Laura Collett and Dacapo take the day one lead at Boekelo in 2022, and set a tough standard to beat. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
There’s just one FEI Nations Cup leg left on the 2023 calendar, and boy, is it a big one: the Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L in the Netherlands, which will take place from October 4–8, is undoubtedly most riders’ favourite outing of the year. That’s not just because of the pomp and circumstance of a series finale, nor because of the pivotal chance to claim a berth at the Olympics for unqualified teams — it’s also because it’s the biggest party of the year. Priorities, people. It’s all about the brewskies in the final throes of the season.
The Brits are one of those teams who don’t have to think at all about the fight for an Olympic place, since they qualified in the first possible instance at Pratoni last year, but they absolutely will be hoping to nab gold in this battle of nations. While we don’t yet have confirmation of which combinations will be on the team and which will ride as individuals, we do now have a first look at who’ll be making the trip over to fly the Union Jack (and a chance to rank them, in a confidential and unpublished Google doc, based on how likely each of them is to bring the noise at the Tuesday night riders’ party. Laura Collett, we’re just saying — we expect big things from you.)
The riders and horses named are as follows:
- MHS Seventeen Ros Canter – Owned by Lady Milnes Coates and Deirdre Johnston
- Dassett Cooley Dun Ros Canter – Owned by Kate Willis and Mel Pritchard
- Dacapo Laura Collett – Owned by Mr and Mrs M. Smedley, Carolyn Taylor, Gillian Morris-Adams and Diana Chappell
- SBH Big Wall Izzy Taylor – Owned by Jane Timmis
- Rehy DJ Yasmin Ingham – Owned by The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn
- Class Vista Flora Harris – Owned by Rider
- Cooley Snapchat Selina Milnes – Owned by Mr and Mrs William Rucker
- D.Day Caroline Harris – Owned by Fiona Olivier, Lucy Matthews, Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle
- Ellfield Voyager Alex Whewall – Owned by Sheila Rowe
- Hi Tech Xanthe Goldsack – Owned by Rider
- Global Quest Georgie Campbell – Owned by Diana and Lance Morrish
- Ngong Valley Harriet Wright – Owned by Rider
- Igor B Kristina Hall-Jackson – Owned by KHJ Eventing and Rider
- Deerpairc Revelry Max Warburton – Owned by The Paske Syndicate
- Fever Pitch Storm Straker – Owned by Victoria Straker
- Just Have Faith TN Alfie Marshall – Owned by Rider
- Bob Cotton Bandit Laura Birley – Owned by Rider
- EG Michealangelo Rose Nesbitt – Owned by Rider and John and Francesca Nesbitt
- Templar Juno Katie Preston – Owned by Juniper Syndicate and Rider
- Solsboro Sweetpea Alicia Wilkinson – Owned by Henrietta Wilkinson
British Eventing has also released a short waitlist of horses and riders, who will be called in, in order of the list below, should any of the original twenty not be able to take up their place for any reason. These are:
- MC Parco Pete Tyler Cassells – Owned by Amanda Hemming
- PSH Gazelle Aimee Penny – Owned by Gary Power
- Opposition Aphrodite Kirsty Chabert – Owned by Carole Somers
- Sportsfield Freelance – Laura Collett
As always, EN will have boots on the ground for this incredibly exciting, oftentimes truly weird event, with its bar-for-every-fence and its mid-morning nightclubs out on course. Buckle up, prepare your electrolytes, and let’s get silly.
