Classic Eventing Nation

New Zealand’s Prospective Olympians Get Coaching Boost on Road to Paris 2024

By on Jun 28, 2023 2:39 pm -

Team New Zealand chef d’equipe Sam Griffiths at last year’s Pratoni test event. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

New Zealand’s four-strong equestrian team has continued its strong build up to Paris 2024 with their recent first placing overall at the 2023 Mill Street International Horse Trial in Ireland.

Leading the coaching support for the equestrian team is UK-based Sam Griffiths, who is himself getting support through HPSNZ’s Coach Accelerator Te Tūāpapa programme.

As part of Te Tūāpapa’s bespoke pinnacle event campaign support, programme lead Christian Penny has been working with Sam and has headed to the UK to assist him with campaign planning ahead of the all-important five-star horse trial in Aachen, Germany, a critical event on the road to Paris.

In December 2022 the New Zealand equestrian team undertook a Te Tūāpapa residential programme using tikanga marae process as a guide and work template for the group to help them gain clarity and commitment on a shared approach to Paris, says Christian.

“Sam was part of the equestrian team that undertook the residential and is one of the leaders who ‘glue’ them together. Eventing is essentially an individual challenge so keeping a sense of shared momentum, especially heading to Paris, is part of the plan to break through a glass ceiling in that event.”

Following the team’s time in New Zealand, Christian set up a fortnightly, online coaching session with Sam which has focussed on his current questions around bringing his best to coaching the New Zealand team.

“A key question I ask high performance coaches like Sam is ‘what do you need to be your best for the athlete or team in a pinnacle event like Paris?’ As part of the remote coaching sessions, we’ve covered a wide range of topics that are important in Sam’s role including contracting, use of powerful language, adapting to different athlete learning styles, laying down a challenge, and preparation and reflection on sessions and competition,” says Christian.

Sam is enthusiastic about the opportunity to work face to face with Christian.  “If we want an athlete to put in a world class performance then their support needs to be world class,” says Sam. “Christian is helping me raise my game to try and give that level of support in a multi-dimensional way.”

Equally Christian says seeing the coach and athletes in action helps further build the right support.

“It is a real privilege and opportunity for me to spend valuable time with Sam as he further builds on his coaching toolkit to enable the equestrian team to compete at their very best in Paris.”

Here’s a more in-depth look at how the program works:

 

 

Wednesday News & Notes from Ocala Horse Properties

By on Jun 28, 2023 12:01 am -

Aachen is on!

The vaulters have had their turn, the show jumpers are underway, and the drivers, dressage riders and eventers are waiting in the wings.

Well, the eventing wait is almost over as it all trots off tomorrow (Thursday) with the first horse inspection at 5pm German time – that’s 11am EST / 4pm BST.

Flying the flag for the US in the 4*-S are Will Coleman and Off the Record, Phillip Dutton and Z, Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C, and Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Dan Kreitl and Carmango go as the US individual combination.

For team GB we have Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir, Tom McEwan and JL Dublin, Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley, and Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI. Riding as an individual for Great Britain is Hector Payne with Dynasty.

The center line sees the action start on Friday at 8:30am / 2:30am EST / 7:30am BST, when the teams will be aiming for the lowest possible score to start off their Aachen campaigns. How low can they go? With such quality across the field, it’ll be an exciting start, that’s for sure.

After a morning of dressage, the competitors will be back in the ring on Friday evening for the show jumping phase, which starts at 5:45pm / 11:45am EST / 4:45pm BST. There may well be a shake up of the standings as the combinations strive to leave the colored poles in their cups. Who will keep their cool? It’ll be all to play for at this point.

And Saturday is – as it mostly always is – cross country day, with the first horse leaving the start box at 10am / 4am EST / 9am BST. Coming as the third phase in this 4*-S competition, we’re guaranteed a thrilling morning of cross country action as the teams battle it out to take home the spoils – which they’ll do at the prize giving which starts at 3pm / 9am EST / 2pm BST

If you need just a bit more Aachen eventing after all that, you’re in luck as you can catch the Combined Eventing Jumping and Driving competition on Saturday evening from 9:30pm / 3:30pm EST / 8:30pm BST. Keep your eyes peeled for some familiar eventing faces and tails.

EN has Tilly’s boots on the Aachen ground, where she’ll bring us ALL the news from the event. Keep up with the EN coverage and follow @goeventing for all the ins and outs of the show.

