicola was not required to jump again. Carian commented on the result; 'It still hasn't sunk in properly yet that we've won Team Gold. I can't describe the way I'm feeling right now other than to say it's just the best feeling and I feel so fortunate to have had the chance to come out here and represent Great Britain.'When we went in as a team for the medal presentations it was so emotional. The medal is absolutely awesome, it weighs a ton when it's round your neck and is something that I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life'. Chef d'equipe for the European Team and Coach of Carian, Corinne Bracken commented on the result; 'The team were absolutely fantastic, working together exceptionally well, all of them knowing what they had to do and then delivering it. 'There isn't one thing I would change and I feel honoured to have had the opportunity of working alongside them. To bring home a medal is something we hoped for, to have achieved it really is the greatest feeling in the world'. World Class Performance Director, Will Connell said 'This result demonstrates the young talent that exists in showjumping in Europe. I am thrilled Carian was such an intricate part of the result and look forward to seeing her on GBR Teams in the future'. Final Results after the jump-off: 1st Europe 2nd Australasia 3rd Africa 4th Asia 5th South America 6th North America andamp; C. Islands For further information about the Youth Olympic Games visit the British Olympic Authorities website at www.olympics.org.uk/youthgames or follow the FEI Youth Olympic Blog at http://feiyoutholympics.blogspot.com . General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=529 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?529 Corinne Bracken, Coach and Athlete Manager and Chef d'equipe for the European team, gives her update on Thursday's events at the Games. Today has to be the wettest I have ever been. I have never experienced a storm like we had this morning just as we had tacked up ready for our training session. Then there was a lightning strike alert, so all the horses had to be untacked and put back in their boxes whilst we all headed for the club house. After 1.5 hrs of torrential rain it only took the arena 20 minutes to drain and we were able to continue. The facilities here are excellent and the equipment does exactly what it says on the box. All seemed to go well in training today; all of the riders worked on the flat, with the exception of Valentina who jumped, as she is on a new horse. She had struggled with the horse yesterday but Gian Luca and his support crew got her and the horse going much better. We will wait and see what her score is tomorrow! The team are bonding very well and there is a great team atmosphere in the European camp. The team competition concludes tomorrow; we do not have the best horses, they are not always that careful and the worry is that they will not stay careful tomorrow when jumping the same course again. But, we will be trying hard and hopefully can report good news. The team are now playing a game of water polo before we go to support Sarah Milne (Badminton) who's playing for a bronze medal tonight. For further updates visit the FEI Youth Olympics Blog. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=528 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?528 The German Young Rider team has been declared joint-gold medallists with the British team of the 2010 European Young Rider Eventing Championships in Pardubice (CZE). The German team was originally awarded team silver behind the British quartet of Tom McKeown, Emily Parker, Laura Collett and Emily Llewellyn, but a subsequent decimal-point correction to the Dressage scores meant that the two teams remarkably finished on exactly the same score. The FEI will now provide four additional gold medals for the members of the German team - Sonja Buck, Franziska Roth, Freya Fuellgraebe and Sabine Deparade. Catrin Norinder, FEI Eventing Director stated: 'There was no appeal by the German team. The FEI corrected a very simple mistake that had been made in the rounding off of the decimal points in Dressage which had not been done according to the FEI Rules. We want to be fair to all the athletes and it was agreed that awarding two sets of gold medals was the best solution.' The individual placings remain unaltered with Emily Parker (GBR) as the individual gold medalist. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=526 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?526 Corinne Bracken, Coach and Athlete Manager and Chef d'equipe for the European team, provides a further update on the Games and the scores after the first round of the Jumping competition. Tuesday was a tense day as this was the last day of training before the team competition. With the exception of the Italian horse, we just did a little work on the flat as the temperature has really soared. The riders for the first time commented on how hot it was and how difficult it was to concentrate in the heat. We gave the Italian horse a jump in different tack to see if that would help Valentina...but she is still finding him extremely challenging and not suited to her. The draw for the teams was an uneventful affair, 6 teams, 1 individual who was drawn 19th and a quick photo shoot. Europe were drawn as the 5th team to go; the order of the team had been discussed with the trainers prior to the meeting, Martin Fuchs would jump first, then Wojcieck, followed by Valentina, Carian and Nicola would bring up the rear. We have excellent riders and mixed bag of horses, so now it was down to them. In the Europe team meeting we watched the training videos, full speed and slow motion to work on anything we did not see in real time. This was very useful to all, riders and coaches. After a very wet journey home Carian and I went to support Sarah Milne (GB Badminton) player who won her match and got through to the semi finals. We arrived back in the Team GB village to the news we had won our first Gold medal! Jade Jones won the taekwondo this evening so everyone went to bed on a real high. A decision was taken to replace the Italian horse with another, which is a small Thoroughbred gelding who is not so easy to ride but which Valentina feels much happier on. The team competition started at 9.30am so we were all on site at 8.00am. Once we had checked the horses we walked the course individually with our athletes and then once it was a bit quieter walked it as a team. Martin was first for us to go and 5th overall. He jumped the first clear round of the competition, great start! Wojcieck was next. His horse had been jumping brilliantly and is one of the favourites but he was very nervous and rode too forwards collecting 12 faults on the way. Valentina was next on the new horse; 28 faults later we were not looking so good. As 3 scores out of 5 count we needed 2 good rounds and with these horses anything can happen. Carian next to go, CLEAR ROUND! She rode a brilliant round and her horse is settling to her very well. Nicola's is a different story; his horse is a bit of a lunatic! We got the horse and the rider as confident as we could and then sent them in the ring. The horse leapt, threw itself around, bucked, trotted behind to the combination and jumped round thanks to a brilliant bit of riding from Nicola for 4 faults. This put us in equal first after the first days jumping! Jumping Team Round 1 Scores: Europe 4 faults Africa 4 faults Australasia 4 faults Asia 12 faults South America 12 faults North America and C Islands 16 faults. We have training tomorrow where we will gently exercise the horses and focus on working with Valentina and her new mount. For further updates visit the FEI Youth Olympics Blog. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=527 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?527 BURGHLEY.TV's web service is now up and running and for 2010 offers 'free of charge' to eventing fans worldwide the opportunity to view every individual Dressage, Cross Country and Showjumping test by way of Burghley's unique 'Video on Demand' service. To access the service all you need to do is visit www.burghley.tv to pre-register; you will be able to view the service from midday on Thursday 2nd September until the end of the month. Tests will be available to view within two hours of the completition of each test. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=525 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?525 Brief General Youth Olympic Games Information: For detailed information about the event please visit the BOA website. There is only jumping, team and individual, competed for at the Youth Olympic Games for equestrian. The riders compete on borrowed horses, provided by the organising committee. There are six teams competing for each continent, Great Britain has one rider, Carian Scudamore, who is competing as part of the European team together with riders from Belgium, Italy, Poland and Switzerland. Venue: Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre Corinne Bracken, Coach and Athlete Manager, who has travelled to the event with Carian and is the chef d'Equipe for the European team, has provided an update on the Games so far: 'We arrived in Singapore on Thursday - it is officially the hottest, wettest place I have ever been! 'We're all staying in the athletes' village, which is a very large university; it's so big you have to take a bus to the centre of the village! We met the rest of the European team; Nicola Philippaerts (Belgium), Martin Fuchs (Switzerland) Wotjciek Dahlke (Poland) and Valentina Isoardi (Italy). 'There's been a slight alteration to the competition dates; we train from the 14th to the 17th August, with the first competition round happening on the 19th, the second on the 21st and both the individual rounds occurring on the 23rd. 'Friday was our first viewing of the venue and it's very impressive. There is a good covered gel track, which is the competition arena, a good sized warm up area and lots of officials. The horse draw* took place at 5pm and Carian drew Mighty McGyver; he is a true thoroughbred of the racecourse, small and flighty, very quick and well suited for Carian. The team overall has a mixture of horses - with some better than others but we'll see how it goes! 'After a 5.30am start on Saturday we went to the venue to have our first riding session. Carian is working well with her horse and we think the more she rides it, the greater the improvement will be. We all went to the opening ceremony on Saturday evening and I honestly cannot find the words to describe it, it was spectacular. It was set in the marina on a floating stage which was half in and half out of the water which led to amazing effects. 'Sunday saw us riding again. Carian's horse is not easy but she is doing fantastically well on it; the horses trainer was very complementary about how well it was jumping for her, so fingers crossed! The course jumping took place this morning, a simple 1.10 course to jump with 90 seconds in the arena. All the riders are starting to get to grips with their horses and Carian did brilliantly. We're doing further training tomorrow ahead of the first leg of the competition on Wednesday, we're all very excited. Off to support the Gymnastics!' European Team Horses: Carian Scudamore Mighty McGyver (Thoroughbred Gelding, 12 year old, Sire: Dolphin Street) Nicola Philippaerts Gippsland Girl (Thoroughbred Mare, 10 year old) Valentina Isoardi Noblewood Cizano (Australian Warmblood Gelding, 8 year old, Sire: Collins) Wojciech Dahlke Travelling Soldior (Thoroughbred Gelding, 11 year old, Sire: Jackson Square) Martin Fuchs Midnight Mist (Thoroghbred Mare, 11 year old, Sire: High Rail Roll the Dice) Equestrian Schedule: Friday 13th First Horse Inspection Monday 16th Jumping Training Session Wednesday 18th Jumping Team Round 1 Friday 20th Jumping Team Round 2 Saturday 21st Second Horse Inspection Sunday 22nd Jumping Individual Round A Tuesday 24th Jumping Individual Round B Update on the rest of the Team GB camp: both the men and women rowing pairs are through to the semi's after wins on Sunday, Triathlete Ellie Thorogood finished 13th, Sarah Milne has won all three of her Badminton girls singles preliminary matches and Oliver Golding won his first round of the boys singles tennis competition, beating the Hungarian junior world number one in straight sets. For further updates visit the FEI Youth Olympics Blog. * The riders compete on borrowed horses. If a rider feels that there is particular incompatibility with the drawn horse they may request a change of horse; if only one continent requests a change then they get the first reserve horse, if however more than one continent should request a change then it is decided by a horse draw from a pool of reserve horses. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=524 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?524 It takes a lot of grit and determination, not to mention physical stamina, to be an endurance rider at the top level, especially if you have just given birth to a daughter and intend to be on the team for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) to be held in Kentucky, USA in September. Ros Clapp, 37, from Baltonsborough, Somerset, completed the 80km Endurance Ride at Barbary Castle on 7th August, with her team horse, Nazeeka, just 27 days after her second daughter, Jenna, was born. She then attended the team training day the following day, and Jenna came too - her first experience of crewing, though she slept through most of the action. 'I feel fine. I did some walking and kept active while I was pregnant and managed to stay reasonably fit. My physio said that running was not so good so now I am working on getting my core strength back, doing Pilates and my father-in-law has leant me his exercise bike!', said Ros, who also has a 2 year old daughter, Polly. 'It was good to be back competing again. There was quite a bit of canter work on 80km ride and at the training day, which was good for my calves! Nazeeka was in good form and did all the work. My Mum and sister have been helping keep her fit and she did a 120km ride while I was not riding, so now she just needs some hill work to get her really fit for the WEG'. Ros has been riding since she was 7 years old and the sport of endurance riding is in her blood. Her mother, Jennifer Jackson, was a successful competitor and a past member of the British team. Ros started competing in 2000 and was a member of the British Team in Compeigne in 2005. She was selected again for FEI European Endurance Championships in Assissi, Italy, in 2009 where she finished 11th overall and was the only British rider to finish, achieving an average speed of 17.5km/hour over 160km.'I am very pleased to be included in the team, particularly as the timing with the baby was not great, but Nazeeka has proven herself and it is great to have the chance to go for it again', added Ros. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the Endurance competition taking place on Sunday 26th September. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. Endurance is an increasingly popular sport in the UK, providing an opportunity for anyone with a horse to compete. The sport tests the competitor's ability to safely manage the stamina and fitness of the horse over an endurance course in a competition against the track, the distance, the climate, the terrain and the clock. Diligent application of skill together with a caring, knowledgeable attitude by the rider is vital to be successful. Endurance GB is the governing body of the sport in the UK and oversees competitions at all levels. For more information, visit www.endurancegb.co.uk. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=522 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?522 British Dressage rider, Laura Bechtolsheimer, will be appearing on Celebrity Masterchef on BBC One at 8pm on Thursday 12th August 2010. Laura will be one of the guests at a 'Best of British' dinner prepared by this years Celebrity Masterchef semi-finalists and hosted by Lord Sebastian Coe; other guests include Dame Kelly Holmes and Dame Tanni-Grey-Thompson. Laura is part of the dressage team that has been selected to compete at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 in Kentucky (25th September - 10th October). General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=523 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?523 British Showjumping have announced their selection for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The selected squad comprises (in alphabetical order): • Scott Brash riding Mr Stanley Brash's Intertoy Z• Tina Fletcher riding Lady Pauline Harris's Hallo Sailor• David McPherson riding his own Chamberlain Z• Michael Whitaker riding Mrs Beatrice Mertens GIG Amai II The non-travelling reserve is Robert Smith (Talan). World Class showjumping Performance Manager, Rob Hoekstra commented on the selection: 'My target this year was to remain in the Top Level Nations Cup series for 2011, which we have now achieved; this fits with the overall build up to London 2012 which is primary to all we do. Results have been exciting and we have seen a number of new horses and riders producing excellent performances in the Nations Cup. 'The Team for WEG is very much part of the development of the squad for 2012 and we have selected horses that have performed well in the Meydan FEI Nations Cup. Michael will be the experienced hand in the team; Scott and Tina will benefit enormously from experiencing their first Championship, while David has Championship experience but takes an inexperienced horse. It is an exciting Team for the future and part of the road to 2012.' World Class Performance Director Will Connell comments: 'This year has seen a change of management and leadership in the showjumping team and the plan that we put together is based on a complete focus on preparing for London 2012. It has been a very exciting year with some excellent results. WEG is important as part of the preparation for London and the team Rob has selected will benefit from the experience. The team has real talent and if all goes well who knows what they might bring home but most important is that they bring home valuable knowledge gain ahead of London.' A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme staff during the World Equestrian Games, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched jewellery range; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the showjumping competition taking place between Monday 4th October and Saturday 9th October 2010. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=520 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?520 Supplies of High Fibre and Ryegrass HorseHage are now loaded and on their way out to Kentucky to be used by the British Equestrian team at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games! A container was loaded by hand with High Fibre HorseHage at one side and the Ryegrass variety on the other by the team at Fox Feeds Ltd in Hertfordshire, one of the regional licensed producers of HorseHage; and will be shipped out to the United States in time for this prestigious competition. HorseHage is the official supplier of bagged forage to the British equestrian team and this dust-free product has been supplied to them since 1984, offering a healthy, consistent alternative to hay or big bale haylage. It is free from any chemical additives, mould inhibitors, flavourings, molasses or inoculants and has a lower sugar level than hay. It is available in four different types, offering a choice of energy and protein levels, so there is a variety to suit all horses and ponies, including laminitics. For further information call the HorseHage Helpline on 01803 527257 or visit www.horsehage.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=521 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?521 Joanne and Hannah Eccles put on a solid and spectacular performance to clinch the silver medal at the Pas de Deux Championship at the FEI Open European Senior Pas de Deux and Junior Championships in Stadl Paura, 4-8th August 2010. The sisters have been working hard on their routine for the last 16 months and it all paid off when they improved on their first round position (3rd). They were the last pair to compete and performed brilliantly in a tense atmosphere. They were both over the moon, Hannah commented; 'this is fantastic, its more than we had imagined, the scores were so close, we knew we had to be foot perfect for a chance at the medals' and Joanne was 'absolutely chuffed!'. They now return home for 2 months final training for the individual championships at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, 25th September - 10th October 2010. Results: Pas de Deux Championship1st Daniela Slomka and Katharina Nell 8.216 Horse: Valeccito Lunger; Edith Kermer- Berger 2nd Joanne and Hannah Eccles 8.143 Horse: WH Bentley Lunger; John Eccles 3rd Lisa Wild and Christina Leitgeb 8.114 Horse Robin 482 Lunger; Nina Rossin General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=518 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?518 The final competition of the FEI Meydan Nations Cup 2010 series saw the grandstands at 137th Dublin Horse Show absolutely packed to the gunnels. With spectators standing in the alleyways, the atmosphere was electric and the only thing that seemed to be missing was the sun as the weather took a bit a downturn with blustery winds starting up just as the competition started. London 2012 course designer Bob Ellis built a demanding track for the horses and riders and commented before the competition 'we've some great teams with great horses - it will be a difficult, but not too difficult competition which will bring some great competition and great sport'. This was most definitely the case as although there was a number of clears, the combination, the last fence on the course caused quite a few problems whether it be as horses jumped the upright in or the enormous oxer on the way out. With France going into the final knowing they had secured the overall standing on the League, Great Britain and Ireland were also reassured that they had performed enough through the season to retain their places. With the rest fighting for their places, the competition was particularly tough with the tension and importance of the task ahead clearly evident as competition played itself out. It was the Netherlands however who celebrated their success by winning the final leg of the series with 4 faults, a clear four fences ahead of Ireland who slotted into second place alongside USA on 20 faults. With Great Britain finishing on 16 faults after the first round, the team managed to climb back up the leaderboard to finish in fifth place as a result of the superb clears jumped by both Tina Fletcher and Nick Skelton. Hello Sailor, an 11year old gelding owned by Lady Harris catching a pole in the first round certainly made up for it with a powerful clear in the second just inside the time allowed. This was shortly followed by Nick Skelton with Beverley Widdowson's eye-catching eight year old grey gelding Carlo who produced a foot-perfect clear in the second having had an unfortunate four faults in the first. Peter Charles and Murka's Pom d'Ami, owned by Olga White and Team Murka Limited , the mainstay of the team throughout the series, incurred a very uncharacteristic rolling of five poles across both rounds. Billy Studs, Billy Congo with Will Funnell incurred similar with his British Bred 9year old finishing as the drop score having incurred 12 faults in each round. World Class Showjumping Performance Manager Rob Hoekstra commented 'I am extremely pleased with today's result. Dublin comes close to Hickstead and I feel both Pom d'Ami and Billy Congo were a little tired bearing in mind that Pom d'Ami has been our mainstay of the series and Billy Congo is still such a young horse. "Carlo and Hello Sailor have been exceptional and I speak for all of the horses we've had out this year when I say they are as focused on the job in hand as are our owners and riders and I feel extremely fortunate to have such a strong group to work alongside. When you consider that three of the horses here today only started competing at Top Level this year, the results are outstanding and I feel extremely optimistic about our sports future.'We have finished in third place overall on the League Table which is a tremendous result. Our aim was always to secure ourselves and finish in the top six - so finishing so strongly leaves us all highly delighted'. The nations to be relegated are Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland whilst the six nations listed below retain their place for the 2011 FEI Meydan Nations Cup league. The nations to move up from the promotional league to join them will be decided in Barcelona in September. More information on the series can be found by visiting www.meydanfeinationscup.org Television coverage of the event will show on both Eurosport next week and Horse andamp; Country TV (Sky 280) shortly afterwards. Please visit www.britishshowjumping.co.uk and click on 'What's on TV' for broadcast times. For start list and results visit www.dublinhorseshow.com For all the latest news, information, standings, results and more information on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport Lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=519 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?519 Endurance GB (EGB) has announced some changes to the team for the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG). The riders who will travel to Kentucky are:• Beccy Broughton-Booker and Java Sunlight or Tawmarsh Muharram• Ros Clapp and Nazeeka• Janice Cockley Adams and Roxanne du Bout du Monde • Christine Yeoman and CJS Gai Forest or L M Midday• David Yeoman and Haszar The non-travelling reserves are:• 1st Sarah Rogerson and FFC First Csea Lord • 2nd Dominique Freeman and Jayel Super The team has a vast amount of experience at international and Championship level and is considered capable of competing for medals against the best in the world. Chairman of Selectors, Di Latham, said on behalf of the selectors and management team, 'We continue to be optimistic and are confident that the Team are completely focused and will work together to pursue their goal of bringing home a Team medal'. 'David Yeoman has come into the team after some very good results with Haszar and we have a very strong team capable of finishing in a medal position', said Team Chef d'Equipe, Liz Finney. There has been a tremendous fundraising effort by EGB members to help send the team to WEG and donations are still welcome. If you would like to make a donation to the EGB Kentucky Fundraising effort, simply visit www.endurancegb.co.uk and follow the links to WEG Kentucky. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the endurance competition taking place on Sunday 26th September. Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=516 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?516 With only 50 days to go until the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 (25th September - 10th October) the Team GBR Guide gives a round-up of the British teams selected to compete at the Games. The Guide provides an overview of the eight disciplines competing in Kentucky; including the numbers of riders competing in each competition, scoring methods and a schedule of events. Details of all the selected British riders and vaulters, including their horses, our past successes and travelling support staff are also included. Britain has a good track record at World Championships - the para-equestrian dressage team are currently World Champions, with four riders also being individual champions, while Zara Philips holds the eventing World Championship title (and the team hold silver). The British dressage team won silver at last year's European Championships while Laura Bechtolsheimer won individual bronze and Joanne Eccles, a British vaulter, holds the European Vaulting Championship title. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Lexington, Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25 September to Sunday 10 October. The guide is available to download at: http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/cms/files/Final_WEG_-_Final.pdf. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=517 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?517 British Dressage today announced their selection for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The selected squad comprises (in alphabetical order): Laura Bechtolsheimer riding Dr andamp; Mrs Bechtolsheimer's and her own Mistral Hojris (with Andretti H as her reserve horse.)Fiona Bigwood riding her own Wie AtlanticoMaria Eilberg riding Mr Ferdi Eilberg's Two SoxCarl Hester riding Mr John Risley and Ms Cheryl Meisner's Liebling II The non-travelling reserves are (in alphabetical order): Henriette Andersen (Louis D'Or III) and Emile Faurie (Elmegardens Marquis). Dressage Team Captain, Richard Davison said on the selection; 'This is yet another strong quartet, mostly composed of last year's silver medal winning team. Whilst Laura is ranked third in the world, the other riders have had to fight hard for their place and I am confident they will deliver the goods in Kentucky.' A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme staff during the World Equestrian Games, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the dressage competition taking place between Monday 27th September and Friday 1st October. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=515 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?515 In a tense and nail-biting finish to the 2010 Young Rider European Championships at Pardubice in the Czech Republic, the British Young Rider eventing Team have won Team Gold, while Emily Parker won the Individual Gold Medal. It was a closely fought battle between the British and the Germans all week. Germany had the upper edge after Dressage however the British Team took the lead after Saturday's Cross Country phase, having produced six clear rounds, and were lying just 0.4 ahead of the Germans going into Sunday's Showjumping. Both nations had fences down, however Great Britain triumphed and won by just 0.1 of a penalty. This fantastic result gives their Young Riders their 6th consecutive Team Gold Medal having been unbeaten since 2005. Emily Parker who was leading the individual competition after dressage and Cross Country coped under pressure and jumped an immaculate clear round to win Individual Gold and become the 2010 Young Rider European Champion. Similar to the team result, the scores were all very tight, and with no fences in hand Emily won by just 0.8 of a penalty. Team Results Gold Great Britain 149.8 Silver Germany 149.9 Bronze Sweden 184.3 Individual Results Gold Emily Parker GBR 43.1 Sivler Hannes Mekin SWE 43.9 Bronze Sonja Buck GER 47.7 5th Emily Llewellyn GBR 51.3 6th Willa Newton GBR 51.5 8th Laura Collett GBR 55.4 14th Tom McEwen GBR 63.1 15th Rosie Fry GBR 63.1 Alex Colquhoun said of the Young Rider's Team and Individual Gold results: 'You couldn't ask for a better result for a nicer group of riders. They have all been fantastic throughout the championships and have shown real maturity. I would also like to thank all the parents and sponsors who have all been so supportive.' The British Young Rider Team would like to thank all their sponsors and suppliers - UK Sport and the World Class Programme, Rodney Powell Body Protectors (KC Equestrian), Ariat, Toggi, moloh, N.E.W Equine Wear, Hows Racesafe and the Horse Trials Support Group. Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=513 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?513 Following a year of intensive training and competitions the BHS TREC Young Riders and Senior squad has been announced to represent Great Britain and The British Horse Society at the European TREC Championships in Austria on the 3-5 September 2010.The Young Riders Squad comprises: Rebecca Harris riding her own Rispa Fra' Kalfholti Sarah Pollard riding Miss G Moore's Flanally Doo Eleanor Barnard riding Hilary Barnard's Harvey Anne Bolton - hiring from AustriaSenior Team Squad comprises: Anna Weston riding her own Whizz Julian Brown riding his own Otter Jackie Bennett riding her own Bradley Kathryn Bean riding her own Millicent Millie Caroline Brammer riding her own Rinaldo Hilary Barnard riding her own Rhinefield ImpulseThe non-travelling reserve: Daniel Nolan (Tornado) The four riders to comprise the Senior Team at the Championships will be decided at the BHS TREC SEIB Championships of Great Britain 2010. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=514 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?514 The British team pulled off the latest in the long list of big surprises of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cupandtrade; series when scoring an emphatic win on their home turf at Hickstead this afternoon. In a competition that saw the form-book once again turned on its head, and which saw riders enduring the most extreme of fluctuating fortunes, they crushed the opposition when proving themselves the only ones fully capable of mastering the mighty Hickstead track. Germany finished a full 15 faults behind in second place ahead of the USA in third and France in fourth while The Netherlands slotted into fifth. The Irish, superb winners at Aachen just two weeks ago, struggled into sixth place while Spain and Sweden - each lumbered with a massive 40-fault score - shared seventh. Switzerland meanwhile finished last, and it looks very much like the Swiss and Swedes are beyond rescue at the lower-end of the leaderboard going into next Friday's final competition in Dublin. The bottom four teams on the 10-nation leaderboard will be relegated to the Promotional League in 2011 and the Dutch, Swedes and Swiss are holding those last four places along with the Polish team, which this week withdrew from the remainder of the series and is already destined for the second-division. FORMIDABLE Bob Ellis's track was nothing less than formidable and Kevin Staut's pathfinding 12-fault first-round score for France gave an early indication of just how difficult it would turn out to be. The British had covered all the angles however. "When we walked the course we all took the decision to take a longer line from the first fence to the second and to get ourselves into a good rhythm and not worry too much about the time - and it paid off in bucket loads" said team-leader Peter Charles afterwards. The water tray under the oxer at the second element of the double at fence three led to plenty of double-takes and that was, unmercifully, followed by the wide open Hickstead water and then the traditionally tough Hickstead planks. There was no let-up anywhere on the 12-fence course and the white gate at fence nine hit the deck regularly while the final line of a double to the 1.60m Meydan vertical claimed a large number of victims. '"It was a big one alright" admitted Charles. BIT BETWEEN THEIR TEETH Not one rider returned a clean sheet at the end of the first round but the British already had the bit between their teeth with only four faults between them after single time penalties from both Charles (Murkas Pom D'Ami) and William Funnell (Billy Congo) and just two time penalties from Tina Fletcher (Hello Sailor) were counted, Michael Whitaker's eight with GIG Amai providing the discard score. Germany was lying second with 14 faults ahead of the hopeful Swedes in third with 18 while the Dutch were just one fault further in arrears on 19 and the USA carried 21 into round two. The Irish had an uneasy time of it when picking up 26 and when Julien Eppaillard's 17 faults with Master Davier was dropped the French still had to take 13 from Nicolas Delmotte (Luccianno) and Staut's 12 with Silvana into account which left them well down in seventh place despite a great four-fault effort from Marie Pellegrin Etter and Admirable. SUNK The Spanish were already sunk however by 16-fault results from three of their riders, and despite an incredible second-round resurgence when adding only 4 faults to the 36 already on the board they couldn't be rescued. The British had it all sewn up by the time second-line rider, William Funnell, followed Charles' example by just exceeding the time for one fault and when Tina Fletcher, wife of former British rider Graham Fletcher and a close runner-up for the Hickstead Derby title this year, did likewise then Whitaker didn't have to return to the ring. Great second-round clears from Daniel Deusser (Cabreado) and Lars Nieberg (Lord Luis) cemented Germany in second place but the Swedes plummeted down the order when adding 22 faults to their tally and it was the USA who rose up to replace them despite the massive 50 fault tally for Robert Kraut and Graf Lando. A smart clear from McLain Ward (Rothschild), and just single mistakes from Cara Raether (Ublesco) and Rich Fellers (Flexible) left them with only eight more to add. SECURED The day belonged to the home team but not even a win in Dublin next week can now prevent the French from taking the Meydan FEI Nations Cupandtrade; series title as their three early wins have secured their position as double-champions. The British fancy their chances of matching the French score on the leaderboard by adding maximum points again in seven days time, and on current form it will be difficult to oppose them. Charles said today that they owe their fresh run of success, after several seasons of poor form, to "the great support we have behind the scenes" and he praised his new Chef d'Equipe Rob Hoekstra - "he picked a winning team today". Hoekstra said he was "highly delighted" with today's result which has improved Great Britain to second in the league standings. "It was great to win here in front of the home crowd" he pointed out. "When we set out this season the plan was to try to simply finish in the top six of the Meydan series so that we would stay in the top league for 2011. Now I think we can finish in the top three - and that's fantastic!" he added. He will send the same four riders along with veteran Nick Skelton to Dublin, so now it seems the British may be the ones to beat at the hallowed Irish showground. Other team managers have more on their minds however. Like how to work the miracle that will keep their nation at the top end of the nations cup game..... RESULT: 1. Great Britain 7 faults: Murkas Pom D'Ami (Peter Charles) 1/1, Billy Congo (William Funnell) 1/1, Hallo Sailor (Tina Fletcher) 2/1, GIG Amai (Michael Whitaker) 8/DNS. 2. Germany 22 faults: Cabreado (Daniel Deusser) 5/0, Calado (Jorg Naeve) 5/9, Catoki (Philipp Weishaupt) 9/8, Lord Luis (Lars Nieberg) 4/0. 3. USA 29 faults: Ublesco (Cara Raether), Graf Lando (Robert Kraut) 33/17, Rothchild (McLain Ward) 5/0, Flexible (Rich Fellers) 8/4. 4. France 34 faults: Silvana (Kevin Staut) 12/0, Mister Davier (Julien Epaillard) 17/0, Admirable (Marie Etter Pellegrin) 4/5, Luccianno (Nicolas Delmotte) 13/13. 5. Netherlands 35 faults: VDL Bubalu (Jur Vrieling) 1/9, Exquis Walnut de Muze (Harrie Smolders) 12/0, Opium VS (Marc Houtzager) 9/8, Heechhiems Tersina (Nathalie van der Mei) 9/8. 6. Ireland 36 faults: Carmena Z (Shane Breen) 12/9, Hallmark Elite (Dermott Lennon) 9/Elim, Je T'Aime Flamenco (Billy Twomey) 5/1, Nabab's Son (Denis Lynch) 12/0. 7. Spain 40 faults: Herald (Pilar Cordon) 16/0, New Remake de Servery (Fernando Fourcadez) 16/0, Lord du Mont Milon (Jesus Garmendia) 16/4, Action-Breaker (Sergio Alvarez Moya) 4/5. 7. Sweden 40 faults: Handamp;M Actrice (Malin Baryard-Johnsson) 5/5, Handamp;M Arctic Aurora Borealis (Peder Fredricson) 4/12, LB Paola (Henrik Von Eckermann) 9/5, Quintero La Silla (Rolf-Goran Bengtsson) 9/13. 9. Switzerland 36 faults in FIRST round: Tresor V (Steve Guerdat) 8, Kiamon (Werner Muff) 16, Zekina (J Richard) 32, Ulysse Z (P Schwizer) 12. 2010 MEYDAN FEI NATIONS CUPandtrade; - STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 7 AT HICKSTEAD: 1. France - 48.5 2. Great Britain - 38.5 3. USA - 37.5 4. Germany - 35.5 5. Ireland - 31.5 6. Spain - 23.0 7. Netherlands - 21.0 8. Sweden - 15.5 9. Switzerland - 15.0 10. Poland - 0 General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=510 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?510 In an exciting and exhilarating finish to the 2010 Pony European Championships, The Charles Owen British Pony Team has won the Gold on home soil some 43.1 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Germany. It has been 3 years since Britain last won the Gold back in 2007 at Freudenberg and yesterdays Cross Country saw the six British Riders prove that they deserved the gold when they were the only nation to complete with six clear rounds. This was all credit to team coach Jonquil Hemming who has worked with the riders on the run up to the championships and throughout the week to get the best from them. This was also a great result for Pony Chairman Ginnie Keen who retires at the end of this year and will certainly bow out on a massive high. She was justifiably proud of her young team - three of whom are GB team debutantes.'This year I've had six of the best riders and team mates I've had in a long time. They have been absolutely fantastic throughout the week and I could not be more proud. Thank you to all of our support team who have been fantastic, especially our team trainer Jonquil (Hemming) who is exceptional. I must also thank the grooms, parents, sponsors, World Class and British Eventing who have all been fantastic.' She congratulated the team - 'Well done all of you.' Individually all the British Riders rode superb rounds and occupy most of the top 10 places. Grace Walker and the ever-reliable Noble Springbok held their nerve lowering just one pole but still securing the individual silver medal. Sophie Beaty narrowly missed out on an individual bronze finishing just .3 behind Sarah O' Brien from Ireland. Silver medalist Grace said: 'I was very nervous in the showjumping even though I had a fence in hand over third, I was definitely feeling the pressure.' Irish Chef d'Equipe Sue Short thanked the college for a 'true Championship' and an excellent event - 'It was a true cross-country course and a very technical, up to height show jumping track.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=511 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?511 British Junior Horseball Team taking part in the European Championships at Bishop Burton got away to a dream start when they beat Italy 10-3 in their opening game. This puts the team in a perfect position for a podium place after other results went in their favour. With the results more important in the games against Spain and Belgium coach Matthew Worthington is faced with a decision of whether to save ponies in the game against France tonight (Friday) and field a team that is not up to full strength. This is based on the assumption that is very unlikely we would win against a very strong French Team. The team is working towards trying to convert a bronze to silver as opposed to chasing gold and losing everything. We wish the team of Christie Morgan, Megan Chiarella, Harry Hatton, Matty Fawcett, Harriet Moiser, Lauren Hudson, Sophie Neasham and Kathryn Harborough all the best over the next few days. The result was much appreciated by John Whitaker International, who spontaneously and kindly donated all the players of the British team with riding hats after the end of yesterday's game. This was not planned but they were so impressed with what they saw they felt they had to recognise it. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=509 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?509 The British team took fourth place in the Team Dressage competition with a score of 202.66 - missing out on bronze by just 4% across three riders. A sparkling performance this morning from Team GB debutante Erin Williams (12) and Danny Boy B (69.55), and a solid performance from Claire Gallimore and Gigolo, who ended on a score of 68.61 despite a slip-up, took Team GB from seventh overnight, to fourth. Chef d'Equipe Liz Mills was philosophical about the team's performance. She said: "It's frustrating, but they all rode well and they are a great team." Erin Williams thoroughly enjoyed her test; "I really enjoyed it," she said. "I thought I'd be nervous, but when I got in there I just thought 'get in!'." The top 25 combinations, including three British riders, will go through to Friday's individual competition which promises to be hotly contested. All the riders will revert to zero scores. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=508 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?508 Official Supporters travel packages are still available for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which take place from the 25th September - 10th October 2010. Travel Places, official Travel Partner to Equestrian Team GBR, have a variety of tailor made packages available to suit a range of requirements, allowing you to cheer on Team GBR from Lexington, Kentucky. The packages start from just 1,465, based on two sharing, and include flights, hotels, taxes, transfers from the airport and transfers to and from the Kentucky Horse Park. The two hotels available in the packages (The Fairfield Inn, Georgetown and Embassy Suites, Lexington) are both under 10 minutes from the venue and within easy reach of the airport. The tour operator will be in speaking to the British Team on a daily basis to keep everyone up to date with all the latest news. More information is available on the Travel Places website - www.travelplaces.co.uk/world-equestrian-games-2010.htm ; further information about the Games, including the schedule of events, can be found at www.alltechfeigames.com. To keep up-to-date with all the latest news and behind the scenes gossip from Equestrian Team GBR then why not sign-up for free to the Team GBR supporters site, Ontrack. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ontrack.php for further details. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=507 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?507 The UK leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup will take place this Friday (30th July) at the world famous All England Jumping Course, Hickstead in West Sussex. The team that will represent Great Britain will be, Peter Charles, Tina Fletcher, William Funnell, Robert Smith and Michael Whitaker. Peter Charles from Alton, Hampshire will ride the ever consistent Murka's Pom d'Ami who is jointly owned by Olga White and Team Murka Ltd. This Partnership have been the mainstay of the British Team throughout the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup series. Oxfordshire based Tina Fletcher will ride the 11 year old chestnut gelding Hello Sailor who is owned by Lady Pauline Harris. This will be their second appearance at a top level Nations Cup, with the first being at Falsterbo where they jumped clear in the first round but had an unlucky time fault in the second. William Funnell from Dorking, Surrey will partner the Billy Studs British Bred 9 year old brown stallion Billy Congo. This will be the combinations second Top Level Nations Cup appearance with the first being in Falsterbo. Midlands based Robert Smith and the 10 year old bay stallion Talan who is jointly owned by himself, Diana and Penny Cornish will make their Meydan FEI Nations Cup debut at Hickstead. At the beginning of the year Robert and Talan represented Great Britain in the 5* Nations Cup in Abu Dhabi where the team took the first place. Nottinghamshire based Michael Whitaker will ride the 10 year old dark bay gelding GIG Amai II who is owned by Beatrice Mertens. This combination represented Great Britain at the World Cup in Geneva earlier on in the year. Michael is currently lying third on the GBR Ranking List. The Nations Cup will take place this Friday (30th July) at 13:45 and will be streamed online by FEI TV (www.feitv.org). Television broadcast from the event will also be shown on both Eurosport and Horse andamp; Country TV (Sky 280). Please visit www.britishshowjumping.co.uk and click on 'What's on TV' for broadcast times. For start list and results please visit www.hickstead.co.uk For all the latest news, information, standings, results and more information on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org. The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport Lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=506 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?506 Listen to an interview with Adam Heaton, British Reining Chef d'Equipe on Spirit FM ahead of the World Equetrian Games in Kentucky. Visit the Spirit Sport website to listen to the interview. To keep up to date with all the news from Kentucky before and during the Games sign up for FREE to Team GBR Ontrack. Reining is a sport designed to show the athletic ability of a western type of horse in a show arena. In reining, competitors are required to run one of several approved patterns; each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs, 360 degree spins, back ups and exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse. Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=505 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?505 After a campaign of spring trials and the Hows Racesafe National Under-18 Championships at Glanusk, the Junior Selectors for Eventing have announced the squad of six for the Junior European Championships, taking place at Bad Segeberg in Germany over 19th - 22nd August 2010. Heading the eventing line-up is 2009 Junior Individual Silver medallist Dani Evans with Heather Sheppard's Uchin. Dani who is on the UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme has not been out of the top five in her last five outings in CCI1* with the consistent Uchin. The pair were runners-up at the recent National Under-18 Championships where they finished on the same score at the winner, but were further from the optimum time on the cross country pushing them into second. Tattersalls CCI1* winner David Doel joins Dani with Emma Whitehead's Pick and Mix II. The pair also took third place in the Under 18 Championships. Former KBIS Junior Regional Novice Champion, Lucy Loughton, also makes the squad. Lucy won the Championship at Weston Park last year riding Abigail III and is also on the World Class Equine Pathway. Completing the six are 2009 Junior squad member Millie Dumas with Action Packed, 2008 Pony team rider Helen Dunning with Pebbly Flux and Tim Rogers with his home-bred horse Corrieview Owen who were eighth in the CCI2* at Houghton earlier in the year. Tim is also a member of the World Class Development Programme. Millie, Helen, Lucy and David are all members of the BEF Regional Foundation Programme. For the selected squad and reserve lists, please click HERE. The Junior Selectors reserve the right to make alterations at any time to the above lists, should they be warranted. The British Junior Squad is sponsored by Hows Racesafe and kindly supported by UK Sport (Team Funding), Toggi (Team Clothing), Ariat (Team footwear), N.E.W Equine Wear (Parade Boots), moloh (Trot up Jackets) and the Horse Trials Support Group (Funding for Training). For more information on our Youth Teams go to www.britisheventing.com and search for Youth Programmes on the 'Quicklinks' list. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=504 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?504 British Dressage today announced their selection for the para-equestrian dressage squad that will compete at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The selected squad comprises (in alphabetical order): • Ricky Balshaw (grade Ib) riding Mrs Hoeg's Academy Award• Sophie Christiansen (grade Ia) riding The Berkeley Group's Rivaldo of Berkeley• Anne Dunham (grade Ia) riding Sally Ann Brown's Teddy• Lee Pearson (grade Ib) riding Mr and Mrs David Pearson, Gillian Chinn's and his own Gentleman• Jo Pitt (grade II) riding Mrs Pitt's Estralita• Emma Sheardown (grade Ia) riding her own Purdy's Dream• Sophie Wells (grade IV) riding Dr Walker's Pinocchio Lee Pearson and Sophie Wells are selected with reserve horses, Zion and Valerius respectively. The non-travelling reserve is Natasha Baker (Cabral). Grade IV rider Sophie Wells commented on her selection; 'It's such an honour to be chosen for the World Equestrian Games. Since I first started in para-equestrian dressage I've been aiming at London 2012 with the Europeans and WEG as preparation, so to be selected with both horses (Valerius in reserve) is just incredible. We'll continue to work hard and prepare - and we're looking forward to bringing home some medals!' World Class Performance Manager for para-equestrian dressage David Hunter said on the selection; 'The selected squad is well balanced, showcasing a mixture of experience and up-and-coming young riders, with some exciting new horse/rider combinations to look forward to. I feel confident that we're taking as strong a team as possible to WEG and that we'll put up a good fight to retain out team and individual titles. I'm working with the team and the ever important support team, to ensure that training continues successfully over the next two months before the Games. As always the training and the ability of our riders to train as much as they do and with the support they need is only possible with the funding from the World Class Programme and UK Sport, not only to take the squad to WEG and beyond but also to allow for a transparent selection process.' A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme staff during the World Equestrian Games, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the para-equestrian dressage competition taking place between Tuesday 5th October and Sunday 10th October. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=503 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?503 An equestrian prodigy at a Derbyshire school has become one of the youngest ever riders selected to represent Britain at the Pony European Championships. Erin Williams, 12, attends Mount St Mary's College and is the youngest member of the British team by three years. The team, made up of the best four riders in Britain under the age of 16, will compete against nations from across Europe at the Championships, which take place from 27 July to 1 August. Erin, who lives in Barlow, will attend team training camps with her German Pony Danny Boy B at the Kilbees Stud in Windsor before the championships, which this year take place at Bishop Burton College, in East Yorkshire. Erin will be accompanied at the Championships by her trainer Sonia Webster and the British trainer, Olympian Peter Storr. She said: 'I'm thrilled to be included in the British team and am looking forward to testing myself against the best riders in Europe. 'Being selected to represent my country is a real honour - it makes all the hard work this season well worth it. 'I am obviously a few years younger than the other team members but I am determined to ride as well as I can and gain as much from this fantastic experience as possible.' Erin, who trains most mornings before school at 6.30am, rides dressage, one of the only sports where men, women and children all compete on an equal footing. She was shortlisted for a place in the team after a string of impressive successes throughout the season. This included a bronze as part of the national team which finished third at France's premier dressage show, the Concours de Dressage International in Saumur. Paul Scott, director of sport at Mount St Mary's College, said: 'This is the highest honour a pony rider can achieve and considering Erin's age, it is an incredible achievement. 'Everyone at Mount St Mary's will be rooting for Erin and we are sure she will do herself and the British team proud when she performs.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=500 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?500 Joanne Eccles, a current European Champion vaulter, from Tillicoultry, was the pick of the results, from last weekend (10-11 July) in the Nations Cup CHIO competition in Aachen, Germany, winning the individual female title for the second year running. Using her own horse WH Bentley, lunged by her father John Eccles, Joanne (21), who is unbeaten in 2010, finished on an impressive score of 8.291, ahead of Antje Hill from Germany and Megan Benjamin from the USA. In difficult conditions with temperatures touching 36 degrees and against a strong field, Hannah Eccles, Joanne's sister, finished tenth in the individual female competition, with Lucy Philips in thirteenth, while Ross Foreman finished eleventh in the individual male competition. Together Joanne and Hannah also took part in the Pas de Deux, finishing second. The scores achieved by Joanne, Ross and also the English Vaulting Squad, which took part in the team competition, meant that Great Britain finished in fifth place overall in the Nations Cup. Joanne said: 'The hot conditions were particularly hard for the horses but I'm delighted with my performance as it was definitely my toughest test to date. Most of the European competitors and also the top three Americans that will be competing at the World Equestrian Games later in the year were there so it was a real confidence boost.' A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. A World Champion will be crowned in each of these disciplines. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme, do not receive direct funding for the event. The British Vaulting Team going to WEG and are currently trying to raise 12,000 to get their horse to Kentucky. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet, generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activity can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the official website, including the opportunity to sign up FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=501 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?501 Great Britain's showjumping Children brought home Team Gold from the European Championships for the fourth year running. The 2010 Championships which took place in Jardy, France near Paris, saw the showjumpers, aged 14 years and under, give an outstanding performance, showing once again the incredible talent we have coming up through the sport. With three of the team giving foot-perfect clears in the first round and only one team member having an unfortunate four faults they were already lying in equal first with six other teams who were all on zero (the three best scores count with the fourth being a drop score). Prior to the fourteen teams coming forward to contest the second round in which Great Britain were drawn seventh to go, the fifth team members rode for their individual scores. It was 13 year old Charlotte Smet riding Louise Morley's 10 year old liver Chestnut gelding Maneken du Coty who as fifth man showed the team what needed to by producing a superb clear. First to go for Great Britain in the teams second round was 14 year old Katie Robertson from Cupar, Fife with Lynne Robertsons 9 year bay gelding Cameron Poe, followed by 13 year old Christie Pritchard from Holyhead with Allen Tredwell's nine year old grey mare Larkspur. With both Katie and Christie producing text book clear rounds 14 year old Jake Saywell from Newark knew that if he produced a clear round with Ann Gascoine's 9 year old grey gelding Cornelius 27 there was a very good chance that Great Britain would secure Gold. Producing exactly this, and as other teams faulted after, the team were in a position of knowing they had won the Gold even before the fourth team member, 13 year old Millie Allen from Stockton-On-Tee's, had jumped. With scores from both rounds counting towards qualifying for the Individual Championships, Millie jumped, proved her worth and the depth of talent within Great Britain by producing another clear with Rachel Steel's 10 year old bay mare Trueleva. Michael Mac, Chairman for British Showjumping commented from Jardy 'All five children jumped absolutely fantastically and are a real credit to Great Britain. Keeping their nerve whilst other's fell apart the children were mature beyond their years and I feel extremely fortunate to be here with them today and proud of the sport in which we are all involved and feel so passionate about'. Corinne Bracken, Chef d'equipe and Team Coach further commented 'The four riders in the team today were outstanding, the course was much bigger in the second round and where the other teams failed to jump clears, ours just rose to the occasion. Before the second round of the teams had started, our fifth rider Charlotte Smet showed us exactly what to do within the new time allowed which was ten seconds less than the first round. I'm incredibly proud of the team here today and would like to give a special thanks to the fantastic support crowd that we have at this Championship'. With all five of the British Children qualifying for the Individual Final, which takes place on Saturday afternoon, Great Britain look in a strong position going forward. The first of the Junior Team Competitions will take place later on today with the Team Final on Friday 16th. The Individual Final will commence on Sunday 18th July. The Young Rider Team Competition will take place tomorrow (Friday 16th) with their Individual Final taking place on Sunday 18th July. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=502 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?502 Endurance GB has announced their team selection for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The selected team comprises: Alice Beet - Laouenn de KerpontBeccy Broughton-Booker - Java Sunlight or Tawmarsh MuharremRos Clapp - NazeekaJanice Cockley-Adams - Roxane du bout du Monde or Khadidja du PontChristine Yeoman - CJS Gai Forest or L M Midday The non-travelling reserves (in alphabetical order) are Charlotte Byrd (Arabah Firedance), Karen Jones (Macadamia), Sarah Rogerson (FFC First Csea Lord) and David Yeoman (Haszar). Chairman of Selectors, Di Latham, said on behalf of the selectors and management team; 'We are confident that we have a strong Team, with a vast amount of experience at International and Championship level, capable of competing against the best in the World for medals'. Team member, Christine Yeoman, is already experienced at this level having been on the squad for the last World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen and twice at European Championships. She has high hopes for the team this time; 'I am really proud to be part of what I believe is an exceptionally good team. There is a very strong chance of bringing back a medal this time'. Beccy Broughton-Booker is also delighted to have been selected; 'It is always an honour to represent Great Britain in Endurance. It is why I compete. We have got a tough job to do but the team is more than capable of going out there and getting the job done. I imagine the country will be grassy and fairly flat, so the race pace will be fast. We will have to pull together as a team and use our professionalism', she said. Chef d'Equipe, Liz Finney, says, 'We have a top class team comprised of 5 riders who all have competed successfully in international rides on many occasions. Their horses have all proved that they are capable of the speeds necessary nowadays to win team medals and we will be competing in Kentucky with a real chance of a top team position. They have all worked really hard over a number of years as members of the British team squad, to produce well trained and very fit horses. EGB members have been, and still are being fantastic in their efforts to raise funds towards the cost of going to Kentucky and can be assured that the team will make their efforts worthwhile'. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports including endurance, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme staff during the World Equestrian Games, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of central fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to recently launched silver and leather bracelets; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. If you would like to make a donation directly to the EGB Kentucky Fundraising effort, simply visit www.endurancegb.co.uk and follow the links to WEG Kentucky; 'The response from the endurance fraternity to the fundraising cause has been phenomenal - please keep it coming and thank you to everyone who has donated', said Di Latham. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the endurance competition taking place on Sunday 26th September. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=499 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?499 Two talented show jumpers, Matt Sampson from Aston, near Sheffield and Daniel Moseley from Blyth near Worksop, have been selected as part of the Tretorn International Young Rider European Team which will compete at The European Championships in France. Matt (19) and Daniel (21), are on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme, and will represent Great Britain at the six day competition which starts in Jardy tomorrow (Tuesday 13 July). Matt, who will be representing Great Britain at the Young Rider Europeans for the second time, will ride his own ten year old chestnut mare, Pitts Daughter. He said: 'I am thrilled to be part of the Young Rider team. I've been focusing on more senior shows recently and have achieved six second places in world ranking classes and also a second in a CSI** Grand Prix in Donetsk in the Ukraine. These results have really boosted my confidence so I'm looking forward to the challenge in France.' Daniel will ride Carol Toliver's 12 year old bay stallion Kepi d'Elle. Earlier this year, he gained promotion from Pre-start to Start on the World Class Programme after showing good progress in his training and competition skills. He also achieved third place in the Alltech Royal Windsor Grand Prix back in May. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=495 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?495 The BOA has selected Carian Scudamore to represent Team GB in Showjumping at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore from 14th to 26th August 2010. "This is amazing, I can't believe that I'm going to the Youth Olympic Games,' said Carian. 'Next week I'm at the European Championships hoping to regain my Junior title and as soon as I get home I'll be turning all my attention to Singapore." The show jumping will take place on borrowed horses, with Carian competing both in the individual competition and also as part of a European team. One rider will represent each of Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Switzerland to contest the team competition. Carian, aged 17 from Cardigan, Wales, is currently the Junior European Champion and is preparing to defend her title with Nigel Scudamore's 11 year old chestnut gelding Larino 0087 at the 2010 Championships which take place in Jardy, France from the 15th July. In 2009 Carian also received the Cynthia Muir Trophy from the British Equestrian Writers Association for the outstanding Junior rider of the season. Singapore will be hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 14 to 26 August 2010. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will receive c.5,000 athletes and officials from the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), along with an estimated 1500 media representatives, 20,000 local and international volunteers, and more than 370,000 spectators. Young athletes - aged between 14 and 18 years - will compete in 26 sports and take part in a Culture and Education Programme. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games aims to inspire youth around the world to participate in sport and to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. More information about the Youth Olympic Games can be found at http://www.singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en/en_about_us.html General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=496 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?496 Following a final run at Barbury last weekend (10-11 July), the Young Rider Selection Committee is pleased to announce the squad of six that will contest the European Championships, held this year at Pardubice in the Czech Republic from 28 July - 1 August. Heading the squad and defending her title is Laura Collett riding Sarah Walker's Fernhill Cristal. A new ride to Laura at the end of 2009, the pair posted a fourth placing in the CCI2* at Burgie earning them qualification for the Europeans. Joining Laura is 2008 Young Rider European Champion Emily Llewellyn. She rides her mother Cindy's Society Spice with whom she was fifteenth at Badminton this year. Both Laura and Emily are members of the World Class Start Programme funded by UK Sport. Three members of the BEF Regional Foundation Programme have also made the squad. Emily Parker and Treefers who were on the Gold winning Young Rider team in 2009, Willa Newton and Neelix who were individuals in 2009 and British team debutant, Rosie Fry with her own Bankon Louie. Completing the six is Tom McEwen a former Pony European Gold Medalist in 2007 making his first Young Rider team appearance riding Major Sweep who was previously campaigned by Rodney Powell. To view the selected squad list please click here. The Young Rider Selectors reserve the right to make amendments to the list should they be warranted. The Squad is extremely grateful for the support of: UK Sport, Toggi, KC Equestrian, Hows Racesafe and NEW Equine Wear, with training support from The Horse Trials Support Group. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=497 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?497 British Eventing today announced their selection for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The selected squad comprises: Tina Cook riding Mr andamp; Mrs Nicholas and Valda Embiricos and Mrs Sarah Pelham's Miner's Frolic William Fox-Pitt riding Mrs Teresa Stopford Sackville's Cool MountainPiggy French riding Mr Wally French and Mr Michael Underwood's Jakata Pippa Funnell riding Mr andamp; Mrs Roger Lincoln's RedesignedMary King riding Mrs Janette Chinn and Mr andamp; Mrs Edwin Davies's Imperial CavalierNicola Wilson riding Miss Rosemary Search's Opposition Buzz The non-travelling reserves (in alphabetical order) are Daisy Berkeley (Spring Along), Sharon Hunt (Tankers Town), Oliver Townend (Ashdale Cruise Master) and Lucy Wiegersma (Woodfalls Inigo Jones). The team is subject to the six selected horses confirming their form at competition to be agreed by the Performance Manager and the selectors. 'This team is an exciting mixture of horses with previous Championship pedigree and younger horses making their Championship debut,' commented Yogi Breisner, World Class Performance Manager for Eventing. Pippa Funnell commented on her selection; 'I am just completely speechless; if anyone had told me six months ago, I never would have believed them! Though the horse is young, he has always impressed me and his owners who are of course equally delighted that he has been selected. I know it is still 3 months away, and I know as well as anyone the ups and downs of having horses, but it's still a huge honour to be asked. It would be more than a dream come true to be riding with some of my old team mates along with Piggy and Nicola who I have always really admired as riders.' The four riders who will form the team for the Team Competition at the Games will be selected nearer the time. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme staff during the World Equestrian Games, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the eventing competition taking place between Thursday 30th September and Sunday 3rd October. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=498 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?498 With the Pony European Championships for 2010 not only being held on home soil at Bishop Burton College, Yorkshire but also only two weeks away, British Showjumping have announced the team that will represent Great Britain. The five riders selected from the John Whitaker International Pony Squad to make their way to Bishop Burton for the Championships which take placed between the 27th July to 1st August are: Thirteen year old Amy Inglis from Haywards Heath, West Sussex with the nine year old bay gelding Nils D'hurl Vent owned by Mandy Hall. Amy is the daughter of International and British Team rider Duncan Inglis. Thirteen year old Emily Roe from Lincoln with her father's thirteen year old grey gelding Aroldo with whom Emily's sister Rebecca contributed to a Team Gold at the European Championships in 2006. Fourteen year old Jessica Mendoza from Chippenham,Wiltshire with her mother's twelve year old chestnut mare Tixylix. In their second year of International competition and a member of the European Championship team last year Jessica has been in tremendous form with Tixylix, a former (2007) Individual and Team gold medal winning pony. Sixteen year old Lara Whiteway from Preston Lancashire with her mother's seventeen year old bay gelding ABC Juri are making their debut at European Championship level having made their debut team appearance for 2010 at Moorsele in May where Great Britain secured first place in the team competition. Sixteen year old Daisy Davis from Bristol, Avon riding Shaun Davis' twelve year old bay gelding Future Interest also make their debut in a European Championship team and were a member of the team that secured 3rd at the Pony Nations Cup in Hagen earlier this year. Clare Whitaker, Chairman of the British Showjumping Performance Development Committee commented 'We had a particularly strong squad of thirteen ponies and riders to select from this year and with the talent we had available to us it was an incredibly hard decision to whittle them down to five for a team to represent Great Britain at the Championships. Having made the selection, we feel have a very strong team and that we have a good chance of being in the medal running'. Katrina Moore, chef d'Equipe of the Pony Squad further commented 'We have consistently delivered gold medals for Great Britain at Championships during the past decade and we enter into these championships feeling just as confident. The performances from those within the team most certainly supports this and we look forward to hopefully delivering a win on home soil'. John Whitaker International Ltd was established in 1998 with the aim of finding top quality equestrian clothes and equipment. Today they lead the field for innovative design and the use of modern fabrics to bring equestrian clothing to the cutting edge of sporting achievement. John and his wife Clare, have a huge input into product development and selection. Consequently the John Whitaker range has been tried and tested at the highest levels. The company is investing a significant amount of money into the pony squad plus supplying a generous, eye-catching and extremely stylish team kit/uniform. The team is further supported by both British Show Jumping and the World Class Development Programme which is Lottery funded through UK Sport. Further information in respect of the Pony European Championships which take place at Bishop Burton during the last week of July can be found by visiting http://www.bishopburton.ac.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=492 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?492 There is one sport where Great Britain can rightly claim the title of the best in the world - Para-Equestrian Dressage. Since equestrian events were first added to the Paralympics in 1996, Great Britain has dominated the sport with an impressive medal tally, while maintaining the team gold position. The British Equestrian Federation's (BEF) UK Sport funded World Class Programme which aims to provide a system that delivers more medals on the international stage (now and in the future), has a huge impact in ensuring the continued success of the squad and nurturing up and coming talent. This year para-equestrian dressage will, for the first time, be included in the World Equestrian Games (WEG). The British para-equestrian dressage team will join other Team GBR members to compete in Kentucky, USA, together with seven other disciplines. David Hunter, performance manager for the para-equestrian dressage team, discusses his hopes and aspirations as the Games draw closer.'Our first WEG promises to be both fun and challenging. It's a whole new beast to us, but one which we're certainly ready to take on. Our unrivalled track record obviously fills us with confidence as we look ahead at the competition, but at the same time we know there's no room for complacency. And there's still a long time to go before the competition - with the usual added pressures of keeping both horses and riders fit. 'Our aim is to maintain our team gold medal position, while clinching individual medals across the grades too. Topping the 10 medals at the last Paralympics will take some beating though. WEG is also our chance to secure qualification of a fifth rider spot for the Paralympic Games in 2012, we receive four places as the host nation but add an extra place if we finish in the top three as a team. 'Also we can't neglect the competition. Some of our European neighbours - namely the Danes, the Germans, and the Dutch - are hot on our heels, with confident and capable riders across the grades, and they are sure to give us a run for our money!Ones to watch'Team selection will take place after 17th July - choosing those riders to represent their nation across the pond will be no easy task, as we are in the enviable position of having a wealth of talent to pick from. Those that do make it onto the squad though will have justified their selection through their hard work and individual successes.'The riders on the World Class Programme encompass both a mixture of experience and youth - with the likes of Lee Pearson CBE and the up and coming Development rider Emma Sheardown.'Having Lee - the World's most successful Paralympic dressage rider (his impressive medal tally stands at 24 golds since starting international para-equestrian dressage competitions in 1998) on the squad is fantastic. His wealth of experience adds enormous benefit - both in terms of results, but also in helping to support the other, less experienced members of the squad. He's also in the fortunate position that he has two horses who are both performing really well at the moment. 'Over the last couple of years Emma Sheardown has really shone - she's just returned victorious from the Para National Dressage Championship and is giving both Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham serious competition in the grade 1a classes. It's great to have Anne back fit and competitively keen after some time off with ill health following the Beijing Paralymic Games in 2008, (where she was part of the gold winning medal team). Her performance at Hickstead (second to Emma) proves she's still very much in contention, and at 61 this is particularly inspiring. And despite her youth, Sophie Christiansen also has a wealth of experience at International level with an impressive tally of championship and Paralympic gold medals. All in all, selectors will have their work cut out choosing riders from this grade.'At the other end of the scale Sophie Wells (grade IV) is clearly demonstrating her capabilities both as a leading para and able bodied dressage rider, having just been selected as a reserve for the British Dressage European Championships Young Rider team.'WEG format Seven riders will be selected and will travel out to Kentucky - four of whom will compete in the team competition. Those four team riders do not have to be named until just before the competition begins on 5 October - giving some breathing space for any last minute alterations. The team must include at least one grade Ia, Ib or II rider and cannot include more than three riders in any one grade. The best three scores from the competitors are then combined with the highest total score winning. Each of the seven riders also competes in two individual competitions, a championship and freestyle class for each grade. The competition runs from 5 - 9 October.About Para-Equestrian Dressage The sport of para-equestrian dressage developed in the 1970s, with the first events held in Scandinavia and Great Britain. Since then it has spread around the world, and athletes from more than forty countries now compete on a regular basis. Para-equestrian dressage does not differ from able-bodied dressage in what is expected of the horse - i.e. the 'way' it performs. The horse and rider must be in harmony and the picture must be of lightness and rhythm. Athletes are judged according to how well they meet these requirements. There are five grades (1a, 1b, II - IV), which determine the complexity of the movements the riders perform with their horses. The competitors find different ways to communicate with their horses, sometimes various additional aids are allowed, dependant on the level and type of disability. This ensures that the competition can be judged on the skill of the competitor, regardless of their disability. There are two competitions within each class - Individual and Freestyle. The Individual Test is made up of set movements, while the Freestyle Test is performed to music, and competitors choose their own movements. Individual scores are combined to determine the team medals. The Athens 2004 Games were the first at which competitors were allowed to ride their own horses. The change has brought para-equestrian dressage closer to Olympic dressage, where riders also form a partnership with a horse they ride and train consistently. British Dressage British Dressage is the governing body for the sport of dressage in Great Britain. BD selects teams to represent GB in international championships as well as administering all aspects of affiliated dressage. It is also one of only a handful of sports that fully incorporates disabled athletes into membership. An integral part of BD's role is to offer training for riders of all levels and ages. Para-equestrian dressage riders have the opportunity to train and compete from grass roots level all the way through to Paralympic Games. BD also has a comprehensive judge training programme and offers support and development opportunities to officials, stewards and writers who make up an integral part of the sport. As a member of the BEF, BD also ensures the voices of its members are heard on matters such as Government funding for horse sports, coordination of competitive events and provision of training for stewards, vets and other vital roles, as well as helping to build a long term strategic plan to benefit the wider horse industry. BD membership is open to anyone with an interest in dressage. Visit www.britishdressage.co.uk for more information. WEG A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme, do not receive direct funding for the event. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched jewelry range, generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activity can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the official website, including the opportunity to sign up FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=493 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?493 Laura Bechtolsheimer, 24, and Mistral Hojris have moved up to third place in the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings. The partnership of Bechtolsheimer and the charismatic 15-year-old Michellino gelding has gone from strength to strength and this position reflects what a force they now are on the world stage. They were instrumental to the success of the Brits at the European Championships, Windsor, and have continued their great form into 2010, achieving new personal bests and smashing previous British records. The pair kicked off 2010 with phenomenal scores at Amsterdam CDI-W, where they finished second in both the grand prix and freestyle, hot on the heels of the Netherlands' Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas. They also enjoyed convincing wins at last month's Lingen CDI4* clinching both the grand prix and grand prix special, ahead of Germany's Isabell Werth and Satchmo.'It is really satisfying to find that our performance is consistent enough to creep up the rankings, and to be number 3 in the world is very confidence building,' said a delighted Bechtolsheimer. 'I am absolutely thrilled, pleased with my consistent achievements over the last two seasons and hope to build on it for this year.' BD chief executive Amanda Bond commented: 'This is an amazing achievement. Laura has produced some outstanding results which has taken dressage in Britain to the next level. We are now right up there with the best in the world. I am sure every dressage fan in the UK will join me in congratulating Laura and her team.' To view the rankings, please click here: http://search.fei.org/Search_Centre/Ranking/Pages/Search.aspx?rankingCode=D_WR General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=494 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?494 ** PRE-ORDER YOURS TODAY FOR 12, DISPATCHED FROM 30TH JULY** New to the Team GBR collection, Hiho Silver have launched this hard wearing unisex braided leather bracelet which is hand knotted and made from the finest quality Nappa leather. Easy and durable to wear with adjustable slip knot, this bracelet is a must-have equestrian accessory this summer. Feeling a little left out by not being able to wear the previously launched ladies silver bracelet, Andrew Ransford (Hiho's Managing Director) was keen to also be able to show his support for Equestrian Team GBR, commenting: 'This stylish yet practical leather bracelet is ideal for men and women of all ages and is perfect for wearing while gardening, riding, mucking out, walking the dog or even at school or college. This means you can support the teams and keep your silver for best!' The bracelets retail at just 12 with 20% of every sale donated to Equestrian Team GBR. Order yours today from www.hihosilver.co.uk The British Equestrian Teams are currently seeking funding to support their trip the World Equestrian Games, which are being held in Kentucky, USA in October. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting do not receive funding for the event. Team GBR also utilise funds raised to support up and coming riders, in conjunction with the UK Sport funded World Class Programme, to ensure a golden future for the sport. Keep up with the British Equestrian teams at www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk where you can also sign up for FREE to Team GBR Ontrack - the official supporters club for the teams. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=490 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?490 The showjumpers who will represent Great Britain at the Children, Junior and Young Rider European Championships have been announced. The European Championships will take place in Jardy, France between 13th and 18th July 2010. The Children's European showjumping Team is as follows: 13 year old Millie Allen from Stockton-On-Tees, Cleveland will ride Rachel Steels 10 year old bay mare Trueleva. 13 year old Christie Pritchard from Holyhead, Gwynedd will ride Allen Tredwell's 9 year old grey mare Larkspur. 14 year old Katie Robertson from Cupar, Fife will ride Lynne Robertson's 9 year old bay gelding Cameron Poe 14 year old Jake Saywell from Newark, Nottinghamshire will ride Ann Gascoine's 9 year old grey gelding Cornelius 27. 13 year old Belgium based Charlotte Smet will ride Louise Morley's 10 year old liver chestnut gelding Maneken du Coty The Children's European Team Competition will take place on Thursday 15th July with the Individual Final taking place on Saturday 17th July The Tretorn International Junior European showjumping Team is as follows: 17 year old Pippa Allen from Stockton-On-Tees, Clevland will ride the 9 year old bay gelding Bonfire III, owned by her father Peter. 18 year old Jessie Drea from Horsham, West Sussex will ride Dermot O'Rouke's 10 year old chestnut mare Baloufina. 16 year old Graham Gillespie from Alexandria, Dunbartonshire will ride Beth Gillespie's 9 year old bay stallion USA Today. 2009 Junior European Gold Medallist Carian Scudamore from Cardigan, Dyfed will ride Nigel Scudamore's 11 year old chestnut gelding Larino 0087. 18 year old George Whitaker from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire will ride Sally McSharry's 10 year old chestnut mare Tubana. The Junior European Team Competitions will take place on Thursday 15th July and Friday 16th July. The Individual Final will take place on Sunday 18th July. The Tretorn International Young Rider European showjumping Team is as follows: 20 year old Joe Clayton will ride his own 11 year old bay gelding Saveur. Joe is currently based at Michael Whitaker's yard in Nottinghamshire. 21 year old Daniel Moseley who is based with William Funnell will ride Carol Toliver's 12 year old bay stallion Kepi d'Elle. 20 year old Daniel Neilson from Essex will ride Celia Mason's 10 year old bay gelding Attack II. Dan is currently based with Katrina Moore. 20 year old Matthew Sampson from Sheffield, South Yorkshire will ride his own 10 year chestnut mare Pitts Daughter. 21 year old William Whitaker from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire will ride the 11 year old bay gelding Sarlino owned by his father Iain. The Young Rider European Team Competition will take place on Friday 16th July with the Individual taking place on Sunday 18th July For start lists and results please visit www.jappeloup.com Tretorn was founded in 1891 by Johan Dunker in Helsingborg, Sweden. In 1904 Tretorn was manufacturing around one million rubberboots a year. The manufacturing of rubberboots and tennis balls continued until 1991 in Helsingborg, when they moved the production overseas, to Poland and other countries. Tretorn is today one of the leading manufacturers of rubberboots in Scandinavia and as well the third biggest producer in Europe of tennis balls. Tretorn riding boot was launched during 2007. Tretorn is today owned by PUMA AG. The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport Lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=491 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?491 British grand prix rider Amy Stovold topped her form this weekend with the charismatic chestnut gelding Macbrian. Competing at only her second CDI overseas the 32 year old from Balcombe, West Sussex scored her first international win to lift the grand prix freestyle competition at Pompadour CDI, France 1-4 July 2010. The pair scored an impressive PB of 73.15% to lead the field almost 3% clear of their nearest rivals as well as taking third in the grand prix.'Absolutely amazing!' was Amy's delighted response 'I still can't believe it, I'm such a wet and cried when they played the National Anthem but it means so much. It's been such a beautiful show and Macbrian has been brilliant, I couldn't fault him! It was so hot but he coped really well, he was maybe a little bit tired for the freestyle but that's often no bad thing as he does have a tendency to get tense.' Amy explained: 'We've been working on our transitions between piaffe and passage and they're so much better, our pirouettes felt good too but there's still lots of room for improvement. That's no bad thing and we're just hoping to keep our percentages up now.' Amy is a member of the World Class Development Squad which aims to identify and support talent upcoming talent in the sports of dressage, para dressage, show jumping and eventing. She and Macbrian will now compete at Vierzon CDI, France, 7-11 July and also plan to campaign Hickstead CDI later this month. Meanwhile fellow Brit Henriette Andersen improved on a disappointing 16th in the grand prix with Louis D'or to finish 5th in the grand prix freestyle with 69.15% Amy Stovold is currently searching for a different sort of horsepower click here for more information General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=489 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?489 Do you have the equestrian fashion accessory of 2010 yet? Equestrian Team GBR and Hiho Silver joined forces to launch a beautiful silver bracelet with red carnelian, blue lapis lazuli and white pearls - the stylish way to show support for the British Equestrian Teams. A generous donation is made for every bracelet sold to help the teams on their quest to win gold now and in the future and they are available to order online at www.hihosilver.co.uk. The bracelets retail at just 40 with 20% of every sale donated to Equestrian Team GBR. The British Equestrian Teams are currently seeking funding to support their trip the World Equestrian Games, which are being held in Kentucky, USA in October. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting do not receive funding for the event. Team GBR also utilise funds raised to support up and coming riders, in conjunction with the UK Sport funded World Class Programme, to ensure a golden future for the sport. 'We are delighted to partner with Hiho to extend the Team GBR products available to our supporters,' said Will Connell, Team GBR Performance Director. 'I know that Equestrian Team GBR has huge support throughout the country and we want to give supporters more opportunities to get involved in anyway we can - this is a great product and also a great opportunity to continue to fundraise for the Teams' 'Hiho are extremely proud to be a fundraiser for Team GBR,' said Andrew Ransford, Managing Director of Hiho Silver. 'The bracelets have been hugely popular and are quickly becoming this summer's equestrian fashion accessory.' Keep up with the British Equestrian teams at www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk where you can also sign up for FREE to Team GBR Ontrack - the official supporters club for the teams. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=487 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?487 British Reiner Tammy Greaves and her horse Magic of Whizz have been crowned Intermediate Non Pro European Reining Champions. Tammy (22) from New Milton in Hampshire scooped the title while riding at the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Championships which are being held in Switzerland. Tammy has also recently been announced as one of the Team GBR reiners who'll be competing at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA. (25 September - 10 October). Reining is a sport designed to show the athletic ability of a western type of horse in a show arena. In reining, competitors are required to run one of several approved patterns, each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs, 360 degree spins, back ups and exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse. 'I'm absolutely over the moon to have won,' said Tammy. 'It was a really tough and tense competition - I could hardly watch the other riders compete. But it was all really worthwhile; that feeling you get when you are on the podium and they play the national anthem is amazing. I feel so proud and chuffed to bits with how Whizz performed, so we're spoiling him rotten with a lorry load of carrots!' Tammy has a long record of western riding successes since achieving the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) International Youth Rookie Rider title in 2001. She represented Great Britain as a member of the AQHA Youth World Cup Teams during 2002, 2004 and 2006. In 2005 she became NRHA European Youth Reining Champion and Limited Non-pro European Champion. In 2007 she regained the NRHA European Youth Reining Champion title, before going on to compete on the British Team at the FEI European Reining Championships firstly in France and then as a member of the Bronze Medal winning team in Germany in 2009. Tammy was also a proud member of the British team that came fourth at the very first FEI World Reining Championships at Manerbio in Italy in 2008. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the World Equestrian Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. Specific information about Reining is available at www.britishreining.co.uk. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25 September to Sunday 10 October with the reining competition taking place between Saturday 25 September and Thursday 30 September. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=488 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?488 Following a training weekend in Cheshire with Team Coach Jonquil Hemming, the Pony Selection Committee is delighted to announce the squad of six riders and reserves that have been selected for the 2010 Pony European Championships at Bishop Burton, 29 July - 1 August 2010. The squad will now have a final run at Shipton Moyne, Gloucestershire, on Tuesday 6th July in the Open Novice before heading to the Championships. Chairman of Pony Selectors, Ginnie Keen comments: 'Selection has been tough this year and has taken longer than anticipated. We are now confident that we have a strong and competitive squad to take to Bishop Burton.' Click here for a full list of the Pony Squad riders and reserves. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=484 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?484 The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has appointed Alec Lochore as its Eventing Manager. Alec, from Brancaster in Norfolk, will be responsible for the delivery of the Eventing competitions. Eventing takes place over four days at the London 2012 Olympic Games and consists of Dressage, Jumping and Cross Country. Eventing includes team and individual events for 75 competitors. He will work closely with LOCOG's equestrian manager Tim Hadaway to ensure that the Eventing competitions at Greenwich Park are organised and conducted in accordance with the international federation (FEI) rules and meet all FEI and International Olympic Committee requirements, and that a first class event is delivered at Greenwich Park. He will lead on the day-to-day project management and operational planning for the discipline of Eventing within the Equestrian programme. He will also manage the planning and development of the cross country course working closely with course designer Sue Benson and builders London Eventing. With input from the FEI and the British Equestrian Federation including British Eventing, Alec will ensure a high quality team of officials and volunteers is put in place to run the competition. He will also play a leading part in planning the Olympic test event, an eventing competition to be held in Greenwich Park in July 2011. Alec commented: 'I am thrilled to be taking on this role, working in a setting such as Greenwich Park, with its unique history, setting and undulations. It is wonderful to be part of an Olympics on home soil and I am honoured to be part of such a unique event and being part of a team that is working hard to deliver a first class equestrian event.' Mike Etherington-Smith, Chief Executive of British Eventing, said: 'I am delighted that Alec is taking on this very important and key role. His organisation and officiating experience at all levels of the sport combined with the contacts that he has made in recent years make him the ideal person for this position. I am sure that he will do a fantastic job as part of the team to deliver London 2012.' Tim Hadaway commented: 'I'm thrilled to be able to appoint Alec to this vital role. Eventing is a complex competition and it is important that that the discipline is headed up by someone who not only has extensive experience of putting on leading international events but also has a much broader experience as a former competitor at the highest level and now a leading official within the sport. He knows what is expected from all parties.' Alec is a highly experienced Event Manager and the founder and manager of a leading eventing management company, and now Event Director of three of this country's most popular international events; Burnham Market International Horse Trials, Houghton International Horse Trials, and Blair Castle International Three Day Event. In total he has ten years experience running over 50 national and international horse trials. He has also been a member of the Board of directors of British Eventing and Chairman of the National Safety Committee of British Eventing, and FEI Technical Delegate and Course Designer. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=485 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?485 Sharon Hunt (GBR) enjoyed the biggest thrill of her long partnership with Tankers Town when the fleet-footed gelding gave her a first CCI4* win, at Luhmühlen, presented by E.ON Avacon, the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classicsandtrade;. 'I'm shocked,' said the 32-year-old, 'but I always knew he was a phenomenal horse.' The optimum time of 90 seconds proved extremely difficult on the spacious Jumping track and only nine out of the 32 finishers avoided collecting time penalties. Tankers Town lowered the third fence, but Hunt kept up a good speed and did not incur any other penalties, giving her the slimmest of leads - just 0.2 of a penalty - over Ingrid Klimke (GER), whose chances of a first CCI4* win disappeared when she had both parts of the double at five down. 'The course really suited my horse because he is so good at jumping fast,' explained Hunt. Andrew Nicholson (NZL), who jumped a beautiful clear round - one of only two without time faults - on the elegant grey Mr Cruise Control, rose three places to fourth. He was also 10th on Armada, and has now gained a foothold on the HSBC FEI Classicsandtrade; rankings.'I think they (the HSBC FEI Classicsandtrade;) are a very good thing for the sport because they are encouraging more riders to go to these CCI4* events and that is good for the sport,' he said, signalling his intention to take horses to both Burghley and Pau. Lucy Wiegersma (GBR) also had two horses in the top 10: Woodfalls Inigo Jones, sixth, and Granntevka Prince, ninth. There were five British horses in the final top 10, the others being Ashdale Cruise Master (Oliver Townend), who dropped two places after hitting fence three and incurring eight time faults, and Apache Sauce, who rose two places to seventh for Mary King. The HSBC Training Bursary, worth US$1,000 to the highest-placed CCI4* first-timer, was awarded to French rider Regis Prud'hon (FRA), who finished 12th on Debiut with a clear Jumping round. Sharon Hunt's victory is the culmination of a 12-year partnership. Her parents bought Tankers Town, an Irish Sport Horse by Diamond Clover, as a four-year-old and she produced him herself. Hunt gained her first Union flag competing as an individual at the 2006 World Equestrian Games on Tankers Town and was a member of Britain's bronze medal team at the 2008 Olympics. Her previous best CCI4* result was fifth at Badminton in 2008. She has recently moved to a new base in Kent, England, and is now trained in Dressage by former British team rider Anna Ross-Davies. When asked if she will be attending any more of the HSBC FEI Classicsandtrade;, Hunt said: 'Obviously, I now hope that I will be on an aeroplane to Kentucky, but if that doesn't come off I shall certainly be at Burghley trying to win some money!' Results 1 Sharon Hunt/Tankers Town (GBR) 43.0 + 0 + 4 = 47.0 2 Ingrid Klimke/FRH Butts Abraxxas (GER) 39.2 + 0 4/4 = 47.2 3 Andreas Dibowski/FRH Fantasia (GER) 44.2 + 0 + 4 = 48.2 4 Andrew Nicholson/Mr Cruise Control (NZL) 48.2 + 0.8 + 0 = 49.0 5 Oliver Townend/Ashdale Cruise Master (GBR) 42.8 + 0.8 + 4/4 = 51.6 6 Lucy Wiegersma/Woodfalls Inigo Jones (GBR) 44.8 + 0 + 4/4 = 52.8 7 Mary King/Apache Sauce (GBR) 51.0 + 1.6 + 8 = 52.6 8 Andreas Ostholt/Franco Jeans (GER) 53.3 + 0 + 8 = 61.3 9 Lucy Wiegersma/Granntevka Prince (GBR) 48.2 + 2.8 + 8/5 = 64.0 10 Andrew Nicholson/Armada (NZL) 58.5 + 0 + 2/4 = 64.5 Follow the event on www.luhmuehlen.de FEI TV: Luhmühlen will be shown on FEI TV; visit www.feitv.org HSBC FEI Classicsandtrade; Standings (after 3 of 5 events) 1 Andreas Dibowski 22 2 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) 15 3 Paul Tapner (AUS) 15 4 Sharon Hunt (GBR) 15 5 Ingrid Klimke (GER) 12 6 Phillip Dutton (USA) 12 7 Mary King (GBR) 12 8 Becky Holder (USA) 10 9 Daisy Berkeley (GBR) 10 10 Andrew Nicholson (NZL) 8 HSBC FEI Classicsandtrade; Calendar of Events in 2010 1. 21-25 April - Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) 2. 30 April - 03 May - Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR) 3. 17-20 June - Luhmühlen presented by E.ON Avacon (GER) 4. 2-5 September - Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR) 5. 4-7 November- Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA) Prize Money HSBC will contribute US$ 1million to the series over the next three years. Prize-money is awarded, as follows, to the top five riders on the leaderboard after the fifth and final event: WINNERS OF THE 2009 SEASON 1. Oliver Townend (GBR) - US$ 150,000 (Series champion); 2. Dirk Schrade (GER) - US$ 75,000; 3. Andreas Dibowski - (GER) US$ 50,000; 4. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) - US$ 33,000; 5. Sam Griffiths (AUS) - US$ 25,000 General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=486 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?486 Joanne Eccles is the current leader of the international rankings for 2010 so far, being unbeaten this year it is not surprising to find Joanne in this position. But her sister Hannah who with consistently improving scores as the year has gone on has shot into 2nd place behind her sister, ahead of other very strong competition. Both girls along with the other Team GBR vaulters are working hard to raise funds for their WEG trip in September, and are currently fitting it around their busy preparation for the CVIO in Aachen 9-11th July, which is seen as a warm up for WEG. Summary: SENIOR FEMALE 1 Joanne Eccles 2 Hannah Eccles 42 Lucy Phillips 79 Louise Sinclair SENIORMALES: 21 Ross Foreman JUNIOR FEMALE: 54 Brogan Moffat 83 Elliose Cundy 107 Helen Anderson The ranking are based of the average of a competitors 3 best scores in a year, For Ranking info see: http://www.vaultingclub.com/Downloads/Ranking/SENIOR%20Female%20Individuals.pdf General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=483 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?483 Bob Ellis (GBR) has been appointed as the Jumping course designer for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The appointment of the British designer, who produced the courses for last year's Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships, was announced by London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG). Ellis will be responsible for the courses for all the Jumping competitions and also for the Jumping test of the Eventing at the Olympic venue in Greenwich Park. He will be supported by an experienced international team which includes Kelvin Bywater (GBR), Stephen Renouard (GBR), Bernardo Costa Cabral (POR) and Alan Wade (IRL). Working closely with LOCOG's equestrian events manager Tim Hadaway, Ellis will develop design concepts for fences that showcase the themes of UK culture, London's heritage and landmarks, and the history of Greenwich itself. He will also oversee Jumping courses for the test event in July 2011.'The FEI welcomes the appointment of Bob Ellis as course designer for the London 2012 Olympic Games', said John Roche, FEI Director Jumping. 'Bob has proved his talent as a course designer at the top level of the sport and it is wonderful that he is being given the opportunity to showcase that talent on home turf at the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian venue in Greenwich Park.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=481 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?481 Great Britain has finished in second place in the fourth leg of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup in Rotterdam, Netherlands this afternoon. An outstanding clear round from British pathfinder Peter Charles with Olga White's Murka's Pom d'Ami, followed by rounds of just a single time fault from both David McPherson and Chamberlain Z and John Whitaker riding Rebecca Stones' Peppermill, saw the British contingent finish the first round on just two penalties, in second place behind the American's on a zero score. Scott Brash riding Stanley Brash's Intertoy Z were extremely unlucky to finish the first round with four faults. The American Team held their form, with clear rounds coming thick and fast and managed to take victory on a zero score. Superb second round performances from the British squad saw Peter yet again leave all of the fences in tact, but sadly crossing the finishing line outside of the time allowed, meant he clocked up a single time penalty. David unfortunately lowered a single pole for just four faults, as did Scott, whilst John pulled a classy foot perfect clear round out of the bag to secure second place for his country.2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup Round 4 - Rotterdam, Netherlands 1st United States of America - 0 faults 2nd Great Britain - 7 faults Peter Charles andamp; Murka's Pom d'Ami - 0/1 David McPherson andamp; Chamberlain Z - 1/4 Scott Brash andamp; Intertoy Z - (4)/(4) John Whitaker andamp; Peppermill - 1/0 () = discard score 3rd The Netherlands - 8 faults 4th Germany - 9 faults =5th Spain - 12 faults =5th France - 12 faults =7th Switzerland - 24 faults =7th Ireland - 24 faults 9th Sweden 10th Poland Today's result sees Great Britain retain second place on the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup leaderboard. France hold on to their lead by eight points with the United States in third. The Grand Prix of Rotterdam takes place on Sunday 20th June 2010 commencing 13:30 GMT. Results can be followed at www.chio.nl. For all the latest news, information, standings, results and more information on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org. The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport Lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=482 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?482 With just 100 days until the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (25 September - 10 October) Team GBR is launching its official guide to give you an insight into the Championships.The Team GBR guide to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games provides an overview to the Games together with essential information on the eight disciplines that take to the World stage in Kentucky, USA. As well as a schedule for the competition, it also includes information on the British teams - past performances, horses and riders as they are selected, together with its key support staff. The guide will be regularly updated and circulated again before the Games - with an interactive version also available soon.'We appreciate that much of the nation's focus right now is on the soccer World Cup!' said Will Connell, World Class Performance Director, British Equestrian Federation. 'But with not long until the World Equestrian Games, Team GBR is gearing up for its quest for success and the opportunity of hopefully bringing home more World Championship titles.' Equestrianism has a good track record at World Championships - the British Para-equestrian dressage team are currently World Champions, with four riders also being individual champions, while Zara Philips holds the eventing World Championship title (and the team hold silver). The British dressage team won silver at last year's European Championships while Laura Bechtolsheimer picked up the individual bronze. And Joanne Eccles, the very successful British vaulter, holds the European Vaulting Championship title. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Lexington, Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25 September to Sunday 10 October. The guide is available to be downloaded at http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/cms/files/Final_WEG_Guide_-_Final.pdf General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=480 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?480 The fourth round of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup takes place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands this coming Friday. World Class Performance Manager Rob Hoekstra has announced his squad which will feature the following riders:John Whitaker from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire will ride Rebecca Stones' thirteen year-old bay stallion, Peppermill. This will be the pairing's third Team appearance so far this year, having jumped clear rounds in both Rome and St Gallen, as well as finishing in second place in the 200,000andeuro; Rome Grand Prix.Peter Charles from Alton in Hampshire will partner Olga White's eleven year-old bay gelding, Murka's Pom d'Ami. This combination have featured on all three British Teams in each round of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup Series so far, producing three foot perfect clear rounds including a double clear in Round 1 in La Baule.David McPherson from Maidstone in Kent with his own nine year-old grey gelding Chamberlain Z. A relatively new ride for David who have achieved tremendous success in Europe already this year with several Grand Prix placings. Rotterdam will be this combination's British Nations cup debut.Scott Brash from Peeblesshire in Scotland with the eleven year-old bay gelding Intertoy Z, owned by Scott's father Stanley Brash. This combination will be looking to emulate their Meydan FEI Nations Cup debut in Round 1 in La Baule, where they jumped a perfect second round clear.Gemma Paternoster from Elstead in Surrey with her own fourteen year-old bay gelding Osiris. The 2006 European Young Rider Champions will be making their Meydan FEI Nations Cup debut in Rotterdam, having previously represented their country at four star level. Gemma and Osiris were recently part of the victorious British Nations Cup Team in Linz, Austria. Great Britain currently lies in second place on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup Leaderboard. France are currently running away with the lead following three wins out of a possible three, with Germany in third. The Meydan FEI Nations Cup takes place on Friday 18th June 2010 at 13:30 GMT and the Grand Prix of Rotterdam on Sunday 20th June 2010, also commencing at 13:30 GMT. Results can be followed at www.chio.nl. For all the latest news, information, standings, results and more information on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org. The British Show Jumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=479 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?479 Following a closely fought Charles Owen British Pony Championships at Brand Hall in Shropshire last weekend, British Eventing's Pony Selectors are delighted to announce a shortlist of nine riders who are in contention for selection for this year's European Championships at Bishop Burton (29 July - 1 August 2010). Those shortlisted will attend a training weekend on the 26th andamp; 27th June after which the squad and reserves will be announced. The squad will then have a final run at Shipton Moyne, Gloucestershire, on the 6 andamp; 7 July in the Open Novice, before heading to the European Championships. Chairman of Pony Selectors, Ginnie Keen commented: 'We have many good combinations in contention this year which makes it difficult to select the squad straight after Brand Hall. The decision to select after the training weekend will allow us to have assessed all the ponies so we can ensure we have the strongest possible squad to take to Bishop Burton.' Shortlisted Riders in alphabetical order General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=478 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?478 In her last year of being eligible, twenty five year old Gemma Tattersall from Horsham, West Sussex, was crowned the British Under-25 Champion at Bramham International Horse Trials CCI3* this weekend. The overall winner of the Under-25 CCI3* was Frenchman, Donatien Schauly riding his own, Seculaire. They lay in fourth after dressage but good performances cross country and Show Jumping put him at the top of the leader board at the end of the competition. They become the first ever French combination to win the Under-25 section at Bramham. Donatien also went home the proud owner of a new saddle, courtesy of The Worshipful Company of Saddlers for the highest placed over 21 year old rider in the Under-25 section. Gemma Tattersal, riding Christopher Stone's Kings Gem, finished in Second place behind Donatein on her dressage score of 51.7 and claimed the British Under-25 title. Gemma, who is a member of the UK Sport Funded World Class Development Programme, last won a nation title in 2004 when she won the British Under-21 Championships with Jesters Quest at Weston Park. Newly crowned National Under-25 Champion Gemma said of the event: 'all three phases just really came together - I feel the horse and I have really formed a great partnership; she absolutely jumped her heart little heart out!' Gemma hopes to make her CCI4* debut with the mare at Pau later this year. The French had a very good weekend all round in the Under-25 section with Maxime Livio and Jaipur II taking third place after posting a superb double clear. Fourth place and British Under-25 runner up went to Flora Harris, riding her own Law Choice. The pair had a good start to the season clocking up placings in the CIC3* at both Barroca and Chatsworth. The highest placed of this year's Young Rider Team contenders was nineteen year old Tom McEwen riding Marguerite Boucher and Penelope Buckler's Major Sweep who finished in eighth place. Dressage leaders Laura Collett with Ginger-May Killinghurst picked up an unfortunate twenty penalties on the cross country but produced a clear show jumping round on the final day to put her in twelfth place. For full results of the 2010 Bramham International Horse Trials go to the fixtures pages on www.britisheventing.com or head straight to www.bramham-horse.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=477 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?477 A leading para-equestrian dressage rider from Newark, Nottingham outshone other sporting stars by winning a Sports Performance Award. Sophie Wells (20) who is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Performance Programme, picked up the accolade at the inaugural Performance Awards held last week (27 May). From thousands of nominees, Sophie was selected for the shortlist of three - which included Tom Daley and Jessica Ennis - and went on to win. The award, which was presented by Lord Coe and TV journalist and presenter Kate Silverton, was awarded for not only sporting achievements but also for what challenges have been faced and the journey to get there. 'I was so shocked to win the award - it still hasn't sunk in,' said Sophie. 'It's a real honor to be recognised in this way, especially when I was up against such stiff competition - Tom and Jessica are such inspirational athletes.' Lord Coe said of his involvement in the awards: 'I am delighted to support The Performance Awards. By telling great stories, we hope to inspire others to consider what they want to achieve in their lives and think of ways in which they begin to fulfill their own potential." Sophie is classified as a grade IV rider - she was born with amniotic band syndrome, a condition caused by the lining of the amniotic sac coming away from the womb before birth. The lining trapped her fingers and ankles, which meant she lost some of her fingers and parts of others and has limited movement in her hands and feet. Despite being only 20 Sophie has already enjoyed considerable sporting success, in 2008 she became the National Grade IV Champion and was also selected as first reserve for the Paralympics. In 2009 she won triple Gold (Team, Individual and Freestyle) at the European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships. Sophie also regularly competes in able-bodied competitions and won the junior riders international class at the Hickstead Under-21 international in 2008 - becoming the first para-equestrian rider to win an able-bodied international competition. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. The Performance Awards have been created by Scottish international performance consultant, Gerry Rose who put together a renowned independent panel to identify breakthrough achievements and encourage future talent across six diverse categories. The Panel chaired by Lord Coe, included Sir John Whitmore, Dame Sheila Wallis, Kanya King MBE and award winning chef, Marcus Wareing. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=475 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?475 Great Britain has finished in third place in this afternoon's third leg of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup, taking place in St Gallen, Switzerland. The first round produced only four clear rounds, and once again it was the 'on-form' French squad who led at the halfway mark, laying claim to two of the four clears. The British contingent found themselves in third place after the first round on a total score of fifteen penalties. Pathfinder Peter Charles with Murka's Pom d'Ami, the first of the British to enter the arena, jumped a superb clear round only to clock up an unfortunate single time penalty. Ben Maher and Robin Hood W came next and crossed the finishing line on a total of nine penalties. Michael Whitaker and GIG Amai II finished on a total of seventeen penalties to become the discard score, whilst anchorman John Whitaker and Peppermill were unlucky to finish with five penalties. The second round saw Peter and Murka's Pom d'Ami drop a hind foot on the back rail of the final oxer for a very unlucky four faults whilst Ben and Robin Hood W pulled out all the stops to produce a fantastic foot perfect clear round. Michael Whitaker and GIG Amai II were sadly unable to start, however John Whitaker and Peppermill emulated Ben's second round performance, also chalking up another foot perfect clear and securing third place. Meydan FEI Nations Cup Round 3 - St Gallen Friday 4th June 2010 1st France - 8 penalties 2nd Germany - 13 penalties 3rd Great Britain - 19 penalties Peter Charles andamp; Murka's Pom d'Ami - 1/4 Ben Maher andamp; Robin Hood W - 9/0 Michael Whitaker andamp; GIG Amai II - (17)/(NS) John Whitaker andamp; Peppermill - 5/0 4th Ireland - 28 penalties 5th Switzerland - 30 penalties 6th Spain - 32 penalties 7th United States - 39 penalties 8th The Netherlands - 42 penalties 9th Sweden 10th Poland Full results can be viewed at www.csio.ch. This afternoon's result see's Great Britain retain second place on the series points table. France remains unbeaten and currently tops the table with maximum points with Germany in third. For more information regarding the Meydan Nations Cup Series please visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org. The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=476 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?476 Great Britain finished in second place in the second leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup, held in the Piazza di Siena in Rome on Friday afternoon. British pathfinder Nick Skelton riding Beverley Widdowson's Carlo 273 opened the British account with a very unlucky four faults in the first round. He was followed by Peter Charles with Olga White's Murka's Pom d'Ami, fresh from their double clear in La Baule just a couple of weeks ago, once again they chalked up yet another foot perfect first round clear. Ben Maher and Robin Hood W, a horse Ben co-owns with Mike and Emma Phillips of the Quainton Stud, finished the first round with an uncharacteristic sixteen faults, whilst anchorman John Whitaker had a challenging ride from Rebecca Stones' Peppermill, and were also extremely unlucky to finish with just a single pole on the floor. Finishing the first round on a total score of eight, Rob Hoekstra's squad dug deep and finished the second round on a zero score with foot perfect clears coming from Nick, Ben and John, with Peter lowering a single rail for four faults. A very polished French squad emulated their performance in La Baule at the beginning of the month by taking their second victory of the series, with third place being shared between Ireland and Spain. CSIO5* Rome ITA Meydan FEI Nations Cup - Round 2 Friday 28th May 2010 1st France - 4 faults 2nd Great Britain - 8 faults Nick Skelton andamp; Carlo 273 - 4/0 Peter Charles andamp; Murka's Pom d'Ami - 0/(4) Ben Maher andamp; Robin Hood W - (16)/0 John Whitaker andamp; Peppermill - 4/0 =3rd Ireland 12 =3rd Spain 12 5th Germany 16 6th United States 20 7th Italy 24 8th Switzerland 28 9th Sweden 32 10th Netherlands 11th Poland Full results can be viewed at www.piazzadisiena.com. Friday afternoon's result see's Great Britain climb into second place on the series points table. With two victories under their belt France currently top the table with maximum points with the USA in third. For more information regarding the Meydan Nations Cup Series please visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org. The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=472 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?472 The British Showjumping Team turn their focus to the third leg of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup, taking place in St Gallen, Switzerland this Friday (4th June 2010). World Class Showjumping Performance Manager Rob Hoekstra, makes one change to the squad who finished runners-up in Rome last week, replacing Nick Skelton with twenty-five year old Scott Brash. The full squad is as follows:John Whitaker from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire with Rebecca Stones' thirteen year-old bay stallion Peppermill. This combination finished runners up in the 200,000andeuro; Grand Prix in Rome last week and lowered just a single pole across the two rounds of the Nations Cup.Michael Whitaker from Whatton in Nottinghamshire will ride Beatrice Mertens' GIG Amai II, a ten year-old dark bay gelding. This partnership will be hoping to emulate their performance at the first leg competition in La Baule at the beginning of May where they produced a faultless first round clear.Scott Brash from Peeblesshire in Scotland will ride Intertoy Z, an eleven year-old black gelding owned by Scott's father, Stanley Brash. Scott will be hoping to repeat his performance in La Baule, when on his Top Level Nations Cup debut he produced a foot perfect clear round.Peter Charles from Alton in Hampshire will partner Olga White's eleven year-old bay gelding Murka's Pom d'Ami. This combination produced a double clear round in the Nations Cup in La Baule and were unlucky to have a single fence down for just four faults across the two rounds of the Nations Cup in Rome last week.Ben Maher from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire will ride Robin Hood W, a twelve year-old bay gelding Ben co-owns with Mike and Emma Phillips of the Quainton Stud. This partnership also featured on the British squad in Rome last week where they too produced a fault free second round in the Nations Cup. Following their superb second place in Rome, Great Britain currently holds second place on the series points table. With two victories under their belt France currently top the table with maximum points with the USA in third. For all the latest news, information, standings, results and more information on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org. The Nations Cup in St Gallen takes place on Friday 4th June at 12.30pm BST. You can follow the action at www.csio.ch. The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=474 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?474 British Reining have today announced their selection for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The selected team comprises: • Doug Allen• Tammy Greaves• Lee Rutter• Francesca Sternberg• Jessica Sternberg Adam Heaton, Reining Chef d'Equipe said on the team selection:"Following our Bronze medal at the European Championships last year, I am thrilled to be taking such a talented team of riders out to the World Equestrian Games. The progress that the team has made over the past four years is in no small part down to the commitment that British Reining Council has shown to the team and I thank them for selecting such a strong and well-balanced team." The horses competing in the reining competition will be confirmed in due course. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme staff during the World Equestrian Games, do not receive direct funding for the event from the Programme. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet; generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activities can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the Team GBR website, including the opportunity to sign up for FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details. The Games take place in Kentucky, USA from Saturday 25th September to Sunday 10th October with the reining competition taking place between Saturday 25th September and Thursday 30th September. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=470 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?470 European Champion Joanne Eccles won the inaugural CVI**Neeroeteren at the weekend. Joanne put on another polished performance to lead the pack again with a good margin. Simone Wiegele and Antje Hil form Germany filled the next two spots, but Antje had to fight for the 3rd spot as Hannah Eccles GBR (Joanne's sister) was so close and the two girls swapped places through the 4 rounds, but it was Antje who finally took the higher place in the end. Both girls competed on their regular horse WH Bentley lunged by their father John Eccles. The Eccles sisters then also won the Pas de deax class by a huge margin, a new championship class comprising of 2 rounds of freestyle. They score a very high 8.0, this was the first time the girls competed internationally in this class. They competed on their individual horse WH Bentley, lunged by their father John Eccles. The Scottish Equestrian vaulting Team (SEVT) put on a very solid performance to achieve 6.3 and finish 6th in a very competitive class. The team was lunged by Amanda McLachlan on their horse Tylers Kernal. In the junior individual Elliose Cundy (14) in her first international finished 16th on 6.1 achieving a international qualifying score and it was a very good performance as she competed on a borrowed horse from John Eccles that she sat on for the first time on Friday! Helen finished just behind in 23th. Results summary: CVI** Female individual 1st Joanne Eccles GBR 8.359 2nd Simone Wiegele GER 8.007 3rd Antje Hill GER 7.983 4th Hannah Eccles GBR 7.921 5th Simone Jaiser SUI 7.766 6th Kristina Boe Germany 7.542 Pas de deux: 1st Joanne Eccles andamp; Hannah Eccles GBR 8.077 2nd Esther andamp; Cyndy Sneekes NED 6.6 CVI* TEAM: 1st RPZ Peiler-Hamm GER 7.331 6th Scottish Equestrian Vaulting Team 6.399 CVI* Indivdiual Female 16th Elliose Cundy GBR 6.1 23rd Helen Anderson GBR 5.2 General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=471 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?471 Listen to an interview with Lucy Bell, British Equestrian Vaulting Chef d'Equipe on Spirit FM ahead of the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Visit the Spirit Sport website to listen to the interview. Keep up with all the news from Kentucky by signing up FREE to Team GBR Ontrack. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=473 Fri, 28 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?473 Current senior female European Vaulting Champion, Joanne Eccles from Tillicoutry in Scotland, continued her run of great results and took the individual female title at the Wiesbaden Vaulting Masters CVI in Germany this weekend (22 - 23 May), for the second year running. Using her own horse WH Bentley, lunged by her father John Eccles, Joanne (21), finished on a impressive score of 8.970, ahead of AntJi Hill and Simone Wiegele from Germany. Joanne said: 'I'm really pleased with my performance, especially as the World Equestrian Games (WEG) isn't far off now. I'm keen to maintain my form in the lead up to Kentucky so I think it's really important to compete at these kind of competitions as the standard is very high - the two German girls who came second and third are also competing at WEG. It's also good to compete in front of different judges and I'm looking forward to next week's competition in Belgium.' Hannah Eccles, Joanne's sister finished an impressive fourth, just behind the two Germans on a final score of 8.443. Both girls now head straight to Belgium for the new international CVI there next weekend where they will compete in both the individual class and the Pas de Deux together. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. A World Champion will be crowned in each of these disciplines. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting, although supported where possible by the World Class Programme, do not receive direct funding for the event. Both Joanne and Hannah are part of the British Vaulting Team going to WEG and are currently trying to raise 12,000 to get their horse to Kentucky. A variety of fundraising initiatives have been launched to help support the trip to Kentucky for all the British teams. These include an online auction with new exclusive lots added each month and the opportunity to buy Team GBR merchandise which ranges from clothing to a recently launched silver bracelet, generous donations are made to the teams for all items sold. Further information about all the fundraising activity can be found on the official Team GBR website. All the news and behind the scenes views in the run up to and during the Games can be found on the official website, including the opportunity to sign up FREE as a Team GBR Supporter to receive regular updates. Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for more details Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=468 Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?468 The second leg of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup takes place at the Piaza di Siena, In Rome, Italy, this coming Friday (28th May). World Class Showjumping Performance Manager, Rob Hoekstra has named his five man squad who will carry the hopes of the nation in Friday's Italian leg of the 2010 series. Michael Whitaker from Whatton in Nottinghamshire will partner Beatrice Merten's ten year-old dark bay gelding GIG Amai II. This partnership will be hoping to emulate their performance at the first leg competition in La Baule a few weeks ago where they produced a faultless first round clear. John Whitaker from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire aboard Rebecca Stones' thirteen year-old bay stallion Peppermill, make a welcome return to the British squad following a recent rest period. Renown for their top form at Rome, having won the Grand Prix and jumping double clear rounds in the Nations Cup competitions in Rome in both 2008 and 2009, the combination will be looking to chalk up yet another fault free performance. Fresh from their superb double clear in the La Baule Nations Cup just a couple of weeks ago, Peter Charles from Alton in Hampshire will ride Murka's Pom d'Ami, an eleven year-old bay gelding owned by Olga White and Team Murka. Nick Skelton will ride Beverley Widdowson's nine year-old grey gelding Carlo 273, this on-form partnership recently finished in runner-up spot in the 300,000andeuro; Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in La Mandria, Italy. Ben Maher will ride the twelve year-old bay gelding Robin Hood W, a horse Ben co-owns with Mike and Emma Phillips of the Quainton Stud. This combination formed part of the British Team in Rome in 2009 where they finished both rounds with just four faults. The Rome Nations Cup takes place on Friday 28th May 2010 at 2.10pm BST. More information can be found at www.piazadisiena.com. For all the latest news, information, standings, results and more information on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup visit www.meydanfeinationscup.org. Meanwhile, Di Lampard will act as Chef d'Equipe to the British Squad competing as 'Team Champion' at CSIO4* Lisbon in Portugal this weekend. The squad that will represent their country this year are: Tim Stockdale from Roade in Northamptonshire will partner Colin Garratt's, Fresh Direct Kalico Bay. Having gained considerable international experience over the past two years including placings at Dublin and Spruce Meadows, along with a victory in the Canteleu Grand Prix in June 2009, the nine year-old bay gelding will make his British Team debut in Lisbon. He will be joined by Robert Bevis from Wrexham in Clwyd who will ride Kate Mustill's nine year-old grey gelding Courtney 6. This combination has recently returned from a very successful Spanish Sunshine Tour where they finished in third place in one of the Grand Prix's. William Funnell from Dorking in Surrey will make his first British Team appearance since 2008 where he will ride Billy Congo owned by the Billy Stud. Having stepped up to international competition at the beginning of this year, the combination have already enjoyed top placings in several Grand Prix's around Europe, the nine year-old brown stallion will also be making his British Team debut in Lisbon. Charlotte Platt and her own thirteen year-old brown mare Paulien II, will make a welcome return to the British Squad, their last appearance having produced a flawless performance to jump the sole double clear round at the Hickstead leg of the 2008 Samsung Super League series. The Portugese Nations Cup takes place on Sunday 30th May and further information can be found at www.csiolisboa.com. 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 Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=469 Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?469 Amongst the best of the best in the world, Joanne and Hannah will be competing on their own W. H. Bentley, lunged by their father John Eccles. This is the 3rd consecutive invitation for Joanne to compete and she hopes to retain the title she won here last year. This will be the first time Hannah has competed at this event. Both girls have had a great start to the year, Joanne being unbeaten, having won in France and Holland and Hannah finishing 4th and 5th behind her sister. They are both working hard to fund raise the 11,000 to take their horse to WEG in Kentucky in September for which they have already been selected for. For more information see www.vaulting.org Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=464 Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?464 Talented young show jumper, Charlotte Platt from Henfield, West Sussex, achieved second place at the Alltech Royal Windsor Grand Prix this weekend (Sunday 16 May). Charlotte, 23, who is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme, rode Paulien, a 13-year-old mare, in a thrilling Alltech Grand Prix on the final day of this year's Royal Windsor Horse Show. The grand finale to an action-packed week of show jumping, spectators to the Grand Prix were treated to an exciting final competition. Seven of the 23 starters jumped the course clear to go forward to the jump-off, in which the order of riders was decided by the time taken to complete the first round. The second of only three riders to jump clear in the second round, Charlotte missed out on first place by only 0.29 of a second, as John Whitaker on Uniek caught Charlotte's leading time to claim the 4,100 first prize. Fellow World Class Development rider Daniel Moseley secured third place riding Kepi D'elle. Charlotte commented: 'I am immensely proud to have picked up second in the competition and it was a great experience. Paulien injured her leg in La Baule last May, meaning she had most of the year off to recover. This was her first big event and it's fantastic to see her back on form and performing to such a high standard. I'm taking her to Lisbon on Sunday for the Nations Cup and am aiming for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in October - hopefully our success will continue!' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=465 Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?465 Talented young show jumper, Daniel Moseley from Blyth, near Worksop, achieved third place at the Alltech Royal Windsor Grand Prix this weekend (Sunday 16 May). Daniel, 20, who is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme, rode Carol Toliver's Kepi D'elle, an 11-year-old French-bred, bay stallion, in a thrilling Alltech Grand Prix on the final day of this year's Royal Windsor Horse Show. The grand finale to an action-packed week of show jumping, spectators to the Grand Prix were treated to an exciting final competition. Seven of the 23 starters jumped the course clear to go forward to the jump-off, in which the order of riders was decided by the time taken to complete the first round. The first of only three riders to jump clear in the second round, Daniel missed out on first place as John Whitaker on Uniek caught runner-up Charlotte Platt's leading time to claim the 4,100 first prize. Charlotte Platt, only 0.29 of a second behind John Whitaker, is a fellow rider on the World Class Development Programme. Daniel commented: 'I'm immensely proud to have picked up a third in the competition and it was a great experience. Kepi D'elle has been jumping really well and is consistently performing to a high standard. I'll be taking him to the Senior Nations Cup in Poland on 10 June, so hopefully we'll continue to achieve some great results.' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=466 Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?466 Talented young show jumper, Sam Hutton from Southampton, anchored the Young Rider Nations Cup Team in Belgium this weekend (Sunday 16 May) to secure gold for Great Britain at Zilveren Spoor, Moorsele Sam, 21, who rides for former Olympic show jumper Tony Newbery and is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme, was selected to represent his country on the eight year old bay gelding, Astral 57. In flying form following his performance at the European Trials two weeks ago and two championship wins at the British Open last month, Sam had already won two competitions at Moorsele on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 May on the ten year old liver chestnut gelding Top Limit. This helped him secure top spot in the 1.35m Young Rider classes before competing in Sunday's Nations Cup. Along with team mates Emily Davies, Phillippa Dobby and Joe Davison, the British Team finished the first round of jumping in prime position ahead of The Netherlands and Denmark, with a visiting team from the USA close behind. The nine competing teams from all over Europe were reduced to six for the nail biting second and final round, following which the Dutch and British teams finished on equal scores of 12 points meaning all four members were required to jump off. Riding last, Sam entered the ring for the jump off under intense pressure as only a clear round would suffice to secure the gold medal. A cool head from Sam led to the required clear round to applause and flag waving from the Great Britain teams and supporters. Of his win, Sam commented: 'I am immensely proud to have been selected to represent my country and bring home the gold medal. I am also very lucky, thanks to my coach Tony Newbery and supportive owners, to have the opportunity to ride horses like Astral whose performance was fantastic. 'I have a great home team who ensure that my horses are always in tip top condition for these competitions. The support of the World Class Development Programme has also proved an invaluable part of my training to enable me to achieve success and compete at this level.' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=461 Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?461 Calling all Eventing and racing fans! William Fox-Pitt and Alice Plunkett are offering two fantastic prizes to bidders on the Team GBR Auction site to raise funds to send the British Team to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA 2010. Would you like to spend a day with the Fox-Pitt Eventing team supporting William at a One Day Event? This is a great opportunity to spend 'a day in the life' of a member of William Fox-Pitt's support team and learn about the preparation and hard work that goes into competing at the top level. William has had a hugely successful career to date, including team Bronze at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, a further team Gold at the European Championships in Fontainebleau in 2009 followed and more recently he won the CCI4* event in Kentucky, 2010. Also up for grabs is a fantastic opportunity to see how Channel 4 Racing is filmed by spending the day with Channel 4 presenter Alice Plunkett whilst she films the show. Other current auction prizes include: two members tickets for the 2011 Polocrosse World Cup, an original commissioned work of art by internationally renowned artist Jo Campin, a presentation kit of classic Battles Lincoln products as used by Piggy French and her team and exclusive Thermatex Team GBR Dog Rugs. Visit http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ for more information on all the auction prizes and to view full terms and conditions for all the lots. The World Equestrian Games, held in Kentucky will include the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping and para-equestrian dressage along with the non-olympic disciplines of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this means taking nearly 50 horses in total. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive any funding for this event. 500,000 is needed to support those teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year.'This is the first time the games have ever been held outside Europe,' comments Will Connell, Equestrian Performance Director. 'To send a full team and remain one of the top equestrian nations in the world, we need your help. All proceeds of this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting our talented riders in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Without your help we will not be able to send a full team.' The auction site has been launched with the support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined forces with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. To follow all the news from across the British Equestrian Teams, including further fundraising activity and regular news updates, join Team GBR Ontrack today at www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ontrack.php - membership is completely free. *All prizes are to be taken on mutually agreed dates; full terms and conditions for all lots are available on the website. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=462 Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?462 Talented young show jumper, Gemma Paternoster from Elstead in Surrey, experienced both team and individual success at the weekend (14-16 May) while competing in Austria. Gemma, 24, who is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme, was part of the gold winning Nation's Cup team in Linz on Friday 14 May then went on to finish second in the Grand Prix on Sunday 16 May, also in Linz. Riding her own impressive 14 year old gelding Osiris, Gemma was given the task of being the very first person to ride the course as part of the Nation's Cup competition, and in difficult conditions, she picked up an unlucky four faults. At the Grand Prix, also riding Osiris, Gemma jumped one of only six first round clears before knocking just one pole down in the jump off to leave her in second behind Norway's Stein Endresen, after clocking the fastest time. Gemma commented: 'I am so pleased with our performance out in Austria. Osiris jumped out of his skin during the Nation's Cup, especially as we were given the daunting task of going out first, but I was especially pleased with him in the Grand Prix. This weekend has proved to me that he's now ready to compete at the highest level.'I've recently taken on a new yard, October Farm in Elstead, with business partners Barry and Karen Carter, and although I've only been there for a few months, it helped tremendously in terms of my preparation for Austria. I'm also grateful to the support from the World Class Programme which continues to provide me with the training and expertise I need to achieve results at the highest level.' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=463 Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?463 It was a home win for France in the first round of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup in the seaside resort of La Baule this afternoon, Friday 14th May. With grandstands absolutely packed to the gunnels the stadium erupted when current European Champion, Kevin Staut with the twelve year old bay stallion Kraque Boom jumped the crucial clear to secure their win. The entire competition proved to be one that kept the thousands of spectators present glued to their seats with everything left to play for until the last with Great Britain alongside France and the United States in joint first place after the first round. With the United States taking second place with a team total of eight faults, it was Great Britain with Germany who shared third place on twelve faults. For Britain, it was anchorman Peter Charles with Olga White's consistent eleven year old bay gelding Murka's Pom d'Ami who produced a foot perfect double clear in both rounds ensuring Britain's third place. Clear rounds were also produced by Michael Whitaker and Beatrice Mertens bay gelding GIG Amai in addition to Scott Brash making his debut at this level of competition with the black gelding Intertoy Z. Mark Armstrong with his own bay mare Thesaura also produced an impressive first round, but an unfortunate error in the second round really showed what an extremely honest and scopey mare she is when she jumped herself out of trouble in a particularly short striding treble. Speaking from La Baule, World Class Showjumping Performance Manager and Chef d'equipe Rob Hoekstra commented 'I am highly delighted with the Team today, not only in their performance but also in the way they have pulled together as a team of five out here in La Baule. The four riders competing were a true mixture of experience and youth, I consider it a great start to the season and we now look forward to Rome. The next leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup takes place in Rome at the Piazza Di Sienna during the CSIO 5* show, 27-30th May 2010. Further information on the series can be found by visiting www.meydanfeinationscup.org The British Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport Lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. Results Rank Country Penalties 1 France 4 2 USA 8 3 Great Britain 12 3 Germany 12 5 Spain 14 6 Ireland 16 7 Switzerland 17 8 Sweden 25 General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=460 Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?460 World Class Performance rider John Whitaker won the Alltech Royal Windsor Grand Prix on Sunday 16th May 2010. Riding Uniek, John won the seven horse jump-off by 0.29 of a second, ahead of World Class Development riders Charlotte Platt riding Paulien, who finished in second place and Dan Moseley riding Kepi D'Elle, who finished in third place. John's accuracy on three crucial turns enabled him to catch Charlotte's leading time to claim the 4,100 first prize. 'If I do say so myself, I was very pleased with how good my turns were,' said John. 'Uniek is a very brave horse and can often over jump fences. I have to keep his confidence up and make sure he doesn't do that.' Runner-up Charlotte was particularly pleased with her mare's performance as she had most of last year off following a leg injury in La Baule. 'I gave her more time off than I needed to, to make sure she got back to the level she was competing at before the injury,' said Charlotte. 'I'm on the British team for Lisbon and I am aiming for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in October.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=459 Mon, 17 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?459 Talented young show jumper, Scott Brash from Peebles experienced team success at the weekend (14-16 May) while competing at the Meydan FEI Nations Cup in La Baule, France. Scott, 25, who is on the British Equestrian Federation's (BEF) World Class Development Programme, was making his debut in the Super League Nation's Cup competition and helped secure a team equal third placing. Riding Intertoy Z, an 11 year-old black gelding owned by Scott's father, Stanley Brash, Scott had two poles down in the first round, followed by a clear in the second.'I was disappointed with myself in the first round,' said Scott. 'I was worried about the time so rushed Intertoy a little too much. Patience paid off in the second round though and I was delighted to go clear. It was a great experience to compete for my country at this level and fabulous to come away with an equal third place. 'I've had a really successful start to the season with Intertoy and remain committed to doing all that I can to ensure it continues - we need to prove ourselves if we want to remain in contention for team selection.' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=467 Mon, 17 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?467 John Eccles better know for lunging his daughter, European champion Joanne, is also a BEV national judge for vaulting. He has applied to be an international candidate judge with FEI and following that was asked to judge this weekend at the Austrian International Vaulting competition CVI**/* at Stadl Paura 14-16th . John will judge the Junior CVI* classes.'I have been privileged to judge at this large international' John commented, 'and I hope we will be able to repeat this next year with other British judges to give them more experience and help BEV work towards achieving an FEI British international judge on the circuit, which we currently lack.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=458 Fri, 14 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?458 A contingent of Tretorn Young Riders and Juniors left yesterday to compete in Young Riders/Juniors Nations Cups at CSIOYR/J Moorsele in Belgium on Sunday 16th May 2010. The Young Rider team will consist of :- Emily Davies aged 21 from Clevedon, Avon with Cougar II and Traferro Joe Davison aged 19 from Utoxeter, Staffordshire with Egano Star and Lantino Philippa Dobby aged 20 from Ormskirk, Lancashire with Nirvana d'Oc and Utah VII Sam Hutton aged 21 from Southampton, Hampshire with Astral 57, Top Limit Jodie Ward aged 20 from York, North Yorkshire with Urielle II The Junior team will consist of:- Pippa Allen aged 16 from Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland with Chainti Classico and Bonfire Steve Jenkins aged 18 from Neath, West Glamorgan with Cartier Z II and Emotion II Yasmin Pinchen aged 16 from Crawley, West Sussex with Ashkari, Zodiac Z and Escudos Grafitti Carian Scudamore aged 17 from Cardigan, Dyfed with Larino 0087 and Boy Major Pippa Goddard aged 17 from Canterbury, Kent with Sire de la Cour and Vienna II Chef d'Equipe: Corinne Bracken Vet: John Killingbeck The riders will compete in two days of competition on the 14th and 15th May before the Young Rider Nations Cup which takes place on Sunday 16th May 2010. Tretorn are sponsors of both the Great Britain Young Rider and Junior squads for 2010. Tretorn was founded in 1891 by Johan Dunker in Helsingborg, Sweden. In 1904 Tretorn was manufacturing around one million rubber boots a year. The manufacturing of rubber boots and tennis balls continued until 1991 in Helsingborg, when they moved the production overseas, to Poland and other countries. Tretorn is today one of the leading manufacturers of rubber boots in Scandinavia and as well the third biggest producer in Europe of tennis balls. Tretorn riding boot was launched during 2007. Tretorn is today owned by PUMA AG. The British Show Jumping Teams continue to be strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=456 Thu, 13 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?456 Don't miss CBBC Sportsround this Friday when they feature former Pony andamp; Junior European Championships Gold medallist Dan Neilson. With media interest rising in British Showjumping it was great to have the BBC on site at the Addington Spring Classic show last Friday (7th May) where they were gathering footage not only of Daniel Neilson but also some of the up and coming horses competing there. With only some of the extensive footage collected being included in this initial programme, it is hoped that further material will be used for future features during the rest of the season. CBBC Presenter Seema Pathal was on site throughout the day with Dan, focusing on his journey in to the sport, his current successes on the International and National stage along with his future senior Nations Cups and Olympic aspirations. Dan is a member of the 'Development Squad' within the World Class Development Programme which underpins the World Class Performance Programme. Both of which share the same aim of delivering more medals for Great Britain at Championship level by both supporting the sport and individual riders via UK Sport/Lottery Funding. To watch this initial feature, make sure you tune in to CBBC at 18:35 this Friday (14th May) or BBC at 07:25am Saturday morning. For those that miss it, the programme will be available for viewing online at www.bbc.co.uk/CBBC General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=457 Thu, 13 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?457 The Chatsworth CIC***-W has often proved a pointer to future international success, and Clayton Fredericks (AUS), who won this class in 2006 on Ben Along Time, is riding his smart new acquisition Bendigo lll, a German-bred horse proven in Grand Prix Dressage and Jumping which has been taking the national season by storm. Fredericks' wife and fellow Olympic silver medalist Lucinda (AUS) will be bringing out the crowd favourite Headley Britannia, the only mare to have won three 4-stars: Burghley (2006), Badminton (2007) and Kentucky (2009). The other former Chatsworth winners in the field are Britain's Mary King (in 2007 on her European silver medal ride Call Again Cavalier), who rides the exciting prospect Fernhill Urco, and Pippa Funnell who took the main class in 2000 on Supreme Rock and in 2004 on Primmore's Pride. She brings Blue Horizon and the up-and-coming Redesigned, which she hopes will be her next major 4-star horse. One rider overdue a victory here is Andrew Nicholson (NZL), whose best placing was a second on Fenicio in 2004. He rides that horse's Spanish-bred full-brother, Armada, a great galloper and jumper which is expected to make light of Chatsworth's undulating course and imposing, well-built fences. The event, set in the Duke of Devonshire's spectacular Chatsworth estate, has a new organiser, Tissie Reason, and a new Cross-Country course-designer, the five-time Olympian Ian Stark (GBR) who has taken over the international track from Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR). Stark promises excellent grass cover on the course and several new fences - some of which were designed for last year when the event had to be cancelled due to heavy rain. 