Four riders have been selected to represent Great Britain at the FEI European showjumping championships in Madrid in September. The fifth combination will be chosen after Rotterdam CSIO***** at the end of the month.
The four-man squad is identical to the team that won the FEI Nations Cup in Dublin on Friday:
Scott Brash, 25, with his father Stanley’s Intertoy Z.
Nick Skelton, 53, riding Beverley Widdowson’s Carlo
Robert Smith, 50, with his own and Di and Pennie Cornish’s Talan
Michael Whitaker, 51, and Beatrice Mertens’ GIG Amai
Great Britain will send five combinations to Madrid and the four that will contest the team and individual medals will be announced after the first horse inspection on 13 September 2011.
Performance manager Rob Hoekstra said: “We had a great result in Dublin winning the Aga Khan trophy in the Nations Cup competition; this has secured our place in the FEI Nations Cup league for 2012.
“Di Lampard and I [the championship selectors] are very happy to confirm these riders as part of the squad of five for the Europeans but would like to see the results from Rotterdam prior to confirming the complete squad.
“All the riders have worked hard through the Nations Cup series to gain the necessary results and we are so very grateful for the support of the owners,” added Rob. “The Europeans mark another important competition on the road to London 2012.
“Following the Europeans, we will make our plans for next year; the preparation for the Nations Cups, the competitions that will form the final build up to the Olympics and, of course, the Olympics themselves that will take place in the stunning setting of Greenwich.”