Over the course of the week, Aachen will host over 300 participants from 32 countries and 1,000 horses. In case you’re wondering what kind of resources are needed to keep all those people and equines content – it includes 18,000 kg of hay and 34kg of ketchup.

Go eventing!

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

U.S. Weekend Preview

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Inavale Farm HT (Philomath, OR) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Summer Coconino H.T. I (Anthem, AZ) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Wednesday News and Reading

Attention all college students! Do you love social media? Athletux is on the hunt for a social media intern! This is an incredible opportunity to work remotely for one of the longest running, most established marketing firms in the equine industry! Gain valuable hands-on experience, boast your resume, and even obtain school credit where applicable! Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to [email protected] along with a sample social media reel!

It’s horseshoes for the stars on this Walk of Fame. Take a trip along Aachen’s Walk of Fame where tributes to some of the world’s most famous horses are embedded in front of the CHIO Aachen offices – “Thus it is clear to every Aachen visitor that the red carpet will be rolled out for horses first”. From dressage stars Valegro and Bella Rose, to show jumping’s Big Star and eventing master Hale Bob OLD, this sure is a who’s who of the horse world. [Star Studded]

How do you stop distractions from keeping you from your goals? Try turning your phone off. As a vintage Nokia kind of girl, I very much don’t get notifications on my phone. I also only answer calls or messages when I want to – just because a phone’s ringing, it doesn’t mean you have to answer it. Here’s why this busy amateur rider keeps her barn time phone free. [Call Waiting]

A comprehensive guide to the fascinating world of breeding horses. Whether you’re broody for a baby horse but not sure you’ve got the know-how for homebreds, or an experienced foal momma who’s thirsty to delve deeper, Jeanette Gower’s guide is for you. Written with the benefit of more than 50 years’ experience in the horse breeding industry, there’s everything you need to know and then some. ‘The Thinking Horse Breeder – A comprehensive guide to successful horse breeding’ is available from June 30th. [What to Expect When You’re Expecting]

A jockey shares his story of the accident that changed his life, and the twist of fate he’s come to see it as. It was ‘another day at the office’ for Jacob Pritchard Webb. He’d been stuck in traffic on the way to work, but made it just in time – something he sees as lucky one day, unlucky the next. When he was legged up onto his ride before the race, he had no idea that his day would end in a French hospital. Or that he would be at the beginning of a long and painful journey. This candid piece explains. [The Life I Now Have]

Do you have an eventing #CobsCan in your barn? Super cob Star X’s display at the Badminton Grassroots Championships has inspired British Eventing to put out a call for eventing cob owners to share photos of their own super cobs doing their thing. [Hairies Go Eventing]

In other news… Glastonbury festival happened over here in the UK last weekend, incidentally coinciding with National Camping Month. Scrolling through the media from the event, I came across this guy’s answer to a stiff back in the morning. So if you see a large IKEA box balanced precariously over a wheelbarrow being ferried across the carpark towards the campsite at Badminton next year, you know what I’m up to. [Bed Head]

Sponsor Corner

Photo courtesy of Ocala Horse Properties.

Brick. Circles. 1960’s.

That summarizes everything you need to know about this listing on Ocala Horse Properties. Join me on a ‘60s-themed field trip to the world of Dream Horse Farm.

Click here to find out more.

Video Break

Here’s a taste of some of the vaulting action that’s been happening in Aachen where Team Germany 1 were victorious in the grand final.

Tuesday Video: The Views from Valinor Farm

By on Jun 27, 2023 4:00 pm -

While my own horse is rehabbing, I was sad to miss one of my personal favorite events this past weekend: Valinor Farm Horse Trials. Located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Valinor Farm is an asset to the Area 1 eventing community. The venue is owned and maintained by the Risso family, headed up by family matriarch Robyn Risso who oversees the farm’s operations and serves as event secretary. Daughter Erin Risso, who herself events through the CCI4*-S level, serves as show jumping course designer and can often be found keeping a watchful eye over the cross country course on show day.

The Risso family has made numerous updates to the farm since they began hosting USEA recognized horse trials in 2005 and continues to make improvements each year. Just within the relatively short time since I first competed there I’ve seen the cross country course become expanded, a Modified track be added, frangible tables brought in, and a new dressage ring added — I’m sure I’m missing a few things as well!

