‘We have a strong team of riders and horses — it’s just about harnessing that power,” Di Lampard told H&H, following the news that she was to become the first woman to lead British showjumping.

Since 2011 the sport has been on a rollercoaster of results and performances.

For years showjumping was the poor relation to eventing, in terms of success, in British horse sport but then a dramatic change occurred in 2011. At the European Championships in Madrid Britain took team bronze, and Nick Skelton individual bronze.

Britain then thrilled and surprised fans further by taking Olympic gold in 2012, and this high continued into 2013 as the team clinched the top spot at the Europeans.

However, in 2014 the team experienced a dip in form — despite being Olympic champions the country is yet to qualify for Rio 2016.

For two years running Britain clawed its way into the final of the Nations Cup, after poor performances throughout the year and the threat of relegation. And at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) Britain finished 18th and out of contention for Rio qualification.

Can British riders turn it around in 2015?

After much speculation, Di Lampard was revealed as Rob Hoekstra’s successor as performance manager last week (5 February), and takes on the role immediately.

She will step up from her current role as Team GBR co-selector and deputy chef d’equipe for Nations Cup jumping teams, a position she has held since 2010.

Di, 57, is no stranger to top-level competition. During her career she was Britain’s leading lady rider for eight years, represented her country in two WEGs, two European Championships and around 50 Nations Cups.

“My aim is to get the team in harmony and bring back the popularity of the sport,” said Di. “I want to reignite the fire we had after London 2012. If we can do all this I believe we can get back that enthusiasm we had in 2012.

“It’s very exciting, but we always need more horses. There’s pressure on me as we haven’t qualified for Rio yet, but I’m confident that the riders can do it.”

Moving forward

Rob Hoekstra was credited as revolutionising British showjumping when he took up the position in 2010.

However, he came under criticism after WEG 2014 — Britain’s worst-ever WEG performance.

It also emerged in September that two formal complaints had been made against Rob in the run-up to WEG. The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) told H&H that it had ordered an independent review, but neither of the complaints were upheld.

However, in October Rob announced his plans to step down on 1 January to “take up new challenges elsewhere in the sport”, and the search was on to find a new leader.

“Rob put some very good foundations in place and I’ve learnt a lot from him. My approach will be slightly different, but then everyone has their own opinion,” said Di.

“There will be emphasis on a squad of riders.The public might see those that are winning gold, but there are many good jumpers pushing them to get to that level.”

Di also pledges to support young showjumpers, giving them the chance to be part of the Team GBR squad.

“The older riders’ experience and mentoring is crucial,” said Di. “Developing younger riders is so important. They are coming to fruition so much earlier now and are making the championship teams, like Spencer Roe at WEG.”

Q & A

What are your main aims?

To qualify for Rio. There’s a lot of work to be done as I’m so late into the role [it being February now], and I’m sure the other nations all have their plans secure. We need to be in the top three of the non-qualified nations at the Europeans in Aachen this summer to qualify, so I will discuss with the riders what their ideas are for the spring and what horsepower they have.

So this year is all about the Europeans?

Yes, that is the main plan, but we need to focus on the Nations Cup series, too. We have four counting shows — Rome, Rotterdam, Hickstead and Dublin — and it is paramount that we stay in the top league. To do this we need the strongest teams. Nations Cup and Championships go hand-in-hand.

Who have you got your eye on?

Ben Maher is producing a string of new horses over in Florida. He was second recently in the World Cup qualifier with Diva (report, 5 February) so I’m definitely keeping an eye on him. Nick Skelton is also getting himself fit, and his experience is paramount. Tim Gredley is a good championship rider also producing horses in Florida. Over in Europe Scott is strengthening his team; Sanctos has been invaluable and Scott’s a fantastic rider. William Whitaker has had a great season so far, Robert Whitaker is getting on well with Catwalk and Michael [Whitaker] is also building up a new team — there are lots of names in the hat.

Are we still lacking horsepower?

We’re not a massive breeding nation like Germany or Holland, but we have extremely good owners and riders. It was bad luck losing horses [to injury] pre-WEG, but we want everyone to remember the excitement of London 2012.

How will you make a difference?

I’m a good listener and every decision will be well communicated, and I will be very transparent with every athlete and owner.

Ref: H&H 12 February, 2015

We heard today that Di Lampard is to be showjumping’s new performance manager, taking over the role from Rob Hoekstra.

Her appointment is great news for the sport and, according to the overwhelming majority of riders I’ve spoken to, an inspired decision by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF).

Di is the veteran of 50 Nations Cups, she’s won two Queen’s Cups and been to two World and European championships. She’s also been chef d’equipe for the pony and young rider teams, helping riders like Robert and William Whitaker from the beginning. She understands what it takes to bridge the gap so she’ll be a great champion for our up-and-coming riders, which is what a large part of the job entails — it’s not just about what we see at the top of the sport.

Since London she’s been the number two chef behind Rob. She actually helped pick the gold medal-winning Olympic and European teams — so she’s already been part of Great Britain’s success. But above all, she loves the sport and nobody could question her integrity.

All this has ensured she’s already earned huge respect from the riders. This is a crunch year for showjumping. It’s our last chance for Olympic 2016 qualification, making the European championships in August a tough, yet critical result — so we needed someone able to hit the ground running. She ticks all the right boxes.

She didn’t want to take the job unless she had the full support of the riders. I believe she will have that from the start — if we’d been able to pick the new manager ourselves, she’d have been the riders’ choice. She’ll be fair to everyone, give young riders ample opportunities and will be great for owners, too. We can all fight for this together.

New championship is a step in the right direction

The new national showjumping championships to be held in mid-August are a great bonus for the domestic circuit and come at a good point in the calendar towards the end of the county shows.

Besides providing a final for the valued International Stairway series, there will be three legs with decent money and the winner will be crowned the national champion.

Congratulations to those who’ve made this happen. Of course, they will need a bit of tweaking as we go but, clashes permitting, most national riders will want to be there and it’s great to see Stoneleigh being used as a show venue once again.

There will be three wild-cards on offer for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) from this show and two invitations to the top riders of the new national gold league. Of course, this means that it makes it more difficult for us international riders to get a place at HOYS but we saw last year the benefits this could have.

At the time, we all asked if these national riders should be qualified? Did they deserve a place at HOYS? But Kerry Brennan, who qualified via the gold league, showed she could thoroughly hold her own and jumped brilliantly. She then went on to win the young riders’ final at Olympia. It really was the making of her.

A different Funnell rising up the rankings

Pippa and I have headed down to Spain this week with 13 horses for the start of the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour at Oliva Nova. It’s been a bit windy but, judging by the snow and ice back home, we’ve been lucky to be able to keep working our horses with some consistency. Pippa finished seventh in her first ever showjumping grand prix on Sunday, riding Billy Grand, picking up her first world ranking points.

At this rate, she’ll soon officially be a better showjumper than me. Perhaps I should try eventing.

H&H 5 February 2014

Congratulations to former international showjumper Di Lampard, who has been appointed as British showjumping’s new performance manager.

Word in the equestrian world is that she is a well-liked choice for the job. As popular, that is, as anyone new to a role can be.

Despite having leading rider Scott Brash on our side, the sport has appeared in a muddle of late, with outgoing manager Rob Hoekstra being backed by the British Equestrian Federation for the remainder of his contract — shortly before vacating it prematurely.

We cannot forget Rob led the team to glory in London 2012, but it is nerve-racking that we are yet to qualify for Rio 2016.

Di’s credentials as a sportswoman leave many feeling confident that if anyone can turn the team’s fortunes back to the glory days it is perhaps she. Being respected at all levels, I hope Di’s leadership will also help enthuse the public once more.

With an overview of H&H magazine and website, I see Scott Brash’s wins do not elicit the same enthusiasm as Charlotte Dujardin’s — which is puzzling given that both are top of their sports.

I wonder if the increasing sums of sponsorship being poured into prize money for showjumping — no doubt a great thing for those making their living from the circuit — is alienating it from the equestrian masses, though Formula One doesn’t seem to suffer the same way.

