Hickstead NC team

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SJFAN

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BSJA has announced team for Friday's big event: Peter Charles, Ben Maher, Tim Gredley and Robert Smith. This could show how Derek Ricketts is thinking about the team for the Europeans. It's vital GB score good poijts here and in Dublin if they are to avoid relegation. Wondering if Peppermill is out of action rather than just being rested.
 
I think that Peppermill is a sure thing for the Euros and is being rested.

I also think that the remaining members will be
Ben Maher - Robin Hood
Robert Smith - Vangelis
Peter Charles - Pom D'ami

What do you reckon?
 
why is ellen not jumping on any of the teams? she did a really good job in Geesteren in awful conditions... and I think for sure she can be getting better results than we have had so far this season??

I think it should be peppermill, robin hood, (what happened to corlato??) for sure rob will be in it with vangelis although not sure i agree and maybe peter but which horse...how has rubert been going?

im a bit out of touch living abroad!!
 
I think John W (Peppermill) and Ben (Robin Hood) are certs for Windsor...I also think Peter Charles will be there but would guess that Rupert R would be his preferred ride if he his fit and ready. Wouldn't be surprised to see Tim Gredley and Omelli either...they've been doing quietly well at GCT level since the horse came back to work.

No idea what has happenned to Locarno...but without him Ellen won't feature...and obviously uncle Mike is having a break at the moment. I saw that William was riding Wonami and Tackeray in Spain at the weekend...but they aren't shining yet.

It seems we are rather lacking in horsepower this year...and will more than likely be jumping tier 2 nations cups next year as well
frown.gif
 
We should do well then next year as most of our shows in the UK are 2nd tier quality anyway. The lack of horse power is pure and simply down to the quality of the shows in the UK so that you cannot produce horses and there is no money available by investors to buy quality horses (why would they anyway with huge running costs). The dumbing down of classes and poor price money are the major factors.

I have never known so many riders compete abroad where they are limited to invitations and the amount of horses they can take, just to make a living. I have never seen a sport in the UK in such a step decline and when it is too late people will say 'how did that happen'or 'it was not our fault'.

Here are a few things I have been told over the last few days.

Young Riders are 'advised' to live and train abroad if you want to get anywhere.

Riders do not compete their top horses in the UK unless they take them as a 'sweetner' as it is not worth it.

Riders are going abroad as you can get placed low down abroad and win more money than 'thrashing the .............' of your horse in the Uk to win a class.

Try calling any rider in the top 20 - 30 and you are sure to get an international dial tone.
All the people you have mentioned compete abroad all year. The sport was a two tier level (abroad and home), now it is a three tier level (abroad upper, abroad lower and UK) and the riders in the UK are scrabbling around for peanuts with the divide getting bigger.
 
Do you feel the only way riders can make money is to produce and sell on horses or has this bottomed out aswell. If so I agree its a sorry spectacle all round but as you say why would anyone invest money in a dying sport.
 
if you want to make money out of dealing in horses you need an appropriate showcase and as the voice said the best stages are in europe. we can breed them here ( a british bred mare won a globl champions tour class last week) and we have the riders to do it, but people with big money will only spend it on horses tested against the best. No one wanted Rolette did they till she had competed abroad.
it is a shame but I dont know what the solution is. certainly being dropped from the super league wont help. i hope we do ok on friday
 
I have heard that the very best horses are offered to the top european riders before they hit the market place - is that right ? if so that means our riders will get the leftovers so to speak and thats assuming they can find anyone to buy them. It seems here that until we breed quality home grown horses for a period of time things won't change. ( The Billy stud sets a good example ).

It seems the owners over here are not high profile companies or business people but people who strike gold with one / two lucky home breds.

Anyway enough of this negativity and here's wishing our team loads of luck.
 
And the majority of the BSJA membership (grass roots) are funding, without much incentive, the meagre prizes at the top! A minor point (posted here often) even selling on an "ordinary" animal after a short registration doesnt attract ANY refund of fees - indeed if the new owner re-registers in their name then the BSJA get the money twice!!
 