Not only have the Rissos gone above and beyond to make every competitor’s experience an enjoyable one, but the farm boats an incredible natural asset as well: it’s rolling terrain (surprisingly hill for just an hour south of Boston!) and fantastic footing.Those hills offer a thrilling ride for competitors and excellent viewing for spectators. Enjoy the views from Valinor Farm and take a peek at some of the action from this past weekend’s event with this collection of clips.

Valinor Farm: [Results] [Official Photographer]

Ariel Grald’s Gymnastic for Small Spaces and Limited Jumps: An Excerpt from ‘Grid Pro Quo’

By on Jun 27, 2023 1:30 pm -

In this excerpt from Margaret Rizzo McKelvy’s popular book Grid Pro Quo: 52 Powerful Jumping Exercises from the World’s Top Riders, we hear from 5* eventer Ariel Grald about the gymnastic exercise she likes to use to improve rider responsibility in the saddle.

Diagram courtesy of Onawa Rock/Horse and Rider Books.

This is a great exercise for riders who have limited jumps to work with, and perhaps limited space. The setup is easy, and the distances are versatile for horses of varying abilities.

MATERIALS NEEDED

  • 4 jump poles
  • 4 set of jump standards
  • Flower boxes or other filler (optional)
  • Extra ground poles for warm-up

SETUP

  • You can place this exercise most anywhere in your arena, as long as you can approach it from both directions.
  • Place a few ground poles randomly around your arena for warm-up.

WHY

Throughout my everyday training, I try to keep a big focus on rider responsibility versus horse responsibility. To keep it very simple, the preparation for any jumping exercise—namely creating a good, balanced canter to jump from—is completely the rider’s responsibility. Once you get on your line for the exercise, it’s the rider’s job to stay balanced in the middle and out of the horse’s way, as the responsibility is transferred to the horse.

The purpose of this exercise is to combine footwork with coursework. The 21-foot, one-stride distance is your footwork piece, and the 45-foot, three-stride distance is your coursework piece. The challenge is maintaining three strides of even length to your last vertical, and for the horse to remain careful for the last vertical.

Regardless of the level you’re competing, your horse is more likely to get flat and unbalanced the longer you have between fences. This is why practicing how to develop and maintain that perfect show jumping canter is so important. Three strides is the perfect distance to set yourself up for success.

HOW

Before you even jump the first jump, be sure your horse is sufficiently warmed up through his body. Try to start with a walk hack whenever possible, then ask him to lengthen and come back within each gait, along with some low-stress lateral work. While your expectations of the horse will change depending on his level of training, he needs to listen to all of your aids, regardless of whether you’re flatting or jumping.

Once you’re confident your horse is properly warmed up on the flat, start trotting and cantering over the ground poles that you have scattered around the arena. This is the time for you to help create the shape and balance to the canter that is appropriate for jumping. Remember, at all times, the horse needs to be responsible for his own feet.

From here, simply start with the whole line of jumps (Jumps A, B, and C) set quite low for your level of jumping. This setup is not intimidating, so for a horse that knows how to jump, it shouldn’t be too difficult to start with all the jumps in place. Of course, if you have a green horse, you can start with the poles on the ground and build it up jump by jump.

As you work through this line of three jumps, you want to keep a few things in mind before you raise the jumps. The biggest thing is to analyze your three-stride combination between Jumps B and C and make sure your horse is taking three even strides. If your horse is landing and rushing a little bit, add a landing pole after Jump B, and, perhaps, add another one in front of Jump C.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, when you have a horse that is a little lazy and behind your leg, add in a canter circle before Jump A. Practice going forward and collecting back on this circle, making sure you can go beyond your perfect canter and come back to a canter that’s a little smaller than perfect, and finally settle in the middle on that perfect canter before heading to Jump A.

Another thing to consider is whether your horse is truly straight through the entire exercise, which includes the few strides before and after the entry and exit. If you have a horse or rider really struggling with straightness, add guide poles on the ground next to the jumps to help them out.

It’s important to keep riding after Jump C, so give yourself something to ride toward. You can get creative with this, and it can be anything from a set of cones to ride through to a cavalletti set on a bending line. Remember your transition back down to the walk between jumping rounds is also part of your exercise. Make every transition count, rather than celebrating after the last vertical and letting your horse fall on his forehand or get crooked.