Whatever the cause, I would hope Di’s willingness to work with the media and her ability to talk to all equestrians would see renewed support to match further success — a win, win for all.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 5 February 2015

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Former international rider Di Lampard is the new leader for British showjumpers — and has said it is now full steam ahead to qualify the team for Rio 2016.

After much speculation, Di was revealed as Rob Hoekstra’s successor as performance manager today (Thursday 5 February), and takes on the role immediately.

She will step up from her current role as Team GBR co-selector and deputy chef d’equipe for Nations Cup jumping teams — a position she has held since 2010.

Di also becomes the first female performance manager in British equestrian sport. She will now lead, develop and manage the jumping within the World Class programme.

“I feel proud and honoured,” said Di.

“I want to ignite the fire and passion of London 2012 to achieve success, our immediate goal being qualification for Rio in 2016.

“We will only do this with a no compromise approach and by creating a strong team spirit through open communication and transparency with riders, owners and support staff.”

She added that she will also support the World Class Development programme riders to give young showjumpers the chance to be part of the Team GBR squad.

“We will look to contribute a wider foundation of new horses and involve a larger pool of owners in developing the all-important horsepower we need to achieve success. Rob [Hoekstra] has left the position in great shape having seen British showjumping through one of their most successful periods and I am delighted to take over the reins,” she added.

Continued below…

Read reaction to Di Lampard’s appointment

William Funnell: The riders’ choice for the job [H&H VIP]

H&H's showjumping columnist praises the decision by the British Equestrian Federation to appoint DI Lampard as the new showjumping performace

Sarah Jenkins: A win-win for all?

H&H's Content Director takes a look at the potential new British showjumping performance manager and what the future holds

Rob Hoekstra left the role on 1 January after four years at the helm, in which he led the team to gold medal-winning victory in London 2012.

However, there were tensions of late, and he came under criticism after the World Equestrian Games (WEG) when the team failed to reach the final round — Britain’s worst ever WEG performance.

In October he said he was standing down to “take up new challenges elsewhere in the sport”

“This will provide the final opportunity for the jumping team to achieve Olympic qualification for the 2016 Games,” said performance director Dan Hughes.

“It was therefore essential we found a new performance manager as quickly as possible to provide a smooth transition.

“Di’s credentials as a showjumping rider, coach, selector and chef d’equipe, coupled with her extensive knowledge of the sport, made a compelling case.

“Her reputation is second to none and her attitude and approach make her exactly the right person for the job. We know she’ll be able to hit the ground running and focus quickly on the immediate challenges of Olympic qualification and achieving podium places for Team GBR in 2016. I warmly congratulate her on her appointment and welcome her to Team GBR and the World Class fold with open arms.”

For more from Di, exclusive comment from William Funnell and what the future for British showjumping holds don’t miss next week’s issue of H&H magazine, out Thursday 12 February.

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There is a distinct possibility that Britain will never again hold dual Olympic and European team gold medals.

Two years of unsurpassed success also saw Scott Brash and Ben Maher ranked world number one and two. Yet nobody could have forecast the demise that came about in 2014.

This year, we even looked like dropping out of the Nations Cup “super league”. Only a gritty performance and double clear from young Spencer Roe on the last leg in Dublin kept us in. Worse was to come with a humiliating 18th place at the World Equestrian Games (WEG).

Now Rob Hoekstra, the team manager who presided over those famous victories, has stepped down, two years before his contract was due to end after the Rio Games.

So why was it all going so well, only to end so disappointingly? It’s a question I’ve been asked repeatedly.

My wife Tina rode on many British teams during the “Rob years”. I came to respect his work ethic and the fact that he gave many combinations the chance to prove themselves. Rob’s single-mindedness and toughness were admired and disliked by some riders in equal measure.

So what was the catalyst for those gold medals and can it be revived? To me, it was the enthusiasm and optimism surrounding the London Olympics. At the mere mention of “2012”, owners were involved, riders became determined to keep their top horses and the media got behind us.

And what a difference those loyal owners make. Lord Harris and Lord Kirkham had a burning desire to win a gold medal in London, but they didn’t go out and buy a string of ready-made horses. Hello Sanctos, found by Rob Hoekstra and David Broome, was the only one they acquired from abroad.

We produced Hello Sailor from a novice to be the fifth team member in London, and Ursula — who competed in super leagues with Tina before becoming the world number one showjumper with Scott — I bought from Mary Turnbull in Scotland.

These horses are just three examples of the impact enthusiastic owners can have on a nation’s results.

Likewise Nick Skelton’s owners, the Widdowsons, stayed loyal with Big Star and Carlo, Olga White stood by Peter Charles and his horses, as did Beatrice Mertens, who owns Michael Whitaker’s ride Amai.

William Funnell produced top horses in Billy Angelo and Billy Congo, yet to him and his business partner Donal Barnwell, London 2012 outweighed getting top dollar for them. It was decades since I’d seen so many top combinations from which to pick an Olympic team.

Looking forward

So what of the future? More prize-money on the Global Champions Tour will mean our top riders will hardly be available for super league and team duties. Another nail in GB’s coffin, some will claim — but I see it as a chance to give more up-and-coming riders and horses a shot.

But what we must do is provide more challenging courses nationally to get the production line going and more horses coming through. We can neither expect nor afford to keep using foreign shows to “make” horses. That’s why this season’s best thing was Nina Barbour’s new international show at Bolesworth.

The accusations and recriminations of this last year must stop. We need to recapture the enthusiasm of the pre-London era.

Many believe top riders to be money-grabbing individuals out to maximise the price of their horses. But I’ve never met one who’s been pleased to have sold their best horse. Of course, yards cost an exorbitant amount to run and that big cheque sits well in your bank account; but riders go into the sport for the sport’s sake and to strive for the top.

One of the best up-and-coming horses I saw this season was Judge N Jury, ridden by William Funnell.

Recently I heard that the careful, scopey eight-year-old had been sold to American rider McLain Ward, so I asked William a hypothetical question: “If you’d had the horse pre-London, would you have sold him?” William thought for a minute and said: “No, I’d have moved heaven and earth to get someone to invest in him.” The defence rests.

This column was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (13 November 2014).

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Rob Hoekstra has said he is going stand down from his role as showjumping world class performance manager in order to “take up new challenges elsewhere in the sport”.

Rob has been in the position since 2010 and helped TeamGB secure team gold at the London Olympics and the 2013 European championships.

However, he came under criticism after the World Equestrian Games (WEG) when the team failed to reach the final round — finishing in 18th place. This was Britain’s worst ever WEG performance.

It also emerged in September that two formal complaints had been made against Rob in the run up to WEG. The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) told H&H that it had ordered an independent review, but neither of the complaints were upheld.

The BEF released a statement at the time stating that Rob had its “full support”.

“There is no time for leadership change and there is no justification for it,” BEF chief executive Andrew Finding added.

“We have to work harmoniously if we are to see a repeat of the London 2012 success.”

But, it has now been announced Rob will leave his position on 1 January and his replacement will be announced in due course.

Gordon Burton, interim world class head of performance said: “We’d like to express our sincere thanks to Rob for the significant contribution he has made to British showjumping and the world class performance programme during his time as performance manager.

“When he came into the sport in 2010 his incisive style quickly unified our athletes as a team and provided vital coaching and leadership to enable them to achieve their full potential, the turning point coming at the European Championships in 2011.

“Since then he has transformed the outcomes of the discipline to inspire a new generation and his efforts will have a long reaching positive impact on the sport; we wish him well for the future.”

Rob said: “I believe now is a good time for a new performance manager to take over to emulate and build on this success in the run up to Rio and beyond and give them adequate time to do so. They will be taking over a great team; we are reigning Olympic and European champions and have the number one in the world in Scott Brash.

“I believe the sport at performance level is in a very exciting phase. With our existing championship riders and all the new talent coming through, the future looks very bright for continued British team success.

“It has been a fantastic journey, but it had always been my goal to lead the team to victory in London and then explore other opportunities and look for new challenges within our sport. I believe this is the right time to do that.”

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Every top rider has a particular forte — whether it’s gleaning every possible mark in a dressage test, riding a perfect jump-off turn or giving a young horse confidence across country.

