The FEI Youth Nations Cup Finals took place this year in Peelbergen in the Netherlands from 20 – 25 September 2022, where the Great Britain Team jumped under the title sponsor banner of Team NAF.
Great Britain’s competitors were on top form over the weekend as they clinched the gold medal in the Nations Cup final competition, with France finishing second and Ireland in third.
1.30m opening competition
In the opening 1.30m competition on Thursday 22 September, 28 horse and rider competitions from seven different nations came forward to start the first round of the Nations Cup competition. Great Britain was drawn sixth to jump.
Pathfinder Noora Von Bülow, from London riding Elando Van de Roshoeve had a great start to the competition, just rolling an unfortunate pole at fence 11 to finish the first round on four faults.
Next up was Tilly Bamford, from Oxfordshire riding Lapislazuli who made light work of the course, just crossing the finish line with an unlucky two-time penalties.
Ruby Barrs, from Hertfordshire riding Casper made a great start around the course but unfortunately were eliminated following a fall at the combination with rider Tabitha Kyle, from Leicestershire riding Atomic Du Barry producing an immaculate clear round to help keep the team in medal contention overnight.
After the first round, the team sat in 3rd place with a combined score of six faults, with the best three scores counting towards the team total.
Team final over 1.30m
The team final concluded on the last day of the competition with each team member jumping another round over a difficult 1.30m courses.
Pathfinder Noora Von Bülow riding Elando Van de Roshoeve started their round well but were unfortunate to have three poles hit the floor, finishing the second round on 12 faults, with an overall 16 faults as the discard score.
Next up Tilly Bamford riding Lapislazuli went one better than their first attempt on Thursday, jumping an important clear round and crossing the finish line inside the time, finishing on just two faults overall.
Harriet Hodge, from Yorkshire riding Little Charlie, having not jumped the first round, came out and jumped a flawless clear round to keep Great Britain in medal contention, finishing on zero faults.
Tabitha Kyle riding Atomic Du Barry used all her experience to produce the all-important clear round, leaving all fences untouched and securing the gold medal for Great Britain.
Final team standings
1. GBR = 6
2. FRA = 12
3. IRE = 12
4. GER = 13
5. BEL = 20
6. SWE = 24
7. NED = 24
Full results for the competition can be found here, and you can rewatch all of the action on ClipMyHorse.tv
The GB Showjumping teams are supported by the British Equestrian Federation’s World Class Programme, funded by UK Sport through the National Lottery. The Programme focuses on identifying talent, developing potential and maximising medal-winning performances on the world stage.
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.