As you work through the exercise, there are two ways of making it more challenging. You can build up the jumps gradually until they are at your competition height. Or, you can make the jumps more visually interesting by adding or changing the fillers throughout your jump school. And for more advanced horses, use the distance to challenge them a bit by shortening the distances a little to teach them to compress and move their feet faster. In addition, as a way to help work on finding that perfect distance while on course, you can add a ground pole two strides away from Jump A to help practice finding that distance. Just remember that the more poles you put on the ground, the more your horse has to think. I tend to either add poles or raise the jumps, but rarely both at the same time.

I often find that working through this exercise is enough for one jump school. But as your horse becomes more familiar with it, you can always use this as a warm-up as preparation for coursework.

This excerpt from Grid Pro Quo by Margaret Rizzo McKelvy is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

Your Live Stream Guide to CHIO Aachen

By on Jun 27, 2023 11:00 am -

Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s officially CHIO Aachen week, and we’ll be coming to you live from Germany later this week when the eventers take center stage. Aachen is not *solely* about eventing, though, as it’s an all-encompassing equestrian festival that occurs on an annual basis. Look at it as a mini-World Equestrian Games, with each major discipline featuring on the event schedule along with a few “just for fun” type of classes.

You won’t want to miss the action, which also features a bid at the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping by none other than U.S. show jumper McLain Ward, who’s brought three horses for a shot at some titles this week, including the champion mare HH Azur as well as Olympic partner Contagious. On the dressage side, we’re looking forward to watching Great Britain’s current leading lady, Lottie Fry, and the nearly-full-brother to the legend Glamourdale, Everdale, competing. Reigning FEI World Cup champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB are also entered to compete this week.

Dressage, driving, and vaulting are also represented on the schedule this weekend, and you can view the full roster of international entries here.

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In most countries, you’ll want to grab a subscription to ClipMyHorse.TV to be able to view the action both live and on-demand this week. FYI, your USEF account connection to ClipMyHorse.TV will not grant you access to Aachen live streaming — you must subscribe to a separate subscription to CMH (monthly or annual). [Click here to see ClipMyHorse.TV subscription options]

For those of our readers outside of the U.S., Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and Spain, the live stream will be carried on Horse & Country. Accessing the Horse & Country website from a browser in your country of residence should bring up the options to watch CHIO Aachen live.

Once you’ve signed up, the world of Aachen streaming will open up to you. The full Aachen homepage can be found here — bookmark this page! The live stream page will have a schedule of events, and you can also view the full event daily program here. Since I know we’re all eventers here, I’ll drop the specific eventing schedule below:

Eventing (SAP Cup)
These times are subject to change. Please keep an eye on the live stream hub + the timing & scoring page for the latest schedule.

Friday, June 30 – Dressage
8:30 a.m. local / 2:30 a.m. EST / 11:30 p.m. (6/29) PST

Friday, June 30 – Show Jumping
5:45 p.m. local / 11:45 a.m. EST / 8:45 a.m. PST

Saturday, July 1 – Cross Country
10:00 a.m. local / 4:00 a.m. EST / 1:00 a.m. PST

We’ll have our traditional Form Guide to each nation contesting the SAP Cup for eventing coming later this week, and Tilly Berendt is our roving reporter on the ground all weekend. I’ll be running live updates for cross country on Saturday, and you can always follow us at @goeventing or also the event at @chio_aachen for the latest from Germany. Go Eventing!

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Canadian Eventing Team Announced for FEI Eventing Nations Cup Arville

By on Jun 27, 2023 9:30 am -

Ottawa, ON, June 26, 2023 – The Equestrian Canada (EC) High Performance Advisory Group, Eventing (HPAG) is pleased to announce the team that will represent Canada at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ in Arville, Belgium from August 17 – 20, 2023.

Thanks to a generous donation from Kelly McCarthy-Maine and Shane Maine, the athletes will have access to travel grants to assist in the costs of travelling to and competing in the southern Belgian town close to the border of Luxembourg.

The following members of the Canadian Eventing team will represent the maple leaf in Arville (in alphabetical order):

Hanna Bundy and Lovely Assistant. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Hanna Bundy
Horse: Lovely Assistant (Colonel John x Silver Ghost)
Owner: Juliana Hansen

Kendal Lehari and Audacious. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Kendal Lehari
Horse: Audacious (Iron Man x Rumlum Star)
Owners: Gwen, Kendal, and Rein Lehari

Katie Malensek and Landjaeger. Photo by Lisa Madren.

