Para Squad Announced
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
The 10 riders who have been selected to compete for Britain at the 2007 World Para Dressage Championships at Hartpury College, Glos, 20-22 July, are:
- Sophie Christiansen (Grade 1a)
- Anne Dunham (Grade 1a)
- Ricky Balshaw (Grade 1b)
- Lee Pearson (Grade 1b)
- Felicity Coulthard (Grade II)
- Nicola Tustain (Grade II)
- Debbie Criddle (Grade III)
- Simon Laurens (Grade III)
- Michelle Crunckhorn (Grade IV)
- Denise Shawns (Grade IV)
The British Dresssage para selectors – Jane Goldsmith, Juliet Seal and Michel Assouline – will choose four riders from those listed above for Britain’s team.
A further five riders will compete at Hartpury as individuals to gain qualification for the 2008 Paralympic Games. They are:
- Rory Williams (Grade 1a)
- Lucy Barclay (Grade 1b)
- Natasha Baker (Grade II)
- Toby Pawson (Grade III)
- Sophie Wells (Grade IV)
Britain may be the current European, World and Paralympic Champions, but the team is preparing for strong competition especially in the light of the news that two of Britain’s top horses are out of action. Lee Pearson has recently made the decision to retire his top horse Blue Circle Boy from international para competitions and Nicola Tustain’s ride Prinz Heinrich has been suffering from an old injury and will not be fit in time.
World Class Performance Manager David Hunter said: “It is unfortunate to have lost two experienced horses, but other combinations have shown great improvement and new partnerships have proved themselves worthy of taking on the best in the world.
There’s no room for complacency, but I’m confident that the strength and depth of the British squad will give us a good chance of successfully defending our title.”
The 15 riders will take part in Hickstead Premier League, 28 June-1 July, and the British team will be named after the competition.
