Tag Archives: Tokyo 2021

jumping
General

Talk of Tokyo part 3: All you need to know about Team GB’s Jumping squad.

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In the final part of this series, we look at team GB’s Jumping squad, to see if they have what it takes to win the gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Jumping Squad

Scott Brash (34) based in Horsham, West Sussex (from Peebles, Peeblesshire) with Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham’s Hello Jefferson (bay, gelding, 16.1hh, 12yrs, Cooper van de Heffink x Irco Mena.)

Breeder: Bernard Mols BEL, Groom: David Honnet.

Ben Maher (38) based in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire, with Charlotte Rossetter, Pamela Wright and his own Explosion W (chestnut, gelding, 16.1hh, 12yrs, Chacco-Blue x Baloubet
de Rouet.)

Breeder: W Wijnen NED, Groom: Cormac Kenny.

Holly Smith (30) based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, with Ian Dowie’s Denver (bay, gelding, 17.1hh, 13yrs, Albfueheren’s Memphis x Chico’s Boy.)

Breeder: MG and AA Woertman NED, Groom: Kate Dodd.

Travelling reserve

Harry Charles (21) based in Alton, Hampshire, with Ann Thompson and his own Romeo 88 (bay, gelding, 17hh, 12yrs, Contact van de Heffinck x Orlando.)

Breeder: Picobello Horses BEL, Groom: Georgia Ellwood.

Team GB Chef de Mission for the Tokyo Olympic Games, Mark England, said: “We are delighted to welcome returning Olympic gold medallists Scott and Ben to Team GB for the Tokyo Olympic Games who add an incredible amount of experience to this exciting side. I’d also like to congratulate Holly on her selection; a pivotal moment as she becomes the first female named on the Team GB jumping team in 45 years and we have no doubt that this
debut Games will be a very special experience for both her and her teammates.”

Speaking about the selection, British Equestrian Performance Director and Equestrian Team Leader for Tokyo, Richard Waygood, said; “This is an exciting squad with three riders and incredibly talented horses in peak form ahead of the Games despite the challenges of competing with a COVID restricted calendar. There’s a great mix of experience and youth and will be a great sense of camaraderie in the camp as we strive to push for
podium performances.”

jumping squad

The Jumping Squad Facts

● Holly Smith is the first woman to make an Olympic Showjumping team since 1976 when Debbie Johnsey just missed out on an individual medal in Montreal.

● Holly runs a hugely successful producing and dealing business with her husband Graham. Horses they have discovered for relatively low prices include Dougie Douglas who gave Holly her first big break; and Quarrycrest Echo who won eventing team gold at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon with Piggy French.

● Holly has juggled professional show jumping and running a successful business with being a mum to Rosie. She also hunts in her spare time. Rosie is also turning out to be a chip off the old block and proving a fearless and talented rider.

● In London 2012 Ben Maher and Scott Brash won Team GB’s first show jumping gold medal for 60 years.

● Reserve rider Harry Charles is the son of Peter Charles who also helped win the team gold in 2012 alongside Scott, Ben and Nick Skelton.

● This will be Hollie and Harry Charles’ first Olympic appearance.

● In 2015, Scott became the first and only rider in history to win the Rolex Grand Slam of show jumping- winning all three of the sport’s most prestigious events in a year.

● Scott retained the title of World No 1 in the Longines FEI world rankings for a whole 12 months- that is quite a feat.

● Scott’s horse philosophy: “I believe you can only achieve exceptional things if you build a partnership with a horse and that takes time and trust” and “Horses as family, always.”

● This will be Ben Maher’s fourth appearance at an Olympic Games. He first
represented Britain in Beijing (2008) followed by London (2012) and then Rio (2016).

● Ben thinks his horse Explosion W is the greatest he has ever sat on. At one stage their future together was in jeopardy as the horse was up for sale. Luckily for Ben, he was bought by owners and Ben retained the ride.

● Explosion W was awarded the accolade of leading show jumping horse in the world in 2019. He is by Chacco Blue who has been one of the best represented horses amongst his progeny at most Championships since 2015. The stallion himself topped the prestigious WBFSH show jumping sire rankings for two years in 2018 and 2019.

