Great Britain’s bid for a place at the final of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup began solidly when the team finished equal third in the first leg of the Western European League (division one) in La Baule last Friday (17 May).
The squad of Nick Skelton (Big Star), Ben Maher (Cella), Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) and Robert Smith (Voila IV) collected a total of 13 faults — Nick producing one of only two double clears of the competition — to share the spoils with Ireland and France.
The Netherlands won with Switzerland taking second.
“It’s early days — the horses all jumped well, especially when you consider it’s so early in the season,” said Team GBR’s performance manager Rob Hoekstra.
“Big Star in particular was fantastic putting in two brilliant performances.”
This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (23 May 2013)
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