We might be in awe of how Michael Whitaker sets his horses up for a fence, how Scott Brash rides a jump-off or how Piggy French makes cross-country riding look so effortless.

But who did some of our biggest names aspire to emulate when they were starting out in their careers?

5 top equestrians reveal their riding icons

1. Yogi Breisner

“When I started out in eventing Mark Todd was winning the first of his two Olympic gold medals, so I took a great deal of interest in what he was doing. The British riders Richard Meade, Sheila Willcox and Mary Gordon-Watson were all in a league of their own in the mid-1980s and I really admired both their success and their level of horsemanship.”

2. Geoff Billington

“When we were kids, John Whitaker and I used to sit in the stand at Olympia and watch all the top riders. Our eyes and ears would prick up when Harvey Smith, David Broome or Eddie Macken (pictured) came into the arena. They all had very different styles and we used to pick the things we liked about each of them and try to emulate them.”

3. Lucinda Green

“Mary Gordon-Watson took me under her wing. I can remember my training stays with her at Blagdon Farm in Dorset in the early 70s: they consisted of wonderful riders across the Dorset downs, more often than not coursing behind her whippets. I suspect all that a budding young rider would see of a world champion’s facilities nowadays would be the inside of their arena.”

4. Robert Oliver

“The late Roy Trigg. He was one of the last great nagsmen and he was an inspiration to me and countless other riders. He was a perfectionist and a showman.”

5. Rob Hoekstra

“Harvey Smith and David Broome were in a league of their own. They were great technicians over a fence. Then they handed over the mantle to the likes of Nick Skelton and John and Michael Whitaker. Now, Scott Brash and Ben Maher are fast stepping into their shoes.”

Don’t miss this week’s ‘The moment’ in Horse & Hound magazine (16 October 2014), where Mary Gordon-Watson talks about taking part in the first ever team chase

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Where did it all go wrong? That was the question many riders and fans were left asking last week when Britain, the reigning Olympic and European champions, crashed out of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).

Not only did they not claim a medal, the team failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics — the only discipline Britain fell short in.

Britain dropped out of contention early on, finishing 18th of 31 teams — only 10 teams make the final.

World number one Scott Brash was the only Brit to finish within the top 50 — in 44th — and was to jump as an individual. However, he withdrew to save Lord and Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham’s Hello Sanctos for future competition.

Not smooth sailing

It had been a bumpy road in the run up to WEG.

Team manager Rob Hoekstra was criticised by riders for not fielding the best team at Hickstead and having to scrape through to the Nations Cup final at the last minute, as well as taking flack for not sending a team to Aachen.

Both decisions Rob said were made to “conserve horsepower” as the “priority” was to qualify for 2016 at WEG.

But Britain now must work hard to secure their Rio place — they must finish in the top three, of teams that are not already qualified, at next year’s Europeans.

“The reason we got it so wrong is we were so off the pace on day one,” said William Funnell, who was on the gold medal-winning Europeans team last year.

“The second round was a bad day. We needed clears and even Scott couldn’t produce one. It wouldn’t have helped him mentally knowing we were out before he even went in. The upshot is that getting Olympic qualification at the Euros is going to be extremely tough.”

The British Equestrian Federation’s Will Connell agreed it was a “bad day at the office”.

A lack of horsepower

Olympic medal winner Big Star was taken out of contention in July due to injury while Michael Whitaker’s Amai was withdrawn in August.

The team suffered a further blow two days before WEG when Ben Maher was ruled out when Cella picked up a “slight overreach injury”.

“It’s such a fine line between winning and losing — missing Big Star and Cella has made a massive difference,” said John Whitaker. “Having three good championship horses on the team it would have been a completely different story.”

Rob Hoekstra said it was “obviously disappointing”.

“It just hasn’t worked out for us. It’s not been easy, everyone knows we’ve lost a lot of horses over the past few months. We had two horses who were at a championship for the first time and it’s a huge step up and they performed well,” he said. Scott Brash agreed you have to “take the positives”.

“We know it will be tough to qualify next year but we’ll all do our best to get our horses prepared to give ourselves the best chance,” he said.

Irish in trouble too

It wasn’t just Britain that disappointed. Ireland are in a similar position and must also qualify for Rio at the Europeans.

“It’s unbelievable that we had three Irish riders in the top 12 but still haven’t qualified for Rio, it’s devastating. It’s about time we went to another Olympics,” said Denis Lynch.

This news story was first published in H&H magazine on 11 September 2014

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I have one word for what happened at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games — pathetic.

It’s the worst result in British showjumping history. To be beaten by Columbia, Australia and finish on a similar score to the Norwegian three-man team sums it up.

Yes, it’s unfortunate that we lost Big Star and Cella but the show goes on and we should have been fighting even harder because of it.

So where did it all go wrong? The order that Rob Hoekstra chose the four riders to jump in was a bad strategy. Michael and Scott should have gone at the end and Joe should have jumped first. It’s not like an Olympics where you need a strong pathfinder.

Michael hasn’t got the easiest horse in Viking, but you could tell within the first 15 horses that Tuesday’s opening speed leg was going to be a really quick class. If Michael had gone later, he could have ridden much faster and it would have helped us stay in contention.

You can’t expect Scott to carry the whole team like that. When horses with two fences down — ie 8sec to add — are beating you, you know you’ve done something wrong.

When Ronnie Massarella was British chef d’equipe, he would sit us down together the night before a championship and say: “Right you lot, I want to see each of you finish in the top 10 at the end of the speed round.”

That’s the way you need to start, otherwise you’re always playing catch up. With him at the helm we won three European championships on the trot — way ahead of the field.

You can’t keep using the excuse that we had young riders on the team who’d never been to a championship before — Bertram Allen blows that theory completely out of the water.

You go to a championship, you’ve got to get stuck in.

Where was the team spirit?

At the London Olympics we had great camaraderie, but what you could really see lacking at these championships was team spirit.

A championship team should be working together, walking the course together and giving each other advice.

But there’s been a lot of team friction in the run up to these championships — partly because of the dispute between Michael and myself with Rob over sending a team to Aachen.

When you have conflict, you lose all respect. And I think that friction with Michael influenced Rob’s decision in placing him first in the team order.

We’ve certainly been struggling for top class combinations in the run-up to WEG, but Robert Whitaker was rejected too soon and merited being part of the five-man squad that was sent to Normandy. He had two bad rounds at Hickstead, but he’d provided the goods with a double clear in St Gallen and a brilliant first round in Falsterbo.

We’ve now got our back against the wall when it comes to Olympic qualification — next year is going to be incredibly difficult, but we have to qualify for Rio.

A future world champion

Otherwise, this has been a fantastic championship. Frederic Cottier has done a very good job of producing fair courses that have been nice to ride. It’s a very hard championship on the horse, but the cream has come to the top.

It was a great result for Jeroen and a credit to his riding ability, 14 years after his Olympic gold.

It’s been extremely close this year and you’ve got to feel sorry for people like McLain Ward. But the one thing to have come out of this is seeing what a rising talent Bertram Allen is (pictured).

If he can get the right horses and be lucky, he’ll be world champion one day. He’s got it all.

Nick’s column was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (11 September, 2014)

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Scott Brash has decided to withdraw from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Great Britain dropped out of team contention yesterday [Wednesday 3 September], but Scott finished within the top 50 and was due to jump again today [Thursday, 4 September] as an individual. However he has made the decision in consultation with Hello Sanctos’s owners Lord and Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham, the chef d’equipe Rob Hoekstra and the chef de mission Will Connell.

A statement reads:

“There is a lot of jumping still to do in the individual qualifying competition; a lot of ground to make up in the leader board and the likelihood of qualifying for the individual final, with the standard of jumping here this week, is not likely.

“With the horse in mind and looking ahead to the forthcoming Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Barcelona, next year’s European Championships and beyond, the decision has been made to withdraw the horse from further competition this week.”

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Great Britain’s hope for world championship glory has come to an end as the squad failed to reach the final 10 of the team jumping at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy.

