Rio Teams Announced

Lanky Loll

Lanky Loll

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Eventing:

William Fox-Pitt, age 47, based Dorset, with Christopher Stone’s Chilli Morning

Kitty King, age 33, based Wiltshire,with Diana Bown, Jacqueline Owen and Samantha Wilson’s Ceylor L A N

Gemma Tattersall, age 31, based West Sussex, with either Christopher Stone’s Chico Bella P or The Pebbles Syndicate’s Quicklook V

Isabelle (Izzy) Taylor, age 33, based Oxfordshire, with Susan Holroyd and Frances Carter’s Allercombe Ellie

Travelling Reserve: Pippa Funnell MBE, age 47, based Surrey, with the late Carol Toliver’s Billy The Biz

Dressage:

Fiona Bigwood, age 40, based West Sussex, with Penny Bigwood and Neils and Lis Dahl’s Atterupgaards Orthilia

Charlotte Dujardin OBE, age 30, based Gloucestershire, with Rowena Luard, Anne Barrott and Carl Hester’s Valegro

Carl Hester MBE, age 49, based Gloucestershire, with Jane De La Mare and his own Nip Tuck

Spencer Wilton, age 43, based Reading, with Jennifer Goodman and his own Super Nova II

Travelling Reserve: Lara Griffith, age 27, based Gloucestershire, with Dr Wilfried and Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s Rubin Al Asad

Jumping:

Ben Maher MBE, age 33, based Hertfordshire, with Jane Forbes Clark and his own Tic Tac

Nick Skelton OBE, age 58, based Warwickshire, with Beverley Widdowson’s Big Star

John Whitaker MBE, age 60, based West Yorkshire, with Team Harmony Management Co Ltd’s Ornellaia

Michael Whitaker, age 56, based Nottinghamshire, with Beverley Widdowson’s Cassionato

Travelling reserve: Jessica Mendoza, age 20, hometown Wiltshire, with Sarah Mendoza’s Spirit T

Thoughts????
 
Don't know enough about showjumping form to comment on that, other than I'm pleased that Ben is on the team!

Dressage doesn't surprise me at all given Spencer's recent result although part of me would have loved it if Hayley could have been on the team!

Eventing, I'm glad Gemma and Kitty are on the team and that didn't surprise me. WFP's inclusion dos surprise me a bit, but no-one can deny their experience. I just hope Williams up to it (as a brain haemorrhage survivor I know how tough the road to recovery can be!). Slightly surprised Izzy is on the team ahead of Pippa, but think it was probably a close call.
 
I don't follow the top level dressage and showjumping to an extent where I can confidently comment but am pleased to see Spencer get a chance.

The eventing I'm surprised not to see Tina's name on the list. Kitty and Gemma are the obvious choices and Id heard on the grapevine WFP was pretty confident of selection.
 
Well eventing wasn't quite what I expected but it's a good, strong team so fingers tightly crossed...

Surprised but pleased for Spencer Wilton - that fourth spot on the dressage team was really difficult to pick!

SJ not really my thing but I don't feel super optimistic. Obviously they've picked their best team but Tic Tac is new to that level and Big Star hasn't been back at top level for long so it could go either way. Here's hoping it's the positive way.
 
SJ - tbh I'm a little sad that we've reverted to a team from the 90's plus Ben :( It's great to see Jess get a look in as reserve, but just such a shame that some of the newer/younger combinations don't seem to have been able to take the pressure when it's been applied in Europe - to travel to Rio I suppose they had to put in those that have coped with it before but....
DR - don't know enough myself to comment
EV - I can't help thinking that William would have retired by now after his fall if he didn't believe that he was on the team, is this his swansong? Fab to see Kitty and Gemma there although slightly surprised that Arctic Soul isn't listed as an option for Gemma, the toss up between Izzy and Pippa must have been close!
 
Lanky Loll said:
SJ - tbh I'm a little sad that we've reverted to a team from the 90's plus Ben :( It's great to see Jess get a look in as reserve, but just such a shame that some of the newer/younger combinations don't seem to have been able to take the pressure when it's been applied in Europe - to travel to Rio I suppose they had to put in those that have coped with it before but....
DR - don't know enough myself to comment
EV - I can't help thinking that William would have retired by now after his fall if he didn't believe that he was on the team, is this his swansong? Fab to see Kitty and Gemma there although slightly surprised that Arctic Soul isn't listed as an option for Gemma, the toss up between Izzy and Pippa must have been close!
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I read something the other day saying if it was a WEG then Arctic Soul would be on the list but her others are better suited to a twisty 3 star track. Exciting to see which one gets the nod - they've both really impressed me.
 
