Editorial

Team GB Name 12 Equestrian Athletes to Compete at Rio 2016

July 8, 2016

The British Olympic Association announced the twelve athletes selected to compete for Team GB across the three equestrian disciplines of eventing, dressage and jumping at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Eventing

Three-time Olympic medallist William Fox-Pitt with Chilli Morning was named in the eventing team, alongside Kitty King riding Ceylor L A N and Izzy Taylor on Allercombe Ellie. Gemma Tattersall completed the team on Chico Bella P or Quicklook V, with King, Taylor and Tattersall all receiving their first Olympic call-up.

Dressage

In the dressage team, reigning World, European and Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin was selected on Valegro and joined by fellow 2012 Olympic team gold medallist Carl Hester with Nip Tuck. The line-up was completed by 2015 European team silver medallist Fiona Bigwood on Atterupgaards Orthilia and Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II, both making their Olympic debuts.

Jumping

The jumping team carried considerable Olympic pedigree. London 2012 gold medallists Nick Skelton and Ben Maher returned on Big Star and Tic Tac respectively, with Rio marking Skelton’s seventh Games and his second on Big Star. Los Angeles 1984 jumping team silver medallist John Whitaker, set to feature in his sixth Olympic Games, was selected on Ornellaia, while his younger brother Michael, heading to his fifth Olympics and also a silver medallist from 1984, was named on Cassionato. The announcement brought the number of selected Team GB athletes to 246 across 20 sports.

The full squad

  • William Fox-Pitt, Dorset, with Christopher Stone’s Chilli Morning
  • Kitty King, Wiltshire, with Diana Bown, Jacqueline Owen and Samantha Wilson’s Ceylor L A N
  • Gemma Tattersall, West Sussex, with Christopher Stone’s Chico Bella P or The Pebbles Syndicate’s Quicklook V
  • Isabelle (Izzy) Taylor, Oxfordshire, with Susan Holroyd and Frances Carter’s Allercombe Ellie
  • Travelling reserve: Pippa Funnell MBE, Surrey, with the late Carol Toliver’s Billy The Biz
  • Fiona Bigwood, West Sussex, with Penny Bigwood and Neils and Lis Dahl’s Atterupgaards Orthilia
  • Charlotte Dujardin OBE, Gloucestershire, with Rowena Luard, Anne Barrott and Carl Hester’s Valegro
  • Carl Hester MBE, Gloucestershire, with Jane De La Mare and his own Nip Tuck
  • Spencer Wilton, Reading, with Jennifer Goodman and his own Super Nova II
  • Travelling reserve: Lara Griffith, Gloucestershire, with Dr Wilfried and Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s Rubin Al Asad
  • Ben Maher MBE, Hertfordshire, with Jane Forbes Clark and his own Tic Tac
  • Nick Skelton OBE, Warwickshire, with Beverley Widdowson’s Big Star
  • John Whitaker MBE, West Yorkshire, with Team Harmony Management Co Ltd’s Ornellaia
  • Michael Whitaker, Nottinghamshire, with Beverley Widdowson’s Cassionato
  • Travelling reserve: Jessica Mendoza, Wiltshire, with Sarah Mendoza’s Spirit T

Reaction

Team GB’s Chef de Mission, Mark England, said no sport could boast Olympic experience quite like the equestrian team, noting it was to the credit of the riders and the programme that athletes returned for their fifth, sixth or even seventh Games. He said there was strength across all three disciplines and that the country could look forward to seeing the team perform at the top of its game.

Equestrian Team Leader Dan Hughes said the selection represented the strength in depth of British equestrian talent and the mix of experience and new ability across the three events, adding that none of it would have been possible without National Lottery funding via UK Sport. He noted that five of the twelve riders would be competing at an Olympic Games for the first time.

Carl Hester, a member of the 2012 gold-medal-winning dressage team, described it as an exciting time for British dressage and said carrying the success of London forward to Rio would be a huge undertaking. Nick Skelton, heading to his seventh Games, said he was delighted to be selected and that his horse was jumping well and in good form. Kitty King, making her Olympic debut, called it the best phone call she had ever had and paid tribute to her support team, sponsors and UK Sport.