Thirty-two teams jumped in Wednesday’s round and the British squad of Michael Whitaker (Viking), Joe Clee (Utamaro D’Ecaussines), Spencer Roe (Wonder Why) and Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) finished 18^th. Michael and Joe produced 12-fault rounds, 21-year-old Spencer added eight and anchorman Scott finished with four faults.

“These things go in cycles and we had a fantastic cycle with the Europeans [2011], Olympics [2012], Europeans [2013] in the other part of the cycle and the same thing has happened to Germany,” said Great Britain’s performance manager Rob Hoekstra. “It’s disappointing, but there are also some real positives — Spencer rode fantastically and Joe’s horse is a bit inexperienced, but finished up really well.

“It was disappointing for Michael, things really didn’t work out. But people know we’ve lost a lot of our top horses over the last few months — it just shows we have a small team of championship horses to choose from.”

Only the top 10 teams progress to the next round on Thursday and the Netherlands have moved up to the gold medal position with USA in silver and Germany third. Ireland go through in eighth.

Individually, Frenchman Patrice Delaveau holds the lead, with Beezie Madden (USA) in second and Rolf-Goran Bengtsson third. The top 50 individual riders continue after today and only Scott Brash makes the cut for Great Britain, in 36^th position.

Don’t miss the full report from the WEG showjumping and the full reaction from the British team in next week’s issue of Horse & Hound, out 11 September.

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Irish teenager Bertram Allen, the youngest rider competing in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games showjumping, won the opening speed leg riding Molly Malone V.

The 19-year-old’s winning round helped put the Irish squad into seventh place, behind first day leaders France.

“It’s a bit unexpected — to end up winning the class is a big bonus,” said Bertram. “I had a smooth, good round and the plan was to give her a good run today.”

Lying second individually is Patrice Delaveau for France with Orient Express HDC with Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet third riding Conrad De Hus.

In the team standings, Sweden currently hold the silver medal position with USA in bronze, ahead of Germany, the Netherlands and Canada.

Great Britain complete the first day in 11th

after clear rounds from Michael Whitaker (Viking), Joe Clee (Utamaro D’Eccaussines), Spencer Roe (Wonder Why) and a 4sec penalty for Scott Brash (pictured right), who has been suffering from a bad bout of food poisoning, left the team in a “solid position”. There are two more days of jumping ahead before the team medals are decided. Michael Whitaker is the best British rider in the individual standings, in 42nd.

“It’s unbelievable to do a clear round at my first World Games,” said 21-year-old Spencer. “If you’d told me a year ago I would be doing this, I wouldn’t believe you! The first two guys did brilliantly — I couldn’t ask for better teammates.”

“It nearly went to plan today,” said Great Britain’s performance manager Rob Hoekstra. “We wanted three solid rounds, then Scott could have a go, and it nearly worked — till he knocked that jump down! But he was still pretty quick.

“Spencer rode a super round — we made a plan for him, what to do and what kind of speed to go at, and he did exactly that and I think that horse will come back tomorrow and jump a really good round.

“We would have liked to be a bit closer to the leaders — we wanted to be within a jump of them and we’re two jumps behind — so it’s OK. but a bit further behind than we’d like to be.”

Team standings after day one:

• FRA (2.08)
• SWE (3.01)
• USA (4.72)
• GER (4.82)
• NED (4.83)
• CAN (6.00)
• IRL (6.51)
• BEL (9.53)
• COL (9.86)
• QAT (11.01)
• GBR (12.39)

Individual standings after day one:

1. Bertram Allen (Molly Malone V) IRL

2. Patrice Delaveau (Orient Express HDC) FRA

3. Gregory Wathelet (Conrad De Hus) BEL

42. Michael Whitaker (Viking) GBR

43. Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) GBR

48. Joe Clee (Utamaro D’Ecaussines) GBR

65. Spencer Roe (Wonder Why) GBR

The competition continues tomorrow (Wednesday, 3 September) – follow us on twitter @horseandhound and via the website for all the news and updates.

The full report appears in next week’s issue of H&H magazine, out Thursday 11 September.

WEG showjumping: Scott Brash talks to H&H [VIDEO]

H&H caught up with British showjumper Scott Brash after the speed competition at the World Equestrian Games (WEG)

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I would like to respond to recent criticism of my team selection.

First, we should apologise to the public for our performance at Hickstead. I don’t think it was the wrong team, but we didn’t perform on the day.

Because of the huge shortage of horses we have this year, contesting Hickstead, Dublin, the London GCT, and then the World Equestrian Games (WEG) two weeks later is a big ask. Eleven of the 16 horses we used in teams last year have not been available this season, either through sale or injury. But as a result of participating in all the non-counting Nations Cups, we’ve been able to produce some extra horses and some of those now go to WEG.

We have a riders’ meeting at Olympia to discuss which Nations Cup shows we’re going to do the following year. It’s a joint decision. We then participate in an FEI draw and hope to get the four rounds of our choice. Hickstead is compulsory and Dublin, which is our most successful Nations Cup in history, has always been chosen.

When I plan a team over a year, I look at my possible championship horses and work back from there. I sit down with the riders in question and we look at the GCTs that they want to do and the Nations Cups that I would like them to do. Then we make a plan for each of the horses.

The basis of a strong Hickstead team was originally going to be Nick Skelton and Big Star, Ben Maher with Urico, Scott Brash and Ursula plus one other — so if someone new came forward there would be a place available. The Dublin squad was going to be Cella, Hello Sanctos plus two others. Of course it’s fluid because there are injuries, horses losing form, horses being sold or a new horse that suddenly comes into the picture, but I try to give riders an idea of where they’re going, so they can plan their campaign.

Sadly Urico was injured in La Baule, Ursula has had a niggling injury since the World Cup final, and even before Big Star was injured in Portugal, Nick had withdrawn him from the Hickstead team because he wanted to aim for the King’s Cup and WEG. Michael Whitaker was not available for either Hickstead or Dublin.

As a result, I had to rebuild my Hickstead team. I asked Will Funnell to be part of it but he felt his horse was not ready and I have to respect that. I wanted to give every horse on the WEG longlist an opportunity to jump at either Hickstead or Dublin — but not both. So I chose horses for Hickstead that had some experience there.

Why it came down to Dublin

WEG and Olympic qualification was the priority. The second target was to keep us in division one of the Nations Cup and the third to qualify for the final. However, the format dictates that if you choose the last two shows as point-scoring rounds, as we have done for the past few years, you’ll always end up close to the bottom of the leader board before Hickstead. We finished sixth out of 10 strong teams and qualified for the final, so it’s not a train smash.

The British team is there because of the generosity of our owners. We are allowed to borrow these horses for the honour of the country, not for financial gain, so we must manage them carefully in order to keep their support. To take our top horses to Hickstead and then straight to Dublin is not the way to do this.

The generation gap

We currently have two generations of riders in our country and it has been the youngerset that has kept us in division one this year. The older generation have been critical but, except for Michael, have not had the five-star results. The message is always: “Step up, do your talking in the ring, support and respect the team.”

Because the younger generation are pulling their weight, they’re enthusiastic and we have great team spirit.

I accept that there are a lot of people who could make better decisions than me, especially with hindsight, but, fingers crossed, we have a very exciting team for WEG. It’s easy to point the finger, and I will take some of the blame, but people also need to look to themselves.

To quote a man hugely more talented than myself: “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same… you’ll be a Man, my son.”

Rob Hoekstra’s guest column was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (21 August, 2014)

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Great Britain’s showjumpers rustled up a dazzling performance to finish second in the final leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Dublin.

The team of Ben Maher (Cella), Joe Clee (Utamaro D’Ecaussines), Spencer Roe (Wonder Why) and Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) just missed out on victory, with USA lifting the famous Aga Khan Trophy and winning their third Nations Cup in seven days.

But thanks in no small part to a double clear from youngest member, Spencer Roe, Team GB earned enough points to qualify for the Nations Cup final in Barcelona in October and avoid relegation to division two of the Furusiyya series.

“I’m very proud of the team — they were under a lot of pressure,” said GB performance manager Rob Hoekstra. France are the overall winners of division one of the FEI Nations Cup, with Great Britain sixth of the seven teams to qualify.