Katie Malensek
Horse: Landjaeger (Landkönig 3 x Unbridled’s Image XX)
Owner: Katie Malensek

Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Jessica Phoenix
Horse: Wabbit (Line of Departure x Great Gladiator)
Owners: Jim Phillips, Colleen Mitchell, and Jessica Phoenix

“The Eventing High Performance Advisory Group is excited to be sending four horse & rider combinations to Arville, thanks to Kelly and Shane’s generosity,” shared HPAG chair Emily Gilbert. “This competition will provide crucial team experience and exposure to the Nations Cup format for the athlete combinations and international experience in a globally competitive field.”

Last year’s Nations Cup at Arville saw five European nations compete including Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Great Britain, and FEI World Championship winners – Germany. With a key strategic goal of building a positive performance trajectory for the Canadian Eventing Team adding them into a mix with some of the world’s best will deliver in spades.

The team heading to Arville has three newcomers to this level of international competition with one veteran rider. As a three-time Olympian, five-time Pan American Games medalist and appearances in three FEI World Equestrian Games, Phoenix has a wealth of intercontinental experience. Bundy, Lehari and Malensek will be making their first appearance on European soil. Each are excited for what the experience will bring to them, their horses, and the Canadian Eventing Team as a whole.

“We are incredibly honoured to have been named to the Nations Cup team for Arville this August,” said Phoenix of Cannington, ON. “Canadian Eventing is building a world-class program with exceptional opportunities, and we are so thankful to be a part of this upward momentum. Thank you to Kelly and Shane for making this travel grant possible! And thank you to Jim Phillips and Colleen Mitchell for being wonderful owners of Wabbit!”

Bundy of Toronto, ON shared her pride for representing the maple leaf. “I am so proud to be named to the Canadian Nations Cup team in Arville, Belgium,” she said. “Receiving one of the generous travel grants has made the trip possible for us and I am so grateful. Go Canada!”

Malensek, who resides in Ormond Beach, FL, is a small animal veterinarian who competed in her first CCI 4* in Myakka, FL, earlier this year. She and ‘Brewster,’ now nine, have been partnered since he was a yearling. “It is an honour to be selected for the Nations Cup team for Canada this summer. I am so grateful for the opportunity provided by the Eventing HPAG, and of course, Kelly and Shane,” she said. “The exposure for my horse and I to the competition, training and courses overseas will be unparalleled.”

Lehari of Uxbridge, ON, said “I am very excited and honoured to be named to the Nation’s Cup Team for Arville on Audacious,” she said. “This is such a fantastic opportunity to get experience overseas that the HPAG, Kelly McCarthy Maine and Shane Maine have made possible. I will travel overseas with two horses (Audacious and Mitchell) and extend my stay to train and compete in the UK to get more experience competing overseas.”

For more information on the CCI4* Arville, please click here.

Tuesday News & Notes from Kentucky Performance Products

By on Jun 27, 2023 8:32 am -

 

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A post shared by Phillip Dutton (@duttoneventing)

I love it when people who knew a horse as a foal – or heck, bred it! – get the chance of a reunion once that horse is a global mega-star. We saw it happen at Luhmühlen earlier this month, where London 52’s breeder made a surprise appearance, and now we’re seeing it in action again, as Phillip Dutton’s Z got the chance to have a good snuggle with his breeder’s sister, who was present and helping at his birth, while en route to Aachen. How surreal it must be to see what a cool horse he’s become!

Speaking of Aachen, I’m so excited to once again be lead reporter and photographer for EN for all the festivities this week at, arguably, the world’s greatest horse show. We’ll have some great preview content coming your way over the next couple of days, plus jam-packed reports and galleries, and even some peaks at what else is going on at this celebration of top-end horse sport, so keep it locked on EN this week and let’s keep this big German June rolling!

Events Opening Today: Woodside Summer H.T, Fair Hill International Recognized H.T., Full Gallop Farm August HT-Pending USEF Approval, WindRidge Farm Summer H.T., Otter Creek Summer H.T., GMHA Festival of Eventing August H.T.

Events Closing Today: The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, Champagne Run at the Park H.T., Larkin Hill H.T.

News & Notes from Around the World:

The British Equestrian Federation and the FEI are working to improve concussion guidelines. This comes off the back of new research on the effect of a knock to the head, and is promising news for riders who may have otherwise continued on as normal after a fall, leaving themselves with nasty after effects down the line. Read more here.

