Amazing performances from the British Junior and Young Riders at the 2017 European Eventing Championships saw the up and coming eventing stars return this weekend from Millstreet, Ireland, with an individual champion and two medal winning teams (20th – 23rd July).
Juniors
A fantastic effort from the Racesafe British Juniors in the final show jumping phase meant they finished with the team silver medal – 11.5 penalties behind gold medallist Germany and a huge 33 penalties ahead of France in bronze. Bubby Upton led from pillar to post in the individual competition; adding just two time faults from the show jumping to her exceptional dressage score of 23.9 she took individual gold on Rachel Upton’s Eros DHI.
The final Junior team top three results were as follows:
Gold – Germany 95.2
Silver – GBR 106.7
Bronze – France 140.0
Individually the Racesafe British Squad finished as follows (* denotes team member):
Gold – Bubby Upton* 18 from Suffolk, with Mrs Rachel Upton’s eight year old gelding Eros DHI
Fifth – Phoebe Locke* 17 from Somerset, with her own and Miss Jamie-lee Day’s nine year old gelding Union Fortunus
Seventh – Richard Coney*18 from Lincolnshire, with his own nine year old gelding Kananaskis
21st – Sasha Hargreaves 17 from Worcestershire, riding her own 14 year old gelding Strike A Pose
26th – Imogen White*18 from Warwickshire, with her own 13 year old gelding Emill
41st – Holly Needham 17 from Worcestershire, riding her own 14 year old gelding Strike A Pose
Young Riders
An unfortunate withdrawal after the second horse inspection for Ireland’s Susie Berry meant that Alex Kennedy, who was Britain’s highest placed rider after cross country in third, headed into the show jumping in second position. Adding nothing to her 41.3 penalty dressage score she held on to her position to take the individual silver medal on Mr and Mrs John and Andrea Kennedy’s Lissangle Cavaletto B
After the dressage leader, GB’s Sam Ecroyd, unfortunately parted company from Tullaher Sunrise in the cross country, the remaining five British squad riders all finished with a top twenty result and the team held their own in a very close finish in the final team standings to take the bronze medal.
Gold – Germany 133.7
Silver – The Netherlands 135.9
Bronze – Great Britain 143.3
Individual placings, (* denotes team member):
Silver – Alex Kennedy*, 20 from Somerset, on Mr and Mrs John and Andrea Kennedy’s 12 year old gelding Lissangle Cavaletto B
9th – Lizzie Baugh, 19 from Nottinghamshire, and her own nine year old gelding, Quarry Man
11th – Katie Bleloch*, 20 from Warwickshire, with her own 11 year old gelding, Bulano
13th – Felicity Collins*, 19 from East Sussex, and Ms Vicky Collins, Mrs Avrina Milton’s eight year old gelding RSH Contend Or
16th – Libby Seed, 19 from Wiltshire, with Carolyn Bate’s 11 year old stallion, Philanderer II
Sam Ecroyd*, 20 from Flintshire and Mrs Penelope Ecroyd’s nine year old gelding Tullaher Sunrise were unfortunately eliminated after a fall at the second water complex in the cross country phase; neither horse or rider were hurt.
Previous updates can be found on the British Eventing website HERE.
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.