Results of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in Dublin

1. USA 4; 2. GBR 8; 3eq. UKR, FRA & SWE 16; 6eq. IRL & NED 20; 8. GER ELIM

Don’t miss the full report including all the reactions, pictures and an interview with GB hero Spencer Roe in next week’s issue of H&H (out 14 August).

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German riders dominated in all three disciplines at CHIO Aachen, but should Britain be concerned ahead of the World Equestrian Games?

Last week H&H asked the question, “can Valegro be beaten?” At Aachen, the answer was yes.

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro went to Aachen unbeaten since January 2012.

However, in the Nations Cup grand prix (17 July) the pair had to settle for a disappointing — and surprising — sixth after several mistakes, with German combinations Matthias Rath and Totilas (pictured) and Helen Langehanberg with Damon Hill filling the top two spots.

Valegro was second in the grand prix special, again won by Totilas, before winning the freestyle. However, Totilas wasn’t in the class.

Chef d’equipe Major Richard Waygood told H&H we need to “look on the positive side”.

“It wasn’t a great show for Charlotte, however as the classes went on she improved,” he said.

“Obviously the German team look very solid. But we’d rather have these glitches now than at WEG.

“Michael [Eilberg] had a great show and is definitely going the right way too.

“Our main goal for WEG is to qualify for Rio, if we’ve done that we’ve done our jobs”.

Eventing win

The home nation also set a high bar for the eventing. Germany fielded the Nations Cup winning team, plus a one-two-three in the CICO3*.

Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo came home in front of Ingrid Klimke (FRH Escada JS) and Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW in third.

Although finishing second in the Nations Cup, the Brits did not put in a foot-perfect performance. Zara Phillips and High Kingdom had poor dressage and showjumping phases, while Harry Meade (as an individual) scored in the late 50s in the dressage with Wild Lone. But Izzy Taylor and Orlando put in a solid effort to finish fourth overall.

“Aachen is a fantastic show and we made use of it as part of our mid season campaign. But it’s hard to read anything into this at this stage,” said GBR manager Yogi Breisner.

“We’ll do our best at WEG and see what happens. But we are not disappointed with Aachen — we came second above some strong teams and we are delighted especially with Izzy.”

Heading for the grand slam

While in showjumping rider Christian Ahlmann is now a contender for the Rolex Grand Slam and a potential €1m bonus after winning the Aachen grand prix with 12-year-old stallion Codex One (20 July).

He described the win as “a dream come true”.

However, H&H reported earlier this month that British riders were disappointed not to be fielding a team at the prestigious show, meaning that previous winners Nick Skelton (2013) and Michael Whitaker in (2012) were unable to defend their titles.

Performance manager Rob Hoekstra told H&H this was to “conserve horsepower”.

The two individuals that went to Aachen — Ben Maher and Scott Brash — went out in round one of the grand prix.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (24 July, 2014)

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British team manager Rob Hoekstra has named his squad for the Nations Cup at Hickstead next month (1 August).

Guy Williams, Ben Maher, Robert Whitaker, William Whitaker and Jessie Drea will represent the country at the show, part of the Furusiyya FEI 5* Nations Cup series.

The Hickstead competition will be the third of four within the series in which Great Britain aim to secure a place in the final and in next year’s series.

Hickstead Nations Cup squad

Jessie Drea and Touchable, a 13 year-old chestnut mare owned by Lynne Humphries and Equine America.

Ben Maher and 11-year-old mare Wings Sublieme, owned by Stone Ridge Farms LLC.

Robert Whitaker, with his parent’s (John and Clare) 11 year-old stallion Catwalk IV (pictured top).

William Whitaker with his partner’s (Elisabeth Fredlund) 11-year-old bay gelding Fandango.

Guy Williams and 10-year-old bay gelding Zaire, owned by Caroline Phillips.

Don’t miss H&H for full coverage on the Nations Cup (7 August issue) and follow online.

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Britain will not be fielding a showjumping team at the Nations Cup in Aachen (17 July) due to being “short of top level horse power”, according to team manager Rob Hoekstra.

But British riders told H&H they are “disappointed” by this news.

Rob Hoekstra said it was a “shame” that Britain would not be represented, but that Aachen was not a “priority”.

“Of course it’s something we’ve considered, but the main aim this year is the World Championships and qualifying for Rio,” Rob added.

“Our other priority is the FEI Nations Cup series — and as Aachen is no longer a part of the series then we will not be jumping as a team.”

Aachen was a notable absentee when the 2014 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup showjumping calendar was unveiled at the start of the year.

The German venue, which first hosted a Nations Cup in 1929, still hosts its own Nations Cup event, but not as part of the official FEI series.

At the time, FEI jumping committee chairman John Madden said Aachen was “unable to meet the [FEI’s] commercial requirements”. And this has affected Britain’s plans.

“We are extremely short of championship horses and with the amount of shows they are under enough pressure as it is without having to jump a team round and a grand prix class at this show,” said Rob. “We have to make the decision somewhere.”

World numbers one and two Scott Brash and Ben Maher will be jumping as individuals in the grand prix.

However, the lack of a team means that Britain’s two past Aachen grand prix winners — Nick Skelton (2013) and Michael Whitaker (2012) — will miss out on the chance to defend their titles.

Michael Whitaker told H&H that he and several others were all keen to be on the team.

“The whole thing is very disappointing — we could have had five British riders out there competing for some of the biggest prize-money in the world,” added Michael.

“I suggested to Rob that we enter a team, but I think he’d already decided.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (10 July, 2014)

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Great Britain secured victory in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup in St Gallen, Switzerland last Friday (30 May) after a thrilling tussle with Spain.

The squad of Robert Whitaker (Catwalk IV), Guy Williams (Zaire), Dan Neilson (Varo M) and Guy Williams (Zaire) held their nerve and produced some classy performances to finish 1 penalty ahead in a tough competition where time-faults proved hugely influential.

“To say we are delighted would be an understatement,” said performance manager Rob Hoekstra. “As a non-point scoring leg of the series, we came out with a team of younger horses to give them experience of competing at this level along with some younger riders, who are still very much cutting their teeth on senior teams.”

Results

•  Great Britain 3 faults: Varo M (Daniel Neilson) 12/0, Wonder Why (Spencer Roe) 1/1, Catwalk IV (Robert Whitaker) 0/1, Zaire (Guy Williams) 0/9.
• Spain 4 faults: Darius (Manuel Fernandez Saro) 1/1, Prunella D’Ariel (Paola Amilibia) 6/5, Rico Revel (Eduardo Alvarez Aznar) 1/1, Zipper (Sergio Moya) 0/0.
• Sweden 10 faults: Casello (Douglas Lindelow) 4/4, Titan (Emma Emanuelsson) 5/1, Caral (Niklas Jonsson) 10/0, H&M Sibon (Peder Fredricson) 0/0.
•  Switzerland 14 faults: Toulago (Pius Schwizer) 4/0, Castlefield Eclipse (Paul Estermann) 5/8, Pablo de Virton (Jane Richard Philips) 8/0, Nino des Buissonnets (Steve Guerdat) 1/4.
• Ukraine 16 faults: Vivant (Cassio Rivetti) 5/0, Charlie (Katharina Offel) 1/0, Chadino (Ferenc Szentirmai) 1/9, K Club Lady (Oleg Krasyuk) 8/9.
• Belgium 19 faults: Loro Piana Once de Kreisker (Philippe Le Jeune) 1/9, Cabrio van de Heffinck (Olivier Philippaerts) 1/4, Domino (Jos Verlooy) 5/5, Cortez (Nicola Philippaerts) 4/4.
• France 20 faults: Reveur de Hurtebise HDC (Kevin Staut) 8/0, Padock du Plessie HN (Timothee Anciaume) 4/0, Carlitto Van-T Zorgvliet (Anne Sophie Godart) 16/24, Qarat de la Loge (Julien Epaillard) 4/4.
• Netherlands 31 faults: Vignet (Johnn Pals) 1/4, Alex (Maureen Bonder) 9/1, Dynamite V Hazelarenhoekje (Jody Van Gerwen) 11/5, Interline H (Robert Vos) 17/8.