● Di Lampard is Team GB’s first female chef d’equipe.

Photo rights – Ben Maher official, British Show jumping .

Written by Horse Scout Journalist Ellie Kelly.

General

Talk of Tokyo Part 2: All you need to know about the British Dressage Team

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With the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner, Horse Scout journalist Ellie Kelly takes a look at the recently selected British Dressage team that will be going for gold this summer.

The Team for Tokyo:


Charlotte Dujardin (35) based in Newent, Gloucestershire with Renai Hart, Carl Hester and her own Gio (chestnut, gelding, 10yrs, Apache x Tango.)

Breeders: H J de Jong, A Valk NED, Groom: Alan Davies.


Charlotte (Lottie) Fry (25) based in Den Hout, the Netherlands (from Scarborough, North Yorkshire) with Van Olst Horses and her own Everdale (black stallion, 17.2hh, 12yrs, Lord Leatherdale x Negro.)

Breeder: P Kluytmans NED, Groom: Steven Caley.


Carl Hester (53) based in Newent, Gloucestershire (from Sark, The Channel Islands) with Sandra Biddlecombe, Charlotte Dujardin, Lady Anne Evans and his own En Vogue (darkbay, gelding, 12yrs, 17hh, Jazz x Contango.)

Breeder: A Van der Goor NED, Groom: Lucy Scudamore.

Travelling reserve


Gareth Hughes (50) based in Southam, Warwickshire with Judy Firmston-Williams and his own Sintano Van Hof Olympia (bay, gelding, 16.3hh, 11yrs, Sandro Hit x Silvano.)

Breeder: Hof Olympia NED, Groom: Steph Sharples.

talk of tokyo

Dressage Facts

● Tokyo will be Carl Hester’s sixth Olympics.

● Both Charlotte’s have been trained by Carl. Lottie Fry started training with Carl at the age of 14.

● Carl was born on the tiny Channel island of Sark, where no cars existed at the time. Transport was by horse or donkey. He started his equestrian career by learning to ride on a donkey and then helping with the local horse-drawn taxi business in his childhood.

● Carl’s Tokyo Olympic ride En Vogue is part owned by Charlotte Dujardin and she produced and competed it until 18 months ago.

● En Vogue lives out in the field most of the time which helps his slightly hot
temperament.

● Lottie Fry attributes her talent and her inspiration to her mother. She is the daughter of the late Laura Fry who competed on the British Team winning silver at the Europeans Championships and was part of the team at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 but sadly passed away in 2012.

● Lottie moved to Holland in 2014 when she was just 16 years old and has been based there ever since. She was introduced to Anne van Olst by Carl and it is with the Van Olst horses that Lottie has had great success. Anne owns her Olympic horse, Everdale and trains the pair most days.

● Lottie who is ranked 35th in the world, made her senior debut for the British team less than two years ago.

● Charlotte Dujardin is the most successful British rider in dressage history. She has won every major title possible including three gold and one silver Olympic medals, as well as two golds won at the World Equestrian Games. She holds all three world records in the sport and is the only rider to date, to hold the complete set of individual titles at the same time.

● If Charlotte won another individual gold at Tokyo, she would be just the second rider ever to win three successive medals. The first was Holland’s Anky van Grunsven.

● Charlotte, Carl and Lottie finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the FEI Dressage World Cup at the London International Horse Show at Olympia in 2019.

● Carl and Charlotte’s horses work in the school just four days a week. They all hack and get turned out in paddocks most days. Carl and Charlotte are great believers that horses should be allowed to be horses and relax so that schooling and competing isn’t considered as stressful and unpleasant.

● Gareth Hughes grew up in Australia where he competed in Showing and Western riding as well as Dressage.

● Gareth’s nickname is Mr Detail.

Photo credits – Carl Hester, Charlotte Dujardin

Written by Horse Scout journalist Ellie Kelly.

eventing team
General

Talk of Tokyo Part 1: All you need to know about the British eventing team

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The news of who has made the cut for the three equestrian teams heading to Tokyo Olympics was announced last week, so we thought we would bring you the story behind the story, with some fun facts about those riders selected to compete. First up, we will look at the British eventing team.

