Great Britain Showjumpers Selected for the European Championships

The British Equestrian Federation announced on 9 August 2017 the UK Sport National Lottery funded showjumping athletes selected to compete at the FEI Longines European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, held from 21 to 27 August 2017.

For these championships, the British Showjumping selectors chose to send two individual athletes rather than a full team:

• Michael Whitaker, 57, based in Nottinghamshire, with Melissa Braybrooke’s Viking
• William Whitaker, 28, based in West Yorkshire, with Ludwig Criel’s Utamaro D’Ecaussines

The Reasoning Behind the Selection

Equestrian Performance Director Gordon Burton explained that the decision reflected longer-term planning. “Our selectors have chosen to send two individuals to the FEI Longines European Championships and focus our team activity on the Nations Cup series, to best achieve our goals for both 2017 and WEG 2018,” he said. “This decision has been made taking into account both available equine talent and our longer-term performance objectives.”

He added that the selectors had followed a robust process based on performance data and discussions with athletes and owners. In what he described as a transitional period for the discipline, the panel judged it in the best long-term interests of less experienced horses to take an unusual approach, balancing championship and Nations Cup commitments while managing emerging equine talent.

Performance Manager’s View

Di Lampard, World Class Performance Manager for Showjumping, acknowledged the difficulty of the decision and that Nations Cup results that year had not been satisfactory. She noted that the sport had changed considerably over the previous two years, requiring a balance between riders’ individual objectives and national championship campaigns, particularly in the first year of an Olympic cycle.

She expressed confidence in both combinations selected, observing that William Whitaker had developed a strong partnership with Utamaro over the previous twelve months and that Michael Whitaker brought considerable experience. She anticipated that the two riders would support one another, with Whitaker’s experience helping his fellow rider on his championship debut.

British Showjumping Chief Executive Iain Graham said the governing body fully respected and supported the selectors’ decision, adding that in-depth conversations had been held with all stakeholders and that the focus had turned to supporting the two senior riders and two youth riders heading to the championships.

The British senior teams are supported by the British Equestrian Federation’s UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Programme.