British junior eventers claim team gold plus two individual medals

Britain’s junior eventers ended a two-year period without a team medal in style last week by claiming the team gold at Vale Sabroso, Portugal.

They were led to victory by Zoe Brenan, 18, who won the individual gold on Latino K. David Doel also collected an individual medal — bronze — with Kings Cross.

All Britain’s riders performed well, with Bethany Stephenson (Family Affaer, eighth) and Tom Jackson (Waltham Fiddlers Find, 18th) also on the team.

Mary King’s daughter Emily, a British individual, led after dressage and cross-country on Mr Hiho, but had eight showjumping penalties to finish seventh. Fellow British individual Lottie Kennedy (Little Miss Sunshine) was ninth.

The British team rose from bronze position after dressage to silver after cross-country and then claimed victory in a tense final showjumping phase. All three riders counting for a team score jumped clear, while the German team competitors had a fence down apiece to drop to silver.

France took the bronze, with the Irish team fourth, slipping down the order from second after dressage.

Full report in H&H next week (22 September).

Full results

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.