Editorial

Three Riders Receive First Call-Up for the Para-Equestrian Dressage Europeans

July 30, 2019

The British Equestrian Federation announced on 30 July 2019 the UK Sport National Lottery funded para-equestrian dressage squad selected to compete at the FEI Longines European Championships in Rotterdam, Holland, from 21 to 25 August 2019.

The team included three combinations contesting their first senior championships, while Sophie Wells and C Fatal Attraction returned to defend the Freestyle gold medal won at the 2017 European Championships.

The Selected Squad

In alphabetical order, the squad named by British Dressage selectors was:

  • Mari Durward-Akhurst (Grade I) with Glesni Owen’s Sky O’Hara
  • Nicky Greenhill (Grade IV) with her own and Gary Greenhill’s Betty Boo
  • Sophie Wells (Grade V) with Charlotte Hogg’s C Fatal Attraction
  • Georgia Wilson (Grade II) with her own and Geoff and Julie Wilson’s Midnight

Nicky Greenhill and Sophie Wells were also selected with direct reserve horses, Greenhill with King Edward I and Wells with Diadeem.

Building Towards Tokyo

Performance Manager Georgina Sharples congratulated the selected combinations, their owners and support teams. She highlighted the inclusion of three first-time championship athletes, noting that they would gain experience of a championship environment as part of the build-up to Tokyo 2020. She added that Sophie Wells, competing in her eleventh major championship as a Paralympic, World and European multi-medallist, would bring a wealth of experience alongside a committed support team.

British Dressage Chief Executive Jason Brautigam said it was encouraging to see three new names called up alongside Sophie Wells’s championship experience. With qualification for the following year’s Paralympics already secured, he said the selection offered new combinations the chance to make their mark internationally, and pointed to fierce competition for places as evidence of the depth within the programme a year out from Tokyo.

Reaction from the Athletes

Mari Durward-Akhurst described her excitement at competing in her first senior championships and thanked her support team, trainer Rob Waine and Sky O’Hara’s owner Glesni Owen. Nicky Greenhill said she had been shocked by the news but felt proud and honoured to represent her country. Sophie Wells called it a massive honour to represent Team GBR again and said she was pleased to have her pupil, Georgia Wilson, on the squad alongside her. Georgia Wilson said she was excited but nervous ahead of her first major championship.

Equestrian Team GBR is supported by the UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Programme, with backing from the British Equestrian Federation Fund and official partners including Dodson & Horrell, Equi-Trek, Horseware, Musto, NAF and Point Two.