'The sunken road has been revamped and is, I think, appropriately tough,' he said. 'The Ice Pond has two new carved birds in the water, there's a new double of brush corners and a new combination on the flat ground by the car park. I think it's going to be quite a bit different to before and, perhaps, a little more difficult.' Follow the event on www.bdwp.co.uk/cha Calendar of events 1. Tallahassee (USA), 5-7 March 2 2. Kihikihi (NZL), 2-4 April 3. Sydney (AUS), 7-9 May 4. Marbach (GER), 7-9 May 5. Chatsworth (GBR), 15-16 May 6. Tattersalls (IRL), 27-30 May 7. Strzegom (POL), 24-27 June 8. Minsk (BLR), 21-25 July 9. Rebecca Farm, Kalispell (USA), 22-25 July 10. Malmö (SWE), 13-15 August 11. Haras du Pin (FRA), 18-22 August 12. Schenefeld (GER), 26-29 August Standings (after 4 of 12 events) 1 Megan Jones (AUS) 138 points 2 Clarke Johnston (NZL) 128 3 Sonja Johnson (AUS) 119 4= Mara Dean (USA) 71 4 = Chris Burton (AUS) 71 4 = Michael Jung (GER) 71 7 = Phillip Dutton (USA) 67 7 = Heelan Tompkins (NZL) 67 7 = Kai-Steffen Meier (GER) 67 10 Jenna Mahoney (NZL) 65 General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=455 Wed, 12 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?455 World Class Showjumping Performance Manager, Rob Hoekstra has selected his squad that will represent Great Britain at the opening leg of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup, taking place in La Baule, France from the 13 - 16 May 2010. Michael Whitaker from Whatton, Nottinghamshire will partner Beatrice Mertens' ten year-old dark bay gelding, GIG Amai. This combination was Britain's sole representative at this year's World Cup Final held in Geneva last month. Peter Charles from Alton in Hampshire will ride the eleven year-old bay gelding Murka's Pom d'Ami, owned by Olga White and Team Murka. Peter and Pom d'Ami featured in last year's British Team who contested the European Championships held at Windsor Castle and have recently enjoyed a successful trip to Wellington in Florida where they were consistently placed in several Grand Prix's. Scott Brash, 25, from Peebles in Scotland will make his Meydan FEI Nations Cup debut aboard Intertoy Z, an eleven year-old black gelding owned by Scott's father, Stanley Brash. Scott and Intertoy Z have had an extremely successful start for their 2010 campaign, winning a Grand Prix on the recent Spanish Sunshine Tour. Scott is a member of the World Class Development Squad which is lottery funded through UK Sport and provides support across a wide range of support services as well as direct funding support. Mark Armstrong from Bordon in Hampshire will ride Thesaura, a fourteen year old bay mare which Mark jointly owns with his wife Emma. Mark and Thesaura enjoyed tremendous success on the recent Spanish Sunshine Tour, taking victory in one of the Grand Prix's, and recently appeared on the British Nations Cup Team in Lummen where they finished both rounds with just a single time penalty. David McPherson from Maidstone in Kent will ride Naomi 152, a twelve year-old chestnut mare, owned by the Quail Run Partnership LLC. This combination enjoyed success on the Spanish Sunshine Tour earlier this year and were recently placed in the top ten in the Mannheim Grand Prix. The British squad will be accompanied by World Class Showjumping Performance Manager and Chef d'Equipe Rob Hoekstra, and Team Vet Robrecht Cnockaert MRCVS. The seaside resort of La Baule is situated in the Pays de la Loire region in South Brittany, held its first Nations Cup competition in 1970 in conjunction with the World Championships. Since 1993 La Baule has been the annual French CSIO. In 2004 a new and larger stadium, known as the Francois Andre Stadium, with a new grass surface was built and has a seating capacity of 4,500. La Baule's proximity to the sea and the largest sand beach in Europe (used by the riders for exercising their horses during the show) and its extensive facilities are unparalleled. The town is situated approximately 450km from Paris. Nantes is the closest International airport to the showground. The French round of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup boasts a whopping 545,000andeuro; in prize money with over 25,000 spectators expected over the four days of competition. There will be ten competitions in total held during the show, the main classes as follows: Friday 14th May - MEYDAN FEI NATIONS CUP - 2.15pm GMT Saturday 15th May - DERBY - 1.30pm GMT Sunday 16th May - LONGINES GRAND PRIX OF LA BAULE - 12.30pm GMT For all the latest news, information, standings, results and more visitwww.meydanfeinationscup.org. Follow the action, news and results from La Baule at www.labaule-cheval.com. The British Show Jumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=453 Mon, 10 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?453 Amy Stovold, Charlie Hutton, Gemma Green and Michael Eilberg, all World Class development programme riders, were selected to take part in the CDI at Saumur (29 April —2 May). Amy and Gemma both made their senior debuts while Charlie competed in the young rider class and Michael took part in the Big Tour Grand Prix, as well as the under 25 class. The competition took place at the prestigious French riding school - Le Cadre Noir in Saumur. Gemma and Amy were joined by Judy Harvey, Anna Ross Davies and World Class Performance rider Fiona Bigwood to contest the CDIO. It proved a happy hunting ground for the British riders with the new combinations finding their feet and more established riders stamping their authority on the proceedings. A 70.85% score from Fiona Bigwood in the Grand Prix boosted an otherwise inexperienced senior team to clinch third for the Brits in the Nations Cup ahead of Germany. Fiona from Horsham in West Sussex went on to take second in the Grand Prix special (71.17%) and third in the Grand Prix freestyle (72.55%) partnered with her 11 year old Wie Wltmeyer gelding Wie Atlantico. 'We've been working hard all winter and I was hoping to do well but you can never be sure. I really feel as though we've turned a corner, it was a great show and we all left with smiles on our faces!' Gemma with Showtime, Judy Harvey with Fitzceraldo and Anna Ross-Davies with Pegasus MK completed the team along with a new senior chef d'equipe Dicky Waygood who will work alongside team captain Richard Davison in preparation for the World Equestrian Games later this year. Richard Davison commented: 'This was an inexperienced team and with the exception of Fiona all the riders came away feeling they could have gone better. It was a useful experience though as the riders learnt a great deal and each showed they have a lot more to come. All credit to Fiona who rode a very good test to pull GB into third spot. They have built on the potential they showed last year to become a very exciting prospect ahead of Kentucky in September.' 'I was so excited when I found out I'd been selected' said Gemma prior to the competition, 'I've had Showtime since he was six so to have brought him up through the grades to this level and then be selected is immensely rewarding. 'The event should be a really valuable experience for us both - competing on the centre stage against a wealth of leading dressage riders from across the globe, and will hopefully stand us in good stead for future team competitions and selection.' Gemma finished in eighteenth place in the Team Grand Prix (69.4%) and scored 64.33% in the freestyle. World Class Development rider Michael Eilberg achieved joint fourth in the Big Tour Grand Prix (66.94%) partnered with Monet whilst Charlie Hutton achieved sixth place in the Young Riders team Championship class (69.15%). World Class Development rider Amy Stovold impressed on her senior debut to improve from tenth place (65.23%) in the Grand Prix to fourth in the freestyle (70.65%) partnered with Julia Jacobs and Maggi Stovold's MacBrian. 'I'm really excited and nervous at the same time,' said Amy before heading out to Saumur, 'I've dreamed of this since I was 16, so after all the hard work it's great that we now have this opportunity to compete overseas. It will be a fantastic experience for us both and will be interesting to see how Macbrian copes with it all.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=454 Fri, 07 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?454 Fantastic new auction prizes have been added to the Team GBR online Auction to help raise funds to send the British Team to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA 2010. Para-equestrian dressage rider Simon Laurens and his trainer Henriette Anderson are offering a fantastic opportunity to spend the day at Furlong Farm in the Cotswolds, home to Henriette. Simon was part of the Gold medal winning Team at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008, also winning Individual Silver in the grade III freestyle. He also won team gold and individual bronze at the 2009 European Championships and team and individual gold at the World Championships in 2007. The auction prize includes a lesson with Henriette followed by lunch at the Farm with Henriette and Simon. International rider Maria Eilberg, British national dressage champion in 2008, team silver-medallist in the 2009 European Championships and runner-up at the national championships in 2009, is offering one lucky rider the opportunity to have a dressage lesson on their own horse at her Worcestershire base. A unique signed, mounted and framed photograph of the British 2009 European Eventing Gold medal winning team is also on offer; it features William Fox-Pitt, Oliver Townend, Tina Cook and Nicola Wilson. Artwork from internationally renowned artist Jo Campin is also up for grabs. Jo's previous commissions include 255 breed illustrations for the British Kennel Club, paintings for British and South African horse racing and illustrated international breed standards for the Great Dane and the Old English Mastiff. Also available for auction is: a Dressage lesson with World Class Development rider Kate Attlee, a presentation kit of classic Battles Lincoln products as used by Piggy French and her team and two Members tickets for the 2011 Polocrosse World Cup. Visit the auction site for more information and full terms and conditions for all the lots. The World Equestrian Games, held in Kentucky will include the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, showjumping and para-equestrian dressage along with the non-olympic disciplines of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this means taking nearly 50 horses in total. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive any funding for this event. 500,000 is needed to support those teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year.'This is the first time the games have ever been held outside Europe,' comments Will Connell, Equestrian Performance Director. 'To send a full team and remain one of the top equestrian nations in the world, we need your help. All proceeds of this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting our talented riders in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Without your help we will not be able to send a full team.' The auction site has been launched with the support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined forces with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. To follow all the news from across the British Equestrian Teams, including further fundraising activity and regular news updates, join Team GBR Ontrack today - membership is completely free. *All prizes are to be taken on mutually agreed dates, full terms and conditions for all lots are available on the website. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=452 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?452 Showjumping Performance Manager Rob Hoekstra today announced the four riders who will represent Great Britain at CSIO4* Lummen, taking this week. Ben Maher, Ellen Whitaker, Phillip Spivey and Mark Armstrong, accompanied by Chef d'Equipe and Performance Manager Rob Hoekstra, will all travel to Lummen in Belgium this week to contest the Belgian Nations Cup. Ben Maher, 27, from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire will ride the eleven year-old grey gelding Wonderboy III, a horse Ben co-owns with Mike and Emma Phillips of the Quainton Stud. Ben and Wonderboy have recently returned from a tour on the European continent, winning classes in s'Hertogenbosch and Zurich. Newly crowned British Open Champion, Ellen Whitaker, 24, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire will partner the fourteen year-old chestnut gelding Ocolado, owned by Dawn Makin and Ellen's father, Steven. Ellen and Ocolado will be hoping to emulate their last appearance on a British Team, when they produced a faultless double clear round in Abu Dhabi, helping secure a British victory, at the beginning of February. Phillip Spivey from Ipswich in Suffolk will make his sixth British Team appearance with Tracey Forrest's twelve year-old chestnut stallion, Romanov II. Phillip and Romanov have spent the last few weeks competing on the Villeneuve Loubet and Toscana Tour's where they secured several Grand Prix placings. Mark Armstrong from Bordon in Hampshire will ride Thesaura, a fourteen year old bay mare which Mark jointly owns with his wife Emma. Mark and Thesaura enjoyed tremendous success on the recent Spanish Sunshine Tour, taking victory in one of the Grand Prix's. 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 Belgian Nations Cup will take place on Friday 30th April and results can be followed at www.lummen-horses.be. The British Show Jumping Teams continue to be strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class programme. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=449 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?449 Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton has triumphed at a British Equestrian Vaulting (BEV) affiliated competition held over the weekend (24 April) at Moulton College, Northampton. For the past three weeks, Helen has attended regular training sessions with the British Vaulting Team selected to represent Great Britain at the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games to be held in Kentucky, USA in September. The squad helped Helen gain the confidence she needed to take part in a Walk Team Freestyle class where she was part of the four minute routine that won her a first place. Team Coach, Julie Newell, said: 'Helen was a delight throughout the training, and took to vaulting very quickly. She has natural balance and good expression and performed beautifully in competition on our horse Willium.' The competition, held at the training base of the team at Moulton College, Northampton, catered for all levels of vaulter from groups around the UK and Helen was able to see a range of children aged from 3 - 23 years competing in team and individual classes. After the competition Helen was presented with her winning rosette and a keepsake of the day. She commented: 'I'm totally in awe of what those girls (and boys) can do on the back of a horse - jaw dropping is the best word for it. Even though I've only met the British Vaulting Team a handful of times, I am incredibly proud of them and looking forward to seeing them fly the flag for Great Britian in Kentucky later this year.' Helen took on the challenge after seeing a demonstration by the British Vaulting Squad at the European Dressage and Showjumping Championships at Windsor Castle last year. Blue Peter is hoping to air the programme in the forthcoming new series in the autumn. The event was held as a fund raiser to support the British Vaulting Team to pay for their horse 'Go for Gold' to be transported to Kentucky. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive funding of any kind. Funding in excess of 60,000 is needed to support the vaulting squad alone to allow them to compete for their country in Kentucky. An online auction - http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ - has been set up to help raise funds to send the British squad to the World Equestrian Games in 2010. All proceeds from this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting them in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Top level UK vaulting coaches will also be working together to create as much opportunity as possible to allow our vaulters to succeed. Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=450 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?450 Amy Stovold, Charlie Hutton, Gemma Green and Michael Eilberg, all World Class Development programme riders, have been selected to take part in the CDI at Saumur (29 April - 2 May). Amy and Gemma both make their senior debuts while Charlie competes in the young rider class with two horses Abira, a ten year old Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Charlie and his mother, and Merlin Nemorensis, another ten year old gelding by Oldenburgh owned by Lady Anne Evans. Michael will be taking the Danish Warmblood gelding Monet, owned by the Bechtolsheimer's, to take part in the Big Tour Grand Prix, as well as the under 25 class. He will also be taking Torino owned by Michael's father, Ferdi, to contest the Small Tour section.'I was so excited when I found out I'd been selected,' said Gemma. 'I've had Showtime since he was six so to have bought him up through the grades to this level and then be selected is immensely rewarding. 'The event should be a really valuable experience for us both - competing on the centre stage against a wealth of leading dressage riders from across the globe, and will hopefully stand us in good stead for future team competitions and selection.''I'm really excited and nervous at the same time,' said Amy, who will be riding the 13 year old Macbrian owned by Julia Jacobs and Maggi Stovold. 'I've dreamed of this since I was 16, so after all the hard work it's great that we now have this opportunity to compete overseas. It will be a fantastic experience for us both and will be interesting to see how Macbrian copes with it all.' The competition takes place at the prestigious French riding school - Le Cadre Noir in Saumur. Gemma and Amy are joined by Judy Harvey, Anna Ross Davies and Fiona Bigwood to contest the CDIO. This is an international team competition run in three parts. Each member of the team will perform the Grand Prix test with the lowest score discarded. The top 30 riders will also qualify to either perform a Grand Prix Special, or the Kur (freestyle to music). 'This is my last year competing in Young Riders before I make the step up to the senior teams,' said Charlie. 'I'm really excited about taking part, as Saumur is such a well known competition and I'm hoping to use it as a warm up ahead of the Europeans which take place in July.' 'I hadn't really expected to move up to this level quite so quickly with Monet - but am thrilled things are going so well and we really seem to be building up a good partnership,' said Michael. 'We had a successful competition in Spain at the Sunshine Tour, a few weeks ago, with a 3rd in the Grand Prix, 4th in the Grand Prix Special and 3rd in the Grand Prix Kur, so hope that we can repeat that this time in France.' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=451 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?451 British Vaulter, Joanne Eccles has taken her ninth consecutive win at every international competition she has attended over the past 2 seasons. With her horse W.H Bentley and father and lunger John Eccles this is the 2nd time that Joey has retained the top spot at Ermelo achieving a score of 8.3. Joanne beat the 2006 World champion Megan Benjamin into second place with fellow American Mary McCormack coming third. Sister Hannah Eccles, who is now also competing in the senior class, came 6th with a score of 7.7 and achieved the second highest score for her freestyle on the second day. Wee Counties team member Brogan Moffat came 6th in the 14-18 class in her very first international competition, scoring 6.6 on John Eccles new horse Tyke. Brogan is working towards selection for the Junior Championships to be held in Austria in August of this year and of course the Eccles sisters have made a strong start to their campaign for achieving podium places at the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games in Kentucky,USA. Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=447 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?447 Equestrian Team GBR and HiHo Silver have joined forces to launch a new bracelet for supporters. The beautiful silver bracelets with red carnelian, blue lapis lazuli and white pearls offer a stylish opportunity to show support for the British Equestrian Teams. A generous donation will be made for every bracelet sold to help the teams on their quest to win gold now and in the future. The bracelets will be launched at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and will be available to buy from the HiHo Silver stand or the British Eventing stand. For those not attending the show they will be available to pre-order online at www.hihosilver.co.uk from the 30th April 2010. The British Equestrian Teams are currently seeking funding to support their trip the World Equestrian Games, which are being held in Kentucky, USA in October. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting do not receive funding for the event. Team GBR also utilise funds raised to support up and coming riders, in conjunction with the UK Sport funded World Class Programme, to ensure a golden future for the sport. 'We are delighted to partner with HiHo to extend the Team GBR products available to our supporters,' said Will Connell, Team GBR Performance Director. 'I know that Equestrian Team GBR has huge support throughout the country and we want to give supporters more opportunities to get involved in anyway we can - this is a great product and also a great opportunity to continue to fundraise for the Teams' 'HiHo are extremely proud to become a fundraiser for Team GBR,' said Andrew Ransford, Managing Director of HiHo Silver. 'We want to help in anyway to ensure the teams get the best crack at winning gold.' Keep up with the British Equestrian Team by signing up for FREE to Team GBR Ontrack - the official supporters club for the teams. The bracelets will retail at just 40 with 20% of every sale donated to Equestrian Team GBR. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=448 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?448 William Fox Pitt has become only the second British rider to win the Rolex Kentucky Three day event in the 30 year history of the event. Riding Cool Mountain , Fox Pitt finished on 42.8 points to finish 4.9 ahead of American Phillip Dutton. Check out the interviews with William below, after each round of the competition. Interviews: (MP3, will open in new window)William after dressageWilliam after cross-countryWilliam after show jumpingOliver Townend on Sunday Keep up with all the news from the British Equestrian Teams by signing up FREE to Team GBR Ontrack All Audio by LloydBell productions General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=446 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?446 Blue Peter's Helen Skelton will be taking part in a British Equestrian Vaulting (BEV) affiliated competition at Moulton College, Northants on Saturday 24 April from 11am - 3pm. Helen has been training with the English Vaulting Squad as part of her latest challenge for Blue Peter and the event will be featured in a future programme. The event is being held as a fund raiser to support the British Vaulting Team to pay for their horse "Go for Gold" to be transported to Kentucky in October where they will take part in the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games. Vaulting is best described as a form of gymnastics on the back of a moving horse which is worked on a circle under the control of a lunger. Through choreographed movements, it incorporates beauty and brilliance, power and strength, elegance and precision, all in harmony with the horse. Lucy Bell, chef d'equipe of BEV, said: 'We're delighted that Helen has chosen a vaulting competition as her next challenge. She's been training with the team ahead of the competition and I'm sure she will do brilliantly on the day. It's great that so many people will get the chance to see what vaulting is all about and also help raise money to take the team to Kentucky in October.' The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive funding of any kind. Funding in excess of 60,000 is needed to support the vaulting squad alone to allow them to compete for their country in Kentucky next year. An online auction - has been set up to help raise funds to send the British squad to the World Equestrian Games in 2010. All proceeds from this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting them in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Top level UK vaulting coaches will also be working together to create as much opportunity as possible to allow our vaulters to succeed. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=445 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?445 Sisters Joanne and Hannah Eccles are off to compete in the international in Holland this weekend. Both sisters won their respected classes last year (Joanne the senior and Hannah the Junior) This year Hannah is now in senior, so will be up against her sister. They will both compete on WH Bentley their normal horse, who recently won the best horse prize in the CVI Saumur in France. Both sister come off the back of great performances last month in Saumur where Joanne won for the 3rd time and Hannah was a close 4th. Joining the sisters is Brogan Moffat who will compete in the junior individual CVI *. She will compete on Tylers Kernal and this will be her international debut as an individual as she has only competed in team before. For more information on Vaulting visit www.vaulting.org.uk Sisters Joanne and Hannah Eccles with their father and lunger, John Eccles Brogan Moffatt Hannah Eccles Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=443 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?443 Scott Brash, a showjumper from Peebles who is on the British Equestrian Federation's (BEF) World Class Development Programme, has returned home after triumphing on the Sunshine Tour. At the CSI 3* Vejer de la Frontera show in Spain, Scott Brash riding his father Stanley's 11 year old black gelding Intertoy Z won the Grand Prix beating Dutch H. Von de Pol riding Abeltje Z into second place by 1.21 seconds. He also picked up a first place in a 3* class riding Sebastian III at the start of the Tour. 'It was great experience to be on the same bill as other top international riders and I'm delighted with how it went. To win a 3* Grand Prix just topped it all off brilliantly,' said Scott. 'The support I get from the World Class Programme has been instrumental in my success and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.' The Sunshine Tour is five weeks of competition held in Vejer de la Frontera in Spain, during February and March each year. This year was the 16th year the Tour has run. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. Scott riding Intertoy Z in Portugal, 2008. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=444 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?444 Britain's sole representative at the Rolex world Showjumping finals in Genava Michael Whitaker has made an encouraging start, finishing 8th in the speed competition on his horse amai. The opening round was won by Amercan Rich Fellers Listen to an interview with him here (MP3 - opens in new window)Find out more about the World Cup Finals Keep up with all the news from the British Equestrian Teams by signing up FREE to Team GBR Ontrack Audio from LloydBell Productions General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=442 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?442 Listen to an interview with Michael Whitaker ahead of the Rolex World Cup finals in Geneva Michael Whitaker is Britain's sole representative at the Rolex world showjumping finals that take place in Geneva this week, he will be riding Amai and is hopeful of a big week as he told Rupert Bell. Listen to the interview here (MP3 - opens in new window)Find out more about the World Cup Finals Keep up with all the news from the British Equestrian Teams by signing up FREE to Team GBR Ontrack Audio from LloydBell Productions General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=439 Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?439 A talented young show jumper from Southampton has won the prestigious Rising Stars (PCA Futura) championship final at the British Open on Thursday 8 April at the NEC in Birmingham. Sam Hutton, 20, based with former Olympic Show jumper Tony Newbery had already won the World Class Development U23 Pathfinder the previous evening. Both wins came on the recently acquired eight year old bay gelding Astral 57. Sam, who is on the British Equestrian Federation's UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme, came from final draw to win the Rising Stars PCA title on Astral while holding fith spot on Sharifa Al-Homaizi's nine year old chestnut mare Olympia III. Following a series of strong results in qualifiers throughout the Winter Premier Season, Sam had finished top of the U23 WCD qualifying points table with Astral and had qualified both Astral and Olympia for the PCA, one of only two riders to qualify two horses for this event at the British Open. Sam said of his success; 'Astral was amazing, this was his first performance at the NEC and on such a big stage and it did not faze him at all, he is a real star. I was delighted with the performances of both these very talented horses. I am very lucky to have such supportive owners, an exceptional coach in Tony and the back up of the World Class Development Programme. I am looking forward to competing both horses in the Young Rider European Trials at the end of this month.'The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=437 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?437 Emily Davies won the BEF World Class Development Programme Championship at the British Open Show Jumping Championships on Thursday 8th April 2010, which were held at the LG Arena, Birmingham. Emily riding Cougar II owned by Mr Charles Davies was sixth in the World Class Development Programme Pathfinder class the day before, the class that decides the order of jumping for the Championship. The Pathfinder class produced sixteen clears rounds, and the two top places were taken by Development Programme riders, Sam Hutton riding Astral 57 with a clear round in a time of 37.96 seconds and Joe Clayton with Saveur in a time of 38.83. Carian Scudamore riding Angel III took third place. It was a different story in the Championship class, after the first round there were only three clears; Emily Davies, Anthony Condon riding EuroCommerce Lanapoule and the youngest rider in the competition, Yazmin Pinchen riding Ashkari, who in the jump off were clear in a time of 38.30 seconds. After a lovely clear round from Anthony in a time off 33.90, Emily had it all to play for and even with a slip coming to the penultimate fence, jumped clear in a time of 33.04 seconds. Besides training vouchers and prize money on offer, there was also a John Whitaker bridle, supplied by David Dyer of Frogpool Manor as the prize for the 'Style and Performance' award. Dutch International show jumper, Eric Van Der Vleuten judged this award, and was very impressed with a number of riders, before awarding the Style and Performance Award to Joe Clayton. He said: 'Joe rode a very stylish round, in fact one of the best, he rode with a good feeling of rhythm between his fences and with great balance, I liked his round very much'. Will Connell, World Class Performance Director said: 'The interest that the WCD Programme Championship class has generated among some of the best young show jumping riders in Great Britain signifies the importance they place on qualifying to compete in the Championship class. The high level of riding required in order to win this prestigious title demonstrates the value and importance of correct training and riding'. As part of its sponsorship of the WCD Championship, The World Class Development Programme has funded the first place prize money at the seven qualifying competitions, as well as training vouchers to the top six placed competitors currently eligible for British Team Selection. The prize fund at the British Open totaled 3,000 with training vouchers to the value of 4,475. The PCA Rising Stars Championship class saw Sam Hutton and Joe Clayton in first and second place, while in the Puissance class, fellow Development squad rider, William Whitaker finished second and fourth. A number of riders from the Development Eventing Programme took part in the British Open Indoor Cross Country Competition, with European Young Rider team-mates, Georgie Spence and Laura Collett finishing in third and fourth place respectively. The World Class Development Programme is Lottery andamp; Exchequer funded via UK Sport and seeks to identify and develop riders who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme. It incorporates the three Olympic sports of Dressage, Eventing, Show Jumping and the Paralympic sport of Para-Equestrian Dressage. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=438 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?438 A series of strong results in qualifiers will see a talented young show jumper from Southampton take two horses to the British Open Showjumping Championships started on Wednesday 7 April at the NEC in Birmingham. Sam Hutton, 20, based with former Olympic Show jumper Tony Newbery, is on the British Equestrian Federation's UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme - which works with talented riders to maximize their potential and deliver success on the world stage. A trio of first, second and third places in World Class Development U23 British Open Qualifiers during the Winter Premier Season left Sam top of the qualifying points table with the recently acquired eight year old bay gelding Astral 57. Sam secured first place in the final qualifier at The Hand Equestrian Centre, Clevedon on March 20, watched by Corinne Bracken, British Showjumping Junior and Young Rider Chef d'Equipe andamp; Coach who commented: 'The improvement that Sam Hutton has made is as much through his own hard work, as that of the continued support of World Class Development and the back up of his coach Tony Newbery, which paid off on Saturday at the Hand, where Sam demonstrated real talent and flair.' Sam's success at the Hand followed a second and third place at Towerlands Park, Braintree on Sharifa Al-Homaizi's nine year old chestnut mare and Astral the previous weekend (Saturday 13 March). A win in January 2010 at Hand Equestrian Centre's New Year show in Clevedon qualified Sam outright for the British Open Rising Stars (PCA Futura) final with Olympia III. A sixth place in the same qualifier at Hand and a fifth place at Towerlands Premier in March secured a second qualifying place with Astral. Sam will compete both horses at the LG Arena, NEC Birmingham on Thursday 8 April. 'I am delighted to be taking these two very talented young horses to experience the atmosphere of competing on the big stage at the British Open,' said Sam following his recent success. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=435 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?435 British Showjumping acknowledged the achievements of its stars at a glittering Awards Ball held at the Hilton Metropole, NEC, Birmingham, Tuesday 6th April 2010. In excess of 500 guests attended the glittering occasion, which was supported by the British Showjumping Business Partnership, as a platform where funds were raised to be re-invested back into the sport underpinning the British Showjumping Performance Delivery Plan. The eleven highly prized awards were presented to:- Best Pony Rider of the Year: Jessica Mendoza (Chippenham, Wilts) Best Rider Under 21 Years (On horses) of the Year: Jemma Kirk (B'Oness, West Lothian) Members Personality of the Year: Geoff Billington (Nantwich, Cheshire) Riders Rider of the Year: Ben Maher (Bishops Stortford, Herts.) International Horse/Rider Combination of the Year: Ben Maher andamp; Robin Hood W (Bishops Stortford) Area/ International Points Winner: Helen Tredwell (Finmere, Bucks.) Members Show Venue of the Year: Ingliston Country Club andamp; Equestrian Centre Members County Show of the Year: Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate Breeders Award: Old Lodge British Showjumping Coach of the Year: Susie Gibson (Warrington, Cheshire) Lifetime Achievement andamp; Services to Showjumping: Harvey Smith (Bingley, West Yorkshire) The British Showjumping Business Partnership would like to thank all their guests who helped to make the evening such a wonderful success. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=436 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?436 Popular horse 'how-to' website, Horse Hero visited a World Class Development Squad session held in February to produce two videos providing an insight into World Class training, the second video is now available in our player. The session was held at Summerhouse Equestrian Centre in Gloucestershire and was focused on the show jumping phase. Each rider took two to four horses to the session and jumped a show jumping course at a variety of different heights. Each round was filmed and observed by trainers Peter Murphy and Gill Watson who held feedback sessions afterwards with each rider. In this video Emily Llewellyn talks to Fiona Price about her ambition and her main challenge in moving up to seniors. She jumps a round on Pardon Me under the watchful eye of trainer Peter Murphy and Fiona asks Peter about the differences in style between Emily and Laura Collett. Tim Rogers, the youngest member of the World Class Squad, who has recently moved up from ponies, talks to Fiona about training with the Funnell's and his plans for Badminton. This is a follow up to the videos filmed by Horse Hero last year at dressage and para-equestrian dressage squad sessions to provide a window on World Class training. You can view the dressage videos on the Horse Hero site here and the para-equestrian dressage videos are still available to view in our player. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=434 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?434 Easter weekend saw a British raid on the French international, a total of 4 podiums positions and 2 national anthems showed a British domination of the competition. European Champion Joanne Eccles retained her female title for the 3rd year in a row on her own WH Bentley lunged by her father John Eccles, her sister Hannah performed a very strong new freestyle to put her in 4th and Lucy Phillips another to have improved hugely over the winter close behind in 5th. Ross Foreman impressed all with his freestyle to finish in 5th in a close male competition. This was won by French European champion Nicolas Andreani. The Team Class was won by the German team from Koln with a very difficult freestyle but close behind where the South Scotland Select team from GBR who have worked hard all winter and performed beautifully to finish in 2nd place. The English Vaulting Squad who have rearranged their routine to be ready for WEG in September finished in 5th place. 2010 was the first year Saumur have included a Nations Cup class, due to the good results achieved in the normal team class, GBR were able to enter 2 nations cup teams. 7 teams competed including France, GBR, Germany, Holland andamp; Belgium. All 3 members of GBR 1 preformed fantastically under pressure in a tense packed arena to lead throughout and clinch the top spot, this is the first time GBR has won such a class. GBR 2 also meant business and performed better than day 1 clinching the 3rd place on the podium, with France managing to hold onto second in between them. A nations team is made up of 2 individuals and 1 team, all 3 do their freestyle routine and the scores are added together to reach a final score. GBR 1 was made up of Eccles sisters Joanne and Hannah, on their own WH Bentley and the 'South Scotland select ' team (Ross foreman, Lucy Phillips, Stacey Macpherson, Katy Nimmo, Lucy Younger, Angus Runciman andamp; Rebecca Kinghorn) on horse Bart Simpson, lunged by Rebecca Morgan. GBR2 was made up of Lucy Phillips on Pitucelli, Ross Foreman on MasterKey and the 'English Vaulting Squad' (Sarah Reid, Emma Runge, Stephanie Hunter, Lydia Barham, Sara Shortland, Paige Brown andamp; Megan Bignell) on horse Go for Gold, lunged by Julie Newell. GBR also won both 'best horse' prizes in the female individual for WH Bentley and the Team horse for Bart Simpson. **Summary of GBR results: Nations Cup (made up of 2 individuals and 1 team): 1st (GBR 1) andamp; 3rd (GBR2) Senior Team class: 2nd South Scotland Select and 5th English Vaulting Squad Female: 1st: Joanne Eccles on WH Bentley lunger John Eccles 4th: Hannah Eccles on WH Bentley lunger John Eccles 5th Lucy Phillips on Pitucelli lunger Rebecca Morgan 15th Louise Sinclair on ILPH Islay lunger Liz Mackay 29th Harriet Nicol on ILPH Islay lunger Liz Mackay 35th Lydia Barham on Solitaire Legacy lunger Julie Newell Male: 5th Ross Foreman on Master Key lunger Rebecca Morgan Overall best team horse prize: Bart Simpson Overall best individual horse prize: WH Bentley Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=433 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?433 A total of twenty-three riders have qualified for the World Class Development Programme Championship and it's supporting competition, the World Class Development Programme Pathfinder that are being held at The British Open Show Jumping Championships in Birmingham's LG Arena on the 7th and 8th April 2010. From seven qualifying competitions held across the country attracting over two hundred entries, the top twenty-three horse and rider combinations based on points from best their four results, will now come forward to jump in this prestigious competition, which is open to riders aged 23 years or under. In consultation between British Showjumping and Grandstand Media, who run the British Open Show Jumping Championships, it was agreed that the four riders who were equal with 28 points; Lucy Guild, William Whitaker, Nicole Pavitt and Fionn Mcsharry would qualify to compete, therefore allowing an extra combination from the stipulated number of twenty-two riders in the original rules. Last year's winner, Ellen Whitaker is over the age limit to defend her title, but with three other Whitakers in the final line up, including William Whitaker, who won both the Pathfinder and Championship classes in 2007, it could still be a Whitaker name on the Championship Trophy, although with the standard of young riders in this class there will be tough competition. Tina Goosen, World Class Development Show Jumping Co-ordinator commented, ' The standard of riding throughout the qualifying series has been impressive and I believe the qualified riders, including the six World Class Development Programme riders, will make the Pathfinder and Championship classes one of the strongest competitions we have had and the outcome is no foregone conclusion.' As part of its sponsorship of the Pathfinder and Championship classes there is a total prize fund of 3,000 with Training Vouchers worth over 4,000 being awarded to the first eight prize-winning riders, currently eligible for British Team selection. The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The Programmes work closely with the three British Equestrian Federation Olympic Member Bodies; British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, whose own training and competition programmes work hand in hand with the programmes run within World Class. The final twenty-three qualified riders who will compete in the Pathfinder and Championship classes at The British Open Show Jumping Championships are listed below.The final twenty-three qualified riders who will compete in the Pathfinder and Championship classes at The British Open Show Jumping Championships are listed below. Rider Horse Total Points *Sam Hutton Astral 57 87 Carian Scudamore Larino 0087 82Joseph Davison Egano Star 66Yazmin Pincher Zodiac Z 62Thomas Whitaker Charlett 58Carla Champerlain Netherland Lady 55Abbie Squires Enrique 53Christopher Smith Dozent 50George Whitaker Tubana 50*Daniel Moseley Baretto 46Jodie Ward Ureille II 46Emily Davies Cougar II 44Mercaddes McDonald Ramzes II 41Anthony Condon Eurocommerce Lanapoule 40*Joseph Clayton Saveur 40Phillippa Dobby Nirvana D'oc 34Alison Barton Saffier Van de Brandkreek 33*Timothy Page Wyoming 32*Danielle Farnsworth Orlof Wisbecq 29Nicole Pavitt Amaryllis van de Heffink 28*William Whitaker G.I.G Rockim 28Fionn Mcsharry Utara II 28Lucy Guild Titi Doase 28 *World Class Development Programme Riders General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=432 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?432 20 British vaulters are off to France this weekend to the CVI in Saumur. The competition is open to senior vaulters only and for the first time includes a Nations cup class. Britain will field 2 senior teams plus 1 male and 6 female individuals. The squad is headed by European champion Joanne Eccles who is keen to make this a 3rd win in a row at Saumur and also keen to make their mark is Lucy Phillips and Hannah Eccles who have both been selected for WEG 2010. Left Joanne Eccles and Lucy Phillips Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=431 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?431 Former Olympic dressage judge Gotthilf Riexinger has been appointed as dressage Technical Delegate for the FEI European Pony Championships 2010. The Championships are being held at Bishop Burton College between the 27th July and the 1st August. Gotthilf, who is himself a former show jumper and dressage athlete, has been an FEI-approved official for 12 years and counts the Pan American Games, the 2004 World Equestrian Games and the 2008 Olympic Games among his many outings as a technical delegate and judge. Mr Riexinger feels the College will be a fantastic venue for the Championships and he is making his first visit to Yorkshire from his native Germany in April. He said: 'I haven't visited the College before, but I know it has a fantastic equestrian centre and lots of other facilities that will make it the perfect place for an event like the European Pony Championships in 2010.' The duties of the Technical Delegate are wide ranging and include assisting the organisers; overseeing all technical aspects of the dressage competitions such as the surfaces and the scoring; liaising with the Chef d'Equipes and to be on hand throughout the competition to assist with queries and ensure the smooth running of the competition. Mr Riexinger continued: 'I am hoping for a wonderful competition for all disciplines and a good family atmosphere.' Gotthilf's appointment swells the ranks of officials selected for the FEI European Pony Championships, which include former Olympic eventer Christian Persson as eventing Technical Delegate, and course designer Mark McGowan who has put together show jumping courses for many national and International competitions. For more details see: www.bishopburton.ac.uk www.ponyeuropeans2010.com Above: Gotthilf Riexinger General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=430 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?430 The final qualifying competition for the World Class Development Programme Championship was held on 20th March at The Hand Equestrian Centre. The competition, which is open to riders aged 23 years or under, attracted seventeen entries at this Premier Show and with an up to height course, built by Peter Gillispie, produced a very good competition with seven clear rounds through to the jump off. The honours for this final class went to Towerlands runner-up, Sam Hutton riding Astral 57, winning the jump off with a clear round in a time of 36.68 seconds. Second place went to Thomas Whitaker, riding Charlett in a time of 31.15 seconds, with Yazmin Pinchen riding Zodiac Z in third place in a time of 33.90 seconds. The results from The Hand means that Sam is the leading rider of the points table with 87 points, closely followed by long-time leader, Junior European Gold Medallist, Carian Scudamore with 82 points and in third place is Joe Davison with 66 points. As part of its sponsorship, the World Class Development Programme is funding the first place prize money of 300 at the qualifying competitions, as well as Training Vouchers, which are awarded to the first six prize-winning riders, currently eligible for British Team selection, the other three riders who received Training Vouchers were Carla Chamberlain (4th), Yazmin Pinchen (5th) and Emily Davies (6th). Corrine Bracken, Junior and Young Rider Chef d'Equipe commented, 'The improvement that Sam Hutton has made is as much through his own hard work, as that of the continued support of World Class Development and the back up of his coach Tony Newbury, which paid off on Saturday at The Hand, where Sam demonstrated real talent and flair when riding a young, less experienced horse in the jump off. Second placed Thomas Whitaker did his best to try and beat Sam in true Whitaker style, while third placed Yazmin Pincher has showed talent and consistency throughout the qualifying series'. The top twenty-two horse and rider combinations, based on points from their best four results will now come forward to jump in the World Class Development Programme Championship and it's supporting competition, the World Class Development Programme Pathfinder. These will be held at The British Open Show Jumping Championships in Birmingham's LG Arena on the 7th and 8th April. The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The Programmes work closely with the three British Equestrian Federation Olympic Member Bodies; British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, whose own training and competition programmes work hand in hand with the programmes run within World Class. The final twenty-two qualified riders who will compete in the Pathfinder and Championship classes at The British Open Show Jumping Championships will be announced shortly on the British Showjumping website www.britishshowjumping.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=429 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?429 East Sussex based event rider, Emily Llewellyn will team up with dressage rider Andrew Gould this Friday (26 March) at the Oldencraig Equestrian Centre, Lingfield, in a demonstration to raise funds for charity. Emily (20) who is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme, will join Andrew in an evening performance to raise funds for the Spinal Research, Saddle Up Campaign. Andrew is an ambassador for the charity and is running the London Marathon for the cause next month. The event, which is being sponsored by Equine America, will include both dressage and jumping demonstrations. During the evening guests will have the opportunity to meet the riders as well as take part in a raffle with numerous equestrian goods up for grabs. Doors open at 7pm, there's an onsite bar and bistro and tickets cost 15 on the door or 10 in advance - all proceeds go to the Spinal Research, Saddle Up Campaign www.spinal-research.org. For more information call Equine America on 01403 255809 or email kate@cortaflex.co.uk. