World Champs Showjumping Team Announced

Richard Sunderland can hardly contain his excitement. The Equestrian Sports New
Zealand (ESNZ) showjumping high performance leader says he is naming one of the
nation's strongest ever showjumping teams for next month's World Equestrian
Games in Kentucky. Samantha McIntosh
(Waikato/Belgium) on Loxley 38, Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) on Dunstan Delphi,
Guy Thomas (California) on Peterbilt, and Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) on Apollo
van Evendael make up a team of talent unseen in New Zealand showjumping circles
in recent years.<div>“Potentially this
is the best team I have ever had anything to do with, and reflects the new
direction the ESNZ High Performance Programme has taken, to ensure that those
selected have the ability to achieve the high targets set,” says Sunderland.

 “We've got three who are
consistently jumping clear at 1.6m and a fourth with a young horse coming into
his own now.”
 
Sunderland said that while
Apollo was the most inexperienced horse, Beatson was a superb horseman with top
international experience and was also a past Olympian.
 
Beatson rode for New Zealand
at the 1988 Olympics and 1994 World Games, Thomas rode at the 2004 Olympics and
McVean the 2008 Olympics. McIntosh competed at the Sydney 2000 Olympics for
Bulgaria and is considered one of the most successful showjumping riders to have
come out of New Zealand. She has also competed at World Championships, a World
Cup final and European Championships and returned to New Zealand colours earlier
this year.
 
All four riders named are
experienced international riders who are no strangers to riding as a team, which
can often throw up quite different challenges than riding as an individual.
Having four in the team allowed a drop-off score, with just the three best
counting.
 
However, having recently been
at Aachen and Spruce Meadows where he saw the best in the world
compete, Sunderland has no doubt the Kiwis slot in just fine. 
 
“But it all comes down to the
day,” says Sunderland. “These are horses, you have to remember that, but we have
excellent horse men and women.."
 
The four will compete
individually as well as in the team event. It's a grueling process, with a week
of jumping 1.5m-1.6m courses daily with just one day off between the team and
individual events.
 
“We have to concentrate on
getting through to the second round of the team competition – just 10 nations go
through - but I am quietly confident you'll see the silver fern amongst
them.”
 
The New Zealand showjumping
team for the World Equestrian Games is:

Maurice Beatson
(Dannevirke) Apollo van Evendael                
Samantha
McIntosh (Waikato/Belgium)  Loxley 38                                 
Katie McVean (Mystery
Creek) Dunstan Delphi 
Guy Thomas (California)
Peterbilt                                   
Chef d’equipe: Richard
Sunderland
Trainer: Butch Thomas
Notes 
a)      The World Equestrian Games,
being held in Kentucky, USA, run from September 25 to October 10, and feature
eight disciplines – showjumping, dressage, endurance, eventing, para dressage,
reining, driving and vaulting.
b)      These will be the sixth world
games and the first staged outside of Europe. The games are held every four
years and are expected to attract more than 900 riders and 1300 horses from 60+
countries as well as more than 600,000 spectators.
c)       WEG is a qualifying event for
the London 2012 Olympics.
d)      Showjumping is a separate
discipline to eventing - the latter contains showjumping, dressage and cross
country but the riders and horses are not the same as compete in ‘pure’
showjumping.
e)      ESNZ has already announced
the NZ endurance team, comprising three horse and rider combinations.

f)        The NZ eventing team will be
announced on September 1, 2010.
 Diana Dobson – NZ WEG Team Media Liaison

Posted by:
Anne Vallance

NZ EQUESTRIAN News

World Champs Showjumping Team Announced
Saturday, 21 August 2010

NZ EQUESTRIAN News

World Champs Showjumping Team Announced Saturday, 21 August 2010

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World Champs Showjumping Team Announced
Saturday, 21 August 2010