William Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. Photo by Jenni Autry.
It’s a big day for Team GBR as all three equestrian teams have been announced for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The horses and riders selected to the British Olympic eventing team are:
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
The traveling reserve is Pippa Funnell MBE, age 47, based Surrey, with the late Carol Toliver’s Billy The Biz
Kitty King, who will make her Olympic debut, said: “It’s probably the best phone call I’ve ever had; it’s something that I dreamt of as a child. It’s really special for the whole support team at home too; the amount of work that they put in is incredible, it’s definitely not just about me and the horse, it’s about everyone else behind us too.”
The British Olympic dressage team is:
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
The traveling reserve is Lara Griffith, age 27, based Gloucestershire, with Dr Wilfried and Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s Rubin Al Asad
The British Olympic show jumping team is:
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
The traveling reserve is Jessica Mendoza, age 20, hometown Wiltshire, with Sarah Mendoza’s Spirit T
Reserves will be taken from the nominated entry list if required. Congratulations to all the horses and riders named to Team GBR! #RoadToRio
[TEAM GB NAME 12 EQUESTRIAN ATHLETES TO COMPETE AT RIO 2016]