Lexi_ said:
I read something the other day saying if it was a WEG then Arctic Soul would be on the list but her others are better suited to a twisty 3 star track. Exciting to see which one gets the nod - they've both really impressed me.
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I saw that - just thought that given conditions and heat in Rio that Arctic Soul being full TB would be in his favour :)
 
It shouldn't be particularly hot. It's winter in Rio, which is usually like a moderate summer's day in England..

I like the dressage team, don't follow SJ much, but it sounds ok. Eventing, I'm ok with it. Hoping William is truly well enough, but would be gutted if he and Chilli weren't there. Gemma, definitely. Between Izzy, Kitty and Pippa it's hard to choose. I'd have probably stopped one of them for Tina personally! But should be a good team.
 
Average age of teams....
Eventing 36
Dressage 40.5
SJ 52

Where are all the up coming showjumpers who will be the future. 3 of our SJ team have been around for ever
 
PaddyMonty said:
Average age of teams....

Where are all the up coming showjumpers who will be the future. 3 of our SJ team have been around for ever
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Exactly :( Sadly they don't seem to cope with the pressure as well but without exposure how are they going to?? Michael and John have had some good results this year but haven't exactly been stalwarts of the NC teams of late.
 
Don't really know much about Dressage to comment but I was surprised to not see Tina Cook on the team and that William has made it.

SJ side of things, I wouldn't really say I was surprised by the team either. Two Gold medalists from 2012 and the experience of the Whitaker brothers. Wouldn't know who else would have got on aside.

ETA: After reviewing the long list, Scott Brash aside I probably would have picked those 4 too
 
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I'm very disappointed that Tina Cook has not been selected with either of her great horses and that WFP was after having a long time off and suffering a terrible injury. Izzy Taylor is an excellent horsewoman, her pathfinding at Badminton I think in 2015 really impressed me and both Gemma Tattersall and Kitty King are solid classy riders with good horses. It will be interesting, I still think it's a strong team.

Dressage is exactly what I thought and hoped it would be but the show jumping has surprised me being a list of stalwarts all but 1. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, it just surprised me!

I don't understand how the Olympics selection process works in depth, but can anyone tell me why we don't have any individual riders?
 
Very surprised Tina was not selected. Both her horses have more consistent and superior form to Izzys horse. Pippa would also go ahead of Izzy in my books. Gemma and Kitty are the inexperienced pair with an occasion like this and would have been good to combine this with Tina / Pippa. Pleased for William and Chilli but will he pull it out of the bag? Im not sure.... I think the Germans are likely to win anyway, they are just outstanding, so lets hope we can get close enough to them, to clinch silver. Good luck to the whole team, there is after all a lot of time and 'bubble - wrapping' between now and leaving for Rio!
 
I feel sorry for Tina too. She has had some really good results this season. She has been overlooked before, one wonders why ..............?
 
Dunlin said:
I don't understand how the Olympics selection process works in depth, but can anyone tell me why we don't have any individual riders?
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We do - every member of each team counts as an individual and competes for them after the team medals are decided depending on their scores. For eventing it's an second round of sj, dressage has an extra test, not sure how the sj works, an extra round or two?

Surprised and disappointed to see that Tina's not on the team. I hope it's competitive whatever happens.
 
teapot said:
We do - every member of each team counts as an individual and competes for them after the team medals are decided depending on their scores. For eventing it's an second round of sj, dressage has an extra test, not sure how the sj works, an extra round or two?

Surprised and disappointed to see that Tina's not on the team. I hope it's competitive whatever happens.
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I tried to find a way to explain the SJ, but couldn't find it as it appears that there's both an individual qualifying competition that sets up how the teams go, the team competition, and then two separate finals.

H&H have an article that explains it
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/rio-...beginners-guide-to-olympic-showjumping-313507

The one thing I'm not sure on is if the team scoring impacts with individual scores etc
 
I feel for izzy I really do but I'm super pleased for pippa. I know horses can be horses but I do have to question the fact this is now the 3rd time izzys had to pull the horse out of a major champ after selection.
 
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