Amanda Derbyshire will be the British pathfinder in the first competition of the Longines FEI European Showjumping Championships tomorrow (Wednesday, 21 August).
The US-based British rider and her 2018 World Equestrian Games ride Luibanta BH are joined on the team by Holly Smith (Hearts Destiny), Scott Brash (Hello M’Lady) and Ben Maher (Explosion W).
Amanda has been drawn 17th to go, with Holly 33rd, Scott number 50 and Ben serving as team anchor as the penultimate rider in 69th.
Peter Moloney (Chianti’s Champion) will kick-start the campaign for defending European team champions Ireland. The pair are second to go and will follow Austria’s Matthias Raisch and Coleur Blue into the arena.
Joining Peter on Rodrigo Pessoa’s Irish team are Cian O’Connor with PSG Final, who are 21st to go, Shane Sweetnam and Alejandro drawn 36th, with Darragh Kenny and Balou Du Reventon the 54th combination into the ring.
Squads had their first jump in the main arena in the official training session this evening (Tuesday, 20 August). The training session is not a competition and combinations are allowed to jump up to eight fences in order to familiarise their horses with the arena.
The British side looked fresh and relaxed in the sunshine ahead of the first qualifying competition, which starts at 2pm (1pm BST) tomorrow.
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