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. Together with the Equine Pathway it comprises the Equestrian World Class Programme. Selection to the World Class Programme is based on results combined with potential to contribute to team success at major championships. Performance is continuously assessed and riders are regularly reviewed. The Programme is divided into development (start and potential), and performance squads across each discipline. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=426 Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?426 The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today announced more details of its ticketing plans and invited sports fans all over the country to 'sign up' and register their interest. By signing up to www.tickets.london2012.com people will be able to indicate which sports they are interested in and receive updates on major sporting events, test events and London 2012 developments - plus they will be among the first to find out when tickets go on sale in 2011 and how to apply for them. In its first major announcement on ticketing, LOCOG today confirmed: - More tickets will go on sale for the Olympic Games than originally stated - increasing from 7.7m to 8m - More tickets will also go on sale for the Paralympic Games - increasing from 1.5m to 2m - 75% of tickets will be available directly to the public via a ballot process - Tickets will go on sale from spring 2011 - There will be a fair application process through a ballot - Prestige hospitality tickets will account for less than 1% of tickets on sale - More information on pricing will be issued later this year - The ticket 'sign up' registration scheme is now open at www.tickets.london2012.com or by calling 0844 847 2012 The 'sign up' process will allow the British fans to identify which Olympic and Paralympic sports and events they are interested in and make sure they are in the best position to learn about when tickets go on sale, how to apply for them and what events - including test events - will be taking place between now and 2012. People can sign up any time between now and when tickets go on sale from spring 2011. With 10 million tickets for both Olympic Games and Paralympic Games going on sale, signing up now will help the British public save time in 2011 when tickets go on sale and make the process easier. By issuing more details around the allocation of tickets, LOCOG is reaffirming its commitment to making the Games accessible and affordable. Later this year when the competition schedules and all venues are confirmed, more information around pricing and availability will be released. LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton explained the approach: 'After the success of the Vancouver Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, which saw fantastic atmospheres at venues and around the city, we are now progressing with our plans. This is our first major announcement on ticketing and we commit to updating again later this year, with more information around pricing. Right now, we're asking people to sign up on the ticketing website and make sure they're in the front row for information. Ticket sales make up a significant part of our income, but at the same time we are completely committed to ensuring our events are accessible, that tickets are affordable and that our venues are packed to the rafters with sports fans.' Tessa Jowell, Olympics Minister, said: 'Watching an Olympic event in your home country is a once in a lifetime experience. That's why it's critical that as many tickets as possible end up in the hands of the general public. With 10 million tickets going on sale next year people will have even more of a chance to get the ticket that makes their dream come true. It's great that people have the chance now to sign up for more information about Olympic tickets.' The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "With less than 900 days to go to the London Games excitement levels are starting to pick up pace and there is understandably huge interest in tickets. Today is another important stepping-stone on the journey to the 2012 Games, confirming that tickets will be on sale in Spring 2011. I want to encourage as many Londoners as possible to sign up for information so that they are kept fully up to date on progress and are poised to purchase tickets once they go on sale." General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=427 Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?427 Coaches from the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme were treated to a training masterclass by Nicole Werner, home coach to European Dressage Champion Edward Gal, at Colne Engaine, Essex, earlier this month (8 March). The 12 World Class Development coaches had the opportunity to watch Nicole training riders working on horses from Prix St George up to Grand Prix. The focus was on developing a quieter yet more effective riding style - achieved through greater sensitivity and responsiveness from the horse. This approach is very important when producing horses for para-equestrian dressage riders, as they are not able to ride with the strength of most able bodied riders, so training horses in this way is essential. 'Nicole was very quick to adapt training exercises to match particular problems, and avoided the 'one size fits all' approach to training. This was very thought provoking for the coaches present - helping to demonstrate that their training needs to be adapted to suit a horse and rider's requirements,' said David Hamer, World Class Development Discipline Coordinator.'All the coaches found the day very worthwhile and motivating - providing them with a perfect opportunity to have some input into their coaching, rather than being involved with the output of their knowledge.' During the day, all coaches met up with Michel Assouline, Para-Equestrian Dressage Squad Coach, to discuss Nicole's training methods and 'bounce' ideas off each other about training techniques. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. Together with the Equine Pathway, it comprises the Equestrian World Class Programme. Selection to the World Class Programme is based on results combined with potential to contribute to team success at major championships. Performance is continuously assessed and riders are regularly reviewed. The Programme is divided into development (start and potential), and performance squads across each discipline. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998 General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=428 Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?428 The British Olympic Association (BOA) has confirmed that Michael Whitaker, an equestrian athlete, has had his eligibility for Team GB selection at future Olympic Games restored with immediate effect following a successful appeal under the BOA's Eligibility Byelaw. At an event in La Baule in France on 15th May 2009, Whitaker's male horse Tackeray tested positive for a substance prohibited by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). Whitaker, as the person responsible for the horse, was suspended from competition for four months from 25th June 2009 at an FEI tribunal. In accordance with the BOA's Eligibility Byelaw Whitaker was automatically rendered ineligible for Team GB selection at future Olympic Games. Following an appeal from Mr Whitaker, the BOA Appeals Panel, chaired by Nicholas Stewart QC, considered the case. Mr Whitaker's appeal was based on the grounds that: · The doping offence was minor; and/or · Significant mitigating circumstances existed in relation to the doping offence. The Panel's clear and unanimous view was that the offence could not be regarded as minor. Nevertheless, the Panel did allow Mr Whitaker's appeal on the grounds that it was established that there were significant mitigating circumstances in relation to the offence. The Panel recognised that Whitaker was not personally negligent or at fault in relation to any systems, instructions or delegation about which he could have been expected to do anything more. The Panel noted that there is no reasonable basis for concluding that Whitaker (or his groom) deliberately administered the prohibited substance, from which it follows that it did not enter the horse's body with any intent by either Whitaker or his groom to enhance performance. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=424 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?424 The penultimate qualifying competition for the World Class Development Programme Championship was held on 13th March at Towerlands Park. The competition, which is open to riders aged 23 years or under, attracted twenty five entries at this Premier Show and with an up to height course, built by David Cole, produced a very good competition with nine clear rounds through to the jump off. The honours for the class went to Joe Davison riding Egano Star, winning the jump off with a clear round in a time of 36.00 seconds. Joe is the son of World Class Dressage Performance Manager and international dressage rider Richard Davison,. Second and third places went to World Class Development rider Sam Hutton riding Olympia III, owned by Sharifa Al Homaizi and Astral 57 both clear with times of 36.09 and 37.02 respectively. Still heading the points table is Junior European Gold Medallist, Carian Scudamore with 82 points and after winning the qualifying class at Towerlands Park, Joe Davison moves into second place with 66 points, followed in equal third place by Abbie Squires and Sam Hutton, both on 53 points. As part of its sponsorship, the World Class Development Programme is funding the first place prize money of 300 at the qualifying competitions, as well as Training Vouchers, which are awarded to the first six prize-winning riders, currently eligible for British Team selection, the other three riders who received Training Vouchers were Jodie Ward (4th), Carla Champerlain (5th) and Tim Page (6th). Corrine Bracken, Junior and Young Rider Chef d'Equipe commented, 'Once again this class showed the depth of young talent we have in this country and to watch how the riders have developed throughout these qualifying competitions will lead to one of the best finals for the World Class Development Championship we have seen'. The last qualifying competition is being held at The Hand Equestrian Centre on March 20th. The top 22 horse and rider combinations, based on points from their best four results that will come forward to jump in the World Class Development Programme Championship and, it's supporting competition, the World Class Development Programme Pathfinder. These will be held at The British Open Show Jumping Championships in Birmingham's LG Arena (7-10th April 2010). The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The Programmes work closely with the three British Equestrian Federation Olympic Member Bodies; British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, whose own training and competition programmes work hand in hand with the programmes run within World Class. Special rules relating to the qualifying classes can be found under 'Competitions and Classes' in the Show Area on the British Showjumping website. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=425 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?425 The British Equestrian Federation has appointed horse feed manufacturer, Dodson and Horrell as the official supplier of nutrition to Equestrian Team GBR. The three-year deal includes the supply of horse feed to the teams where required, coordination of the logistics for transporting and locating feed for Team GBR at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and provision of impartial advice on equine nutrition for performance. This advice and support extends beyond the teams to the World Class Programme, with Dodson and Horrell playing a key role in advising developing riders as they progress. 'We are delighted to welcome Dodson and Horrell on board as an official supplier,' comments Will Connell, World Class Performance Director. 'The logistics support they can offer to the complex challenge of feeding around 40 competition horses in Kentucky for the World Equestrian Games later this year will be invaluable; it is also vital that our Team and World Class riders have access to impartial advice on equine nutrition, especially with London 2012 just around corner. The Olympic and Paralympic sports are generously supported by UK Sport funding, but his does not extend to the other World Equestrian Games disciplines so the extra support from Dodson and Horrell will be of particular benefit to them.''We are delighted to be supporting the British Equestrian Federation and Team GBR as they strive to secure success over the next three years,' comments Bill Chudley, Dodson andamp; Horrell Sales andamp; Marketing Director. 'It provides a great opportunity for us to get involved with the teams and the World Class programme, including the developing riders, reinforcing our continued commitment to equestrian disciplines especially as we head into some major events. We look forward to working with all those involved.' The British Equestrian Teams compete in the Olympic sports of dressage, eventing and showjumping, the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage and the other international sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting. Dodson and Horrell will join a number of official suppliers who generously support these teams at major events and throughout the year. These currently include, Griffin Nuumed, Mears Country Jackets, Natural Animal Feeds, Patey Hats, Thermatex, Toggi and Travel Places. The World Class Programme underpins Team GBR in the sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and para-equestrian dressage; it comprises the Performance and Development Programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future, it has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. To follow Equestrian Team GBR sign-up free to Team GBR Ontrack and receive all the latest news and special offers. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=423 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?423 Popular horse 'how-to' website, Horse Hero visited a World Class Development Squad session held in February to produce two videos providing an insight into World Class training, the first video is now available in our player. The session was held at Summerhouse Equestrian Centre in Gloucestershire and was focused on the show jumping phase. Each rider took two to four horses to the session and jumped a show jumping course at a variety of different heights. Each round was filmed and observed by trainers Peter Murphy and Gill Watson who held feedback sessions afterwards with each rider. In this video Horse Hero also speaks to World Class squad riders Georgie Spence and Laura Collett to find out their hopes and plans for the coming season. This is a follow up to the videos filmed by Horse Hero last year at dressage and para-equestrian dressage squad sessions to provide a window on World Class training. You can view the dressage videos on the Horse Hero site here and the para-equestrian dressage videos are still available to view in our player. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=421 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?421 Official Supporters travel packages are now available for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, check out the great packages available today to ensure you don't miss out on your chance to cheer along Team GBR in Kentucky. The Games take place from the 25th September - 10th October 2010. Travel Places, official Travel Partner to Equestrian Team GBR, are offering a variety of tailor made packages to suit a range of requirements. The packages start from just 1,465, based on two sharing, and include flights, hotels, taxes, transfers from the airport and transfers to and from the Kentucky Horse Park. The two hotels available in the packages (The Fairfield Inn, Georgetown and Embassy Suites, Lexington) are both under 10 minutes from the venue and within easy reach of the airport. The tour operator will be in speaking to the British Team on a daily basis to keep everyone up to date with all the latest news. Full information is available on the Travel Places website and further information about the Games, including a schedule, can be found on the official website for the Games. Have you signed up as free supporter of Team GBR yet? Check out Team GBR Ontrack for more information and join today to receive all the latest news and behind the scenes gossip from Equestrian Team GBR. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=422 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?422 Event rider Charlotte Agnew from Kelso, Scotland is hoping her new horse Pavonita provides her with some real girl power this season! Charlotte (22), a successful eventer, is on the British Equestrian Federation's UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme - which works with talented riders to maximize their potential and deliver success. Sadly 2009 wasn't the best for Charlotte as she lost her top ride Little Beau after a freak accident in the field. Pavonita, a nine year old bay mare who has competed up to Novice level, was bought from Germany to help strengthen Charlotte's continued chances of success in the future. 'Losing Little Beau last year was devastating,' said Charlotte. 'Pavonita has a lot to do to step into his shoes, but we're all very excited about her. She's got an amazing jump and is a really fun horse - we are currently looking for potential owners who might want a share in her.' Charlotte who is currently studying English Literature at Edinburgh University, will be moving (with her horses) to Cirencester after her finals in May. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. If you are interested in buying a share in Pavonita email Charlotte on agnewc@hotmail.com, or visit www.charlotteagnew.com for more details. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=420 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?420 Rob Hoekstra has been appointed as the World Class Performance Manager for Showjumping, with immediate effect. Rob will be charged with leading the Showjumping Programme during the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and will start to develop plans immediately for the 2010 season. At this stage it is not known whether Britain will be competing in the Promotional League or the Meydan FEI Nations Cup series. An international show jumper, Rob has ridden at 5* level and represented Great Britain. He is also renowned as a successful trainer across Europe, with experience of coaching riders up to Olympic level. He comments: 'I am extremely pleased to be appointed as the Showjumping Performance Manager and I am looking forward to what will certainly be a challenge but also presents a huge opportunity. My first task is to meet with all the riders and ensure they are focused on developing plans through to 2012. Over the next couple of months we will build those plans, working with key stakeholders across the sport in Britain.' 'The selection process has been detailed and thorough,' comments Will Connell, World Class Performance Director. 'We are delighted to welcome Rob on board to the UK Sport funded World Class Programme. There is no doubt that he has a healthy challenge ahead of him but we do have very talented riders and an increasing number of horses together with supportive owners; I am confident that Rob will develop plans over the next few months that will bring the team together as a cohesive and successful unit. This appointment would not have been possible without the exchequer and lottery funding we receive from UK Sport.' 'Rob's appointment as Showjumping Performance Manager is a fresh start for everyone,' adds Clare Whitaker, Chairman of British Showjumping's Performance Development Committee. 'He will be the driving force to take us to medal success at the 2012 Olympic Games. I believe his appointment is a positive step forward for the sport and I hope that everyone will pull together under his leadership to achieve success for Britain on the World stage' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of Dressage, Eventing, Showjumping and the Paralympic sport of Para-equestrian dressage; it has been funded through Exchequer and National Lottery funds via UK Sport since 1998. The Showjumping Programme works closely with British Showjumping to create the best chance of medal success on the European, World and Olympic stage. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=419 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?419 22nd February 2010 British Showjumping are pleased to announce the shortlist of nominee's up for an award at the prestigious Awards Ball which takes place on the 6th April 2009 at the Hilton Metropole, NEC Birmingham. To be part of the excitement and to support your favourite riders please don't forget to book your tickets. Once you've enjoyed a superb 4-course dinner during the Awards Ceremony you can then look forward to a fantastic evening dancing to live band through till the early hours. Tickets are already selling quickly with excess of 500 guests attending, so please do book your tickets early to avoid disappointment. Tickets are available at 80 per head and can be obtained by calling 02476 698806 or visiting www.britishshowjumping.co.uk For those categories which announce a shortlist e nominees are as follows.Best Pony Rider of the Year Pippa Allen Chad Fellows Jessica Mendoza Best Rider under 21 years (On Horses) of the Year Jemma Kirk Carian Scudamore William Whitaker Members Personality of the Year Geoff Billington Ben Maher Ellen Whitaker Riders Rider of the Year Peter Charles Ben Maher Michael Whitaker International Horse/Rider Combination of the Year Geoff Billington andamp; Rosinus Peter Charles andamp; Murka's Pom d'Ami Ben Maher andamp; Robin Hood W Members Show Venue of the Year Addington Manor Equestrian Centre Aintree International Equestrian Centre Arena UK Ingliston Country Club andamp; Equestrian Centre Members County Show of the Year Royal Highland Show Lincolnshire Show Great Yorkshire Show British Showjumping Accredited Coach of the Year Alan Fazakerley Susie Gibson Matthew Lanni Lifetime Achievement and Services to Showjumping To be announced on the night! General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=418 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?418 Calling all dressage and eventing fans! A once in a lifetime opportunity to spend five days at Brookhouse Stud in Erbach, Germany with Emma Hindle is just one of the fantastic lots up for grabs on an online auction to help raise funds to send the British Team to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010.Emma Hindle is one of Britain's top Dressage riders and was a member of the silver medal winning British Team at the 2009 European Dressage Championships. The fantastic lot, which is for two people, includes accommodation at the Stud, flights and transfers. The winner and their guest will be able to gain an all round insight into the Stud from their foals to Grand Prix horses, observe training sessions and learn about the breeding programme. Also on offer to dressage fans is the chance to train with one of Britain's brightest dressage stars - Laura Bechtolsheimer. Team silver and Individual bronze medallist at the 2009 European Championships, Laura has been breaking records already in 2010 and is offering the opportunity to give the lucky winner of this lot a lesson on their own horse at her yard in Gloucestershire. Eventing fans need not miss out, there is an opportunity to bid on a package to enjoy the complete Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (30 April - 3 May) experience in style. The lot, which has been kindly donated by the Horse Trials Support Group (HTSG) includes a seasonal (four day) car pass and seasonal entrance passes for two people, together with two guest badges to the HTSG Marquee for the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (inclusive of lunch). Paralympic ace Lee Pearson is also offering a lesson. Nine times Paralympic gold medalist Lee is also successful at able-bodied dressage and is looking for a keen winner to put through their paces on their own horse at his Staffordshire base. Visit http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ for more information and full terms and conditions for all the lots. The World Equestrian Games, held in Kentucky will include the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping and para-equestrian dressage along with the non-olympic disciplines of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this means taking nearly 50 horses in total. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive funding of any kind. 500,000 is needed to support those teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year.'This is the first time the games have ever been held outside Europe,' comments Will Connell, Equestrian Performance Director. 'To send a full team and remain one of the top equestrian nations in the world, we need your help. All proceeds of this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting our talented riders in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Without your help we will not be able to send a full team.' The auction site has been launched with the support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined forces with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. To follow all the news from across the British Equestrian Teams, including further fundraising activity and regular news updates, join Team GBR Ontrack today at www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ontrack.php - membership is completely free and includes a range of benefits. *All prizes (excluding Badminton) are to be taken on mutually agreed dates, full terms and conditions for all lots are available on the website. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=415 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?415 Show jumper Sam Hutton from Southampton is looking forward to the start of the new season after the arrival of his new horse, Astral. Sam (20), a successful show jumper, is on the British Equestrian Federation's UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme - which works with talented riders to maximize their potential and deliver success. Astral was chosen to help strengthen Sam's chances of success in the future and brings Sam's number of horses to three. The eight-year-old bay gelding, by Argentus was acquired by former Olympic show jumper, Tony Newbery on behalf of a new owner, and is stabled at his international training centre in Hampshire where Sam is based. He joins Sam's existing top rides Olympia III and Valentino VII, both owned by Sharifa Al-Homaizi.'I've only had Astral for four months and I'm really looking forward to producing him this year through to Grand Prix level,' said Sam. 'He is a very brave, scopey and careful horse and I am really pleased with his progress in the short time I have been riding him. He was placed in both the World Class Development Under 23 and PCA (Premier Centre Association) Rising Stars qualifiers for this year's British Open where I am hoping to compete him. My main focus, however, will be the European Championships and I will be taking him to the under 21 trials later this year. I have high hopes for him.' The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=416 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?416 The fourth of the qualifying competitions for the World Class Development Programme Championship was held on 5th February at South View Equestrian Centre. The competition, which is open to riders aged 23 years or under, attracted thirty four entries at this Premier Show and with an up to height course, built by Peter Gillespie, it produced eleven clear rounds through to the jump off. The honours for the class went to Irishman, Anthony Condon riding Eurocommerce Lanapole, owned by Billy Twomey, with World Class Development rider, Joe Clayton riding Insul Tech Leonardo 590 into second place and Fiona McSharry riding Utara II into third place. The current points table has not changed and is still headed by Junior European Gold Medallist, Carian Scudamore with 82 points, followed by Abbie Squires on 53 points, with Chris Smith in third place on 50 points. Although Joe Clayton won the third qualifying class at Addington the week before and was second at South View, it was on two different horses and as the points are on an accumulative basis riding the same horse, Joe is currently in 9th and 12th place. As part of its sponsorship, the World Class Development Programme is funding the first place prize money of 300 at the qualifying competitions, as well as Training Vouchers, which are awarded to the first six prize-winning riders, currently eligible for British Team selection, the other four riders who received Training Vouchers were Lucy Guild (4th), Carian Scudamore (5th), Timothy Page (6th) and Marcaddes Mcdonald (7th). Di Lampard, British Showjumping Consultant Head of Training commented, ''The World Class Development sponsored qualifying classes are a fantastic competition for today's young riders to be a part of. They give an opportunity for riders who are on the World Class Development Showjumping Programme a chance to show their support and appreciation for the Programme, but it also gives other young riders the chance to compete in a competition that counts towards the selection process for the 2011 / 2012 Programme intake. If they are among the prize-winners it also gives them a well deserved training boost'. Together with the further three qualifying competitions being held at various venues on the last weekend of February and during March, the top twenty-two horse and rider combinations, based on points from that horse and rider combination's best four results, will come forward to jump in the World Class Development Programme Championship and, it's supporting competition, the World Class Development Programme Pathfinder. These will be held at The British Open Show Jumping Championships in Birmingham's LG Arena (7-10th April 2010). The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The Programmes work closely with the three British Equestrian Federation Olympic Member Bodies; British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, whose own training and competition programmes work hand in hand with the programmes run within World Class. Special rules relating to the qualifying classes can be found under 'Competitions and Classes' in the Show Area on the British Showjumping website. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=417 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?417 Great Britain has won this afternoon's Longines Nations Cup at the inaugural CSIO5* at Abu Dhabi, finishing on a zero score. The GB squad all chalked up superb first round performances to finish on zero and to hold off Germany by just a single penalty, going into the second round. British pathfinder Ellen Whitaker riding Equimax Occolado, owned by Steven Whitaker andamp; Dawn Makin, chalked up the first of the British foot perfect clear rounds, closely followed by Guy Williams riding his own Torinto van de Middelstede and Ben Maher riding the Quainton Stud's Robin Hood W. Robert Smith and Talan, a horse Robert jointly owns with Di and Pennie Cornish, finished with just five penalties. The Brits grit and determination didn't stop there, Ellen returned to produce yet another clear in the second round, a performance emulated by Guy, and not to be left out, by Robert too! This meant anchorman Ben wasn't required to jump again. CSIO5* Abu Dhabi UAE Longines Nations Cup 1st Great Britain - 0 penalties Ellen Whitaker - Equimax Ocolado - 0/0 Guy Williams - Torinto van de Middelstede - 0/0 Robert Smith - Talan - 5/0 Ben Maher - Robin Hood W - 0/NS 2nd Germany - 6 penalties 3rd Netherlands - 9 penalties =4th United Arab Emirates - 23 penalties =4th Italy - 23 penalties 6th Egypt - 28 penalties 7th Ireland - 31 penalties Full results can be viewed at www.engarde.de Speaking from a sun drenched Abu Dhabi, a delighted Chef d'Equipe Tim Stockdale said:'What a fantastic start to 2010, I knew we had a strong team and a great team spirit. We had a plan right from the start and everything went to plan. All of the horses jumped out of their skins today. It feels great to come away with a win!'. Will Connell, World Class Performance Director commented: 'The Team pulled together today under the leadership of Tim Stockdale, what a perfect way to start 2010. Lottery funding has enabled our Team Vet to be here with the horses to ensure that they fully recovered after their long journey and all of the horses jumped superbly. This is a great show and we look forward to returning here next year to defend our title'. The President of the UAE Showjumping Cup is taking place at the Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club in Abu Dhabi and will conclude tomorrow (Saturday) with the 300,000andeuro; Grand Prix. 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. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=414 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?414 The third of the qualifying competitions for the World Class Development Programme Championship was held on 30th January at Addington Manor Equestrian Centre. The competition, which is open to riders aged 23 years or under, attracted forty two entries at this Pro/Am Premier Show and with an up to height course, built by Bob Ellis, it produced eight clear rounds through to the jump off. The honours for the class went to World Class Development rider, Joe Clayton riding Saveur with Abbie Squires riding Enrique in second place and another Development Programme rider, a previous winner of the Young Rider Championship in third place, riding Rockim. Junior European Gold Medallist, Carian Scudamore is still leading the points table with 74 points, followed by Abbie Squires on 52 points, with Chris Smith in third place on 50 points, however, with the next qualifying competition taking place at South View Equestrian Centre on 5th February, this could all change. As part of its sponsorship, the World Class Development Programme is funding the first place prize money of 300 at the qualifying competitions, as well as Training Vouchers, which are awarded to the first six prize-winning riders, currently eligible for British Team selection. The other three riders who received Training Vouchers were Daniel Moseley (4th), Samuel Hutton (5th) and Emily Davies (6th). Clare Whitaker, Chairman of British Showjumping's Performance Development Committee commented, 'The concept of the WCD U23 Championship is an excellent one, giving an opportunity for riders in the Junior and Young Rider age groups to jump well built, up-to-height courses that test their riding ability and their capability to perform under pressure. The qualifying classes form part of the Viewing Competitions that count towards the selection process for this year's World Class Development Programme Start Selection Trials'. Clare continued: 'With the Pathfinder and Championship classes taking place at The British Open Showjumping Championships, it gives the twenty-two qualified riders an opportunity to compete and experience the atmosphere of a CSI 4* International Show'. Together with the further four qualifying competitions being held at various venues during February and March, the top twenty-two horse and rider combinations, based on points from that horse and rider combination's best four results, will come forward to jump in the World Class Development Programme Championship and, it's supporting competition, the World Class Development Programme Pathfinder. These will be held at The British Open Show Jumping Championships in Birmingham's LG Arena (7-10th April 2010). The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The Programmes work closely with the three British Equestrian Federation Olympic Member Bodies; British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, whose own training and competition programmes work hand in hand with the programmes run within World Class. Special rules relating to the qualifying classes can be found under 'Competitions and Classes' in the Show Area on the BSJA website. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=413 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?413 Equestrian stars of the future attend British Eventing training clinic at Bishop Burton College A group of young eventing stars of the future gathered at Bishop Burton College recently to attend a clinic with British Eventing (BE) coach and Derby House Pony Eventing Squad trainer Jonquil Hemming. The purpose of the clinics is to prepare the youngsters for the standard of riding expected by the FEI European Pony Championships which are being held at Bishop Burton College in July. All eight of the riders attending the session are aiming for squad selection for the Championships. 'The idea behind the training is to give the riders tips and advice to help them get on and prepare for this standard of competition,' said Jonquil. 'The most fundamental thing I find when taking these clinics is that the riders are not always aware of how crucial their position and posture is and how this can affect how their horse goes.' Similar training sessions are held throughout the year in different venues across the UK and often involve experts such as BE accredited trainer Richard Carruthers, who has been involved in the redevelopment of Bishop Burton's four cross country courses over the past five years. The clinics are open to those riders who have applied to go through the Pony Trials process in order to be available for squad selection, although there is no obligation for any rider who attends a clinic to go onto to take part in any Pony Trials. East Yorkshire rider Annabel Gray (16) is aiming for squad selection in 2010, her last year in ponies. Annabel said: 'I'm putting everything I have into it this year to get selected. I'm having lessons with Camilla Parsonage and these clinics are great. 'Jonquil is a great trainer and I've learned a lot - I got the pony much looser in his back and softer in his frame, which will really help when we're competing.' Alice Walker (15) of Witley in South Yorkshire is also hoping to be selected. She found the clinic very useful. 'Jonquil has given us some really good advice. In canter the pony gets very tense and she showed me how to correct my position to help him relax.' Emily Ryder (15) travelled to the College from central Scotland to attend the clinic - she was very impressed by the facilities. Emily said: 'I rode the pony class at the College in October and it's a really nice course. 'It's the right length - perfect for the end of the season, with some big fences but it all rode really well. Bishop Burton will be great venue for the Championships.' The group also included Philippa Hill of North Yorkshire, an 'A' Squad rider who enjoyed good results last year and only narrowly missed out on squad selection for the 2009 European Pony Championships. As Derby House Pony Eventing Squad trainer, Jonquil is aiming to beat the silver gained by the eventing team at the 2009 championships and has the German team firmly in her sights. She said: 'Of course we are aiming for gold this year but the Germans are always difficult to beat - particularly in dressage as they have such high-quality animals. 'It would be fantastic to take gold at a home competition and Bishop Burton College - the facilities are great.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=412 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?412 Para-equestrian dressage rider Alex McNamara from Fulstow, Lincolnshire is hoping his new horse Max proves to be one in a million. Alex (19), a successful para-equestrian dressage rider, is on the British Equestrian Federation's UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme - which works with talented riders to maximize their potential and deliver success. Max, show name Rubinall, is a chestnut 10-year old gelding by Rubenstein, who was chosen to help strengthen Alex's chances of success in the future. Alex has left side hemiplegia which affects his control of the horse and his balance when riding. However, despite this Alex still regularly competes successfully in able-bodied dressage classes.'I'm so grateful to my mum, who bought Max for me,' said Alex. 'We're already forming a good partnership and he's quickly adapting to my way of riding. It's exciting to have another good prospect in the yard and it fills me with real optimism for the future and competing on the world stage.' Alex and Max are already proving to be a winning partnership having picked up wins and placings at able bodied dressage competitions - at both Novice and Elementary competitions and have thus qualified for the Winter Regionals. They are now looking forward to the start of the para-equestrian dressage competition season.The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998.Picture below shows Alex with his new horse Max (Rubinall) Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=410 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?410 Para-equestrian dressage rider Anna Gill from High Wycombe is looking forward to the start of the new season after the arrival of her new horse Kermit. Anna (16), a successful para-equestrian dressage rider, is on the British Equestrian Federation's UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme - which works with talented riders to maximize their potential and deliver success. Her new horse, competition name Broadstone Central Park, was chosen to help strengthen Anna's chances of success in the future. The bay twelve-year-old Hanoverian gelding has so far competed at Advance Medium level with able bodied riders - Anna is his first para-equestrian rider. Kermit is owned by Mrs Sam Page and is currently being kept at South Bucks RDA where Anna rides him twice a week. Anna suffers from cerebral palsy which affects her balance and makes her left side very weak. She rides using one hand and no stirrups. 'I have only been riding Kermit for about two months but already I feel like we've established a good relationship and I've got high hopes for him in the future,' said Anna. 'Even though he's only been an able bodied ride so far, he responds very well to me and I'm delighted with how everything is going. We are looking to start competing at the end of the month and I'm excited about the season ahead. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=411 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?411 Robert Whitaker is no longer able to compete at CSIO5* Abu Dhabi UAE to be held 3 - 6 February 2010, his place will now be taken by Robert Smith with Raging Bull Vangelis S (Owned by: Raging Bull andamp; Sharon Baldwin). The full squad is as follows: Ben Maher from Elsenham in Hertfordshire with Mike and Emma Phillips' twelve year old bay gelding Robin Hood W Robert Smith from Shrewley in Warwickshire with Raging Bull and Sharon Baldwin's twelve year-old bay stallion, Raging Bull Vangelis S Ellen Whitaker from Barnsley, South Yorkshire with Dawn Makin and Steven Whitaker's fourteen year-old chestnut gelding Equimax Ocolado Guy Williams from Canterbury in Kent with his own fourteen year-old bay gelding Torinto van de Middelstede Chef d'Equipe: Tim Stockdale Team Vet: Robrecht Cnockaert 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 seated 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 100,000andeuro; Nations Cup takes place on Friday 5th February with a whopping 300,000andeuro; on offer in the Grand Prix on Saturday 6th February. 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 Showjumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=409 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?409 A brand new outdoor arena has been constructed at Bishop Burton to add the College's already impressive raft of equine facilities. The arena, which is situated towards the North end of the campus, will be used as the location for the show jumping competitions during this summer's FEI European Pony Championships, which the College is hosting. Bishop Burton already boasts two indoor schools and the Olympic-standard Bishop Burton arena and its existing outdoor arena is being extended by 12 metres and resurfaced before the Championships, which will be held between the 27th July and the 1st August 2010. Bishop Burton's equine director Kim Knightley believes the new arena will also allow the College to offer much more choice and flexibility to students and clients in the longer term. She said: 'For the Pony European Championships the new facility will be used for the high-profile show jumping competition and the existing outdoor school will be the Championship Dressage Arena, but this new resource will also allow us to hold many more competitions in the future and it will mean we don't have to stop one activity so another one can begin.'We are looking at the possibility of hosting some arena polo and organising some affiliated show jumping throughout the summer to complement the winter competitions we currently run.' The new surface, which measures 50m x 90m (4500m²), is situated on a part of the College's estate that affords the room to install terraced seating for 1000 and is convenient for all of Bishop Burton's other equine facilities. Building work began in September and the surface and fencing is now complete.'The new arena surface is now ready for use,' continued Ms Knightley. 'As soon as we are able we will be using it to make sure it is bedded in and settled for the Championships and for use going forward.'We chose the Martin Collins Ecotrack surface, a sand fibre mix which is suitable for all disciplines, which means we can use the arena through the year and our learners and commercial clients will benefit from yet another fantastic resource.' For more details seewww.bishopburton.ac.uk www.ponyeuropeans2010.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=408 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?408 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 100,000andeuro; Nations Cup takes place on Friday 5th February with a whopping 300,000andeuro; 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. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=407 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?407 A new video from Horse Hero now available in our player with Laura Bechtolsheimer . First we find out what made 2009 a break-through year for Laura and Alf who achieved multiple personal bests and British records, plus two European Championship medals. Fiona Price meets Alf's potential successor (and newest acquisition) the inquisitive Willow (Telwell). We say hello to Rufus, a youngster, who is ridden by Dr B at the moment and we meet Stepdance and the enormous Teddy too, both gorgeous 5 year olds. Video kindly supplied by www.horsehero.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=406 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?406 A dressage rider on the British Equestrian Federation's (BEF) World Class Development Programme has triumphed in the B Final of the FEI World Cup for Young Riders in Frankfurt. Charlie Hutton (20), from Cirencester, won the B Final on his horse Merlin Nemorensis on Sunday 20 December against thirteen fellow competitors. Charlie came 9th on the first day of the Young Riders Team Test and 8th on the second day. The top group of competitors go through to the A final, which Charlie missed out on by only 0.5%. He then competed in the B final, performing a freestyle, which he won by just under 3%. The FEI World Cup is a competition for young riders from around the world, including competitors from Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Canada, USA, France, Belgium and New Zealand. Charlie said: 'I'm delighted to have won to have won the B Final. I achieved some great scores in the last two days, which gives me a lot of confidence for the future. I really enjoyed taking part and look forward to further competitions in 2010.' Charlie began competing internationally in 2005 and is based at the Talland School of Equitation, where he rides up to ten horses a day and teaches. Charlie is part of the BEF's World Class Development Programme, which aims to provide Britain's elite riders with the best preparation to represent Equestrian Team GBR at International level. Funded by UK Sport, the Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. Selection to the World Class Programme is based on results combined with potential to contribute to team success at major championships. Performance is continuously assessed and riders are regularly reviewed. The Programme is divided into Development (Start and Potential), and Performance squads across each discipline. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. To see Charlie in action at the British Dressage National Championships visit the Horse Hero website here General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=405 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?405 A showjumper on the British Equestrian Federation's (BEF) World Class Development Programme has won two classes at the Concurso de Saltos Internacional show in Porto (10-13 December). Dan Neilson (19), based with Katrina and Jason Moore in Brentwood, Essex, won the 1.35m Speed class and the 1.50m Masters competing against some of the world's best riders. The Speed class saw Dan riding High Zone Z, owned by Graham Butt, alongside 73 other starters all competing for a share of the 5,000 euros first prize. It was a hard fought win with the top four riders separated by just one hundredth of a second. The 1.50m Masters class was the main event of the evening, with Dan riding Iolanthe owned by L Cook. It was a strong field with Dan jumping clear in the final round. He just edged Ireland's Jessica Kurten to secure the title and, his share of the 15,000 euros first prize. Dan, who also finished third in the 1.45m class riding Iolanthe, said: 'This was my first CSI 4* show and I've thoroughly enjoyed competing. To come away with two wins and a third place is unbelievable and I'm delighted with my progress. The horses have all performed really well and I'd like to thank my owners who have trusted me with some great rides and I'm really pleased they're now proving themselves at this level.' The BEF's World Class Development Programme aims to provide Britain's elite riders with the best preparation to represent Equestrian Team GBR at International level. Funded by UK Sport, the Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. Selection to the World Class Programme is based on results combined with potential to contribute to team success at major championships. Performance is continuously assessed and riders are regularly reviewed. The Programme is divided into Development (Start and Potential), and Performance squads across each discipline. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=403 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?403 A showjumper on the British Equestrian Federation's (BEF) World Class Development Programme has triumphed at the London International Horse Show 2009 following a thrilling jump off. Matt Sampson (19), from Sheffield, won the Accenture Young Show Jumper of the Year class at Olympia riding Rush On M on Saturday 19 December, beating off competition from sixteen other riders. It was a closely fought competition with nine riders competing in the jump off. Five went clear but Matt just edged second placed Joe Clayton by less than three tenths of a second. Matt said: 'It was such a close class so I'm delighted to have won. The crowd was great and helped to create a brilliant atmosphere which definitely spurred me on. It's been a fantastic year for me so to finish it off with a win is just amazing and makes all the hard work seem worthwhile. I'm hoping to build on my success for next year and compete at a more senior level so this win has given me a real boost.' The BEF's World Class Development Programme aims to provide Britain's elite riders with the best preparation to represent Equestrian Team GBR at International level. Funded by UK Sport, the Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. Selection to the World Class Programme is based on results combined with potential to contribute to team success at major championships. Performance is continuously assessed and riders are regularly reviewed. The Programme is divided into Development (Start and Potential), and Performance squads across each discipline. