The British Equestrian Federation has today announced the athletes who have been selected onto the 2014-2016 UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Development Programme.
With selection across each of the three Olympic sports – dressage, eventing and showjumping and the Paralympic sport of para-equestrian dressage, this year has seen one of the largest intakes since the Programme’s inception, as 49 young athletes come on board ahead of the 2015 season. The Programme looks to provide coaching and support to athletes – through human and equine sports science, nutrition and sports psychology – as part of an established training pathway.
Gordon Burton, Head of Performance for the BEF commented; “This year’s applicants raised the bar yet again and we saw some exceptional talent coming forward during our selection trials. It is great to see such a depth and breadth of ability coming up through the ranks and bodes well for the future of equestrian sport in the UK.”
There are five new faces on the dressage programme with three additions to the para group.
Dressage
Hannah Biggs from Dorset
Rebecca Edwards from Berkshire*
Maria Eilberg from Worcestershire
Lara Griffith from Gloucestershire
Alex Hardwick from Hertfordshire
Emily Harris from Hampshire*
Olivia Oakeley from Hampshire
Alice Oppenheimer from Hampshire*
Maisie Scruton from East Yorkshire*
Ryan Todd from West Yorkshire
Hayley Watson-Greaves from Gloucestershire*
Para-Equestrian Dressage
Natasha Adkinson from Lincolnshire
Heather Bennett from Humberside*
Emma Douglas from Buckinghamshire*
Ashleigh Jones from West Midlands
Erin Orford from Buckinghamshire
Isobelle Palmer from West Yorkshire*
*new to the programme for this cycle.
The Programme underpins the World Class Performance Programme and has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds via UK Sport since 1998. For more information on the programme, click here.