The showjumping squad to compete at the FEI Longines European Championships in Rotterdam, Holland (19–25 August 2019) has been announced by the British Equestrian Federation.

Two Olympic gold medallists, currently Britain’s highest FEI-ranked showjumpers, are included in the strong squad that heads to Rotterdam to try to secure Team GBR a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

In alphabetical order, the selected squad has been named by British Showjumping selectors as:

  • Scott Brash MBE with Lady Pauline Kirkham & Lady Pauline Harris’ Hello M’Lady (Groom – David Honnet)
  • Amanda Derbyshire with Gochman Sport Horse LLC’s Luibanta BH (Groom – Lesley Veall)
  • Ben Maher MBE with Poden Farms’ Explosion W (Groom – Cormac Kenny)
  • Laura Renwick with Arabella Prior’s Dublin V (Groom – Ludo Langton)
  • Holly Smith with TJ Hall Ltd and her own Hearts Destiny (British Bred) (Groom – Catherine Dodd)

Scott said: “My plans for Hello M’Lady this year have been entirely based around preparing her for the Europeans, so that I knew she would be ready for these all-important championships from where we need to qualify for Tokyo 2020.”

Amanda added: “I couldn’t be any happier to be selected for what will be my second Championships. Obviously I wish I hadn’t had a fall recently but I feel confident that I and Luibanta will be going to the Championships in fighting form.”

Ben commented: “Representing Great Britain at championship level is always an honour. This is a crucial championships for us in terms of qualifying for Tokyo and I am delighted to be part of the team that has been entrusted to deliver that all-important Olympic ticket.”

Laura said: “I’m really excited and proud to have been selected to represent my country at not only my first European Championships but also one that is extremely important to Great Britain in terms of Olympic qualification.”

Holly commented: “I’m delighted and honoured to be representing Great Britain again on a Championship team. We have a serious task ahead of us in Rotterdam in respect of qualifying for Tokyo and I’m absolutely focused on giving it my best shot at making sure we do just that.”

Performance manager Di Lampard said: “The European Championships this year are absolutely crucial if we are to qualify for the Olympic Games at Tokyo next year. I have full faith that the selection panel have put together a very strong team who could not only secure a qualifying ticket for Tokyo but also medal in both the Team and Individual Finals.”

British Showjumping chief executive Iain Graham added: “We go forward to Rotterdam with a strong team in whom I have full confidence. In Ben and Scott we have two London 2012 Team Gold medallists who have also held the top spot individually on the world ranking lists. Both Holly and Amanda have proven themselves as Championship Team riders and Laura Renwick has been having consistent success at top level. I would like to congratulate the entire team on their selection for the British campaign as we set our sights on Tokyo.”

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