British dressage squad named
British Dressage has announced the squad for the European Dressage Championships, which are taking place at Hickstead, West Sussex (13-17 August). The four-strong British team combines experience with fresh talent, and all riders are members of the World Class Performance Plan.
The British squad is:
- Richard Davison riding Ballaseyr Royale
- Emile Faurie riding Rascher Hopes
- Emma Hindle riding Wie Weltmeyer
- Nicola McGivern riding Active Walero
The reserverider will be Carl Hester with Escapado. David Trott will be the team’s chef d’equipe.
Richard has represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games, two World Equestrian Games and three previous European Championships, while Emile competed in the 1992 and 2000 Olympics and has taken part in three World Equestrian Games. This will be his fourth appearance as a member of a European Dressage Championship team.
Nicola and Active Walero were shortlisted for the World Equestrian Games team in 2002. Since then, Nicole consistently improved her international performances, scoring 69.67% in the Grand Prix at Munich CDI in June.
The youngest member of the team is 28-year-old Emma, who previously represented Britain in Pony and Young Rider teams. More recently, she has had international success with Brookhouse Stud’s stallion Wie Weltmeyer. Emma was a member of the British team at Aachen CDIO in June, where she scored 69.25% in the grand prix.
To qualify for the Athens Olympic Games, the British team must finish as one of the top two nations beyond those that have already qualified, which are Germany, USA, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia.
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This means the British team must finish higher than all but one of the following countries to attend the dressage at the forthcoming Olympics:
- Australia
- Austria
- Canada
- France
- Ireland
- JapanThe competition’s formatThe grand prix will be split into two sections. The first section will take place on Thursday 14 August and the second on Friday 15 August. The three highest scores from each country will count towards the team position and the Open European Championship teammedals may be awarded to a non-European nation.The top 25 individuals will go forward to ride in the grand prix special on Saturday 16 August. The scores from the grand prix and grand prix special will then be combined and the top 15 riderswill contest the grand prix kr on Sunday 17 August. The combined score from all three classes will decide the winner of the Open European Championships, which may be a rider competing for a non-European country.For more information on the European Championships visit: www.dressageathickstead.com
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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.