The eventing team:


Laura Collett (31) based in Salperton, Gloucestershire, with Karen Bartlett, Keith Scott and her own London 52 (bay, gelding, 12yrs, 16.3hh, Landos x Quinar.)

Breeder: Ocke Riewerts GER, Groom: Matilda Sayburn-Hughes.

Tom McEwen (30) based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, with Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Inns and Ali McEwen’s Toledo de Kerser (bay, gelding, 14yrs, 16.1hh, Diamant de Semilly x Papillon Rouge.)

Breeder: Kerstin Drevet FRA, Groom: Francesca Gorni.

Oliver Townend (38) based in Ellesmere, Shropshire, with Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan’s Ballaghmor Class (grey, gelding, 14yo, 16.2hh, s. Courage II.)

Breeder: Noel Hicky IRL, Groom: Jess McKie

Travelling reserve-
Piggy March (40) based in Maidwell, Northamptonshire, with John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn’s Brookfield Innocent (bay, gelding, 12yrs, 16.3hh, Innocent x Kings Servant.

Breeder: John Mulvey IRL, Groom: Amy Phillip

eventing team

Eventing


● The last time the British eventing team won a Olympic team gold medal was 1972. Richard Meade (father of Olympic longlisted rider Harry Meade) also won individual gold that year.

● Unlike previous Olympics were there were four riders with one drop score, now only three riders will compete and all scores will count. The fourth rider is a travelling reserve. The last time there were only three riders competing at an Olympics was Mexico City 1968, when Team GB also won team gold. Britain won two of their three team gold medals under the three rider format. Perhaps this is a sign for things to come…

● The 49 year Olympic eventing team’s gold medal absence may be surprising given the Brits are reigning world champions, an accolade won in at the World Equestrian Games, Tryon in 2018, where British rider Ros Canter also picked up the individual title.

● None of the three selected riders or reserve for Tokyo 2021, have ever been on an Olympic team before.

● The four selected horses have all finished either first or second in at least one 5*. Three of the four riders have won at least one 5*.

● Two of the four selected horses are Irish bred. Ballaghmor Class is by Courage II, whilst reserve horse Brookfield Inocent is by Inocent out of a mare by Kings Servant.

● Laura Collett suffered a death defying fall in 2013 and was in an induced coma for six days. She was left partially sighted when a fragment of bone got into her bloodstream and damaged the retina. She has learnt to ride with this disability and it is the reason she competes with special glasses.

● Laura started in the world of showing when she won the Supreme Pony title at the Horse of the Year Show. She then made her first British event team at the age of 15 riding a home-produced pony called Noble Springbok with whom she won individual bronze and team gold at the European Championships.

● Laura won nine medals during her youth career, seven of those were gold and since moving into the senior ranks she has been selected for three European Championships as an individual.

● Tom McEwen is based on the Princess Royal’s Gatcombe estate, a stone’s throw from the yard of the Queen’s granddaughter and fellow eventer, Zara Tindall.

● Tom is from a very horsey background- his father Bobby McEwen is a world renowned equine vet who was on the vet team at Badminton horse trials for 30 years; his mother Ali was a showjumper and his sister Ella competed on two British pony teams. His uncle John McEwen was Vice President of the FEI for eight years.

● Oliver Townend has been a world number one rider on numerous occasions. He was the leading rider on British Eventing points in six of the nine years between 2011-2020.

● Oliver has won six times at five-star level, including three back to back victories at the US 5* Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event.

● Oliver is the son of a milkman from Huddersfield. Despite having no financial leg-up bought the impressive eventing set-up Gadlas Farm, at the age of 25 years old from money made by buying and selling horses.

● Reserve rider, Piggy March (nee French) was the last rider to win Badminton which took place in 2019. She finished 2nd to Laura Collett at Pau in 2020 with Brookfield Inocent- the horse’s 5* debut.

● Piggy earned selection for the 2012 Olympic Games but was forced to withdraw fairly late in the day, due to an injury to her horse.

Written by Horse Scout journalist Ellie Kelly.

Photo’s courtesy of British Equestrian and Oliver Townend Official.