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=404 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?404 The British Equestrian Federation has announced three rider promotions within its World Class Development squad. Natalie Povey (20) has been promoted from the start to potential para-equestrian dressage programme; Jessie Drea (17) has moved up from pre-start to start on the show jumping programme; Dani Evans (17) has joined the eventing start progarmme and Scott Brash (23) has joined the potential show jumping programme. Natalie who is based in Wrexham has achieved consistently high percentages in the British Dressage Para Open qualifiers together with excellent results at Hartpury CPEDI*** this year and at the KBIS Championships. These results together with her consistent improvement and meeting of targets and goals set as part of the review process and performance pathway ensured her deserved promotion. Horsham based Jessie joined the pre-start programme at the beginning of 2009 and has had a busy and successful year both here and overseas. She was part of the British Junior European show jumping team in Holland who came fourth. Dani, from Bristol, has consistenly performed throughout 2009, including winning an indivdual silver medal at the Junior European eventing championships. Scott, who is based in Peebles, is the number one Scottish show jumper. He has achieved consistently good results over the last 12 months, qualifying for Horse of the Year Show. 'The promotion of these riders shows the depth of talent we have in this country,' commented World Class Performance Director, Will Connell. 'This is essential if Great Britain is to win more medals on the International stage at European, World, Olympic and Paralympic level and demonstrates the value of the tiered development approach. The standard of riding on the Programme continues to improve year on year.'The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. Together with the Equine Pathway it comprises the Equestrian World Class Programme. Selection to the World Class Programme is based on results combined with potential to contribute to team success at major championships. Performance is continuously assessed and riders are regularly reviewed. The Programme is divided into development (start and potential), and performance squads across each discipline. For more information see http://www.bef.co.uk/The_World_Class_Programme The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998 General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=401 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?401 East Sussex based Emily Llewellyn has been crowned the 2009 Sussex Young Sports Personality Award for the second year running. The 20 year old event rider who is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Development Programme picked up the award last month. Organisers of the awards, the Sussex County Sports Partnership, received a record breaking number of nominations this year with the standard being extremely high. Emily's category had the most nominations with five athletes being short-listed and the final decision was down to the judges, unlike last year when it was determined by public vote. A thrilled Emily said: "I can't believe it - to pick up the award last year was incredible but to win again this year is awesome! It was an amazing evening - thank you to the award organisers and to the University of Chichester who sponsored the award.' Emily's award comes on the back of a very successful competition year, including wins at the National University Championships, the national under 25 championships at Bramham, finishing 'best newcomer' and leading under 25 rider at Badminton, as well as winning individual bronze and team gold at the Young Rider European Championships. The BEF's World Class Development Programme aims to provide Britain's elite riders with the best preparation to represent Equestrian Team GBR at International level. Funded by UK Sport, the Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage Selection to the World Class Programme is based on results combined with potential to contribute to team success at major championships. Performance is continuously assessed and riders are regularly reviewed. The Programme is divided into Development (Start and Potential), and Performance squads across each discipline. For more information see http://www.bef.co.uk/The_World_Class_Programme The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=402 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?402 Para-equestrian dressage rider Natasha Baker from Uxbridge thinks her prayers have been answered with the arrival of her new horse JP. Natasha (19), a successful para-equestrian dressage rider, is on the British Equestrian Federation's UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme - which works with talented riders to maximize their potential and deliver success. Her new horse, competition name Cabral, was chosen for his star quality, to help strengthen Natasha's chances of success in the future. The bay seven-year-old Polish bred gelding had previously evented up to Novice level with Christian Landolt, but when he proved not bold enough cross country, looked to start a new career as a dressage horse. He will join Natasha's other two rides, Wald Minor (owned by Jean Scharf) and Lazardo (owned by Natasha). Natasha suffers from transverse myelitis, a rare condition affecting nerves in her lower spine. She doesn't have sufficient power in her legs, so relies on her voice to control her horses. 'The family all clubbed together to help me buy JP - so I'm really grateful to them,' said Natasha. 'He's settling in well and getting used to listening to my voice, which is obviously a critical part of his training - he's already a star in my eyes but hopefully he'll be one on the world stage one day!' Natasha and JP are already proving to be a winning partnership having picked up wins and placings at able bodied dressage competitions - for both Preliminary and Novice tests. They will start para-equestrian dressage competitions early in the new year. The World Class Programme incorporates the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. It comprises the Performance and Development programmes plus the Equine Pathway. The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=399 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?399 An international eventer gave a masterclass on Sunday 6 December to one lucky rider who put in the highest bid as part of an online auction to raise funds to send the British Team to the World Equestrian Games in 2010. Samantha Bowman from Tamworth was the lucky recipient of a lesson with Oliver Townend at his base in Ellesmere, Shropshire. Oliver is on the British Equestrian Federation's World Class Performance Programme and won both Burghley and Badminton this year. He was also part of the British Eventing Gold medal winning team at the European Championships in September. Oliver said: 'We did a lot of work on the flat getting Samantha's horse moving in the first part of the session and then we progressed onto some jumping and working on her lines in the second half.' Samantha rode her six-year-old horse Cardonagh Lass who has been competing successfully in British Show Jumping competitions and is hoping to take part in British Eventing competitions next year. She said: 'I was over the moon when I found out I was the successful bidder; it's not often you get the chance to have one on one tuition with a British Eventing team European gold medalist! It was a fantastic opportunity and I really feel like I benefited from Oliver's expertise.' The Olympic and Paralympic teams are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting do not receive funding of any kind. 500,000 is needed to support all the teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year. The auction site has been launched with the support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined forces with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. There are still a number of lots available in the auction so for more details log onto http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=400 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?400 2 Podium positions and the national Athem played once again for the two British Vaulters in Paris: European Champion Joanne Eccles has retained her title and continued her 2009 unbeaten record internationally by winning the Paris Masters CVI 2009. Close behind and also producing a top performance was Lucy Phillips finishing 3rd on her debute at the Paris Event. Joanne (from Tillicoultry, Scotland) competed on her European title horse 'WH Bentley' lunged by her father John Eccles. Lucy Phillips (from solihull) competed on her own Pitucelli lunged by Elka Schelp-Lensing. This rounds off a fantastic year for Joanne and Lucy, who have really made a name for themselves on the international circuit. Work now begins towards Kentucky, WEG 2010 next October which both girls have already been selected for by BEV Ltd. Summary- Senior Female 1st Joanne Eccles- Great Britain 2nd Marion Graf - Switzerland 3rd Lucy Phillips- Great Britain Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=396 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?396 If you're looking for a unique Christmas gift or are struggling to find a present for the person that has everything then you might want to check out the Team GBR Auction for some inspiration. The online auction has been set up to help raise funds to send the British Team to the World Equestrian Games in 2010. Current listings, which are not solely for the equestrian enthusiast, include; a whisky experience for two staying at Bruichladdich Single Malt Distillery, Isle of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, two box seats at the Royal Albert Hall for Varekai by Cirque de Soleil, a limited edition print of the Red Arrows signed by the 2009 display team pilots, and a unique day with Mary King. The World Equestrian Games, held in Kentucky will include the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, para-equestrian dressage along with the non-olympic disciplines of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this means taking more than 51 horses in total. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive funding of any kind. 500,000 is needed to support those teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year.'This is the first time the games have ever been held outside Europe,' comments Will Connell, Equestrian Performance Director. 'To send a full team and remain one of the top equestrian nations in the world, we need your help. All proceeds of this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting our talented riders in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Without your help we will not be able to send a full team.' The auction site has been launched with the support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined forces with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. Visit the auction HERE. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=397 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?397 With a host of International riders set to descend on Olympia next week British Dressage and British Showjumping are launching a joint cause - asking British supporters to get into the festive spirit and display their loyalties by wearing red. The colour has been chosen as the most eye catching of the union jack and both disciplines' logos. British Dressage and British Show Jumping hope that a bold statement from the home crowd should give British riders a real boost. British Dressage Marketing Manager Claire Booth said: 'At the European Championships this year the Dutch supporters were unmissable in their swathes of orange. Our own supporters are just as loyal in spirit and it would be fun to set a similar tradition. If anyone is heading to Olympia next week we hope they'll join in and wear red with pride!' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=398 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?398 Paralympic gold medallist Simon Laurens and European triple gold medallist Sophie Wells joined the celebrations yesterday to mark 1,000 days to go to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. A selection of Paralympians were invited to mark the event at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park, where the equestrian events will be held in 2012. With the meridian line, iconic views across the city and across to where the equestrian arena will be, the Observatory was the ideal setting for the event. "When I first started para-equestrian dressage, London 2012 was my original goal," said Sophie Wells. "To have myself in the right position I wanted to do the 2009 European Championships and now I am working towards being selected for the 2010 World Equestrian Games. I want to get all the experience I need and be in the best possible position to be selected for London 2012, the equestrian squad is strong and so competitive it is really important to keep ontrack with all my goals over the next 1,000 days." A nationwide talent recruitment drive was also launched by UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport and the British Paralympic Association. They're looking for people with an impairment who think they might have what it takes to compete in 2012 with an online registration available. Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), said: "In 1,000 days' time we will be welcoming the Paralympic Games home and we will deliver a spectacular showcase for Paralympic sport. This is a golden opportunity to raise awareness of Paralympic sport, challenge stereotypes about disability and secure a legacy which will have every disabled child getting greater access to sport. As the clock counts down to 2012, there is still time to get involved in the Paralympic Games, and still time to become part of the British team."Listen to Sophie Wells being interviewed by the BBCSee the images and video from the event on the London 2012 websiteSee BBC London's coverage of the event General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=395 Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?395 Chris Smith, riding Dozent, won the first qualifying competition, for the World Class Development Programme Championship that took place on Friday, 27th November at Addington's Premier Show. The competition, which is open to riders aged 23 years or under, attracted forty-nine entries, including four World Class Development riders. The course, built by Bob Ellis produced eight clear rounds through to the jump off and, there were three double clears taking the top places, with the combination of Chris and Dozent winning in a time of 33.74 seconds. In second place was Junior European Gold Medallist, Carian Scudamore riding Larino 0087, with a time of 35.45 seconds and, in third place was George Whitaker riding Tubano in 39.01 seconds. As part of its sponsorship the World Class Development Programme is funding the first place prize money of 300 at the qualifying competitions, as well as Training Vouchers, which are awarded to the first six prize-winning riders, currently eligible for British Team selection. The other three riders who received Training Vouchers were Emily Davies, Daniel Mosely and Abbie Squires. Derek Ricketts, World Class Performance Showjumping Manager commented, 'I thought the standard of riding was very good over a technical and up to height track, and with the high percentage of young riders who rode so well, this shows great promise for the future of British Showjumping.' There are a further six qualifying competitions being held at various venues throughout the country, from where the top twenty-two horse and rider combinations, based on points from that horse and rider combination's best four results, will come forward to jump in the World Class Development Programme Championship and, it's supporting competition, the World Class Development Programme Pathfinder. These will be held at The British Open Show Jumping Championships in Birmingham's LG Arena (7-10th April 2010). The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme, incorporating the three Olympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The Programmes work closely with the three British Equestrian Federation Olympic Member Bodies; British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, whose own training and competition programmes work hand in hand with the programmes run within World Class. Qualifying Venues Winter Premier Show Dates 2009/10 Ingliston Country Club andamp; EC 5th December South View EC 16th January Addington Manor EC 29th January Arena UK 27th February Towerlands Park 13th March Hand EC 20th March Special rules relating to the qualifying classes can be found under 'Competitions and Classes' in the Show Area on the British Showjumping website www.britishshowjumping.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=393 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?393 Nationwide talent drive launched to find British Paralympic Champions in final 1000 days before London 2012.Last chance to put yourself forward for the once in a lifetime opportunity to win gold on home soil. Today marks 1000 days until the start of the Paralympic Games in London and there is still time to become a Paralympic Gold medalist in front of a home crowd in 2012. With time ticking down until the Opening Ceremony begins, athletes with an impairment have never had a better chance to put themselves forward for a once in a lifetime opportunity to walk into the Olympic Stadium at Stratford as part of the ParalympicsGB team. Talent 2012: Paralympic Potential is a nationwide talent search being run by UK Sport, EIS and the British Paralympic Association. A campaign of this size so close to a Games is unprecedented and whilst it can take athletes up to eight years to reach an Olympics, research has shown that potential participants for a Paralympic Games can be ready to compete at an elite level much sooner. Results at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing show that 33% of British medalists had been part of a world class elite programme for less than two years and 15 of the British Gold medals were won by first time Paralympians. Chelsea Warr, Head of Athlete Development at UK Sport, said: 'The ability to achieve a Paralympic Gold medal is a rare commodity and identifying those capable of doing so in the final 1000 days before 2012 will be no easy task. It is possible however, as results at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing have shown, that with hard work, dedication and the right coaching set up, we can make someone's dream a reality.' Dave Smith, who only began training as a rower 12 months ago and who is hoping to compete in London in 2012, said: 'Just a year ago I was competing in Bobsleigh. The switch to Paralympic rowing was a challenge for me, and I'm improving all the time. I was delighted to become a world champion in my first season and am completely focused on achieving success in 2012. 'I think my story demonstrates that with the right coaching and determination anything is possible. I hope other athletes in a similar position to me will grab their 2012 opportunity.' The campaign is open to athletes aged between 15 and 35 with any form of impairment who believe they have what it takes to become a Paralympic Champion in 1000 days time. ParalympicsGB Chief Executive, Phil Lane, said: 'Whilst we have come second in the medal table at the past four Games, there are many events that we simply haven't been able to field an athlete in. With the competition getting tougher all the time it is vital that we have explored all avenues to recruit new athletes.' Those people with any form of disability, who think they might have what it takes to become a Paralympic Champion in London in 2012, should register their interest at www.uksport.gov.uk/talent before the 11th January 2010. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=394 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?394 British Vaulters Joanne Eccles and Lucy Phillips have both been invited to the Paris Masters CVI Vaulting competition held at the annual 'Salon de Cheval' international competition and equestrian show from the 4-13th December 2009. Joanne, current European Champion, goes into the competition to defend her title she won there last year. Lucy Phillips gained her invite through her impressive international results throughout 2009 culminating in finishing 8th European Vaulting Championships in Sweden 2009 Joanne will compete on her european title mount 'WH Bentley' lunged by her father John Eccles. Lucy will compete on her own Pitucelli, who won best horse prize at the European Championships, lunged by Elka Schelp-Lensing from Germany. For more information on the show and to follow the results : http://www.salon-cheval.com/ Above top: Joanne Eccles and W H Bentley Above bottom: Lucy Phillips and Pitucelli Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=390 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?390 Only three days left to bid on "A Day at Goodwood Races with Dinner and Overnight Stay for 4 people". For more information and to bid see:http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/auctions/current-auctions.aspx General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=391 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?391 British Equestrian Vaulting (BEV) has today selected the team and individual vaulters who will compete as Team GBR at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to be held in the USA. The World Equestrian Games, held in Lexington, Kentucky, will include the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping and para-equestrian dressage, along with the non-Olympic disciplines of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this potentially means taking more than 50 horses in total. The squad, made up of 11 vaulters; three individual females, one individual male and seven team members, will attend the Games which run from the 25th September to the 10th October. Individual - female competitors Joanne Eccles (20) from Tillicoultry Lucy Philips (19) from Solihull Hannah Eccles (18) from Tillicoultry Individual male competitor Ross Foreman (22) from Duns Senior vaulting team Emma Runge (22) Buckinghamshire Sarah Reid (19) Worcestershire Sara Shortland (16) Derbyshire Steph Hunter (16) Lincolnshire Lydia Barham (15) Northamptonshire Paige Brown (12) Hampshire Megan Bignell (11) Warwickshire The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive funding of any kind. Funding in excess of 60,000 is needed to support the vaulting squad alone to allow them to compete for their country in Kentucky next year. An online auction - http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ - has been set up to help raise funds to send the British team to the World Equestrian Games in 2010. All proceeds from this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting them in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Top level UK vaulting coaches will also be working together to create as much opportunity as possible to allow these vaulters to succeed. Look out for further fundraising opportunities at www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk.'I am delighted that we are able to announce the British vaulting squad for Kentucky,' said Lucy Bell, BEV Chef d'Equipe. 'The squad has been very strong throughout 2009 making a real impact on the international circuit. It is a particularly significant and exciting time in British vaulting following our first ever Championship Gold medal for Joanne Eccles this year. We have selected early for 2010, partly to give as much time as we can for preparation for the vaulters and their horses, but also to allow as much time as possible to raise the funds.' John Eccles, father and coach to Joanne and her sister Hannah, said: 'I am extremely proud of both girls. They have already been developing their new freestyles for this prestigious event and the hard work has already started with a new fitness programme to ensure that they are on top form.' Julie Newell, senior coach and lunger of the selected team, who are the current British Champions, added: 'I am delighted for the girls; they have all been working very hard for the past two years to be selected as Team GBR for Kentucky. They are a relatively young team and I am extremely proud of their achievements. We are excited about the challenge ahead of us.' Visit www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk for key Team GBR news and updates. Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=392 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?392 A talented rider from High Wycombe has been nominated by Sport England and SportsAid as one of the Top 16 hopefuls for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Erin Orford has been tipped for her talents in para-equestrian dressage as a great hope for Team GB in 2016. Erin, (20), is currently working towards selection for the World Equestrian Games 2010 in Kentucky. She says: "I am thrilled to be part of the 16 for 2016 and am honoured to have been chosen. It's great to know that there is so much support and confidence in my ability to get to the top in the future and a great boost for morale for the up and coming competition seasons." Erin is a bilateral amputee and is missing the radius in both arms, which means that she has shortened lower arms and only four fingers on each hand. She was inspired to take up para-equestrian dressage after watching it at the Paralympic Games in Athens 2004. Success at a para-equestrian dressage talent spotting competition in 2005 hinted at Erin's bright future and she was chosen as the rider of Painted Affair, a horse on loan to the Para Dressage Training Trust (PDTT). With Painted Affair, Erin attended her first senior international competition in France at the end of 2006, achieving second place on all three days. It was on Painted Affair that Erin was selected onto the British Equestrian Federation World Class Development Programme at the beginning of 2007, and in June that year she was long-listed for the Para Dressage World Championships in July. Sarah Armstrong, World Class Programme Manager, at the British Equestrian Federation, said: "Erin is really proving herself to be one to watch and is now part of the Potential Squad in the World Class Development Programme. With new dressage horse Nirvana, Erin's recent achievements included a creditable second place at the Grade Three Championship at Stoneleigh and a win in the Team Test, along with a second in the Championship Test at a senior international in Belgium. If she continues with the same hard work and determination she can go far." The World Class Development Programme is Lottery and Exchequer funded through UK Sport, and seeks to identify and develop talented athletes who have shown the potential to reach the world stage. The Programme aims to provide Britain's elite riders with the best preparation to represent Equestrian Team GBR at International level and incorporates the three Olympic disciplines and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage. The '16 for 2016' are all supported by SportsAid, a charity which gives financial assistance to talented youngsters aged 12 to 18, to help them meet the costs of pursuing their sporting dreams. For further information, please contact Rachel Worthing or Sam Kandiyali at Target Public Relations on 01242 633100 or email bef@targetgroup.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=389 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?389 The British Equestrian Federation's World Class Programme held its first coaching conference on 5th November 2009 at the Unicorn Trust in Stow-on-the-Wold. Now set to be an annual event, the aim of the conference was to improve communication between the World Class Programme and World Class riders' own coaches, developing a closer relationship between the two. Attracting over 85 delegates from across the four equestrian Olympic and Paralympic sports of dressage, eventing, show jumping and para-equestrian dressage, the day was a combination of presentations and practical sessions. All the coaches working within the Programme and all coaches working at home with World Class squad riders were invited to the event, which was designed following consultation with home coaches earlier in the year. It is part of a long-term process to improve links between these two elements. The day included a number of presentations and sessions delivered by experienced individuals from across World Class equestrian and sporting arenas, seeking to learn from other sports as well as other nations. John Neal, currently Performance Coach at Bath Rugby talked about a passion for the process of winning, which focused on theories of how to think clearly under pressure and make effective decisions in challenging situations. With over 20 years experience, Neal has combined a career working at the top level in sport, business and in the forces, he now works as a Performance Coach throughout the world with teams, individuals and organisations. David Holmes, FEI Executive Director of Sport gave an update on general developments within the International Equestrian Federation and talked specifically about coaching within the International context. Professor of Sports Physiology and Body Movement at the Leuphena University in Germany, Eckart Meyners, addressed the conference, the first time he has presented in the UK. Meyners has helped the German Equestrian Federation to develop a curriculum for professional and amateur riders, trainers, instructors and judges through a series of simple, easy movements that address 'blockages' in the riders' body. These can interfere with mobility of the horse or impede proper communication between horse and rider, so by addressing these, the balance, seat and performance of the rider are improved. Over the past 4 ½ years Meyners has worked with German dressage rider Heike Kemmer, who won team gold and individual bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Meyners also presented practical sessions where he used World Class Development riders Lara Griffith and Laura Collett to demonstrate his system of training. 'The conference was another step in improving communication between the World Class Programme and riders' home teams,' said World Class Performance Director, Will Connell. 'We tried to balance informative sessions with looking at innovative coaching methods and approaches, with everything focused on the ultimate aim of improving performance. It was a great success and we will now be looking to hold it as an annual event.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=388 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?388 In its second year of a four year deal to broadcast Olympia, The London International Horse Show, the BBC for the first time has extended its coverage to provide LIVE broadcast of Dressage. The FEI World Cupandtrade; Grand Prix Freestyle to Music will be available LIVE through the BBC's red button and internet services on Wednesday evening, 16th December. This major decision in support of Dressage was taken after the BBC recorded outstanding viewing figures of its coverage from the Dressage finals of the recent Alltech FEI European Jumping andamp; Dressage Championships at Windsor in August. Olympia Show Director, Simon Brooks-Ward said: 'It is certainly a sign of the times that the BBC has committed to support this discipline. Dressage is on a meteoric rise in terms of public interest and we're delighted the BBC has decided to include it in its Olympia coverage.' Michael Cole, Deputy Editor BBC Sport, said: 'Olympia is a great entertainment spectacle and also a hugely important sporting event on the build up to the 2012 Olympics in London. With the popularity of Dressage increasing - highlighted at the recent European Championships - it was a natural decision for us to include Dressage within our Olympia package. We're looking forward to giving viewers such extensive coverage of a fantastic show.' As well as the Dressage on Wednesday, the BBC will broadcast the Accenture Christmas Puissance on Friday 18th December, also through its red button service. Highlights of the Accenture Christmas Puissance will then be shown on BBC2 on the afternoon of Saturday 19th December. On Sunday 20th, the FEI World Cupandtrade; Show Jumping Qualifier will broadcast LIVE on BBC2. Then on the evening of Monday 21st, the entire evening performance will be shown on the Red Button Service, LIVE. Exact details of how to access the coverage on the red button service will be available ahead of Olympia. Please check www.olympiahorseshow.com for more detail a week ahead of the show. For more details on going digital visit www.digitaluk.co.uk or telephone Digital UK on 08456 50 50 50. Other informative websites include: www.freesatfromsky.co.uk; www.freesat.co.uk and www.freeview.co.uk There are sponsorship opportunities available for this exciting evening of Dressage. Please call Desi Dillingham on 07785 292103 for more information. Ticket Information: Tickets for Olympia, The London International Horse Show are priced between 25 and 51 (25, 35, 45, 51) with various discounts available for groups, seniors and children. Tickets include entrance to the Shopping Village but these can also be purchased separately without a show ticket for only 9. For further information and confirmed programme of events please visit www.olympiahorseshow.com. For tickets, call the box office on 0871 230 5580 Book a special Dressage competition package including two evenings at the FEI World Cupandtrade; Dressage and overnight accommodation. Your accommodation is on the night of 15th December with the option to book an additional night on the 16th. Prices start from 112pp at the three-star Ibis Hotel Earls Court and 172pp to include two nights accommodation and breakfast. To get a 10% discount on these prices call 0871 221 3700 and quote OLYMPIA (lines open 8am-11pm) General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=387 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?387 If you're looking for a unique Christmas gift or are struggling to find a present for the person that has everything then you might want to check out http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/ for some inspiration. The online auction has been set up to help raise funds to send the British Team to the World Equestrian Games in 2010. Current listings, which are not solely for the equestrian enthusiast, include; a whisky experience for two staying at Bruichladdich Single Malt Distillery, Isle of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, two box seats at the Royal Albert Hall for Varekai by Cirque de Soleil, a limited edition print of the Red Arrows signed by the 2009 display team pilots, and a pair of tickets to Olympia, the London International Horse Show, including a backstage tour and course walk with a Team GBR rider. The World Equestrian Games, held in Kentucky will include the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, para-equestrian dressage along with the non-olympic disciplines of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this means taking more than 51 horses in total. The Olympic and Paralympic teams are supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports do not receive funding of any kind. 500,000 is needed to support those teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year.'This is the first time the games have ever been held outside Europe,' comments Will Connell, Equestrian Performance Director. 'To send a full team and remain one of the top equestrian nations in the world, we need your help. All proceeds of this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting our talented riders in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Without your help we will not be able to send a full team.' The auction site has been launched with the support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined forces with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=386 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?386 The annual British Eventing Ball and Awards Ceremony took place over the weekend at Newbury Racecourse (Saturday 7th November). Riders, owners and breeders were awarded the following trophies: Oliver Townend - Tony Collins Memorial Trophy, to the British rider gaining the highest number of points on any horse or horses. Tina Cook - Jane Holderness-Roddam Trophy, to the highest placed Senior Rider in the respective yearly championship. Sarah Pelham, Nicholas and Valda Embiricos - Calcutta Light Horse Trophy, given to the owner of the British horse gaining the highest number of points. Morris Pinto - Wide Awake Trophy, given to the breeder of the British bred, owned and ridden horse gaining the highest number of points. Emily Llewellyn - Edy Goldman Trophy, given to the British rider gaining the most points who is under 21 in the current year. Emily Gilruth - Martin Whiteley Trophy, given to the British rider gaining the most points on one horse who has never been entitled to wear any Union Jack Badge and who has not previously won this trophy. Ginny Turnbull - Jemima Johnson Memorial Trophy, given to a rider who has not been awarded the senior union flag and epitomizes the spirit of the sport. Laura Collett - Sir John Burder Trophy, given to the highest placed British competitor in the current Young Riders European Championship. Dani Evans - Hubert Allfrey Trophy, given to the highest placed British competitor in the current Junior European Championship. Lottie Kennedy - Jane Rook Trophy, given to the highest placed British competitor in the current Pony Rider European Championship. Rachel Tulley was awarded the British Eventing 2009 Groom's Prize for her hard work with Tina Cook. Don't miss out on Scotland's British Eventing Ball which will be held at the Dunblane Hydro on 21 November, from 7pm. Tickets available from either Les Smith or Francis Hay-Smith, 07702 901001. Please book and pay before 7 November. For full details of the venue please go to www.doubletreedunblane.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=385 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?385 An Online auction launched by Equestrian Team GBR to raise funds to send the British Team to the World Equestrian Games in 2010 is now gathering momentum as new prizes are added. With exclusive gifts, experiences and a huge array of items that will appeal to everyone, it promises to be the best place to start your Christmas shopping or maybe just treat yourself. Items currently on the site include lessons with World Class riders Robert Smith or Oliver Townend, sponsorship of a race at Fakenham racecourse, a week in an apartment in Portugal and a day with a shopping advisor plus gift vouchers at John Lewis in London. With many more exciting items being added all the time, there is something for everyone and in the run up to Christmas there will be some perfect gift ideas. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this is more than 51 horses in total. 'The Games are being held in Kentucky, USA, the first time they have ever been held outside Europe,' comments Will Connell, Equestrian Performance Director. 'To send a full team and remain one of the top equestrian nations in the world, we need your help. All proceeds of this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting our talented riders in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Without your help we will not be able to send a full team.' The Olympic and Paralympic teams are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting do not receive funding of any kind. 500,000 is needed to support those teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year. The auction site has been launched with the generous support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined with the British Equestrian Federation as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. The site is very easy to use, setting up an account will only take a few minutes and then you can start bidding straight away on any of the items. There is also the option to sign up for auction email alerts, to be the first to know about the exciting new lots being added to the site. Visit the auction at: http://auction.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=381 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?381 Check out the new video in our media player - Team GBR reining rider Doug Allen (with team mate Francesca Sternberg) provides a fascinating insight intothe sport of reining.Video kindly provided by www.horsehero.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=380 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?380 The British team consisting of Doug Allen, Lee Rutter, Tammy Greaves and Francesca Sternberg won British Reining's first ever championship medal when they took the bronze at the European Championships in Kreuth, Germany (8th - 11th October). Altogether, there were 28 competitors in this division, seven teams plus individual riders from France and Poland. Germany retained their European title on a total score of 665.5 while Belgium finished is silver position with 661.50. The Brits final score was 646.5 The first ever Team GBR Young Riders team finished in a valiant fourth place where the scores were very close with the winners Germany gaining 618 points and Britain finishing only 11 points behind on 607. The best British individual was Jessica Sternberg who finished fifth. Altogether there were 21 competitors in this division with four teams (Italy, Germany, Great Britain and The Netherlands) and individual competitors from Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. For more information on British Reining see here The Senior team with their bronze medals Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=379 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?379 Team 2012 was today launched at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, with leading payment system Visa announced as its Presenting Partner. It represents a huge new ambition for British sport, and is the largest national team ever sponsored, comprising approximately 1200 athletes from 47 sports and disciplines, Olympic and Paralympic alike. Team 2012 will help realise the dreams and ambitions of all Britain's Olympic and Paralympic athletes and is a groundbreaking partnership between the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations (BOA and BPA), the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), and UK Sport. The four bodies came together earlier this year to create this initiative for Olympic and Paralympic sponsors to get behind the nation's top athletes aiming for London 2012 and beyond. Sophie Wells, Para Dressage hopeful for the London 2012 Paralympics, is part of the team and commented: 'Taking part in Team 2012 is something that I am really excited about. An opportunity to represent your country on home soil at a Paralympic Games doesn't come around very often and it is important that programmes like Team 2012, which will help secure important funding for Olympic and Paralympic sports, make the most of this.' Visa's sponsorship will help support sporting bodies as they provide the training and competition support needed for athletes aiming to become part of Team GB and ParalympicsGB at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The sponsorship deal, which runs through to 2012, is transformational for the partnership, ensuring Team 2012 is able to deliver on its ambition of providing extra funding for World Class Performance Programmes through a vital 'third stream' of private sector income, which will sit alongside existing National Lottery and Government funding, for our most promising athletes. The launch marks the start of a major long term fundraising drive through to 2012 and beyond. Speaking on behalf of the partnership, LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe said: 'Today's launch of Team 2012 is a ground-breaking moment for British sport. Team 2012 will help bring to reality the dreams of future generations of athletes in competing at the very highest level. We are delighted to have Visa as the presenting partner and driving force behind Team 2012. Their support is vital and complements the crucial funding from the National Lottery and Government. Team 2012 will help ensure that as Olympians and Paralympians head toward London, they are properly resourced to do the job and make Britain proud.' Visa has been a proud Olympic sponsor for over twenty years, and sees Team 2012 as an immense opportunity to increase the UK's chances of Olympic and Paralympic success. Peter Ayliffe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visa Europe commented: 'As a worldwide partner of the Olympic Games since 1986, Visa is proud to have created such a prolific partnership with Team 2012. It will embody British pride, courage, effort and achievement and provides a unique opportunity for the country to get behind the UK's best athletes and help them compete and win more medals than ever before. The athletes' race for success doesn't begin at the starting line, it has already begun, and Visa plans to support them every step of the way through Team 2012.' The drive for private sector sponsorship of the World Class Performance Programme came from Government. Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Minister for Sport added: 'This is a terrific vote of confidence by the business community in the work being done to give our medal hopefuls the best chance of striking gold in 2012. It is fantastic that Visa has stepped forward, and I am confident that this extra funding - building on the unprecedented levels of public funding for our athletes - will help our Olympic and Paralympic teams deliver even more medals in London.' While a small amount of Team 2012 funds will be allocated to programmes run by the BOA and BPA, the programme is primarily aimed at supporting UK Sport's World Class Performance Programme. It allocates funds to National Governing Bodies, who in turn use it to support athletes' training and competition needs. Funding raised by Team 2012 for the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) will be allocated alongside existing Lottery and Exchequer income to sports, based on UK Sport's successful 'no compromise' investment strategy. It seeks to ensure that all sports and athletes with the potential to compete and win on the world stage are properly resourced in the four years leading up to a Games, whilst recognising that in some sports individual athletes still need to find additional sponsorship to achieve their goals. In particular the WCPP funds:· World class coaching · Sports science and medicine and other technical support, including research and innovation· International competition and training schedules and travel· Athlete development programmes, including personal awards to allow athletes to train full time. In addition to Visa's support as Presenting Partner, in the build up to London Team 2012 will actively be seeking further sponsorship from Olympic and Paralympic partners, as well as introducing opportunities for small and medium sized firms, individual and corporate donors and eventually the general public to get behind the programme. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=378 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?378 Two years after their win in Pratoni, Italy, and a nail-biting final Show Jumping phase where clear rounds proved elusive for many combinations, Team GBR have taken both the Team Gold Medal, and an Individual Gold and Silver Medal at the Senior HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships at Fontainebleau in France. Team GBR held their position following table-topping dressage scores on Thursday and Friday, and then stormed across country on Saturday, posting five clear rounds out of six, albeit with a few time penalties, including two clear individual rounds, to retain their team lead by 57.9 penalty points. Show jumping followed (Sunday), where the poles fell for many riders, including Great Britain, but Team GBR held their cool to clinch Team Gold with a final penalty score of 160.50. Individual Gold was won by Tina Cook and her fantastic 11-year-old ride, Miners Frolic and Individual Silver was clinched by Senior team debutant, Piggy French. The trip to Fontainebleau has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Team Performance Manager Yogi Breisner says: "The whole squad is delighted and the coaches are over the moon about how they have all performed. It was a brilliant result for Great Britain to win the 8th consecutive Gold Medal at the European Championships." Mother of two and double Gold-Medalist Tina Cook says: 'What a horse! Henry (Miners Frolic) was fantastic throughout and really tried his heart out for me. He is a horse of a lifetime. The whole Championship was a truly amazing experience and the team morale was fantastic. I still can't quite believe it!' William Fox-Pitt, on winning his seventh team Gold Medal at a European Championships says: 'It was very exciting to be part of the British team winning its eighth consecutive Gold Medal! I was thrilled with my horse Idalgo who performed brilliantly throughout the competition.' Nicola Wilson, who made her debut for Team GBR says: 'We had a fabulous week and I've thoroughly enjoyed it - I feel exceptionally privileged and honored. I very much enjoyed being the pathfinder as he is so lovely to ride across country and think we are so lucky to have such a fabulous support team which undoubtedly helped the team to win Team and individual medals. 'I am so pleased with how Opposition Buzz performed and I am particularly excited for Rosemary Search who not only is the owner but also bred him.' Lucy Wiegersma, who finished 13th individually says: 'Overall I am very pleased with my horse's performance as he is relatively inexperienced at this level, being only 10 years old. I am delighted for the team, especially for Tina and Piggy with their individual Gold and Silver Medals. He will now have a month off, then come back in over the winter to do some dressage and show jumping, after which he will be aimed for Badminton.' Gold Medal winning team member Oliver Townend says :'I am really pleased for Yogi and the team and look forward to getting out again and competing next season.' Mike Etherington-Smith, Chief Executive of British Eventing says: 'This is a fantastic success for the sport of Eventing in Great Britain. Thanks go to the whole Team and their support network, including the World Class Performance Team, owners, grooms and coaches who helped get them there and who have been planning this for a very long time, working with the riders to ensure they and their horses arrived in France in the best possible condition.'There was a fantastic team spirit and Team GBR led from day one. Everyone worked well together and in many cases achieved personal best performances.'Final ResultsIndividual Gold and Team Gold - 46.7 penalties (1) Tina Cook riding Mr andamp; Mrs Nicholas Embiricos and Sarah Pelham's Miners FrolicIndividual Silver - 47.3 penalties (2) Piggy French riding Miriam Midgley, James Midgley, Sue Crane and Walter French's Some Day SoonTeam Gold - 160.50 penalties (4) William Fox-Pitt riding Mr George andamp; Mrs Jayne Apter's Idalgo (9) Nicola Wilson riding Miss Rosemary Search's Opposition Buzz Oliver Townend riding Mr Edward andamp; Mr Robert Nicholson's Flint Curtis (retired at second horse inspection)Individual rider result (13) Lucy Wiegersma riding Mrs Ginnie Lyne's Woodfalls Inigo Jones Sign-up to support all the British Equestrian Teams at www.teamgbrontrack.com - it's FREE Listen to interviews with:Tina CookPiggy FrenchNicola Wilson General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=377 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?377 Tina Cook and Oliver Townend take joint first position after the dressage phase of the European Eventing Championships. Listen to interviews with them here: Tina CookOliver Townend Great Britian are in gold medal position overall heading into tomorrow's cross-country phase. Show you support for Team GBR by signing up to Team GBR Ontrack for FREE at www.teamgbrontrack.