The British squad for the fourth leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup has been announced – with an Olympic dressage star’s son making his debut.
Ambitious
Joe Davison – son of four-time Olympian and former British Dressage team captain Richard – has been selected for the squad heading to St Gallen for the FEI Nations Cup leg.
According to Richard, Joe is “incredibly laid back” about his selection.
“But he’s very ambitious and committed and dedicated,” Richard told H&C. “He just wants to focus on what he has to do, which is to improve himself and his horses. It’s all about his performance.”
‘Fantastic job’
Competing on Nations Cup teams is part of Joe’s plan to become a championship rider, and Richard commended World Class Performance Manager Di Lampard for giving him a chance.
“The whole point of the Development Squad is to create top riders,” he stated. “Di’s only been in office for a very short time, but she’s doing a fantastic job.
Credit
Richard also acknowledged the work of Di’s predecessor, Rob Hoekstra, who left the role at the end of last year.
“You’ve also give great credit to Rob – he gave youngsters, such as Spencer Roe and William Whitaker, a massive chance. He was brave in his selection and it paid off as they proved they can do it,” said Richard.
Spencer Roe (Wonder Why) is one of three riders joining Joe on the squad, who came up through the World Class Development Programme. Also selected are Holly Gillott (Dougie Douglas) and Jessica Mendoza (Spirit T). The fifth and final member is Robert Whitaker (Catwalk IV).
‘Do or die’
As a former dressage World Class Performance manager himself, Richard praised British Showjumping for the success of its programme, which has seen the likes of Ben Maher and Scott Brash go on to become the best showjumpers in the world.
“It’s great to see that young showjumpers are given the opportunity to ride on teams in a low pressure situation,” he said, adding that British Dressage is starting to catch up on this front.
“You have to give riders a chance to move up and gain experience at that level – and keep putting them on the team, regardless of how it goes. It’s only after a few times that the riders relax and come into their own. It shouldn’t be a case of ‘do or die!”.
Another team
Di Lampard also announced the squad that will compete atSopot, Poland for the fourth leg of this year’s Europe Division Two series (4-7 June).
The squad comprises Joe Clayton (Ingliston Twister); Yazmin Pinchen (Van de Vivaldi); Laura Renwick (Bintang II); Michael Whitaker (Elie van de Kolmen) and Guy Williams (Basic).