ESNZ Announces High Performance Squads after review

Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ) has completed a review of the horse/rider combinations which comprise the following ESNZ High Performance Squads:

A.   Eventing - 2010 Squad

1)        World Equestrian Games 2010 – At the time of final selection for WEG, ESNZ will select horse/rider combinations deemed capable of achieving a top 16 individual placing in the Eventing competition.

2)        The 2010 Squad listed above contains combinations currently deemed capable of achieving a top 16 placing at WEG, based on recent performance.

3)        The 2010 Squad will be reviewed on two further occasion before WEG - in May (after Kentucky CCI****/Badminton CCI****/Taupo CCI***) and June (after Melbourne CCI***/Luhmulen CCI****).

4)        Combinations selected to compete at the 2010 WEG will be chosen from combinations which are part of the 2010 Squad at the time of final selection.

For information, please note that Caroline Powell’s Lenamore has been taken off the High Performance squads.  Lenamore’s owners have decided that in this stage of his career and at age 17, that the horse owes them nothing and they would like Lenamore to continue campaigning solely in the UK.  He has therefore been withdrawn from World Games contention.

The MacKinnon Family have been great supporters of the New Zealand Team providing Caroline with Lenamore for the 2006 WEG and 2008 Olympic Games; they were NZ’s top placed combination in 2008.

Their support has propelled Caroline in the echelon of the world’s top riders finishing 4^th and 5^th respectively at Badminton and Burghley. Caroline is aiming Lenamore at his sixth Badminton in May and we wish them both the best of luck and ESNZ would like to sincerely thank the MacKinnon’s for their support of the New Zealand Team.

B.     Eventing - 2012 Squad

1)            The 2012 Squad contains combinations deemed to have the potential, at this early stage, to achieve ESNZ and New Zealand Olympic Committee targets for the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

2)            The 2012 Squad will be reviewed on two further occasions during 2010 - in June (after Kentucky CCI**** /Badminton CCI****/Taupo CCI***/Melbourne CCI*** /Luhmulen CCI****) and in December.

C.     Showjumping - 2010 WEG Squad                                  

1)        World Equestrian Games 2010 – At the time of WEG final selection ESNZ will select horse/rider combinations deemed capable of achieving a top 25 individual placing in the individual Showjumping Competition.

2)        Combinations selected to compete at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky will be chosen from combinations which are part of the 2010 Squad at the time of final selection.

3)        The 2010 WEG Squad will be reviewed on two further occasion before WEG

4)        Should enough combinations meet this individual criteria, a team will be named to contest the WEG team competition.

D.     General

Combinations can be added to, or removed from, all High Performance squads based on performances in the period before the next review of the Squads.

All riders listed above have been invited by ESNZ to be part of these Squads and have formally committed themselves to the principles and protocols of the ESNZ High Performance Programme including a commitment to medal winning performances at pinnacle events.

Full information on the squads can be found under the High Performance Page, Team NZ Squads