Editorial

Eventing Squad Named for Home European Championships at Blair Castle

July 15, 2015

With a home European Championships on the horizon for Great Britain’s eventing athletes, British Eventing senior selectors announced the squad of twelve that would compete on home soil at the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships in Blair Castle, Scotland (10–13 September 2015).

Part of UK Sport’s National Lottery funded #EveryRoadtoRio series, supporting British athletes’ preparation and qualification for Rio 2016, the event was the last major Championship before the Olympic Games, where Great Britain had already qualified a team spot following the World Equestrian Games the previous year. The squad featured five athletes making their senior team debuts, while four of those selected had previously competed at a home Europeans, having ridden at Blenheim in 2005.

The Selected Squad

The squad was named as follows, in alphabetical order:

  • Laura Collett (25) from West Berkshire with Mrs Diana Chappell’s Grand Manoeuvre
  • Dani Evans (23) from Bristol with Mrs Luana Edge’s Smart Time
  • William Fox-Pitt (46) from Sturminster Newton, Dorset with Mrs Catherine Witt’s Bay My Hero
  • Pippa Funnell MBE (46) from Dorking, Surrey with Mrs Jennifer A Nolan, Miss Ruth McMullen and her own Sandman 7
  • Flora Harris (27) from Hungerford, Berkshire with Mrs Caroline Harris and Ms Rebecca Salt’s Bayano
  • Kitty King (32) from Chippenham, Wiltshire with Jane and Frank Inns’ Persimmon
  • Gemma Tattersall (30) from Horsham, West Sussex with The Soul Syndicate’s Arctic Soul
  • Izzy Taylor (32) from Banbury, Oxfordshire with Miss Susan Holroyd and Ms Frances Carter’s British Bred Allercombe Ellie
  • Oliver Townend (32) from Ellesmere, Shropshire with Mr P J Hegarty’s Fenyas Elegance
  • Francis Whittington (37) from Crowborough, East Sussex with Mrs Catherine Witt’s Easy Target
  • Nicola Wilson (38) from Northallerton, North Yorkshire with Mary & Gerry Kemp and Mrs Janine Shewan’s One Two Many
  • Holly Woodhead (21) from Marlborough, Wiltshire with Ian and Heidi Woodhead’s DHI Lupison

Four of the selected athletes were also named with direct reserve horses. William Fox-Pitt was selected with Miss Carol Gee and Mrs Catherine Witt’s Fernhill Pimms and Mrs Catherine Witt’s Luxury F H; Pippa Funnell with Mr Marek Sebestak and her own Second Supreme; Izzy Taylor with KBIS Briarlands Matilda, owned by Mr Guy Avis; and Nicola Wilson with her World Equestrian Games ride, Mary and Barry Tweddle’s Annie Clover.

Selected Reserves

The reserves, in order of selection, were:

  • Tom Jackson (22) from Kent, with Mr Ian & Mrs Sara Jackson and his own Waltham Fiddlers Find
  • Wills Oakden (25) from Fife, Scotland with Mr David Kenwright’s Greystone Midnight Melody
  • Tina Cook (44) from Worthing, West Sussex with Mr Jim Chromiak and her own De Nevo News
  • Jodie Amos (31) from Warwickshire with Miss Nicola Coates and her own Wise Crack
  • Sarah Bullimore (42) from Keysoe, Bedfordshire with Mr Brett Bullimore and her own Lilly Corinne
  • Emilie Chandler (34) from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire with Miss Sally Williams and Miss Nicola Dickson’s Coopers Law

Reaction From the Selectors

Yogi Breisner, Chef d’Equipe for the eventing team, said he was looking forward to a home Championships. “I am really looking forward to going to Blair for a home European Championships,” he commented. “We are taking a very good and exciting squad with a lot of riders gaining their first senior Championship experience; we have also got some promising young horses making their Championship debut.”

Performance Director Dan Hughes acknowledged the difficulty of selection. “Despite having 12 combinations to select for the European Championships at Blair Castle by dint of a home championships, the selectors’ task has not been an easy one,” he said. “The recent success of a number of younger riders who are seeking to challenge their more experienced counterparts has resulted in a squad with an exciting mix of experience and youth. Obviously these Championships are important in their own right, although it won’t be lost on any of our athletes that there is now just over a year to go before the 2016 Rio Olympics.”

He also praised the host venue. “Renowned for being one of the most popular events on the eventing circuit, Blair Castle is the perfect venue to hold this year’s Championships,” he added. “The warm Scottish welcome is second to none and the organisers are the best in the business.”

All riders were due to compete as individuals at the Championships, with four to be announced before the start of competition to contest the team event. Laura Collett, Flora Harris and Holly Woodhead were named as members of the World Class Programme Podium Potential squad, as were reserves Tom Jackson, Wills Oakden, Jodie Amos and Emilie Chandler.