Olympic medallists head British squad for dressage Europeans
Double Olympic dressage gold medallists Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro head the British squad for the FEI European Championships.
Dressage world number one and reigning European champion Charlotte said: “[Blueberry] is in great form as ever and we’re looking forward to defending our European titles.”
The four-strong squad will compete in Aachen, Germany, from 12-16 August.
This event is the last major championship ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Great Britain secured its place at next summer’s Olympics with a team silver at the 2014 World Equestrian Games (WEG).
The selected squad has been named as
- Fiona Bigwood, 39, on Penny Bigwood’s Atterupgaards Orthilia
- Charlotte Dujardin, 30, on Roly Luard, Anne Barrott and Carl Hester’s Valegro
- Michael Eilberg, 28, on his father’s Ferdi Eilberg’s Marakov
- Carl Hester, 48, on Jane de la Mare and his own Nip Tuck
Chef d’equipe Richard Waygood said he is “delighted” to be taking such a strong British team to a European Championships.
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“I’m looking forward to working with Fiona, as she gets her call-up to the team for the first time since WEG 2010, and for Michael to have a new championship ride is very exciting,” he added.
“We’re in the envious position that yet again we have competitive riders on the team, and looking ahead this is yet another good stepping-stone on the road to Rio.”
The reserves are Spencer Wilton, 42, on Jen Goodman and his own British-bred Super Nova II, and Anna Ross, 42, on Jane Sewell’s Die Callas.
All four selected combinations will contest the team competition with the best three scores to count.
The top 30 athletes after the grand prix [team test] then go forward to contest the grand prix special, with only the top 15 pairs progressing through to the grand prix freestyle.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.