Team GBR

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.