What concerns me most is that if we get dropped from the Meydan Nations Cup League into the FEI (Division 2) League, will we have anyone who is able to compete at 5* shows anymore ? I thought all the participants at the superleague shows over the summer were members of participating teams ? Even if that isn't the case, can you see the very top british riders bothering to go to the tier 2 shows...which means we have to rely on a weakened pool of riders to try and regain promotion to the Meydam League....
 
This is definatly bottoming out as well as less people are taking up the sport because of the cost and paperwork as well as we live in a society where people are welded to computers and DS's. Riders concentrate on two maybe 3 horses that have done something and then sell these. Even young riders want this as they cannot afford to do the shows with young horses, but cannot afford to buy them.

Riders need to go abroad now with top horses to make a living. This used to be the top 10, but now you are looking way higher than this with people going to Portugal, Spain and France. Most riders have dramatically reduced competition horses on their yards as they are away for so long so therefore the younger horses are not going out as they should be in the UK.

It takes a lot of time, money and effort to produce a horse and unfortunatly no one has this luxury any more. This is a debate that could go on for hours and people may disagree but I have been around long enough to know that this is the worse I have ever known it to be and I am not the only one.
 
well to be honest Rambo if the french win either the super league and/or the european championships or both and probably even if they win neither, they will tell you getting dropped from the super league and not qualifing for the olympics is the best thing that ever happened to them. because their 'top' riders would not go to places like zagreb and budapest, bratislava and prague they had to send younger riders and they have developed into a team that can now be suplemnted by the older riders. I am not sure exactly who is coming to hickstead but of the aachen team only boosty was older than 30 and they still kicked arse.
 
Would it not be better then for the BSJA to have fewer diesel money shows week in week out and really concentrate on a few top quality shows offering prize money sufficient to keep british riders here and attract european riders / horses aswell.

If I wanted a horse produced now I would go abroad as it'd be cheaper having it on livery and buying an easy jet ticket once a month to Belgium / Germany and the chance of good prize money etc than having it produced over here.
 
I think Graham Fletcher wrote in his column in H&H a few months ago on this very subject...he said that it wasn't unusual for a horse in Spain NEVER to have tyravelled abroad and yet still have won £100k in prize money
shocked.gif
There are very few horses in the UK who ever achieve that feat...and only then on the back of international competition.

One british rider in particular only ever competes in Spain these days....and he commutes out there to do so.
 
Totally agree on the first part which I have said for years and if they got that right then you would not have to send horses abroad and keep the money in this country to reinvst into the other shows which would benefit everyone.

We should do well at Hickstead as we will put out our stronger team whilst generally the other nations will put out team c or d.
 
We should do well at Hickstead as we will put out our stronger team whilst generally the other nations will put out team c or d. [ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]

In a way though we are dumbing down again, if our top team do well against the europeans weaker teams that can't be a case for celebration surely and if we do poorly god help us.

Such a shame.
 
I know a lot of what I call 'good professionals' that were always around the top 20 who used to be around in the UK to produce horses who are now always abroad.

Look at Opportunity B. Has won loads or placed in 'top' classes in the UK and I don't think goes abroad. Ranked 68TH !!!!!! Winnings £12,000
 
I wouldnt count on it yet LHS. the french are not sending the b team neither are the USA or ireland, the Germans sent their c team to aachen and thrashed us, the dutch and belgians can send a weaker squad that still has plenty big time experience so we have it all to do.
 
the swis are fielding a weaker team i think tho. they figure they have done enough to keep superleague status already (currently 3rd in the league) and they have to rest their best horses as they are one of the team down with the injury to No mercy in aachen.
he is back home by the way and being thoroghly spoilt.
 
I think we need to concentrate on doing well in the Europeans. With TV coverage we need to demonstrate we are a force to be reckoned with to attract investors. No-one will invest in a failing sport and business people will look at the returns on their capital and then realise there aren't any so would have to do it for the love of the sport.

When I mooted the idea of having a horse produced abroad I was told that ' wasn't very patriotic' but at the end of the day patriotism doesn't pay the bills.
 


Fingers crossed that we win on Friday - I don't care whether the other teams send their A, B, C or D teams as long as we win - I think we should all be rooting for Italy to push one of the other nations out in the first round.
 
sadly duchess there is more chance of me winning the Grand Prix on current form.
wink.gif
we ned a top three finish to take the pressure off and even then we will still have to wait and see what the others do in Dublin
 
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