Fans React to No Harry Meade, Gemma Tattersall on British Squad

Harry Meade and Wild Lone at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry. Harry Meade and Wild Lone at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Great Britain announced its World Equestrian Games squad this morning, and fans took to Twitter to lament the absence of Harry Meade and Gemma Tattersall on the team. Harry made a very strong case for the WEG squad at Badminton, where he and Wild Lone jumped one of the fastest clears around the monster cross-country track and had just one rail down the next day to finish third — mere months after shattering and dislocating both of his elbows in a bad fall, no less.

Ever the gentleman, Harry handled the news very graciously:

Gemma Tattersall jumped all the way around Badminton with Arctic Soul only to be heartbreakingly eliminated after missing a flag at Huntsmans Close. She then re-routed to Bramham CIC3* and finished fifth, but the selectors also placed her on the reserve list. She also handled the announcement graciously:

Fans were not so subtle about their feelings on the decision, with reactions ranging from disappointed …

To outrage …

Of course, anything can happen between now and the competition in August. Pippa Roome, Horse & Hound Eventing Editor, wisely pointed out in her column on the squad that fans of Harry and Gemma should not despair: “In the past decade, there has only been 1 year that no reserve has been called into the British eventing squad due to an injury between selection and the event — that was in the last WEG year, 2010,” she wrote.

What do you think, EN? Did Great Britain’s selectors get it right? Weigh in below.

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