Miks Master C heads to Aachen this week, after a super spring season that saw him finish third in his five-star debut at Kentucky. He’s arguably one of the most exciting horses in the US at the moment — but how much do you know about this cool character? Go behind the stall door and find out more.

Are you about to make your eventing debut, or returning to the sport after a break? You might benefit from a refresher on the rules of cross-country — and heck, even if you’re out competing most weekends, it never hurts to remind yourself of the nuances of our sport! USEA gives you the cliff notes here.

Sponsor Corner: Summer is in full swing! That leaves us with the question that comes around every summer: how hot is too hot to ride? This handy graphic from Kentucky Performance Products has a simple formula.

Watch This:

Get in the mood for Aachen with this hat cam video from last year’s cross country, courtesy of Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos.

Monday Video: Watch the Hickstead Al Shira’aa Derby Winning Round

By on Jun 26, 2023 4:30 pm -

With its outrageous terrain and massive fences (and not to mention our own Tilly Berendt in the press office), Hickstead’s Al Shira’aa Derby is basically an honorary event, am I right? In fact, we’ve seen many an eventer contest this iconic class over the years.

This year, the eventing contingent was well-represented by Gemma Stevens (neé Tattersall), Kai Rüder, and Sandra Auffarth (Tilly collected some clips of their preparations, past rounds, an throwback rounds last week which you can watch here, plus you catch watch Gemma’s round right here) but it was Ireland’s David Simpson who collected the win this year aboard the youngest horse in the field, Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve, an 8-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Bamako de Muze — Telmaz Koekoekshof Z, by Taran De La Pomme). Watch their impressive round above and find the full class results here.

British Equestrian Announces Nominated Entries for FEI Eventing European Championship

By on Jun 26, 2023 1:54 pm -
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt. Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

British Equestrian and the British Eventing selectors can today confirm the 18 horse and rider combinations that will form their list of nominated entries ahead of the FEI Eventing European Championship, set to take place at Haras du Pin, France from 9–13 August this year.

Nominated entries, listed in alphabetical order by athlete surname:

Ros Canter (37) from Hallington, Lincolnshire, with Michele Saul’s Lordships Graffalo (bay, gelding, 11yrs, 17hh, Grafenstolz x Rock King, Breeder: Lordships Stud, Writtle College GBR) and Kate James and Annie Makin’s Pencos Crown Jewel (bay, mare, 14yrs, 16.1hh, Jumbo x Rock King, Breeder: Mrs Pennie Wallace GBR)

Laura Collett (33) from Salperton, Gloucestershire, with Keith Scott, Karen Bartlett and her own London 52 (bay, gelding, 14yrs, 16.3hh, Landos x Quinar, Breeder: Ocke Riewerts GER)

David Doel (30) from Chippenham, Wiltshire, with Gillian Jonas’ Galileo Nieuwmoed (dark bay, gelding, 12yrs, 17hh, Carambole x Harcos, Breeder: J. W. and A. P. Jurrius NED)

Pippa Funnell (54) from Dorking, Surrey, with Sarah Ross’ MCS Maverick (bay, gelding, 10yrs, 16.1hh, s. Mill Law, Breeder: Mrs M Watson GBR)

Yasmin Ingham (26) from Nantwich, Cheshire (originally from Isle of Man), with The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn’s Banzai du Loir (chestnut, gelding, 12yrs, 16.2hh, Nouma D’Auzay x Livarot, Breeder: Pierre Gouye FRA) and The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn’s Rehy DJ (bay, gelding, 13yrs, 16.1hh, Tinarana’s Inspector x Big Shot Hope, Breeder: Noel Russell IRL)

Tom Jackson (30) from Godalming, Surrey, with Patricia Davenport, Millie Simmie and Sarah Webb’s Capels Hollow Drift (grey, gelding, 12yrs, 16.2hh, Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan x Lucky Gift, Breeder: Jeanette Glynn GBR)

Kitty King (40) from Chippenham, Wiltshire, with Diana Bown, the late Sally Eyre, Samantha Wilson and Sally Lloyd-Baker’s Vendredi Biats (grey, gelding, 14yrs, Winningmood x Camelia de Ruelles, Breeder: Phillipe Briviois FRA)

