News

Success across the board for Britain’s youth teams at the FEI European Championships

Tuesday, 23 July 2024

An exciting beginning to a summer of championships for Great Britain’s youth teams. The FEI European Championships took place over the past week, with Great Britain's youth squads stepping up to achieve exceptional scores and some podium finishes.

FEI Dressage European Championship for Young Riders and U25

The British Dressage Young Rider and U25 squads took to St. Margarethen, Austria where the horse and rider combinations competing for team and individual places. The following teams were selected to represent Great Britain:

British young riders team

• India Durman-Mills with Verity Saul’s Escade
• Oliver Gould with Amanda Towle’s Virtue
• Isobel Lickley with Rob Lickley’s Nymphenburg’s First Ampere
• Hermione Tottman with Niki Tottman’s Exquisite.

British U25 team

• Angus Corrie-Deane with Mary Corrie-Deane’s Jack Johnson 2
• Anna Jesty with her own Commodore Platinum,
• Jessica McConkey with Samantha Geddes’ Dior and
• Annabella Pidgley with Sarah Pidgley’s Gio.

British Dressage’s young rider team secured a bronze medal, while Annabella Pidgley, part of British Equestrian’s World Class Programme, gained individual silver and gold medals with 13-year-old Gio. This adds a third gold medal to her collection after winning previous FEI European Championships for young riders with Sarah Pidgley’s mare Espe.

Great Britain podium results:

U25 individual - SILVER for Great Britain

• 1st Sophia Ludvigsen with Blue Hors Quintana (DEN) – 72.231%
• 2nd Annabella Pidgley with Gio (GBR) – 72.205%
• 3rd Moritz Treffinger with Cadeau Noir (GER) – 71.795%

U25 individual freestyle - GOLD for Great Britain

• 1st Annabella Pidgley with Gio (GBR) – 79.515%
• 2nd Helen Erbe with Carlos FRH (GER) – 78.080%
• 3rd Sophia Ludvigsen with Blue Hors Quintana (DEN) – 77.985%

Young riders team - BRONZE for Great Britain

• 1st Germany – 220.382
• 2nd Netherlands – 216.382
• 3rd Great Britain – 210.324

Read the final report from British Dressage.

See full results here.

FEI Jumping European Championship for Young Riders, Juniors and Children

Following selection to represent Great Britain at the FEI Jumping European Championships, the three youth squads headed to Kronenburg, Netherlands. The teams included:

Junior team

• Sophie Evans, from Staffordshire, with the 12-year-old chestnut gelding CSIO Bel, owned by ESM Equestrian.
• Tabitha Kyle, from Leicestershire, with the 16-year-old black mare Desterly, owned by T J Hall Ltd.
• Olivia Sponer, from London, with the 13-year-old bay gelding Bingo Du Chateau, owned by Jennifer Sponer.
• Henry Squibb, from Essex, with the nine-year-old bay mare Diatencona PS, jointly owned by Amy Squibb and Emily Fenn,
• Noora von Bülow, from London, with the 11-year-old bay gelding Interstar B, owned by Sharifa Al-Homaizi.

Young riders team

• Jennifer Billington, from Wrexham, with the 13-year-old bay gelding Flipper Darco UK Z, owned by Paul Billington.
• Lauren Caroline, from West Sussex, with the 13-year-old bay gelding Gait L, owned by Lee Caroline.
• Oliver Fletcher, from Oxfordshire, with the 12-year-old bay gelding Hello William, jointly owned by Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham.
• Claudia Moore, from Essex, with the 12-year-old bay mare Hardesther, owned by Katrina Moore.
• Ava Vernon, from Lincolnshire, with the 12-year-old bay mare Volnay De Choc Z, owned by Dean John Vernon.

Chef d’Équipe Tracey Newman.

Children’s team

• Rosie Smith, from Leicestershire, with the 14-year-old chestnut stallion Fruselli, jointly owned by Holly Smith and T J Hall Ltd.
• Emily Gulliver, from London, with the eight-year-old chestnut mare Glamor de Vie, owned by Ben Gulliver.
• Lottie Adams, from West Sussex, with the eight-year-old bay mare Khaleesi OL, owned by Georgina Adams.
• Honey Bowes, from Lincolnshire, with the eight-year-old chestnut gelding Javas El Cid, owned by Jon Bowes.
• Tabby Morgan Evans, from Suffolk, with the 11-year-old chestnut gelding Bermudez BDA, owned by Tiffany Morgan-Evans.

Chef d’Équipe Clare Whitaker.

Following their outstanding performances, the junior and childrens’ teams both made it to the podium. A close competition against Spain out the pressure on to determine the silver and bronze medals for the juniors. The children’s team secured an amazing gold medal on a score of zero with clear round performances, including from Rosie Smith who was making her championship debut. While Oliver Fletcher took individual champion for young riders after delivering a vital double clear with Hello William.

Great Britain podium results

Junior team BRONZE for Great Britain

• 1st France – 9.06 penalty points
• 2nd Spain – 14.91 + 4 113.67 seconds
• 3rd Great Britain – 14.91 + 8 111.18 seconds

Young riders individual GOLD for Great Britain

• 1st Olli Fletcher (GBR) & Hello William – 2.71/0/0/0/0
• 2nd Francis Derwin (IRE) & Flexi K – 0.61/4/0/0/0
• 3rd Jules Orsolini (FRA) & Charlotte 198 – 1.48/0/0/04

Children’s team GOLD for Great Britain

• 1st Great Britain – 0/0/0
• 2nd Belgium 0/8/0/8 121.54 seconds
• 3rd Spain – 0/0/8/8 110.61 seconds 

Read the report from British Showjumping here.

See full results here.

FEI Vaulting European Championships for Juniors and Young Vaulters

The vaulters headed to Bern, Switzerland for their championship competition with their squads of juniors and young vaulters:

Junior female

• Evie Jessett
• Madison Davis
• Caitlin Mitchell
• Romilly Hayton (traveling reserve)

Young vaulter

• Ursula Levett
• Milly Jessett
• Abigail Ward

Junior squad

• South of Scotland Select

Junior Pas de Deux

• Milly & Evie Jessett
• Abigail Ward & Ellie Davies

 British Chef D'Equipe- Jane Eccles.

Outstanding performances led to some exciting placings, with a bronze medal brought home by Milly and Evie Jessett for the junior pairs competition.

Great Britain reuslts

Young vaulter individual freestyles:

• 14th Ursula Levett with Soel'Rings Million Voices and lunger Pauline Reidl
• 21st Milly Jessett with Le Garcon du Coeur & lunger Viktoria Mandl
• 22nd Abigail Ward with Fuer Dich 6 and lunger Kristina Kunze.

Junior squad:

• 7th South Scotland Select with Briardale Lothario and lunger Stacey Swanston.

Junior individual freestyle:

• 5th Evie Jessett- score 8.083 with Le Garcon du Coeur lunged by Viktoria Mandl.

Junior pairs BRONZE for Great Britain:

• BRONZE Milly and Evie Jessett- score 7.967 with Le Garcon du Coeur lunged by Viktoria Mandl.
• 8th Abigail Ward and Ellie Davies with San Felice lunged by Christina Ender.

See full results here.

Image credit: FEI