Don’t miss the full report from St Gallen, plus an international round-up in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (out Thursday, 5 June).

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Britain’s young showjumpers were in devastating form at three levels at the weekend (16-18 May).

The children’s and ponies’ Nations Cup teams were victorious in Belgium, and a young senior team dominated the FEI Furusiyya Nations Cup in Denmark.

World Class Showjumping performance manager Rob Hoekstra had selected a relatively new squad of horse and rider combinations for the CSI 3* Nations Cup show at Odense: Holly Gillott (Dougie Douglas), Tim Page (Santa Cruise II), Harriet Nuttall (Touch Imperious), pictured, and Jessie Drea (Touchable). Both Holly and Harriet were senior Nations Cup debutantes.

Pathfinder Holly jumped double clear in the Nations Cup competition, and showed this was no fluke by landing the following day’s £30,000 grand prix with a speedy double clear.

Holly paid full credit to her horse. “He is only 9 years old and I can’t believe he went so well,” she said.

Britain — fielding the youngest team in the competition — were in second place at the halfway stage, but their improved performance while Switzerland made mistakes, secured the win. Fourth rider Jessie Drea didn’t need to jump her final round after the final French rider knocked two down.

Chef d’equipe Di Lampard said: “They were brilliant today — young riders and absolutely fantastic. All were in form and it came together at exactly the right moment.”

Meanwhile, Britain’s children and ponies’ teams were also on fire over at Bonheiden.

London 2012 team gold medallist Peter Charles’ son Harry, 14, led the pony “Team Fairfax” (Jared Lunn, Leonie Aitkenhead and Charlotte Ash) with a double clear, incurring just a time-fault — the team’s top score. But the 1.30m course proved very influential, and their total of 17pen was enough to win with a fence in hand over home side Belgium and the Netherlands.

Earlier, the children’s Team Fairfax (for children aged 14 and under, riding horses) put in several strong performances over a tough 1.25m track.

Tara Brytt, 13, opened the account with a double clear, which was emulated by second-to-go Scarlett Charles, sister of Harry.

Michael Whitaker’s son Jack, 12, fell in round one, but made amends with a winning clear in the second. Although anchorman Will Edwards jumped his first round clear, he didn’t need to ride again as Jack’s second-round clear secured the title. Belgium were again second, with Germany third.

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The British showjumping squad travelling to La Baule, France, for the 2nd leg of the CSIO 5* Furisiyya Nations Cup competition on Friday 16 May has been announced.

Team manager Rob Hoekstra is taking Joe Clee, Tim Gredley, Ben Maher, Michael Whitaker and Guy Williams.

Joe, who is based in Belgium, is taking the 10-year-old bay stallion Utamaro d’Ecaussines owned by Ludwig Criel. The pair had a grand prix win at the CSI3* in Lummen.

Tim will be riding his own 13-year-old grey gelding Unex Chamberlain Z. They jumped double clear for Great Britain in the FEI Nations Cup team in Wellington, Florida earlier this year.

World No 2 rider Ben Maher is on Urico a 13-year-old bay gelding owned by Jane Clark. The pair won the $150,000 Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida.

Michael Whitaker will make his team debut with the exciting 10-year-old grey mare Elie van de Kolmen.

Guy Williams’s ride Zaire, owned by Caroline Philips made an impressive debut at Nations Cup level with the only clear in the team at the opening leg of the series in Lummen last week.

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One thing British showjumping has lacked in recent years is strength in depth. But recent grand prix results around the world have shown that things are definitely on the up.

On the Sunshine Tour alone, we’ve had several podium placings — and a lot are coming from a swelling group of younger riders. Even though none of them are in the top world rankings, you can see the talent coming through.

It’s particularly good to see recent grand prix victor William Whitaker among them. He had to take a step back after he left Michael Whitaker’s yard, but he’s started to get one or two nice horses. With a bit of backing, he could be up there with Ben Maher and Scott Brash.

It doesn’t matter how well you ride, you still need good horses to win grands prix. We’ve always moaned that it’s success we’ve needed to attract good owners. Hopefully on the back of Great Britain’s recent triumphs, we can maintain the support we’ve had from owners — and add new ones.

Bringing the sport home…

Having several new high-profile international shows in Britain this year is another way to keep owners interested.

People ask why we can’t attract the top international riders to Great Britain. Well, if you provide a five-star fixture and good money, they’ll come. But if it’s a choice between a

three-star in Belgium or France and one here, then obviously they’re going to avoid the boat ride.

I’ve always thought Royal Windsor was a sleeping giant — we’ve never really made as much of the venue as we could. Hopefully, its new three-star status will earn the support it needs from riders and crowds.

Bolesworth organiser Nina Barbour has a three-year vision in which she hopes to take the show to five-star level and I really hope it works. But it’s also great to see one of our mainstay events, Hickstead, attracting a new title sponsor for the Derby.

Five-star shows — including the Global Champions Tours and Nations Cups — are really

something to aspire to. So wouldn’t it be great to have owners keen to help our young riders reach the top 30 in the rankings so they can contest these shows, both at home

and abroad?

…and taking it overseas

Rob Hoekstra tells me that, as reigning Olympic and European champions, we’ve been invited to compete in all eight of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup top league

competitions this year — not just the four at which we bid for points.

This means that, as well as playing about with his top players and World Equestrian Games contenders, Rob can test new names, without the pressure of chasing points — although we still like to win!

There are a lot of capable riders out there and this competition from young talent is healthy for me and the other senior team members. We’re still on a high from recent championship successes, but we need to qualify for the Olympics and it’s a lot easier to do it at this year’s WEG rather than leaving it till next year’s Europeans, when it becomes a bit of a lottery.

Last year, we didn’t have Nick Skelton and Big Star, so if you put him back in the equation, plus a few new names, as well as returning riders such as Tim Gredley — who

proved his credentials with a double clear in the recent Nations Cup in Florida — it’s a very exciting time.

Have bed, will travel

Sunday nights are party nights on the Spanish Sunshine Tour and, because my staff work so hard, I’m happy to let them join in the fun — as long as they’re ready and able to

work again the following morning.

With this in mind, my new lad Luke, on his first trip abroad, found himself in a bit of a dilemma after a particularly late one last week. Being the conscientious worker he is, he didn’t want to risk being late for work so he decided to go straight to the stables, filled a

wheelbarrow with rugs and fell fast asleep in this makeshift bed. Of course, he was still snoring when everyone turned up the next morning and the resulting photos were shared all over social media.

Within hours, I had Luke’s concerned mother on the phone asking whether the accommodation I’d arranged for her son was really up to standard…

William’s comment was first published in Horse & Hound (20 March, 2014)

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Just a few years ago, showjumping was British horse sport’s poor relation to eventing — with disappointing results it had faded from the spotlight.

Gone were the golden days of David Broome, Harvey Smith and Milton — and nightly BBC coverage of Horse of the Year Show.

But in the past couple of years, a dramatic turnaround has taken place. Britain is the current Olympic and European champion and the world rankings are topped by two British riders, for the first time in decades.

And they remain on top form — only at the weekend Ben Maher won the CSI3* grand prix at the World Equestrian Festival in Wellington. Scott Brash was second, while John Whitaker won in Amsterdam (see p78).

So how did this turnaround come about, and can Britain sustain its dominance through this year’s World Equestrian Games and the next Olympics, as horse values rise and developing jumping nations continue to buy top horses?

The only way was up

“We were at rock-bottom a few years ago, so the only way was up,” said British showjumping performance manager Rob Hoekstra.

“We’ve always had the talent, but what we have now is some fantastic owners. There’s no doubt without their financial backing we wouldn’t be where we are now.

“What I’ve tried to do over the past few years is to give the younger generation more opportunities to mix with the best and show they are as good as the older riders.”

A turning point was the 2011 European Championships, when Britain took team bronze and Nick Skelton individual bronze.

“Confidence is one of the most important things in any sport — when we did well in Madrid, it was a great stepping stone on the way to the Olympics,” said Rob Hoekstra, who took over as team manager in February 2010.

“We had never been very successful in championships and then it started to change. Success breeds success.”