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=375 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?375 Edward to compete and host Dressage Masterclass The Dressage phenomenon of Edward Gal and Moorlands Totillas will be at Olympia, The London International Horse Show (15-21st Dec) this year, giving fans another chance to see this magnificent pair in action in the UK. The European Champions and World Record holders are confirmed to compete in the FEI World Cupandtrade; Dressage Qualifier Grand Prix on Tuesday 15th, and upon qualification will go through to the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music on Wednesday evening, both supported by Horse andamp; Hound. As well as the privilege of seeing this partnership in action, visitors will be treated to Edward's first ever Dressage Masterclass at Olympia, before the Freestyle to Music on Wednesday evening. Edward will be taking time out from his final preparations to share his expertise with the audience, demonstrating how he works with his horses to perform specific test movements required for the Kür. The Masterclass is a must for Dressage fans who would like the inside track on scoring 'the perfect ten' - after Edward scored a previously unheard of 32 tens in his Grand Prix Special test at the Alltech FEI European Dressage Championships earlier this year. Edward says: 'I'm really looking forward to Olympia and I can't wait to be back competing in the UK. It holds a very special place in my heart following our success at the European Championships in Windsor this August.' The Dressage Masterclass by Edward Gal will take place during the evening performance on Wednesday 16th December.* Ticket Information: Tickets for The Olympia London International Horse Show are priced between 25 and 51 (25, 35, 45, 51) with various discounts available for groups, seniors and children. Tickets include entrance to the Shopping Village but these can also be purchased separately without a show ticket for only 8. For further information and confirmed programme of events please visit www.olympiahorseshow.com. For tickets, call the box office on 0871 230 5580 Book a special Dressage competition package including two evenings at the FEI World Cupandtrade; Dressage and overnight accommodation. Your accommodation is on the night of 15th December with the option to book an additional night on the 16th. Prices start from 112pp at the three-star Ibis Hotel Earls Court and 172pp to include two nights accommodation and breakfast. To get a 10% discount on these prices call 0871 221 3700 and quote OLYMPIA (lines open 8am-11pm) General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=373 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?373 Listen to some of the British riders ahead of the European Eventing Championships which get underway today:Oliver TownendPiggy French Nicola Wilson Pledge your support for all the British Equestrian Teams at www.teamgbrontrack.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=374 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?374 Keep up with all the action from the European Eventing Championships at Fontainebleau this week via your laptop or TV, with live updates all week on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/BEventing or on the BE website www.britisheventing.com News pages. Plus you can watch the cross country and show jumping live on BBC TV via the red button as the team defends their crown of seven consecutive gold-medal wins at the weekend. If you prefer to watch the story unfold from the start, tune in to BBC 2 on Sunday to watch interviews with Team GBR members as they walk you round some of the fences on the course, and chat to BBC presenter Clare Balding in the lorry park. Commentators for the European Championships are Eventing icons Ian Stark and Mike Tucker. The Team of six riders includes 2008 Beijing Olympic Bronze Team medalists William Fox-Pitt and Tina Cook, plus Pratoni Gold Medal winning Team member Oliver Townend. They are joined by British Senior Team debutants Nicola Wilson, Lucy Wiegersma and Piggy French to form a squad of six. Tune in to the BBC coverage: Saturday September 26th: 10.00 - 1615 (BST) Red Button Sunday September 27th: 09.00 - 11.00 (BST) Red Button 13.00 - 15.00 (BST) Red Button 15.00 - 17.00 (BST) BBC 2 The trip to Fontainebleau has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=371 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?371 Team GBR's Eventing squad head out to Fontainebleau in France today to defend their Team Gold title, which has been won by British riders over the last seven European Championships. The Team includes 2008 Beijing Olympic Bronze Team medalists William Fox-Pitt and Tina Cook, plus 2009 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials and Mitsubishi Motors Badminton winner Oliver Townend. They are joined by British Senior Team debutants Nicola Wilson, Lucy Wiegersma and Piggy French to complete the talented squad of six. The six riders and their six horses will arrive at the host location, 40 kilometres from the French capital tomorrow (Tuesday 22nd September) to join Team GBR's performance manager and trainers. The event will run in the usual three day event format, where the horses undergo the first horse inspection on Wednesday, followed on Thursday and Friday with the dressage phase, cross country on Saturday, ending with show jumping on Sunday, pending the second horse inspection. The trip to Fontainebleau has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Be sure to watch the BBC coverage of the Championships if you have BBC Interactive, at the following times; Saturday September 26th: 10.00 - 1615 (BST) Red Button Sunday September 27th: 09.00 - 11.00 (BST) Red Button 13.00 - 15.00 (BST) Red Button 15.00 - 17.00 (BST) BBC 2 Or for live updates follow the British Eventing News page on the website at http://www.britisheventing.com/ or the British Eventing Tweets on http://twitter.com/BEventing The squad of six travelling to the Senior Eventing Europeans is: Tina Cook riding Mr andamp; Mrs Nicholas Embiricos and Sarah Pelham's Miners Frolic William Fox-Pitt riding Mr George andamp; Mrs Jayne Apter's Idalgo Piggy French riding Miriam Midgley, James Midgley, Sue Crane and Walter French's Some Day Soon Oliver Townend riding Mr Edward andamp; Mr Robert Nicholson's Flint Curtis Lucy Wiegersma riding Mrs Ginnie Lyne's Woodfalls Inigo Jones Nicola Wilson riding Miss Rosemary Search's Opposition Buzz Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=372 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?372 After four days of top competition, the Jump Savings British Young Rider Team took their fifth consecutive Team Gold medal yesterday out at the Young Rider Eventing European Championships held in Waregem, Belgium (11-14 September). The British team fought off the challenge from 11 other nations to take the Gold, beating their nearest rivals, the Germans, by more than 11 points. 19 year-old Laura Collett from Wiltshire and 20 year-old Emily Llewellyn from East Sussex added to the British medal tally by taking Individual Gold and Individual Bronze respectively, beating more than 50 other competitors to the top accolades. The exceptionally talented combination of Laura Collett and Rayef, owned by Jason Houghton, lead from start to finish and had only one show jump down to finish on a final score of 47.5. Emily Llewellyn only added one show jump time penalty to their dressage score to finish on 49.8. Laura was delighted with hers and Rayef's performance: 'I'm still in shock! Rayef was absolutely amazing all week, I couldn't fault him.'I just want to thank everyone who has helped me get my third European Championship title, especially Sam Watson who has been a real motivation to me.' Alex Colquhoun, Chairman of the Young Rider Selectors, thoroughly enjoyed the European Championships: 'It was an incredibly thrilling championship. There were points when it was quite tight at the top, but all of the riders held their nerve against some really tough competition.'I am absolutely delighted for the team, Laura and Emily. It is an absolute honour to be involved with such a talented squad of young equestrians.' This trip to Belgium has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the UK Sport funded Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Final Team Competition Results: 1st Great Britain - 160.2 2nd Germany - 172.1 3rd Sweden - 177.6 Final Individual Competition Results: 1st Laura Collett andamp; Rayef (Great Britain) - 47.5 2nd Astier Nicolas andamp; Jhakti du Janlie (Germany) - 48.3 3rd Emily Llewellyn andamp; Pardon Me II (Great Britain) - 49.8 15th Georgie Spence andamp; Skylight (Great Britain) - 61.8 16th Emily Parker andamp; Treefers (Great Britain) - 62.9 21st Harry Dzenis andamp; Rockin Robin (Great Britain) - 66.8 40th Willa Newton andamp; Neelix (Great Britain) - 94.3 The Jump Savings Young Rider British Eventing squad was made up of the following: Team of four:• 19 year-old Laura Collett from Marlborough, Wiltshire on Rayef, owned by Jason Houghton• 18 year-old Harry Dzenis from Haslemere, Surrey on his own Rockin Robin• 20 year-old Emily Llewellyn from Heathfield, East Sussex on Pardon Me II, owned by Cindy Llewellyn• 19 year-old Emily Parker from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire on her own Treefers Two Individuals:• 20 year-old Georgie Spence from Chippenham, Wiltshire, riding Skylight, owned by Christopher Jenkin• 19 year-old Willa Newton from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire on Neelix, owned by Joey Newton Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=369 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?369 Talented teenager Dani Evans riding Heather Sheppard's Uchin took an Individual Silver medal this morning at the Junior Eventing European Championships held in Waregem, Belgium (11-14 September). 17 year-old Dani from Pensford, Bristol, competing against 78 other riders from 13 nations produced two faultless rounds in the cross country and show jumping phases to finish on her dressage score of 38.3, retaining the second place that she had held throughout the competition. Britain also had three other riders in the top 12 with Eliza Sangster in 8th, Amelia King in 10th and Evie Paterson in 12th. The British team finished fourth in the team competition only two points behind the Italian team in third. The team unfortunately dropped from second to third going in to the show jumping following the withdrawal of Camilla Dumas and Action Packed, who sustained a minor injury in the cross country phase. Dani was thrilled with her Silver medal: 'It's absolutely amazing to win a medal. Uchin jumped out of his skin in both of the jumping phases and he didn't put a foot wrong.'It's so exciting to have a horse like him and I'm very lucky that my grandmother, Heather Sheppard has trusted me with the ride.' Robin Balfour, Chairman of the Junior Selectors, was pleased with how all of the riders performed: 'We have got a good set of results from our British riders with four of the squad finishing in the top twelve.'Coming home with the individual Silver has exceeded all our expectations and it is a great achievement for Dani.' This trip to Belgium has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the UK Sport funded Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Final Team Competition Results: 1st Germany - 139.9 2nd Sweden - 157.9 3rd Italy - 160.3 4th Great Britain - 162.3 Final Individual Competition Results: 1st Marie Kraack andamp; Sinestro 2 (Germany) - 35.8 2nd Dani Evans andamp; Uchin (Great Britain) - 38.3 3rd Celina Nothofer andamp; Larissa 711 (Germany) - 43.1 8th Eliza Sangster andamp; High Havoc (Great Britain) - 46.9 10th Amelia King andamp; Captain Crunchie (Great Britain) - 48.8 12th Evie Paterson andamp; Direct Opposition (Great Britain) - 51.90 36th Giles Blanchard andamp; Arnies Game (Great Britain) - 72.1 Camilla Dumas andamp; Action Packed (Great Britain) - Withdrawn before show jumping The Junior British Eventing squad was made up of the following: Team of four:18 year-old Giles Blanchard from Abingdon, Oxfordshire on his own, Arnies Game16 year-old Camilla Dumas from Shepton Mallet in Somerset on Action Packed, owned by Camilla and her father, Robin Dumas17 year-old Dani Evans from Pensford, Bristol on Uchin, owned by Heather Sheppard17 year-old Evie Paterson from Ellesmere, Shropshire, riding her own Direct Opposition Two Individuals:18 year-old Amelia King from Congleton, Cheshire and her horse Captain Crunchie 17 year-old Eliza Sangster from Marlborough, Wiltshire on her own High Havoc Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=370 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?370 Lucy Loughton from Newton Abbott won the KBIS Junior Regional Novice (JRN) Eventing Championships over the weekend (7-11 September), riding her grandmother Penny Edwards' horse, Abigail III. The competition was held at Weston Park Horse Trials in Shropshire. The JRN title is sponsored by KBIS Horse Insurance who support the class aimed at riders between 14 and 18. The series was designed to provide riders with competitive experience to compete against other riders of the same age. This encourages a greater level of competence and understanding of a sport in which Great Britain is always in contention for Medals at World and Olympic level. Lucy and her mother Sarah purchased the horse exactly two years ago to the day of this fantastic result. The mare has had exceptional form in Showing and Dressage as well as being a former Show Jumper. Lucy, who is also very dedicated to her school work was straight back to school the next morning after her Weston result, however her mother Sarah said of the pair: 'The horse has been super; she really tries her hardest and is just so bold. She is a typical mare in some ways, but Lucy has formed such a great relationship with her. We thank our lucky stars we have her.' British Eventing's Chief Executive, Mike Etherington-Smith says: 'The JRN Series is a key foundation of our activities to get these riders to understand competition and gain experience. It's a demanding series for riders so congratulations to Lucy and also thanks to KBIS for their continued support.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=382 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?382 Darlington-based Libby Soley's very recent return from taking a break from Eventing yielded fantastic results this weekend (7 -11 September) when she won the Young Rider Under 21 Eventing Championships held at Weston Park Horse Trials. Libby, a former British Junior Eventing Team member, who helped win Gold for Britain in 2008, rode her French-bred horse, Kachemire Le Beau (known as 'Kash' at home), a horse who she has competed for the last three years. He was previously campaigned in France before being imported into the UK. Libby said of her result: 'Kash was just amazing. I really have to thank Mum and Dad for being so understanding when I wanted to take a break from Eventing, and being so supportive when I wanted to come back. Kash is one in a million.' The Young Rider Eventing series is supported by Witan Investments, the global growth investment trust. Witan Investments also support Great Britain's Young Rider Team, who this year brought home their fifth consecutive Team Gold Medal at the Young Rider Championships in Waregem, Belgium last month. The support of the youth level of Eventing is to encourage a greater level of competence and understanding of a sport in which Great Britain is always in contention for medals at World and Olympic level. British Eventing's Chief Executive Mike Etherington-Smith says: 'Weston Park is a superb venue for what is a very important Championship. Youth performance at this level is vital for our sport and its future. Many thanks to Witan for their support and also many congratulations to Libby.' General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=383 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?383 The British Eventing Senior Selection Committee have announced that 29-year-old Piggy French, born and raised in Norfolk and now based in Leicestershire, will make her Senior Eventing Squad debut this month on Some Day Soon, owned by Miriam Midgley, James Midgley, Sue Crane and Walter French. Piggy joins William Fox-Pitt, Oliver Townend, Tina Cook, Nicola Wilson and Lucy Wiegersma on the squad of six for the Senior Eventing European Championships in Fontainebleau, France (23-27 September 2009). Sadly Mary King was forced to withdraw from the squad following a slight setback with her ride, Imperial Cavalier, owned by Mr andamp; Mrs E Davies and Janette Chinn. Piggy has had the ride on Some Day Soon since the end of the 2008 eventing season and has since enjoyed international success on the bay gelding. Piggy achieved 3rd in the CCI3* at Bramham Horse Trials back in June, as well as 6th in the CIC3* at Hartpury Horse Trials in August. Piggy is thrilled about making her squad debut: 'I'm still in shock! I'm obviously very excited about the Europeans and can't wait to get over to France for the competition.' Piggy is a member of the UK Sport funded World Class Development squad which aims to identify and nurture talented riders, preparing them to represent Team GBR at international level. The trip to Fontainebleau has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. The squad of six travelling to the Senior Eventing Europeans is:Tina Cook riding Mr andamp; Mrs Nicholas Embiricos and Sarah Pelham's Miners Frolic William Fox-Pitt riding Mr George andamp; Mrs Jayne Apter's IdalgoPiggy French riding Miriam Midgley, James Midgley, Sue Crane and Walter French's Some Day SoonOliver Townend riding Mr Edward andamp; Mr Robert Nicholson's Flint Curtis Lucy Wiegersma riding Mrs Ginnie Lyne's Woodfalls Inigo Jones Nicola Wilson riding Miss Rosemary Search's Opposition Buzz Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=368 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?368 Listen to new audio from this weekend's Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, where our World Class Performance Riders were on form:Oliver Townend talks about adding a Burghley victory to his Badminton win earlier in the yearPolly Stockton talks about coming second with Westwood Poser, her bright hope for the futureThe Burghley podcast reviews all the actionPiggy French reflects on her call up to the European Championships Team Audio provided by LloydBell Productions. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=366 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?366 Please note that tomorrow's (8th September) fundraising event, due to take place at the Unicorn has been cancelled due to insufficient ticket sales. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=367 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?367 Unfortunately Mr andamp; Mrs E Davies' and Janette Chinn's, Imperial Cavalier ridden by Mary King, has been withdrawn from the forthcoming Senior European Championships at Fontainebleau in France (23-27 September 2009). Imperial Cavalier has suffered a slight setback and with WEG 2010 and London 2012 in mind, it was felt it was not in his best interests to risk running him this year. The Selection Committee will announce his replacement in due course. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=365 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?365 30th August This morning I was glad the Championship was coming to end when I went into breakfast and a man asked me if I would like a balloon dog He has returned and thankfully I am leaving!! And so, we come to the end of the Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships here at Windsor and it will soon be time to review and reflect in more detail. Overall it has been a really fantastic Championship. It has of course been a brilliant week for dressage, I mean really outstanding - with record breaking performances and results. There was such a positive spirit in the British camp where everyone really pulled together and made it happen. I am really pleased for the riders, owners and the team staff who have done a tremendous job this week. The secret of success has been teamwork, achieving focus and building greater communication between the World Class programme and the riders 'home teams' - we are now reaping the rewards. The venue has been brilliant and the organising committee really great, this really is a world class championship venue and one for the future in Great Britain. Fantastic job all round! The show jumping has had its high points and its disappointments but overall I think a fair reflection is to say that they have performed to where they are in the rankings and statistically the expectations. There are some great riders coming through and other mature riders here - they will all be here for the future and we have something to build on. We have some work to do in Show Jumping in this country and some decisions to make, but that is for another day I think. My only real sadness about the whole championship is the empty seats on show jumping days - I just don't understand why the British equestrian public has not been out in force to support our great riders and to see some truly World Class competition. I can only wonder what difference it may have made if the Show Jumpers had enjoyed the same full capacity crowds as the dressage team had, but I guess we will never know. Aside form this particular competition and looking back on the week, there have been numerous important meetings discussing Jumping, Dressage and the future of the International Federation (FEI). This included an 'International Jumping Riders Club' general assembly to which the majority of our riders were not invited and certain riders that could be members have no wish to participate in a club that is not truly representative of riders at all levels in international competition. As all of the equestrian community will be aware there has been a certain amount of discussion about whether Belgium or Britain should be relegated from the Meydan FEI Nations Cup series. The FEI Bureau recently released a press release, stating that having considered the confusion caused by the rules both Belgium and Britain would remain in the series in 2010. It therefore came as somewhat a surprise that a move is afoot from some quarters to ask the Bureau to reconsider, perhaps certain members of the equestrian community should study the definition of the importance of leadership. A press release put out today by the riders club is unhelpful in its final comment. I don't, however, wish to end on a note based on negativity - the Championships will be remembered for the success of the British Dressage team and the new heights that the Dutch have taken the sport of Dressage to, we have also seen that a temporary venue can deliver a fantastic Championship, so roll on 2012. I just hope that my next few months will not be spent at the court of arbitration for sport, ensuring that the FEI Bureau do not renege on their decision regarding the Nations Cup series. Will ConnellListen to more of Will's thoughts about the Championship and as he looks ahead to 2012. Read Yesterday's instalment Pledge your support to Team GBR General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=363 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?363 Frenchman Kevin Staut won the Individual Gold Medal in this afternoon's final competition of the 2009 Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships held at Windsor Castle. British hopes were dashed when Ben Maher and Robin Hood W, lying in silver medal position at the start of todays competition, finished on a total score of 23.30 to take fifteenth position overall. Tim Stockdale and Fresh Direct Corlato lowered four fences in the first round of this afternoon's final, and Tim electing to not jump again in the second, finished the competition in twenty fifth position. The Individual Gold medal went to France in the form of Kevin Staut riding the bay stallion Kraque Boom Bois Margot, jumping two foot perfect rounds, with Germany's Carsten-Otto Nagel taking the Silver and The Netherlands' Albert Zoer in the Bronze medal position. Listen to Ben talking after the competition 2009 Alltech FEI European Dressage and Jumping Championships Windsor, GBR Individual Show Jumping Final Gold Kevin Staut FRA Kraque Boom Bois Margot - 9.42 Silver Carsten Otto-Nagel GER Corradina - 9.64 Bronze Albert Zoer NED Oki Doki - 11.18 4th Cameron Hanley IRL S.I.E.C. Livello - 11.83 5th Thomas Muhlbauer GER Asti Spumante - 15.43 6th Daniel Etter SUI Peu a Peu - 15.54 7th Rolf-Goran Bengtsson SWE Ninja La Silla - 15.66 8th Philippe Le Jeune BEL Vigo d'Arsouilles - 16.88 9th Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum GER Checkmate - 17.31 10th Natale Chiaudani ITA Snai Seldana di Campalto - 17.47 11th Mikael Forsten FIN Isaac du Jonquet - 18.98 12th Darragh Kerins IRL Night Train - 20.85 13th Cian O'Connor IRL Rancorrado - 21.18 14th Piergiorgio Bucci ITA Kanebo - 22.28 15th Ben Maher GBR Robin Hood W - 23.30 16th Steve Guerdat SUI Jalisca Solier - 24.05 17th Angelique Hoorn NED Blauwendraad's O'Brien - 24.54 18th Olivier Guillon FRA Lord de Theize - 25.69 19th Tony Andre Hansen NOR Camiro - 25.94 20th Gerfried Puck AUT 11th And Bleeker - 26.29 21st Timothee Anciaume FRA Lamm de Fetan - 28.31 22nd Clarissa Crotta SUI west Side v. Meerputhoeve - 30.61 23rd Marcus Ehning GER Plot Blue 24th Marc Houtzager GER Opium VS 25th Tim Stockdale GBR Fresh Direct Corlato General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=364 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?364 The Dutch proved untouchable in the individual grand prix freestyle of the Windsor European Championships 2009. They had threatened it in previous rounds and in the final dressage competition the music specialists ran away with the show; for the first time in the history of the sport, one country achieved a clean sweep of the medals. The gold medal went to the sensational combination of Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas who smashed their previous world record for an incredible score of 90.75%. Adelinde Cornilessen and Parzival took silver on 87.35% and Anky van Grunsven, denied an individual medal in the special, came home in bronze medal position with 87.25%. A valiant effort by the Brits saw three GB riders finish in the top ten. Individual bronze medallists in the special, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris rode a foot perfect freestyle to a specially composed Shadows medley for fourth position on 81.75%, their score just 0.005% short of the British record they set at Hickstead. Emma Hindle and Lancet were also back on form, riding to eighth place on 76.05% while Carl Hester kept up his newly found confidence to finish tenth on 75.90%. President of the ground jury Stephen Clarke commented: "We are all ecstatic at the quality of competition this week; tonight is the greatest sport we have ever seen in dressage. Congratulations to the riders and the organisers for making this the greatest dressage competition we've ever had." The competition wraps up the final stage of the dressage in the magnificent grounds of Windsor Great Park. While the individual show jumping championship is decided tomorrow, tonight at least belongs to the Dutch. Audio from tonights competition:Laura Bechtolsheimer Carl Hester Emma Hindle Edward GalStephen Clark General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=361 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?361 29th August What a fantastic week of dressage, topped off by a phenomenal final competition tonight. More World records tumbled and in a night that really belonged to the Dutch, the British riders still shone through and reminded everyone that they are not going to go away in a hurry! I don't know what else to say other than Emma was brilliant, Carl was brilliant and Laura was brilliant! Mistral Hojris was a little stronger than he had been in the special but Laura still did a great job to get a plus 80 score from him for a fourth place finish. With Emma and Carl also putting in strong performances all the British riders finished in the top ten - something I certainly can't remember happening before. It was an unforgettable evening, not just for the British and I can't write this without mentioning the first ever plus 90 score posted by Edward Gal with a truly spectacular performance and the first time a nation has taken all three individual medals. Obviously, I would have preferred to have broken up that particular podium party, but as a night of dressage it was truly brilliant. So, that brings the curtain down on the dressage here at Windsor which has been truly memorable. Two medals, a great team effort and a great competition all round. It is a great credit to the organising committee here, British Dressage and the World Class Programme that we have had such a great week. The crowd tonight were fantastic - a packed house which lifted the British riders tremendously and they were well rewarded with the performances they saw. Not to mention the impact this had on our raffle ticket sales outside the arena, which have been great - look out for the Team GBR horsebox travelling to shows around the country over the coming months - all in aid of the World Equestrian Games next year. It is a shame that the show jumping team event did not enjoy the same sort of crowd support - who knows it might have made all the difference to that medal spot. I just hope the British come out in force today to support Tim and Ben as they compete in the final round of the jumping and fingers crossed we can end the week in style. Will ConnellRead Yesterday's instalment Find out more about supporting our teams and our fundraising initiatives. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=362 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?362 Listen the British Team talking from the European Championships:Laura Bechtolsheimer gives us her take on winning bronze Richard Davidson talks after Laura's bronze medal Ben Maher talks after the team competition, he lies in second going into Sunday's final General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=358 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?358 28th AugustAs I'm sure you've all been worried about it all day - you'll be pleased to know that my shirts have turned up..! But back to today's show jumping. Looking at the statistics and our first competition position I think it is fair to say that we were not favourites to win a medal coming into today's team competition. Tim Stockdale was first to go and had an unlucky couple down, he was followed by young blood Billington who jumping an outstanding round for just one time fault in a competition where clear rounds were few and far between. Peter added a solid performance with five faults and then in came Ben and produced an outstanding performance to jump clear. And wow, all of a sudden we are sitting in the silver medal position - what a fantastic feeling. So I headed off to a BEF lunch reception feeling very positive where we entertained the BOA, BPA, owners, press and several other important people. We all had our fingers crossed for the afternoon's jumping. Well what can I say, it just didn't go our way in the afternoon. If it had been just one fence less we would have been in the medals, but it was not to be today. At the start of the day a top six finish was looking like a likely result but when the possibility of a medal presents itself and that's what you are hanging out for you are left with an empty feeling when it doesn't happen. At the end of the day, the team put in an excellent performance and I am very pleased with them, they really pulled together as a team. They are a great team, the worked together and there is plenty to build on for the future. There is not much more you can ask than that. So close but yet so far, but we still have the individual final to go. Ben is still very much there, sitting in silver medal position. He is a very solid rider and his horse is jumping very well so there is still a real possibility of a medal on Sunday. We'll just have to wait and see. Will ConnellRead yesterday's instalment General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=359 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?359 The British Squad have finished in sixth place in this afternoon's Team Competition at the 2009 Alltech FEI European Dressage andamp; Jumping Championships. Solid performances from all four riders in the first round saw the British squad sitting in the silver medal position after the first round. Pathfinder Tim Stockdale riding John Bosher's Fresh Direct Corlato finished with an unfortunate eight faults, followed by Geoff Billington with Patricia Fraser's Rosinus, who became the first combination to complete a clear jumping round but clocked up just a single time fault. Peter Charles and Olga White's Murka's Pom d'Ami lowered a single fence to finish with four faults and he was followed by anchorman Ben Maher riding his own and Quainton Stud's Robin Hood, who produced a breathtaking clear round, just one of three fault free first rounds. Fortunes however changed for the second round and meant Britain would lose their grip on the medal positions to finish the competition in sixth position. Tim and Fresh Direct Corlato lowered just a single fence second time around to finish with four faults, whilst Geoff and Rosinus crossed the finish line with three poles on the floor and a time fault for a second round score of thirteen. Peter and Murka's Pom d'Ami finished with nine, lowering two poles and accruing a time fault, whilst Ben and Robin Hood W were extremely unlucky to hit the middle element of the combination to finish with just four jumping faults plus a single time fault. Switzerland took the Gold medal with Italy in Silver and Germany taking Bronze. The Individual medals of the 2009 Championships will be decided on Sunday afternoon and the line up of the top twenty-five riders following today's competition will feature two members of the British squad. Ben Maher and Robin Hood W currently lie in the silver medal position on a total score of 6.30, less than a fence behind current leader Italy's Natale Chiaudani. Tim Stockdale and Fresh Direct Corlato qualify for the final in twenty-fourth position on a score of 17.20. Speaking after today's competition Ben Maher commented:'I am thrilled with my performance today, Robin Hood was fantastic and I am delighted to be in the silver medal position going into Sunday's Individual Final. I have everything to ride for and my focus now turns to a medal winning position on Sunday afternoon'. Full results from the Championships can be viewed at www.alltechfeiwindsoreuropeans.com 2009 Alltech FEI Dressage and Jumping Championships Windsor, GBR Team Show Jumping Competition Gold Switzerland - 27.66 points Silver Italy - 31 points Bronze Germany - 31.75 points 4th The Netherlands - 32.96 points 5th France - 33.71 points 6th Great Britain - 35.26 points Tim Stockdale/Fresh Direct Corlato - Day 1 points = 5.20, Team 8/4 Geoff Billington/Rosinus - Day 1 points = 4.82, Team 1/13 Peter Charles/Murka's Pom d'Ami - Day 1 points = 5.14, Team 5/9 Ben Maher/Robin Hood W - Day 1 points = 1.30, Team 0/5 7th Ireland - 35.86 points 8th Sweden - 45.62 points 9th Norway - 64.66 points 10th Austria - 71.25 points 11th Belgium 12th Spain 13th Russia 14th Finland 15th Hungary 16th Poland 17th Portugal General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=360 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?360 The first show jumping competition of the 2009 Alltech FEI European Dressage and Jumping Championships took place at Windsor Castle last night, and the British squad are currently lying in seventh position. A drizzly, damp evening didn't hamper the Brit's fighting spirits with all four Team members chalking up solid performances. Course Designer Bob Ellis built a big track for the first leg of the 2009 Championships, a speed competition where fences down means seconds are added to the final time. Time is then converted into penalties in order to determine the final result. The first Brit to go, Tim Stockdale riding John Bosher's Fresh Direct Corlato landed with a foot in the water and a pole on the floor, to finish in a total time of 78.71 seconds. Geoff Billington and Patricia Fraser's Rosinus came next, and with Geoff's gritty determination pulled out a superb round to lower just a single fence to finish with a total time of 77.96 seconds. Peter Charles riding Olga White's Murka's Pom d'Ami, produced a breathtaking round and was so unlucky to roll the top pole on the penultimate fence to finish with a total time of 78.60 seconds. Ben Maher with his own and Quainton Stud's Robin Hood W was the last of the British contingent and made the up to height 1.50m fences look easy, producing a fantastic foot perfect clear to finish in 70.92 seconds. Finishing on a combined score of 11.26 the British squad currently hold seventh place going into Friday's Team Competition. The Swiss Team currently top the table, with The Netherlands in second and France in third. The Team medals will be decided on Friday. 2009 Alltech FEI European Jumping Championship Windsor, GBR Team Standings after Competition 1 1st Switzerland - 3.66 2nd The Netherlands - 3.96 3rd France - 4.71 4th Ireland - 4.86 5th Italy - 7.00 6th Germany - 7.75 7th Great Britain - 11.26 8th Sweden - 11.62 9th Belgium - 14.32 10th Finland - 15.07 11th Austria - 15.25 12th Norway - 15.66 13th Spain - 15.92 14th Portual - 19.98 15th Russia - 26.92 16th Hungary - 28.16 17th Poland - 29.39 Individually, last nights performances leave the British contingent in the following places: 9th Ben Maher/Robin Hood W 37th Geoff Billington/Rosinus 41st Peter Charles/Murka's Pom d'Ami 42nd Tim Stockdale/Fresh Direct Corlato Full results can be viewed at www.alltechfeiwindsoreuropeans.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=354 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?354 A thrilling grand prix special competition came to a nail biting conclusion at the Windsor European Dressage Championships 2009. Personal bests, world and British records fell as the dressage giants battled it out for supremacy on the first day of the individual competition. Right in the mix Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer with Mistral Hojris rode the test of her life to claim the bronze medal on 80.08% and in the process saw off the Dutch from a straight sweep. The Netherland's Olympic Champion Anky van Van Grunsven, piled on the pressure with a 77.917% score, which was immediately bettered by her team mate Edward Gal who recorded a massive 83.042%. It was Laura's job to follow the black talent, Moorlands Totilas into the arena and hold her nerve amidst the atmosphere - which she did in style, breaking the British record for an international grand prix special and assuring herself of a medal in the process. Laura had done all she could and it was only the final Dutch rider Adelinde Cornilessen that could decide the eventual colour of that medal. A phenomenal end to the competition saw Cornilessen with the 12 year old chestnut gelding Parzival break a world record score and take the gold in emphatic style with 84.042%. Edward Gal finished in silver and Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer claimed the bronze. She commented: "I went into the arena more determined than I've ever been; it was without doubt the best test I've ever ridden and my horse gave me everything. He's a talented horse and I knew I had a chance but to actually manage it is just amazing. Sporting history has been made and to be part of it on home turf is very very special. I'm still a bit shaken up" International O judge Stephen Clarke, president of the ground jury commented on the significance of today's results: "I've never seen sport like it, this is one of the greatest moments in dressage history! We've never seen riders performing at such a high level, and the courage of the riders to perform under such pressure was outstanding." Combined with the team silver from yesterday's grand prix, Bechtolsheimer's individual bronze replicates the success of the British team in Lipica in 1993 as the best ever result by a British team at a European Championships. The competition concludes on Saturday evening with the Freestyle competition, the best 15 going through to the final stage. Three British combinations are through to ride in the final stage of the competition; Emma Hindle, Carl Hester and Laura Bechtolsheimer. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=355 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?355 27th August I'd like to start with my hotel - the screaming kids have just about vacated and the man who makes balloon dogs at breakfast is there no more but apparently because the M25 was closed yesterday my laundry has been lost somewhere some where between Berkshire and the East end of London. I am very concerned that someone is walking round in my svelte-like Team GBR shirts and my cupboard is now bare Anyway, back to the matters in hand. Last night was the first round of the show jumping, it's not my favourite competition but it is the rules and you have to be in it to win it. Perhaps we weren't entirely 'in it' but we are still in touch. Ben Maher was masterful and once again demonstrated his ability to produce a performance under pressure and showed his skills as one of our most valuable jumping assets for the future . He finished in 9th; Peter, Tim and Geoff put up solid performances with the odd rail hitting the dirt and this leaves the team in 7th going into the next round. Newcomers to jumping should read the rules as to how the scores for this competition are calculated at the end of this first round - once they've read them please can you let me know how it works - confused.com! We finished the round with 11.26 penalties, with the Swiss on 3.66 and the Dutch, who seem to have laid their beach towels on the podium here in Windsor, on 3.96. There is a great deal to do but morale in the camp is very good and the boys will come out fighting. So, onto the Grand prix Special. I am now a fully paid-up supporter of the 'how exciting dressage is' brigade, having now spent a week with our para-equestrian riders and now this dressage team. Yet again, they pulled out all the stops; yet again, they delivered; yet again, the records tumbled and whilst the Dutch were truly fantastic, the performance of the day in my very unbiased opinion was Laura Bechtolsheimer's. As her mother said - 'I was always taught not to cry when things went well or when things went badly', but it would appear from the tears streaming down her face that this lesson has been temporarily suspended. I think I even saw a little tear on our Welsh farriers face As the commentator said as Laura came down the centre line for the final time today, 'you can breath again'. But I suspect, with three Brits through to the music, come Saturday night we'll all be holding our breath again and wishing them well. Yes you can watch this on FEI TV, but if you have any passion for dressage or any wish to see the Brits on fire you need to be in Home Park Private by 7pm on Saturday night. So this evening we switch back to show jumping, non-Championship classes. Invited riders including a number of Brits and a brace of yanks are fighting it out, and yes normal service has resumed as the Whitakers are out in force. I'm off to the Heart Hospital in London for a quick check up after the stress and tension of today and I'm sure the dressage riders are off for a small celebration!Will ConnellRead yesterday's instalment General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=356 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?356 The last British team member to ride, Emma Hindle performed a polished test under pressure with her 16 year old Olympic partner Lancet to bag the silver medal for GB with a score of 72.936%. On paper the Brits had always been hoping for a medal but this expectation only intensified after Carl Hester and Laura Bechtolsheimer broke British records and personal bests to put GB in with a shout of leap-frogging the Germans into second place. Third team member Laura Bechtolsheimer raised hopes this morning, riding a confident test with poise and flair for 76.59% on her chestnut gelding Mistral Hojris. She commented: "Our consistency this season has been our strength and I was really hoping that it would all come together for us here. We knew on paper we had a good chance and today I felt fully prepared and in control. Alf is the best horse I've ever ridden and he was absolutely with me and focused today; he's a lot of horse and very sensitive but his piaffe and half pass especially were fantastic. To do it all here in front of a home crowd makes it extra special." Emma Hindle also kept her cool commenting: "Being the last team rider the pressure is on to ride a risk free test but on the other hand you have to do enough. Maybe I was too cautious in parts - Lancet felt very good but perhaps lost a little sparkle as a result - but I will definitely go for it more in the individual when the team result is not at stake. There's been a lot of expectation coming into the Championships in Britiain with such a proven and consistent team but to ride at Windsor is amazing and a dream come true." With two team members posting scores of plus 80% the Dutch team did what they set out to do, taking the gold medal on a combined score of 238.59%, while the British team finished on 221.659% pipping Germany to bronze with 219.234%. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=351 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?351 Audio from Enma Hindle and Laura Bechtolsheimer at today's Championships: Laura BechtolsheimerEmma Hindle Supplied by LloydBell productions General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=352 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?352 26th August Well - what can I say - what a fantastic achievement for Team GBR today. I am almost speechless, almost but not quite! The news of the day is of course that the dressage team clinched the team silver medal today, something we have achieved just once before. We have won just three medals at European level previously so this really is a great achievement. From Maria getting things getting rolling in the right direction, to a heroic performance by Carl, Laura showing what she can really do and Emma performing with true grit it was a true team effort. But back to the beginning of the day. I spent most of this morning preparing for the arrival of the American federation on Thursday evening - as usual the European nations are all here and the American's sail in three days late So with that in hand it was onto the dressage - with Laura first in for the British team, she was just outstanding, posting a massive score of 76.63%. We knew then that we were possibly onto something really special here today and there was a real buzz around the competition. We watched as the other scores unfolded and we knew before Emma went in that we were pretty certain of the bronze, but we also knew that we had the silver in our sights. Emma absolutely delivered today - a performance that showed true grit and determination. It got a bit tense towards the end but I don't think anyone would expect that to be any different. With the scores in and counted we had the silver medal in the bag! All the show jumping team turned out to support and the messages of congratulations came flooding in. Then followed the usual debate about the prize giving which somehow is never the same twice They were still discussing how it should be done about a minute before the riders went in - and they managed to come up with a new, never seen before format. The riders came in and did a lap of honour on their horses and then came running back in on foot, like track and filed athletes on their way back from Berlin. After the medals had been presented they proceeded to do another lap of honour on foot It seemed to please the British support in the crowd though and gave the riders chance to soak up their well deserved glory so I won't mock it too much. After the usual press conferences, flowers and photo calls there was a right good party in the British Dressage Pavilion, where the supporters had chance to congratulate the British and the Dutch team joined in for good measure. The team have now gone out to dinner, as they are all through to the Grand Prix Special tomorrow so they won't be able to party too hard just yet! And for the rest of us it's a quick change around and the show jumping is now just getting underway with the first round of their competition. I am pleased to report that the stewards office has a monitor so they can watch the action but they appear to have the football on instead Elsewhere on the show ground today the BEF staff have been out in force supporting our fundraising efforts for the World Equestrian Games next year and the buzz of the competition certainly had the crowds putting their hands in their pockets... (it was either that, the champagne that flowed after the medal ceremony or my assistant Sophie threatening to show her honeymoon photos!) With a whole evening of show jumping ahead of us and The Grand Prix Special tomorrow we can only hope that today has been the start of a really great Championships for Britain.Will ConnellRead Yesterday's Instalment General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=353 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?353 25th August This probably won't be up there with my most amusing blog - as everything has really gone very smoothly and according to plan today. I did spend an hour this morning trying to help a Ukrainian competitor get into the country, who was stuck in Düsseldorf - looks like it is getting more difficult to get into the country afterall! But moving swiftly onto the main part of the day - a great day of dressage, both for Britain and the sport. Maria did exactly what was asked of her and rode a superb test, her horse produced the test it's capable of and we are all very satisfied with her score of 67.92% which has placed her in 9th overnight. Carl was just outstanding, despite an expensive mistake in the one-time changes it was a true Carl Hester performance, proving once again that he is one of the best riders in the world. With a score of 72.09% he is in third place behind the two Dutch riders. With Anky and Edward still to go for the Netherlands we really could be looking at a record breaking score from them tomorrow. Morale is good in the British camp, with Emma and Laura due to ride tomorrow Britain have put themselves in a great position to win a team medal so fingers crossed things will go our way. The venue has continued to be excellent, a little bit of rain has not dampened any spirits and all feedback has been good. The crowds have been great - a little too much orange for my liking, so we could do with a little more red, white and blue in the morning please! I can't really find too much to fault the organising committee on - there were a few issues with the shuttle buses this morning but as I have a Team GBR Subaru I don't really care I'm also sure that the organising committee have those in hand. The jumpers trotted up in sartorial elegance this afternoon, it was worth coming to Windsor today just for the rare chance to see them in their blazers and ties! A rare occurrence indeed They all passed without incident, which left Derek with the difficult job of breaking the news to the fifth rider - Robert Smith. Robert was understandably very disappointed, and it was a tough decision, but perhaps a fortunate position to be in the first place. We have a great team with Tim, Ben, Peter and Geoff all in great form and raring to get underway tomorrow evening. Even the hotel has improved and has been much quieter, although the lift is still broken! The Alltech tent is certainly worth a visit if you come along to Windsor -free beer and bourbon. Together with what could be a record-breaking day for the Dutch, a medal winning day for the British and the show jumping getting underway in the evening - I really would recommend buying a ticket and coming along. (Apparently, I'm also told the shopping is also pretty good but I wouldn't know anything about that) Will Connell Read yesterday's instalment Find out more about visiting the show General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=348 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?348 After the first day of the Grand Prix at the FEI Alltech Windsor Europen Championships 2009 it's a Dutch one two, with Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival leading the field on a wow score of 80.63%. The Brits still have plenty to smile about though after two great performances from Carl Hester and Maria Eilberg leave them very in touch of the medals at the half way stage. Riding in her first senior championship with the 15 year old bay gelding Two Sox, 24 year old Eilberg was the trailblazer for the team and ends the day in 9th position from 28 riders with a score of 67.91%. She commented:"It's difficult to pull it out the bag but sometimes you just have to dig in and if you've done your preparation it will all come together; this is the culmination of all that work, he was fantastic! His extensions were great for him and the trot half passes were megga, we've really worked on those. It's a huge arena but Two Sox felt nice and relaxed; during the test I was concentrating so much I wasn't really aware of the atmosphere but I feel pretty buzzed up with it now!" After the final halt of his test the smile on Carl Hester's face said it all. He rode a personal best on Donald McTaggart's 12 year old gelding Liebling II to lie in third place overnight with a score of 72.08%, missing the final one-tempi change the only mistake in an otherwise faultless test. Hester commented:"I've only had the ride on Liebling for 10 months and this is only our fifth international - I always say it takes about a year to form a proper partnership and after Aachen things suddenly started to improve for us. We took three weeks out to train with Anne van Olst in Holland and really concentrate on our grand prix, it was a big sacrifice but it's really paid off. It's all about the team, those two girls are running tomorrow and I just wanted to give us all the best chance I could of a medal. Liebling doesn't have the natural ability or elasticity of some of the top top horses but he worked so hard for me in there today." The grand prix team competition concludes tomorrow, Wed 26 August. Text thanks to British Dressage - www.britishdressage.co.uk General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=349 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?349 Listen to British riders, Maria Eilberg and Carl Hester talking from today's Championships at Windsor: Maria EilbergCarl Hester Thanks to LloydBell Productions General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=350 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?350 24th August 2009 Although I am writing this from Windsor where the European Dressage and Jumping championships are about to get under way I cannot begin without a quick mention of my recent trip to Norway. The Para-Equestrian Dressage team have once again thrown down the gauntlet for all the teams to follow in this 2009 season by retaining their unbeaten record in the World, Europe and at the Paralymics, not to mention winning a clutch of other medals too. I arrived back from Norway yesterday morning, not only a great result all round but also a Championship of firsts: The first time we have won gold at grade four level, and we did it style by winning two - well done Sophie Wells; Both our first timers, Emma Sheardown and Sophie Wells, took home gold medals - three in Sophie's case; And not such a good first - it was the first time we thought we could be beaten to the team gold, with Germany just two points behind us that's the closest it's ever been. But we still won! Not everything about the Norway trip was such a great experience though, the price of alcohol is a universal disgrace and I could never work there as I'd be bankrupt before breakfast. The Norwegian version of a sports car is a smart car and they have an unnatural ability to stick to the speed limits at all times - they can only be described as unbelievably slow! Never again will I drive in Norway. So, it's good to be back in England and here at Windsor, it is going to be a very exciting championship I'm sure. I arrived here on Sunday morning and the venue really does look outstanding - a true Championship venue that shows how temporary venues can be made to be World beating. What a great precursor to 2012. Jenny Ellis, international super groom and our stable manager arrived Saturday morning together with our sometimes navigationally challenged human physio, Andy Thomas. Joined by farrier, Hayden Price who had to get a special pass to leave Wales for the week, they set up the Team GBR stables and porta-cabin where we will based for the next week. As usual we have out-done all the other nations with how great our stables look. The dressage horses arrived Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, follwed by the Show Jumpers today. They are all settled and ready for the competition ahead. The arrival procedure worked really well with Sarah Hames running the accreditation tent with her usual mix of a smile and ferocious attention to detail. Holly Farr, more used to eventing, was manning the front desk of the show office with skills that can only have been learnt from her ex-Kings Troop husband and Penny Henderson was the usual rock behind the organisation of everything. Together with the rest of the team everything was running very smoothly and efficiently. If only the same could be said for my hotel! I can only say it resembles a university campus, but instead of being full of 20-somethings, it is full of over-excited children who are off to legoland. They seem to think that every other guest is enjoying listening to them in the early hours of the morning, I may be sending for my shotgun. Which brings me onto to today. The dressage riders, under the tutorage of Reich Marshall Richard Davison (he seems to prefer 'team captain' for some reason) all the riders trained in the competition arena, they seem to be in good heart and up for the challenge. Meanwhile Anna Greenway and Sarah Armstrong were busy setting up our Team GBR horsebox which has arrived on site and has more space inside than your average city flat and even includes Sky TV. We have turned it into a tradestand and will be using it to promote all our fundraising activity for the World Equestrian Games in 2010. You can visit us there during the week to buy a raffle ticket for just 5 and the chance to win a 100,000 Olympic horsebox - similar to the one we have 'borrowed'. Come and have a look if you are at the championship and find out a bit more about the other fundraising we have on the go including an online auction and supporters club, Team GBR Ontrack. We even managed to get the dressage riders as well turned out as their horses for the trot up and Carl Hester has even threatened to have a shave later, as he does look a bit like Worzel Gummidge on tour at the moment. The British horses all passed the trop up without issue, which is more than can be said for the Dutch team - a collective gulp rose when Edward Gal's horse was held and while the Dutch teams heart's stopped for a moment, I think I saw the German team doing a little piaffe But he was later passed so we will wait to see what he comes up with this week. All in all, it is a happy and relaxed build up so far, this is a massive credit to H Power and the team here, all we need now is for the weather to hold. I also hope all those members of the British Equestrian community that don't yet have tickets will realise that if we want Great Britain to be really great we need you here in the stands supporting the teams! Will ConnellFind out more about our fundraising activity Find out more about tickets for the Championships. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=347 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?347 An Online auction has been launched by Equestrian Team GBR to raise funds to send the British Team to the World Equestrian Games in 2010. The site includes exclusive gifts, experiences and a huge array of items that will appeal to everyone. The auction forms a major part of Team GBR's fundraising initiatives, which are now gathering momentum. There are a number of lots on the site already that you can bid for. Items include the chance to join the eventing performance squad for winter training, a pamper day for two at Peter Jones in Slone Square, lessons with our equestrian stars, the 3ft tall Olympic mascot from Hong Kong and much, much more. A World Equestrian Games includes the eight disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, para-equestrian dressage, driving, endurance, reining and vaulting - for the British team this is more than 51 horses in total.'The Games are being held in Kentucky, USA, the first time they have ever been held outside Europe,' comments Will Connell, Equestrian Performance Director. 'To send a full team and remain one of the top equestrian nations in the world, we need your help. All proceeds of this auction will go towards sending the team to the Games and supporting our talented riders in their quest to compete and win on the World stage. Without your help we will not be able to send a full team.' The Olympic and Paralympic teams are generously supported by lottery funding via UK Sport, but the non-Olympic sports of driving, endurance, reining and vaulting do not receive funding of any kind. 500,000 is needed to support those teams and fund their trip to Kentucky next year. The auction site has been launched with the generous support of the John Lewis Partnership who joined with the British Equestrian Federation as part of the British Olympic Association FTSE 100 partnership scheme. The site is very easy to use, setting up an account will only take a few minutes and then you can start bidding straight away on any of the items. There is also the option to sign up for auction email alerts, to be the first to know about the exciting new lots being added to the site. The British Equestrian Federation and all its member bodies are committed to sending a full team to the World Games and the auction site is just one way that people can get behind the Teams. You can also show your support by joining Team GBR Ontrack. Supported across the British Equestrian Federation and launched in partnership with the equestrian Olympic and Paralympic teams via British Eventing, The British Show Jumping Association and British Dressage, Team GBR Ontrack brings together, for the first time, all equestrian and horse sport activity in the UK under one 'supporters club'. There are two options to join, either free or a one-off fee of 20 which brings with it a range of exciting benefits for you and the teams. Everyone joining the full membership option will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a VIP trip the World Equestrian Games in 2010 and the first 500 members will get a unique black membership card. Also look out for the exciting Team GBR raffle which will be coming very soon with the exciting first prize of a 100,000 Olympic Horsebox and some great runners-up prizes too. Visit the auction site here. Join Team GBR Ontrack here. Show your support: o Bid on an auction item o Buy a raffle ticket o Join Team GBR Ontrack It's all great value, only takes a couple of minutes of your time and will make a real difference to our equestrian teams while giving you some great benefits, gifts and prizes in return! General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=338 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?338 Para Equestrian Dressage European Champs: Team gold for GBR! Days two and three in Norway yielded a clutch of medals for the six British athletes with the competition today deciding the individual medallists across the grades as well as the sought after team competition. A second round of stellar performances enabled GB to hold on to their lead from yesterday and claim the team gold - though they were pushed every step of the way by a competitive German team who finished only 2 marks behind to take silver. The win seals another victory for the British para equestrian dressage team who remain unbeaten in European, World and Paralympic competition. The individual competition also saw British riders high up in the medal tables. Team mates Sophie Christiansen and Emma Sheardown again dominated the grade 1a competition completing another one two for gold and silver in the class. Lee Pearson triumphed in Grade 1b with Gentleman to win with 72.69% and Sophie Wells also held her ground with Pinoccio in Grade IV to win the gold medal with 72%. Simon Laurens and Ocean Diamond completed the tally with a bronze medal from the grade III class. The competition concluded on Sunday with the Freestyle competition which saw Team GBR once again dominate in the medals with Brits Emma Sheardown, Lee Pearson and Sophie Wells taking gold and Sophie Christiansen taking a close silver on 75.22% in the grade 1a class. World class performance manager Will Connell commented: "The team competition was extremely close and Britian had to fight hard and produce some fantastic performances to win gold. Its brilliant to see our two new team members take an individual gold and silver medal and Lee and Sophie's performances were again excellent and as consistent as ever." Results 22 August 2009 Grade Ia Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Lambrusco III 74,200 % Grade Ib Lee Pearson (GBR) Gentleman 72,667 % Grade II Petra van der Sande (NED) Toscane 72,364 % Grade III Hannelore Brenner (GER) Women of the World 73,520 % Grade IV Sophie Wells (GBR) Pinoccio 72,000 % Team results: 1 Great Britain 218,715 % 2 Germany 217,118 % 3 Netherlands 204,456 % For full results click here Para Equestrian Dressage European Champs: Day one (21st August 2009) Day one of the Para Equestrian Dressage European Championships 2009 and GB riders have laid down the gauntlet with strong performances across the grades. The British contingent of Sophie Christiansen, Lee Pearson, Simon Laurens and Sophie Wells are away to a flying start in Kristiansand, Norway, each posting plus 70% scores to lie in gold medal position at the half way stage of the competition. Experienced team members Sophie Christiansen with Lambrusco III (grade 1a) and Lee Pearson with Gentleman (grade 1b) each head up the leaderboards of their respective grades while Simon Laurens and Ocean Diamond were just pipped to second place by Germany's Hannelore Brenner in grade III. 19 year old Sophie Wells with Pinocchio produced a stunning ride on her championship debut to head the grade IV class on 71.71%. The team competition is decided tomorrow on the combined score of the team and individual test scores. World Class performance manager Will Connell commented: "These are all very pleasing results but the highlight of the day has to be Sophie Well's achievements in the grade IV competition. We're absolutely thrilled; both Sophie and Emma Sheardown are new combinations for the British team and it's fantastic to have such promising young riders coming through." Riding as individuals Emma Sheardown and Jo Pitt also completed the team test as a warm up for tomorrows competition. Sheardown finished second to team mate Sophie Christiansen in the Grade 1a with Purdy's Dream posting a score of 69.41%. Pitt was unfortunately eliminated from the grade II competiton when Estralita stepped out of the arena during his canter work. For full results click here Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=345 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?345 Band includes Show Jumpers Ben Talbot and Tom Davison! Hot new band DAKOTA, which includes International Show Jumpers Ben Talbot (lead singer) and Dressage supreme Richard Davison's son, Tom Davison (bass) have been picked to perform at Friday night's Alltech World Equestrian Games Gala Night at the Alltech FEI European Jumping andamp; Dressage Championships (25-30 Aug) Dakota, a new four piece rock band will perform a 45-minute set from their debut album 'Here, There and Everywhere' which is released in autumn '09 through GRL and Right Track Distribution/Universal Music. Even though both Ben and Tom are keen horsemen, with Ben recently qualifying for HOYS, music is there new love and fans will be able to watch them do their thing as part of an exciting line-up of entertainment on Friday evening. Dakota have been picked to perform as part of a drive by the British Show Jumping Association to introduce show jumping into the mainstream and encourage more young people to get involved in the sport. Dakota recently enjoyed their first live radio session with BBC Radio 2's Claudia Winkleman and shared the studio with none-other-than Richard O'Brian who was also a guest on the show. Tom Davison said: 'It will be amazing to perform at the Europeans, especially in front of Muhammad Ali. My dad will be there as Team GBR's Dressage Chef d'Equipe so it will be quite strange performing in front of him, at an event he's involved with!' For more details on Dakota visit: http://www.myspace.com/dakotabandofficial | http://www.dakotaband.co.uk For more information on the FEI European Jumping andamp; Dressage Championships go to: www.alltechfeiwindsoreuropeans.com General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=344 Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?344 In the UK, the BBC has confirmed its intended live coverage as follows: Friday, 28th August: BBC 2:2 pm - 4pm Live coverage of the second round of the Team and Individual Show Jumping Finals. Saturday, 29th August: Red Button service: 7.45pm - 10.30pm Live coverage of the Dressage Final, the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music (Kur). Sunday, 30th August BBC2:4.15pm - 5.30pm Live coverage of the Individual Show Jumping Final. With the FEI also providing live streaming of the event through its newly launched, broadband based video platform FEI.TV - equestrian and sports fans alike cannot fail to miss out on the action! The unique website (www.feitv.org) will enable global viewing of this prestigious sporting event from one central site. Ticket Information: Tickets for the Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships 2009 are priced between 7 and 49 (7, 10, 16, 22, 25, 28, 35, 45, 49). The box office telephone numbers are 0871 230 1087 (UK) and + 44 115 993 4409 (International). For online ticket bookings and further information of the confirmed programme of events please visit www.alltechwindsoreuropeans.com. Tickets can also be purchased through Windsor Information Centre with discounts available for Advantage Card Holders. Please contact the centre on 01753 743907 for full details. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=346 Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?346 Andy Thomas is the Lead Practitioner for Human Science and Sports Medicine at the British Equestrian Federation (BEF). Here he talks about his day to day role as part of the support team at the BEF and the forthcoming FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships 25 - 30 August. My role within the BEF is Lead Practitioner for Human Science and Sports Medicine basically I am the Human Physio (i.e I don't treat the horses) but coordinate all aspects related to rider performance. My role has two main objectives firstly the prevention treatment and management of injuries and secondly to enhance the riders performance and technical ability on a horse by addressing specific weaknesses and imbalances that a rider might have. Riders typically suffer with back pain most commonly but they also subject themselves to quite a lot of trauma either by falling off or horses kicking or standing on them! I look after all the disciplines Eventing, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage and the Show Jumpers. Each discipline has its specific injuries. Eventers suffer the most trauma and generally walk with a limp! Dressage riders suffer more with their backs and Show Jumpers with groin problems. I work very closely with the whole team, Coaches, Vets, Doctors, Horse Physios and Farriers. If the rider has injuries it affects the way they ride which then can affect or influence injuries of the horse so we have regular meetings particularly in the build up to a major championship. I have been lucky enough to work in many different sports at elite level. Working with riders is so different, one of my hardest tasks has been to convince them they don't need to live with pain! They generally don't complain unless one limb stops working or is pointing in the wrong direction! I was part of the team taken to Hong Kong for the Beijing Olympics - what an experience! I was very impressed with our team! The riders coaches and support staff worked fantastically well together. We are lucky to have such a team and this will be one of our strongest reasons for future success. All our riders and support staff believe that Team GBR will bring home the medals in 2012 and will work very hard to make this happen. I spend most of my life now in a lorry! A mobile physiotherapy clinic driving from one end of the country to the other occasionally stopping off to drag a rider on and sort out their problems (mostly physical!) I am very caring in my nature with an emphasis on pain relief however some of our riders who don't do their exercises need a gentle reminder now and again and faint screams can sometimes be heard. At the moment I am seeing our key riders in our dressage and show jumping teams just to make sure they haven't got any niggles or problems, fortunately they are all fit and well so providing they behave they should appear at Windsor in the European Championships looking like highly trained athletes!! The FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships are held at Windsor Castle 25-30 August 2009. This is article has been published by kind permission of UK Sport. To see the full article and find out more about UK Sport see here General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=343 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?343 The Alltech FEI European Dressage and Jumping Championships take place at Windsor Castle from 25th - 30th August 2009. You can access a Media Guide and Equestrian Team GBR handbook here General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=342 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?342 Since the first 2009 Junior Spring Selection Trials back in March at Lincoln Horse Trials, some of Britain's most talented teenagers have been showcasing their eventing abilities in order to gain selection for the British Junior European Eventing Squad to represent Great Britain and British Eventing at the 2009 European Junior Championships in Waregem, Belgium (11-14 September). The six riders and horses selected to represent Great Britain are:Giles Blanchard (18) from Abingdon, Oxfordshire on his own Arnies GameSienna Myson-Davies (17) from Guildford, Surrey on her own Tambourine Camilla Dumas (16) from Shepton Mallet in Somerset on Action Packed, owned by Camilla and her father, Robin DumasAmelia King (18) from Congleton, Cheshire and her own Captain Crunchie Evie Paterson (17) from Ellesmere, Shropshire, riding her own Direct Opposition Eliza Sangster (17) from Marlborough, Wiltshire on her own High Havoc The squad reserves also in alphabetical order are:Dani Evans (17) from Pensford, Bristol on Uchin, owned by Heather Sheppard Evie Paterson (17) on Direct Supreme Gina Ruck (16) from Tealby, Lincolnshire on her own Rehy Too The Junior Squad has the benefit of the experience of Sienna Myson-Davies, Giles Blanchard and Evie Paterson, all of whom were part of the double Gold medal winning squad at last year's Europeans at Thirlestane Castle. Amelia King, Camilla Dumas and Eliza Sangster will all be making their squad debuts. Chairman of the Junior Selectors, Robin Balfour, is looking forward to a good European Championship: 'We are very fortunate to have three combinations with previous Junior European Championship experience as part of the squad. We are delighted that they will be joined by three riders making their squad debuts - all six truly deserve their places.'We are also pleased to be competing hand-in-hand with the Jump Savings Young Rider squad at these combined European Championships and I am confident that all the riders will do us proud.' British Eventing Sport Manager (Development) Paul Graham says: 'It is fantastic to have three members from the 2008 Junior European squad re-selected for this year. This continuation plays a vital role in our medal successes. The experience and knowledge that these riders will be able to impart to the squad debutantes is invaluable.'It is exciting to have such talented riders on the squad and hopefully they'll be able to emulate the successes of 2008. We wish them all the very best out in Belgium.' The trip to Belgium has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the UK Sport funded Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=337 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?337 Following the final Young Rider Trial at Aston-le-Walls in Northamptonshire last week, British Eventing is pleased to announce the final six riders selected for the Jump Savings British Young Rider European Eventing Squad. The following six riders will represent Great Britain and British Eventing at the 2009 European Young Rider Championships in Waregem, Belgium (11-14 September). The six selected riders and horses are:20 year-old Emily Llewellyn from Heathfield, East Sussex on Pardon Me II, owned by Cindy Llewellyn 19 year-old Laura Collett from Marlborough, Wiltshire on Rayef, owned by Jason Houghton21 year-old Ben Hobday from Rossendale, Lancashire, riding his own Uptons Who 19 year-old Emily Parker from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire on her own Treefers 18 year-old Harry Dzenis from Haslemere, Surrey on his own Rockin Robin19 year-old Willa Newton from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire on Neelix, owned by Joey Newton The young rider squad is made up of a pool of very experienced championship riders with five of the six having competed in European Championships as part of the British Eventing Youth Programme. Emily Parker will be making her European Championships debut and will certainly be able to rely on the experience of her fellow team mates in their quest for their fifth consecutive team gold. The team of four and the two individuals will be announced after the horses have been trotted up by the FEI officials. Chairman of the Young Rider Selectors, Alex Colquhoun, is pleased with the squad for the European Championships: 'The selectors and I are pleased with the fantastic quality of each rider on the squad; with this strong team we should hopefully continue our run of success and mirror the double gold from 2008.'I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors Witan (Jump Savings) Investments, UK Sport, Horse Trials Support Group, Toggi, KC Equestrian, Land Rover, N.E.W Equine Wear, Parkgate Equestrian and British Eventing for their continued help and support in providing our youth riders with training and advice.' British Eventing Sport Manager (Development) Paul Graham is pleased with the choice of riders: 'We have a super, strong squad of Young Riders this year with five of the six members having already won team gold medals in their respective European Championships. 'To have a squad where everyone is capable of bringing home an individual medal is very exciting. This just goes to show the depth of talent that we have in eventing in Great Britain.' The trip to Belgium has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the UK Sport funded Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=336 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?336 Kerry Bowness is running a daily blog from the World Championships - click on www.horsedrivingtrials.co.uk to follow the full blog each day complete with photosSt. Martin Greven-Bockholt, Germany by Kerry BownessThursday 13 August 2009 Although most of the competitors for the World Combined Pony Driving Championships (13-16 August) arrived at the venue at St Martin Greven-Bockholt on Monday evening, the atmosphere of the event really began to build last night. The 'Evening of Nations' is the first social gathering for drivers, grooms, supporters and officials and, as has become a custom at these championships, each team offered samples of its homeland's food and drink. Personally, I can recommend Luxemburg's honey liquor, Germany's schnapps, Belgium's kirsch and, of course, Switzerland's chocolate. Some of the nations chose to show off their prowess on stage, too. It would seem that the Danes, Germans and French are extremely talented in the art of striptease! The evening was a resounding success and the hosts were very welcoming to everyone. The British camp has, however, been infiltrated by an inflatable kangaroo, which was kidnapped from Australian Jessica Meredith's table by Anna Grayston's Ozzie groom Hannah Harris, or Bruce as she is better known. 'Skippy' is currently hugging a Union flag on top of Anna's lorry. Dressage judging began this morning at 8.30am, with the first British single pony driver Julie Camm performing her test at 9.00am. She scored 57.47 (16th after the phase). Individual Sue Mart followed 10 minutes later gaining 51.19 (sixth) while the remaining Brit, Sue Denney, was judged almost 3.5hr afterwards. She recorded the first British team score of 56.19 (15th overall). Germany's Franz-Josef Lhmekuhl leads on 44.8, ahead of reigning World champion Peter Koux of Denmark (46.46). Only one of the British pairs drivers, Anna Grayston, has competed today and drove a beautiful test finishing on 45.57. She is currently second to Germany's Steffen Abicht, whose score was 44.42. James Broome will drive his pair in the morning and Faith Szczuka is drawn near the end of tomorrow's fours class. With only two of the British team competing tomorrow, chef and assistant chef d'Equipe Jill Holah and Sara Howe will have a slightly less stressful day. Meanwhile, drivers and grooms will be finalising their routes through the marathon obstacles. It's the official opening ceremony this evening and all the teams will be parading on carriages supplied by the host nation, followed by another party. Let's hope the German's bring along a few more bottles of that schnapps!Wednesday 12 August 2009 Today began with preparations for the trot up at the World Combined Pony Driving Championships in St Martin Greven-Bockholt, Germany. With ponies cleaned and plaited, and drivers and grooms dressed in their official kit, Team GBR assembled with other nations in the holding area. The field was filled with hundreds of ponies from the competing countries, all being walked in mass circles. It kind of resembled the large classes they have in the main arena of the Royal Welsh Show. Team GBR - Anna Grayston (pairs), James Broome (pairs), Sue Denney (singles), Julie Camm (singles), Faith Szczuka (fours) and individual driver Sue Mart (singles) - were called to the trot up holding area and all of the ponies behaved impeccably as a Danish stallion in the next field escaped its handler. The ponies remained calm again as the Hungarian team joined them in the trot up waiting field and decided to show off their aerial acrobatics. The Brits were called forward and all of the animals passed with ease. Afterwards, drivers, ponies, grooms and supporters gathered for a team photograph before the obstacles opened for walking. The obstacles here are big, with an energy sapping water complex - the first of two - as number three, followed by a mound at five, in which the gates all involve uphill pulls and steep downhill turns. There are plenty of options and course designer Wolfgang Assendorf has strategically placed a few gates to catch out those who don't know their routes thoroughly. Chef d'Equipe Jill Holah will be attending the draw this evening, to find out where our drivers will go in dressage. Tomorrow all of the singles will be completing their tests, but pairs drivers James and Anna will have to wait until later to find out if they'll be on tomorrow afternoon or Friday morning. Faith will compete on Friday. Tonight is the 'Evening of Nations', so while the drivers trained with Wilf Bowman-Ripley this afternoon, supporters spent their time cutting up cheese, fruit and salmon, and decorating the British table in the marquee. The plan is to get the opposition so drunk on Pimms and Scotch that they will be too hung over to drive their dressage tests but don't tell anyone !Tuesday 11 August 2009 The British competitors all arrived safely last night at St Martin Greven-Bockholt, Germany, for the fourth World Combined Pony Championships (13-16 August) and ponies settled in to their homes for the next week. The five team members - Anna Grayston (pairs), James Broome (pairs), Sue Denney (singles), Julie Camm (singles) and Faith Szczuka (fours) - and individual driver Sue Mart (singles) spent the afternoon having dressage training sessions with team coach Wilf Bowman-Ripley. Vet Holly Applewhite and equine physiotherapist put the team members through a mock trot up in the early evening, while Jill Holah attended the first chefs d'Equipe meeting. What the trot up proved was that the British ponies are certainly much fitter than their drivers! While the two Sues and Julie had it fairly easy with one pony each, James and Anna had to run their three ponies while Faith really got the short straw with five. She had started to look a little tired by the time she finished with her fourth, prompting team mate James to suggest that 'she may have to ride the last one !' Jill has just been given the times for tomorrow's official trot ups with the Brits on at 9.30 am (8.30 am British time). Tonight, the cleaning of show vehicles continues Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=335 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?335 The squad who will represent Great Britain at the 2009 Alltech FEI European Show Jumping Championships, to be held at Windsor from 25 - 31 August 2009 has been announced as follows:Geoff Billington from Nantwich, Cheshire with Patricia Fraser's 11 year-old bay gelding RosinusPeter Charles from Alton, Hants with Olga White's 10 year-old bay gelding Pom d'AmiBen Maher from Bishops Stortford, Herts with his own and Quainton Stud's 11 year-old bay gelding Robin Hood WRobert Smith from Shrewley, Warwickshire with Sharon Baldwin and Raging Bull's 11 year-old bay stallion Vangelis STim Stockdale from Roade, Northampton with John Bosher's 12 year-old grey mare Fresh Direct CorlatoSpeaking about their selection, the squad commented:Geoff Billington: 'I am highly delighted to be part of the British squad for this year's European Championships. I was a member of the British Team when the Championships were held at Hickstead ten years ago, so to make the squad again for the home Championships at Windsor, is absolutely fantastic'.Peter Charles: 'I am delighted, it's great for my owner Olga White and my sponsor Team Murka, it's a team effort and to be selected for the European Championships is a great honour. Windsor is a superb venue and for me is just a few minutes drive away so I am hoping for a lot of local support!'.Ben Maher: 'I am thrilled, and really looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd. Windsor is a perfect venue for the Championships and I hope that we will have plenty of supporters there cheering us on'.Robert Smith: 'It's great that the UK are hosting the European Championships, Windsor is a superb venue and there is something special about jumping in front of a home crowd, it would be great to come away with a medal'.Tim Stockdale: 'Its great news! I love competing at Windsor and I think this is going to be a fantastic Championships. To have such a prestigious competition on home soil is amazing and I am looking forward to being part of it and competing in front of a home crowd'.Derek Ricketts, Team Manager said:'We are all looking forward to competing on home soil at this year's European Championships, Windsor is a top class venue and I am sure that we will see some world class show jumping over the five days of competition. All five squad members have had consistent results this year and hopefully horses and riders will be at their peak of fitness for the Championships at the end of the month'.Ticket Information:Tickets for the Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships 2009 are priced between 7 and 49 (7, 10, 16, 22, 25, 28, 35, 45, 49). The box office telephone numbers are 0871 230 1087 (UK) and + 44 115 993 4409 (International). For online ticket bookings and further information of the confirmed programme of events please visit www.alltechwindsoreuropeans.com The British Show Jumping Teams are strongly supported by the UK Sport lottery funded BEF World Class Programme. Olympic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=334 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?334 Having just missed out on a team place for the World Combined Pony Driving Championships at St Martin Greven, Germany (13-16 August), Sue Mart of Bennington Carriages, has been selected to represent Britain as an individual. Sue will be driving her 10-year-old Steppers Viceroy in the single pony division.'We are delighted to be going with the team to Germany to compete as individuals,' said Sue. 'We hope to do our country and team GB proud.' Non-Olymplic Disciplines http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=332 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?332 The British Pony team of Claire Gallimore, Olivia Leak, Georgina Starkie and Holly Woodhead finished fifth out of the ten competing nations in the hotly contested Pony European Championships at Moorsele, Belgium 29 July - 4 August 2009. Germany and the Netherlands dominated the competition with both teams achieving top ten finishes with all four riders, the Germans coming out the eventual victors. Their results left little room on the leader board for anyone else and threw down a gauntlet that couldn't be matched. Holly Woodhead came in best of the Brits in 13th place riding her father's 14.1hh gelding Languard 4 and improved on this to take 10th in the individual competition on 67.47%. Claire Gallimore was not far behind with Gigolo, both riders making it through to the freestyle final where they finished 11th and 14th respectively. Full results below. Holly's achievement is all the more commendable given her late call up to the team. She was substituted at the 11th hour after Charlotte Gill made the decision to withdraw from the competition at the training session on 25/26 July immediately prior to the team leaving for Belgium. First reserve Natasha Leak was unable to attend the concentration session and was removed from the reserve position by the selectors. Woodhead as second reserve was therefore asked to step in. Team Test Holly Woodhead with Languard 4 66.5% (13th) Claire Gallimore with Gigolo 66.38% (15th) Olivia Leak with Devito 64.61% (23rd) Georgina Starkie with Pablo S 64.55% (24th) Team 5th Individual Test Holly Woodhead with Languard 4 67.47% (10th) Claire Gallimore with Gigolo 66.57% (14th) Olivia Leak with Devito 62.00% (35th) Georgina Starkie with Pablo S 65.82% (19th) Consolation Test Georgina Starkie with Pablo S 64.63% (=7th) Olivia Leak with Devito 62.73% (16th) Freestyle to Music Holly Woodhead with Languard 4 67.45% (11th) Claire Gallimore with Gigolo 63.85% (14th) Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=333 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?333 Organisers are pleased to announce nominated Dressage entries for the Alltech FEI European Jumping andamp; Dressage Championships 2009 (25-30 August) at Windsor Castle. 20 nations are competing in total, with 13 having teams entered. Contenders for the crown? After gaining an historic victory over Germany in 2007 can The Netherlands retain team gold? With the addition to the squad of Moorlands Totilas and Edward Gal who broke the World freestyle record at Hickstead recently, and undoubtedly go as favourites for the individual title, the prospects for a consecutive Dutch team gold look good. Three times individual Olympic and European Champion Anky Van Grunsven (Salinero or Painted Black), Olympia World Cup winner Adelinde Cornelissen (Parzival) and former European team member Imke Schellens Bartels (Sunrise) are all among the riders named for The Netherlands who will be determined to keep the title they won in 2007 breaking a 42-year dominance of Germany at European Championships. Germany has yet to name its final team, who will be without Isabell Werth for the first time in 16-years. The Germans however have strength in depth and an enviable choice of riders from which to make the final selection including: Heike Kemmer (Bonaparte), Hubertus Schmidt (Donelly 3) Nadine Capellmann (Elvis VA) and Monica Theodorescu (Whisper 128). With a team of experienced riders and horses as well as the additional benefit of home ground and support, predictions of a team medal have never looked better for Britain who won team bronze at Hickstead in 2001 and Lipica in 1993. Laura Bechtolsheimer (Mistral Hojris or Andretti H), Emma Hindle (Lancet), who have both scored highly in international competition this year, Carl Hester (Leibling) and Maria Eilberg (Two Sox) have been selected for the team with Fiona Bigwood (Wie Atlantico) as reserve. Further opposition will come from The Danes who will be fielding a strong team. So who will be Champions of these landmark Championships, which sees the Dressage and Jumping Championships being held together for the very first time at the same time and location? With around 50,000 spectators set to descend upon Windsor, UK Sport has provided substantial financial support and the event has the full support of the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and its member bodies (BSJA and BD). Nominated Entries: Rider Horse AUT Austria Chef d'Equipe: Thomas Lang BACHINGER, Eva Maria Palazzo ERDMANN, Nikolaus Danny Wilde GMOSER, Peter Cointreau MAX-THEURER, Victoria Augustin OLD, Falcao OLD MAYR, Hannes Ellis SCHUMACH, Christian Da Vinci BEL Belgium Chef d'Equipe: Jeroen van lent . DEVROE, Jeroen Apollo van het Vijverhof VAN INGELGEM, Stefan Withney van t Genthof VERWIMP, Wim Maxwil v BLR Belarus LIS, Iryna Redford 2 DEN Denmark Chef d'Equipe: Kimi Gerd Nielsen DAHL, Anders Bukowski GUNDERSEN, Mikala Münter Leonberg HANSEN, Sune GredstedgÃ¥rds Casmir HELGSTRAND, Andreas Tannenhof's Carabas OLST, Anne van Exquis Clearwater SAYN-WITTGENSTEIN, Nathalie zu Digby, Rigoletto ESP Spain Chef d'Equipe: Bobby Bobadilla de CASTILLA RUIZ, Claudio Jade de MV DOMINGO COLL, Jordi Prestige JIMENEZ, Juan Antonio Piconero iv MUÑOZ DIAZ, Juan Manuel Fuego XII FIN Finland KYRKLUND, Kyra Max FRA France BOBLET, Marc Whitni Star CHEVANNE, Julia Calimucho ISSARTEL, Remy Hilton du Clotobie PERRING, Hubert Diabolo St Maurice SIAT, Jean Philippe Tarski van de zuuthoeve GBR Great Britain Chef d'Equipe: Richard Waygood BECHTOLSHEIMER, Laura Andretti H, Mistral Hojris BIGWOOD, Fiona Wie Atlantico EILBERG, Maria Two Sox HESTER, Carl Liebling II HINDLE, Emma Lancet GER Germany Chef d'Equipe: Klaus Röser CAPELLMANN, Nadine Elvis VA KEMMER, Heike Bonaparte KOPPELMANN, Carola Insterburg TSF, Le Bo LEBEK, Susanne Potomac RATH, Matthias Alexander Sterntaler-Unicef, Triviant SCHMIDT, Hubertus Donnelly SCHULTEN-BAUMER, Ellen Donatha S THEODORESCU, Monica Whisper IRL Ireland MERVELDT, Anna Coryolano TRUESDALE, Yvette Has to be fun ITA Italy BORDONE, Susanna Dark Surprise PAPROCKA-CAMPANELLA, Anna Prego SANGIORGI, Pierluigi Flourian LAT Latvia PENELE, Airisa Ravels NED Netherlands Chef d'Equipe: Sjef Janssen BAALEN, Marlies van BMC Kigali, BMC O'Jay DVB CORNELISSEN, Adelinde Parzival GAL, Edward Moorlands Totilas, Sisther de Jeu GRUNSVEN, Anky van IPS Painted Black, Salinero HAAZEN, Jeanette Nartan MINDERHOUD, Hans Peter Exquis Escapado, Exquis Nadine PETERS, Stephanie Jeff SCHELLEKENS-BARTELS, Imke Ferero, Hunter Douglas Sunrise NOR Norway RASMUSSEN, Cathrine Orlando POL Poland MICHALIK, Olga Harmonia MILCZAREK, Katarzyna Ekwador RAPCEWICZ, Michal Randon POR Portugal Chef d'Equipe: Carlos Lopes CAETANO, Maria Diamant 391 PINTO, Carlos Notável JCL Puy du Fou, Poderoso do Retiro PINTO, Daniel Galopin de la Font RUS Russian Federation BUSHINA, Larisa Kompliment KORELOVA, Alexandra Balagur SUI Switzerland Chef d'Equipe: Peter von Grebel KRINKE SUSMELJ, Marcela Corinth PLÄGE, Christian Regent SEIDL, Franziska Ussaro CH SWE Sweden Chef d'Equipe: Bo JenÃ¥ ERIKSSON, Maria Galliano ESSEN, Maria von Vivo HOFFMANN, Nina Leo af Magnushöj KARLSSON, Emma Faradera KITTEL, Patrick Floresco NRW, Scandic NATHHORST, Louise Isidor, Visums TELDE, Minna Don Charly VILHELMSON-SILFVEN, Tinne Favourit, Solos Carex UKR Ukraine Chef d'Equipe: Andrii Petrov KISELIOVA, Svetlana Parish KLIMKO, Olga Highlight 36 REJVES, Paulina Topol Ticket Information: Tickets for the Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships 2009 are priced between 7 and 49 (7, 10, 16, 22, 25, 28, 35, 45, 49). The box office telephone numbers are 0871 230 1087 (UK) and + 44 115 993 4409 (International). For online ticket bookings and further information of the confirmed programme of events please visit www.alltechwindsoreuropeans.com Tickets can also be purchased through Windsor Information Centre with discounts available for Advantage Card Holders. Please contact the centre on 01753 743907 for full details. General http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=331 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?331 Fifteen year old Chad Fellows from Shifnal in Shropshire has taken the Individual Bronze medal at the Pony European Championships in Moorsele, Belgium this afternoon (Sunday 2nd August), riding Amanda Hilliard's twelve year old dark brown gelding, Snatch. Keeping his cool under tremendous pressure, the teenager showed great maturity, producing a foot perfect double clear to take the Bronze medal position. The Gold medal went to Ireland's Kellie Allen with Denmark's Christiane Tetzlaff taking Silver. 2009 FEI Pony European Championships Moorsele, Belgium Individual Final Gold - Kellie Allen with Ballyowen Maybell Molly (IRL) Silver - Christiane Tetzlaff with Murphys Flight (DEN) Bronze - Chad Felllows with Snatch (GBR) In Saturday's Team competition The John Whitaker International Pony Team took fifth spot, the medals this year going to Denmark (Gold), Ireland (Silver) and Germany (Bronze). 2009 FEI Pony European Championships Moorsele, Belgium Team Competition 1st Denmark - 8 faults 2nd Ireland - 12 faults 3rd Germany - 16 faults 4th France - 28 faults 5th Great Britain - 30 faults Chad Fellows - Snatch 4/1 Jessica Mendoza - Tixylix 0/10 Jordan Nason - Gold Harvest 8/8 Timothy Wilks - The Colour of Money 8/9 6th - Belgium - 36 faults Full results can be viewed at : www.zilverenspoor.com John Whitaker International Ltd was established in 1998 with the aim of finding top quality equestrian clothes and equipment. Today they lead the field for innovative design and the use of modern fabrics to bring equestrian clothing to the cutting edge of sporting achievement. John and his wife Clare, have a huge input into product development and selection. Consequently the John Whitaker range has been tried and tested at the highest levels. The team is further supported by both British Show Jumping and the World Class Development Programme which is Lottery funded through UK Sport. Team clothing is supplied by Toggi and Next. Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=329 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?329 After four days of closely fought competition, the Derby House British Pony Team clinched the Team Silver medal yesterday at the European Pony Championships in Moorsele, Belgium (29 July - 3 August). After a challenging cross-country day yesterday, the team was lying in Bronze medal position, but pulled out all the stops in the show-jumping with Lottie Kennedy and Katie Bleekman producing fantastic clear rounds to win Silver. Britain also had three riders inside the top ten in the individual competition with Lottie andamp; Darraks Tonto finishing in 5th, Katie andamp; Cregaan Scenic finishing in 6th and Jessica Watts andamp; Lord of the Ring finishing in 7th. Ginnie Keen, Chairman of the Pony Selectors, was delighted with all the riders: 'All six children have been amazing throughout these Championships; they really gelled together and supported each other.'The team has done a superb job; we thought we would come home with the Bronze, so getting the Silver is fantastic. All of the riders did their very best and really deserve this medal.' Jonquil Hemming, Trainer for the Pony Squad, was particularly pleased with the performance in the dressage phase: 'We were all thrilled with every single one of the dressage tests, all the Team and their ponies produced a solid, good test.'They are a really good bunch of kids and they all fought for each other and were very encouraging.' British Eventing Chief Executive Mike Etherington-Smith is pleased with the progress of these youngsters: 'It's great for the kids, selectors and the sport to be winning medals out in Europe.'It has been an exciting Championships and I'm pleased that we have such a good bunch of up-and-coming riders.' This trip to Belgium has been possible thanks to the unerring support of the UK Sport funded Equestrian World Class Programme, which supports a pathway to success for Eventing, Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. The aim is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, primarily from the National Lottery, via UK Sport since 1998. Final Team Competition Results: 1st Germany - 145 2nd Great Britain - 155.4 3rd Belgium - 171 Final Individual Competition Results: 1st Jule Wewer andamp; Dorina 740 (Germany) - 41.7 2nd Pieter Kenis andamp; Rocky (Belgium) - 45.7 3rd Joseph O'Brien andamp; Ice Cool Bailey (Ireland) - 47.3 5th Lottie Kennedy andamp; Darraks Tonto (Great Britain) - 49.3 6th Katie Bleekman andamp; Cregaan Scenic (Great Britain) - 49.5 7th Jessica Watts andamp; Lord of the Ring (Great Britain) - 50.2 12th Ella McEwen andamp; Catherston Nutsafe (Great Britain) - 56.6 36th Sophie Martin andamp; Trewithian Bracken (Great Britain) - 126.1 Alfie Bradstock andamp; Montezuma II (Great Britain) - Withdrawn before show jumping The Derby House British Eventing Pony squad was made up of the following: Team of four: 15 year-old Ella McEwen from Swindon, Wiltshire on Catherston Nutsafe, owned by Lizzie Murray and Jennie Loriston-Clarke 16 year-old Lottie Kennedy from Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, riding her pony Darraks Tonto 15 year-old Sophie Martin from Ellesmere, Shropshire and her pony Trewithian Bracken 16 year-old Katie Bleekman from Cullompton, Devon on Cregaan Scenic, owned by Team Bleekman Two Individuals: 14 year-old Jessica Watts from Lutterworth, Leicestershire on her pony, Lord Of The Ring 15 year-old Alfie Bradstock from Wantage in Oxfordshire on Montezuma II, owned by Louise Hamilton Youth Teams http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=330 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk/news.php?330 Joey Eccles (20) from Tillicoultry, Scotland, took first place at the European Vaulting Championships held in Sweden this weekend (29 July - 2 August). Crowned senior female vaulting Champion of Europe, Joey took the title, Team GBR's first ever vaulting medal, on her horse WH Bentley, while being lunged by her father John Eccles. This follows a fantastic season of wins for her both in Europe and the USA. On her victory Joey said; "I am delighted to have won Team GBR's first vaulting medal and ecstatic that it was gold." Lucy Philips (18), from Solihull finished 8th in the senior competition on her horse Pitucelli, while Joey's sister Hannah (17), took 7th in the junior Championships and Louise Sinclair (15) from Fife,13th. Stephanie Hunter finished 18th in the Junior competition and Harriet Nicol 31st in the Senior. In the team events, the senior Team GBR finished 8th and the Junior Team GBR 5th. Lucy Bell, Chef d'equipe British Equestrian Vaulting (BEV), said; 'Joanne performed fantastically, I don't know anyone who has worked so hard and can remain so controlled and focused throughout. Her performances were rewarded with not only our first ever vaulting medal, but to make it a gold one really made it a fabulous week!'The results across the board are absolutely fantastic, Team GBR has improved in all classes this year, everyone has worked extremely hard and the results show this. 'It's the first time we have had four individuals through to the second round in the individual classes - (senior and junior) and specifically in the senior female class where we had two vaulters finish in the top ten. Both teams performed well and Lucy Phillips's horse Pitucelli won the best horse in the entire Championships.' These vaulters will now roll straight into preparations for the British selection trials for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky 2010. A full set of resul