First mother and daughter duo set to ride for Britain as European Endurance Championships return to UK after 26 years
Endurance GB has announced the British team who will compete at the FEI CH-EU-E 160km European Championships at Euston Park in Suffolk on 17 August 2019.
The combinations were announced following a final assessment of horses at Warwick International School of Riding on Sunday 4th August.
In a first for Endurance GB, the five-strong squad includes Lancashire-based Rachael Atkinson (51) and daughter Kate Atkinson (22) who will become the only mother and daughter to have competed on a Senior British Team to date.
As well as Kate, who is making her Senior Team debut after stepping up from Young Rider team competition, the squad includes four experienced combinations all with completions for the British Team at previous Championships under their belt. The Championship rules permit five designated entries per country with the top three combinations home from each nation counting towards the team placing.
The full team in alphabetical order is;
Kate Atkinson (22), Clitheroe, Lancs, with her own DNS Ronaldo, 12-year-old bay Arab gelding. Crew; Will Langley, Beth Langley, Cate Langley, Dan Pascoe and Carri Ann Dark.
Rachael Atkinson (51), Clitheroe, Lancs, with her own Tannasg Psyches Realm, 11-year-old chesnut Arab gelding. Crew; Andrew Atkinson, Caroline Cowley and Jess Mchugh, Ann Dark, Roger Dark.
Annette Masterson (49), Whiston, Staffordshire with her own Shoshana, 15-year-old, chestnut Arab mare. Crew; Paula Lynam, Ann Harrison, Felicity Edmeston, James Dickinson and Katie Bedwin
Sarah Rogerson (31), Chepstow, Monmouthshire with her own and Rachael Cratchley’s Warrens Hill Rubyn, 12-year-old grey Arab gelding. Crew; Rachael Cratchley, Mary Stubbs, Steve Rogerson, Rose Yates and Nikki Malcolm.
Nicola Thorne (48), Shipdham, Norfolk, with her own LM Bolena, 14-year-old chestnut Arab mare. Crew; Andy Thorne, Hannah Verkerk, Greta Verkerk, Lee Clark and Laurence Ridgeway
Chef d’Equipe: Liz Finney Team Vet: Georgina Vaughan Team Farrier: Kelvin Lymer Team Physio: Sam Daplyn
Endurance GB Senior Team Chef d’Equipe Liz Finney said:
We held a very successful Senior Team assessment day at Warwick International School of Riding to confirm our definite entries for the European Championship. Riders, horses, team management and crews worked really well together and Endurance GB is proud to announce that these five fantastic combinations will represent Great Britain.”
This is the first FEI European Endurance Championship to be held in the UK since the 1993 Championships at Southwell in Nottinghamshire, where Britain won both team and individual gold medals. The Championship is part of the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UK Endurance Festival (15th-19th August 2019). The event, which also features the Pony Club National Championships, and an FEI CEIO2* 120km Nations Cup competition as well as national rides is organised by the HPower Group and sponsored by Meydan. The event is expected to attract riders from around 40 countries with more than 600 horses taking part over the four days.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.
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