And in September Ben Maher became the first Brit in more than two decades to top the world showjumping rankings. He was knocked off the number one spot by teammate Scott Brash in December, after his Global Champions Tour win in Qatar in November.

The pair remain at the top of the table, thanks in part to loyal ownership backing from Lords Harris and Kirkham for Scott and a new owner in American Jane Clark for Ben.

Retaining owners

However, Rob admits keeping horses and owners is “certainly a concern”.

“We have a number of really good riders but they can only function at the top level if sitting on a good horse,” he said.

“It’s easy to fall into the void of being a producing nation — especially with the Qataris, Brazilians and Ukrainians offering tremendous amounts of money for horses, there’s a big pressure. But I don’t think on the whole people are walking away from ownership.”

David Broome, who enjoyed success in the heyday of the sport, told H&H he believes the resurgence is due to “a lot of things coming together at the right time”, including owners, strong leadership, good jockeys and the World Class programme.

“I think our team manager has played a big part in it and brought a bit of discipline into the team,” he added. “And the Olympics in London gave us a surge of spirit to some of the local owners, especially with the Widdowsons and Lord Harris and Lord Kirkham. They’ve been rejuvenated in their desire to keep showjumping going.

“To be fair, we’ve always had some very good jockeys — Michael and John Whitaker, Nick Skelton, Robert Smith — but they were only four spokes in the wheel; there are 20 nowadays,” David pointed out.

Rob believes the future remains bright.

“We have a number of younger riders — such as Louise Saywell, William Whitaker and Dan Neilson — who are coming up and who, with the right horses, can make a mark on the international scene,” he said.

“I’m not saying we’re going to go out and win every championship — but now we can be competitive at that level.”

After 3 days of dazzling performances, Great Britain’s showjumpers clinched gold at the PSI FEI European Jumping Championships in Herning, Denmark.

24 years after last being crowned European champions, the British squad of Ben Maher (Cella), Michael Whitaker (Viking), William Funnell (Billy Congo) and Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) held their nerve in the most intense of final competitions to beat the mighty Germans and Swedes to stand top of the podium amid scenes of extreme jubilation.

“We’ve tried so hard to do well in championships and the Germans for so long have been fantastic at it, so we really wanted to break their record — and today we did,” said Britain’s performance manager Rob Hoekstra, who also led the British team to victory in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Michael Whitaker, who was on that gold medal-winning team in Rotterdam in 1989, added: “I thought we’d get a medal as all our horses have been in fantastic form. I wasn’t expecting gold, though.”

The individual championship concludes on Saturday and a 3rd clear round from Ben Maher means the Brit still stands top of the leader board. Roger Yves Bost (FRA) is currently lying in the silver medal position with Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (SWE) moving up to bronze after the Olympic champion Steve Guerdat (Nino Des Buissonnets) dropped down with a foot in the water.

Don’t miss the full report and enjoy the full glory of Great Britain’s gold medal-winning performance in next week’s issue of Horse & Hound (out 29 August).

PSI FEI European Jumping Championships team result

Gold: Great Britain 12.18

Silver: Germany 12.77

Bronze: Sweden 13.44

9th: Ireland 42.42

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Rob Hoekstra – the man who masterminded our showjumpers’ return to form – has told H&H he has not yet decided whether to stay on until Rio 2016.

The Dutch-born coach has transformed Team GBR’s fortunes since taking over in February 2010. He was brought in to replace Derek Ricketts, following Britain’s exit from the Nations Cup Top League.

“I’m going to finish our season first with the Nations Cup in Dublin [17 August] and then Calgary [9 September], and then I need to sit down with a few people and make a decision,” said Rob.

“Obviously, there’s been an ambition to win a gold medal at an Olympics and it depends on funding, which we won’t know for a couple of months. So I don’t see any decision being made until then.”

Whether Rob or a successor guides Team GBR to their next championship, it appears, for the moment, that they will not be lacking in horsepower.

Nick Skelton has scotched rumours that Big Star and Carlo 273 would be sold after the Games (news, 10 August), while Scott Brash’s patron Lord Harris said he wants to make the young showjumper “the number one rider in the world“.

“As far as I’m aware, none of the horses are being sold,” said Rob. “It’s always a possibility, though.”

Rob told H&H he is looking forward to a well-earned break after Calgary.

“I’ve got friends with a boat in Menorca, so I think I’ll spend a week there and think about what we’ll do next,” he said.

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Lord Harris, one of GB’s most loyal showjumping supporters and owner of Scott Brash‘s Hello Sanctos, is elated by Team GB’s success at the London 2012 Olympics and says he isn’t stopping yet.

“It’s taken me 40 years as an owner to win Olympic gold – it’s been a long time coming.

The best moment was when they played the National Anthem. I really felt we had achieved it then.

Our aim now is to make Scott the number one rider in the world, so we shall be trying to strengthen his team. You are going to see a very determined young man.

Rob Hoekstra is the man who deserves the credit for this medal. I told him 2 ½ years ago [when he started as team manager] we would win gold at this Olympics.

He is great and we need to keep him to help us in Rio. That’s our focus now. I’d love to have two horses on the team in Rio.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (10 August 2012)

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British Showjumping’s team performance manager Rob Hoekstra says he has been buoyed by recent results in Florida.

With the deadline for Olympic selection less than three months away, Rob has been watching the action intently.

Several leading riders decamped to Wellington, Florida, for all or part of the three-month Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), an experience Rob describes as “very positive“.

He told H&H there had been “specific programmes” for each of the riders, which had, largely, gone to plan.

“Nick [Skelton] had huge success, winning nine classes from something like 27 starts,” said Rob.

For Scott Brash, WEF was an opportunity to jump his new ride, Sanctos Van Het Gravenhof, over the big tracks.

The 26-year-old enjoyed one of the biggest wins of his career, taking the $200,000 ( £127,806) FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI**** on 10 March.

But there was, Rob admitted, a “slightly disappointing” end to WEF for the British riders.

In the $500,000 ( £314,000) grand prix finale, Sanctos had several rails down, while Nick hit the deck when Carlo put in an uncharacteristic stop.

“Scott’s horse was very fresh,” said Rob.

“With hindsight, he hadn’t jumped him enough. But that was one of the reasons for going – to educate,” he added.

And there were good results for Tina Fletcher, with Ursula jumping well and Hello Sailor back to his best.

Riders who didn’t fare so well were David McPherson, who suffered a blow when top horse Billy Bishop went lame. And Ben Maher’s Tripple X struggled with the conditions.

“He wasn’t the same horse as he is at home,” Ben told H&H. “I think he was affected by the heat and the quarantine.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (12 April 2012)

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Performance manager Rob Hoekstra has announced the teams that will represent Great Britain at two forthcoming Nations Cups.

Round one of the five-star FEI Nations Cup 2011 takes place in La Baule, France (12-15 May). The British squad is as follows:

• Nick Skelton and Carlo
• Peter Charles and Murka’s Pom D’Ami
• William Funnell and Billy Congo
• David McPherson and Chamberlain Z
• Robert Smith and Talan

There are eight rounds in the FEI Nations Cup 2011 series, including Hickstead and Dublin, culminating this year in Rotterdam in August.

The same weekend, teams line up for the second round of the four-star promotional league in Linz, Austria. The riders selected to represent GB are:

• Ben Maher and Tripple X III
• Tina Fletcher and Unique IX
• Guy Williams and Depardieu Van’t Keizelhof
• Graham Lovegrove and Tin Tin

See the following week’s H&H for full report and pictures.

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British showjumping performance manager Rob Hoekstra has chosen another experienced team for the third competition in the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup series.

The British team for St Gallen, Switzerland this Friday (4 June) will be as at Rome last week, but with Scott Brash replacing Nick Skelton.

The full squad is as follows:

• John Whitaker from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire with Rebecca Stones’ thirteen year-old bay stallion Peppermill.
• Michael Whitaker and Beatrice Mertens’ GIG Amai II, a ten year-old dark bay gelding.
• Scott Brash will ride Intertoy Z, an eleven year-old black gelding owned by Scott’s father, Stanley Brash.
• Peter Charles will partner Olga White’s eleven year-old bay gelding Murka’s Pom d’Ami.
• Ben Maher will ride Robin Hood W, a twelve year-old bay gelding Ben co-owns with Mike and Emma Phillips of the Quainton Stud.