Piggy March (42) from Maidwell, Northamptonshire, with John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn’s Brookfield Cavalier Cruise (brown, gelding, 10yrs, 16.3hh, Cavalier Carnival x Atlantic Cruise, Breeder: Martin Ryan IRL) and James and Jo Lambert’s Coolparks Sarco (bay, gelding, 11yrs, 16.2hh, Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan x Clarion Hotel Coolcorran Cool Diamond, Breeder: Michael Burke IRL)

Tom McEwen (32) from Stroud, Gloucestershire, with James and Jo Lambert and Deirdre Johnston’s JL Dublin (dark brown, gelding, 16.2hh, Diarado x Cantano, Breeder: Volker Göttsche-Götze GER), Martin Belsham’s Luna Mist (bay, mare, 10yrs, 16hh, Alvescot Paper Moon x Wickstead Didger I Doo) and Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Coppell and Alison McEwen’s Toledo de Kerser (bay, gelding, 16yrs, 16.1hh, Diamant de Semilly x Papillon Rouge, Breeder: Kerstin Drevet FRA)

Gemma Stevens (38) from Horsham, West Sussex, with Pru Dawes’ Flash Cooley (grey, gelding, 11yrs, 16.1hh, CSF Mr Kroon x OBOS Quality, Breeder: Jim O’Neill IRL)

Oliver Townend (40) from Ellesmere, Shropshire, with Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan’s Ballaghmor Class (grey, gelding, 16yrs, 16.2hh, s. Courage II, Breeder: Noel Hicky IRL) and Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Swallow Springs (grey, gelding, 15yrs, 16.2hh, Chillout x Cult Hero, Breeder: Maria Keating IRL)

Bubby Upton (24) from Newmarket, Suffolk, with Rachel Upton and The Zebedee Syndicate’s Magic Roundabout (chestnut, gelding, 13yrs, 16.1hh, s. Samraan, Breeder: Sharon Shone GBR)

At the time of release, the names of the grooms for each horse have not been confirmed but will be included in the final squad announcement.

Selection decisions are subject to the athlete and horse maintaining fitness and performance, and this list may be amended at any point up to 10 July 2023. The selected squad of six combinations to travel to Haras du Pin, plus reserves, will be announced later in July.

The funding that the British Equestrian World Class Programme receives from the National Lottery and UK Sport is pivotal in preparing teams for senior championships and supporting them on the ground.

Updates from the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games

By on Jun 26, 2023 1:30 pm -

The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador kicked off this past weekend, and will the running through the first week of July. While there are 37 sports competing throughout these few weeks, we see our Equestrians kicking off the Games earlier in the competition.

Eventing wraps up today, with the show jumping phase later in the afternoon. While we’re recapping Eventing action here, Equestrian events will still be representing with Dressage competitions running June 27-30th, and Show Jumping running July 2nd-5th. You can see the whole schedule of events here.

As we head into the final day of Eventing competition today, we see Rolando Gonzalez with Coin Toss leading for the Dominican Republic, after adding nothing to their dressage score of 28.20. U.S.-based Lauren Billys Shady and Can Be Sweet, riding for Puerto Rico, move down from first after adding 8.40 cross country penalties, and sit in second going into show jumping. Honduras’ Lara Gabrie and Harrison round out the top three, moving up from 8th place after dressage. Current results can be found here.

Following along with the action on social media, we also saw a familiar face coaching Team Barbados – U.S.’s very own Sara Kozumplik! Take a scroll through the action here, and keep an eye out for final results!


🌟 Wow! Last night's CAC Games #SanSalvador2023 Opening Ceremony was amazing! ✨
Did you catch the exhilarating moment when #TeamBarbados crossed the stage? It was a proud and unforgettable for us!🇧🇧🎉

The stage is now set for the competition days ahead, and we couldn't be more excited! 🏅🔥

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates, highlights, and stories from our amazing athletes.

#TeamBarbados #SanSalvador2023 #Time4More #CACGames2023 #OpeningCeremony

Posted by The Barbados Olympic Association Inc. on Saturday, June 24, 2023

Excited to be at the Central American Games in the Dominican Republic! Best of luck to Harry and Lara Gabrie 🇭🇳

Posted by Ashley Taylor-Zion on Thursday, June 22, 2023

When you walk into the barn in the morning and without discussing have the same outfit on as Emily Sandler-Burtness… official vet wear of the Central America Games 👯‍♀️🩺🏇

Posted by Ashley Taylor-Zion on Friday, June 23, 2023