Following a second place in Rome (28 May) and equal third with Germany at La Baule (14 May), Great Britain is in second place on the series points table.

France currently tops the table with maximum points with the USA in third.

Team GB must finish in the top six in the rankings to avoid relegation to the ‘promotional league’ for a second year.

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Two more rounds of Nations Cups take place this week, with British teams heading to Italy and Portugal.

The second leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup takes place on Friday (28 May) in Rome.

Performance manager Rob Hoekstra has selected a top class squad of horsemen in Michael Whitaker (GIG Amai) and Peter Charles (Murkas Pom D’Ami), both fresh from the team’s equal third place in La Baule; John Whitaker (back in action on Peppermill), Nick Skelton (Carlo 273) and Ben Maher (Robin Hood W).

Host nation Italy joins this round of the Super League while on home soil — taking the number of nations competing to 11 — and could spring a surprise.

In Lisbon on Sunday, chef d’equipe Di Lampard is hoping to emulate Team GB’s recent four-star win in Linz, Austria with her team of Tim Stockdale (Fresh Direct Kalico Bay), Robert Bevis (Courtney 6), William Funnell (Billy Congo) and Charlotte Platt (Paulien II). The latter two are both making their first team appearances since 2008.

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Ellen Whitaker has said she won’t jump for the British team again this year after falling out with performance manager Rob Hoekstra in the run-up to La Baule.

British riders finished a creditable joint third place with Germany on their return to the Meydan FEI Nations Cup super league in La Baule on Friday, 14 May (report in H&H magazine, 27 May). But Ellen was absent from the team at La Baule, having been replaced by David McPherson.

She told H&H: “I only have Ocolado at the moment and Rob wanted to interfere with the way I do everything.”

Problems started when Mr Hoekstra asked Ellen to take the horse to Lummen (29 April-2 May).

Ellen said: “I didn’t want to go as I thought it was too close to La Baule, but Rob would not listen.

“Then he didn’t want me to jump Ocolado at Newark and Notts County Show before La Baule.

“In the end, I decided the best thing would be for me to pull out of the team. I’m not trying to be awkward but I can’t work with somebody who won’t listen.”

She said she had not ruled out jumping for Britain again, just not this season with Ocolado.

Her father and manager Steven Whitaker added: “It’s not a matter of Ellen not wanting to jump for her country, but we won’t jump again until Rob Hoekstra is finished.

“We have to mix jumping for Team GB with making money. He has left us with no alternative.”

But British Equestrian Federation World Class performance director Will Connell said: “The riders wanted stronger management and leadership and that’s what Rob is delivering. The results in La Baule were good.”

Ellen is welcome to rejoin the British team, he added.

Mr Hoekstra did not wish to comment, saying: “I do not think team issues are best resolved through the press.”

But he said Ellen had agreed to jump at Lummen and La Baule and attend coaching at Fontainebleau in between, but instead she jumped at Newark and then pulled out of La Baule.

He said he rated Ellen very highly, but expected riders to be totally focused on the team.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (20 May, 2010)

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World Class showjumping performance manager Rob Hoekstra has announced the British squad for the first leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup in La Baule, France on Friday, 14 May.

Rob has selected a mix of youth and experience with Michael Whitaker (GIG Amai), Peter Charles (Murka’s Pom d’Ami), Mark Armstrong (Thesaura), David McPherson (Naomi 152) and Scott Brash (Intertoy Z).

Peebles-based Scott (25) will be making his Super League debut. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he told H&H.

“Rob let me know that I’d be going a few weeks ago, so I’ve got the horse as fit as he possible can be, I’m doing a few warm-up shows and he feels as good as he’s ever been.”

La Baule is the first of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup’s eight legs. Great Britain’s participation had been in doubt when the FEI relegated the team to the Promotional League for 2010.

This decision was overturned by the Court of Arbitration last month after an appeal by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF).

A squad of British Para Showjumping riders will also make the journey to La Baule to compete in an international competition taking place on 14 May, during the Nations Cup competition.

They will take part in a range of competitions ranging from 70cms up to 1.20m, graded according to the riders’ disability, including a competition for the guided blind.

Seventeen-year-old Toby Bevins from Chippenham in Wiltshire will ride Caroline Phillips’ 10-year-old chestnut gelding Askan Van Overis.

Nineteen-year-old Alex McNamara from Louth in Lincolnshire will partner his own 14-year-old skewbald gelding Just Azbach.

Karen Bostock from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire will ride her own eight-year-old chestnut gelding Rossini IV.

Heather Bennett from Goole, North Hunberside will take two horses; Uptown, a nine year-old chestnut gelding and Relite, a 12-year-old bay mare.

Susi Rogers-Hartley from Kings Lynn in Norfolk will ride her own Dante Silver Dollar, a nine-year-old grey gelding.

Louise Hacker from Clevedon, North Somerset will ride her own nine-year-old brown gelding Enrico IV.

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SHOWJUMPING performance manager Rob Hoekstra is rallying his troops for the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup series ahead of the first competition in La Baule next month.

Mr Hoekstra held a “closed-door” meeting with riders at the British Open to discuss tactics and has picked his team for the first fixture on 14 May.

He told H&H: “It will be a huge challenge for us to stay in the competition this year and a battle to the end. It will take a real team performance from all our riders.

“We could do with six more Nations Cup horses, but we are going to give it our best shot.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision on 7 April followed months of wrangling between the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and the sport’s governing body, the FEI.

Team GB ended the series tied with Belgium and, after disagreements as to which country should stay in the league, the FEI demoted both. But the BEF fought relegation to the promotional league and CAS ruled in their favour.

Ten teams will contest this year’s Nations Cup — France, Britain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain and the USA. But only six can remain up at the end of the season and will be joined by two teams from the promotional league for 2011.

BEF performance director Will Connell told H&H: “Winning our appeal is only the beginning of the challenges we face. We have to perform much better than we did last year and prove that Britain deserves its place at the top level.”

Rider Geoff Billington told H&H: “It is fantastic news that we are back in the super league. In the build-up to 2012 we have to jump against the best in the world — and win.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (15 April, 2010)

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Rob Hoekstra has been confirmed as the new performance manager for British Showjumping.

The news was announced at 12-noon today at the British Equestrian Federation HQ in Stoneleigh.

BEF performance director Will Connell told H&H: “He was the best man for the job and is not part of the British system so will be able give it a new purpose.

“He has coaching ability so will be able to help the developing riders, he knows the international scene and his communications and leadership skills mean he will be able to help the senior riders on their focussed plan for 2012.”

Dutch-born Mr Hoekstra is a British national and has ridden for Team GB. He won the Hickstead Derby in 1999.

More to follow

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International show jumper Rob Hoekstra will be presenting next month’s BHS Instructors’ Convention — Through the Grades — which will examine show jumping at Foxhunter level.

Rob, who is based in Tunbridge Wells, has represented Great Britain six times and won the Hickstead Derby on Lionel in 1999.

“We always try to use people from the very top of their field and Rob is extremely well respected,” says Jo Wilson of the BHS. “He has presented conventions for us before and has proved very popular.”

The convention is primarily aimed at BHS instructors, although other interested parties are also welcome. Attendance will count as a refresher course for the Register of Instructors and count as 10 hours for holders of the BHS Preliminary Training Certificate.

“The level of instruction will be pitched at a high level in order to ensure benefit for even the most well-qualified instructors. Lower levels of instruction are generally catered for regionally,” explains Jo.

Rob will use six “guinea pig” riders on Foxhunter-level horses to demonstrate each phase. He will focus on flat work in the morning, leading on to jumping in the afternoon.

The convention will take place on Monday 6 October at Addington Manor Equestrian Centre, Addington, Berks from 9.30am-4.30pm and will include a question and answer session.

Ticket costs are:

• Registered Instructors £25
• BHS/BRC Members £30
• Non-members £35

For further details and to book tickets, contact Jo Wilson (tel: 01926 707820) or email: j.wilson@bhs.org.uk

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