New Zealand is among 27 nations heading to Pratoni in Italy for the FEI Eventing World Championships.
It’s a star-studded list with 16 countries fielding teams and 90 in the individual line-up.
The definite entries can be found here https://inside.fei.org/system/files/Liste%20of%20definite%20entries_%2006.09.2022.pdf .
New Zealand will be represented by Tim Price on Falco, Jonelle Price with McClaren, Clarke Johnstone aboard Menlo Park, Monica Spencer with Artist and Amanda Pottinger on Just Kidding. The reserves are Samantha Lissington with Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, Matthew Grayling on Trudeau, and Dan Jocelyn with Cooley One To Many.
The last three individual world champions Michael Jung (GER) – 2010, Sandra Auffarth (GER) – 2014, and Ros Canter (GBR) – 2018, have all been listed on the 2022 start card, alongside the 2017 European champ Nicholas Touzaint (FRA) and world no.1 Oliver Townend (GBR) and reigning Olympic champ Julia Krajewski (GER).
Great Britain come in as the team defending the crown they won at Tryon in 2018, with Oliver Townend, Laura Collett and Tom McEwen winning the gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games all on the card.
Pratoni was a happy hunting ground for New Zealand when the champs were last held there in 1998 when the team – Blyth Tait on Ready Teddy, Sir Mark Todd on Broadcast News, Vaughn Jefferis with Bounce, and Sally Clark on Squirrel Hill – won gold; Blyth took the individual gold, Mark the silver, Vaughn was fourth and Andrew Nicholson with New York was fifth.
The Kiwis were always strong favourites, with two previous world and Olympic champs in the side. Germany were leading after the dressage but Mark, Blyth, reigning world champ Vaughn and Sally were just four penalties adrift heading into the cross country.
The weather was horrendous with torrential rain creating slippery conditions on the normally ideal footing at the Pratoni del Vivaro site, which had also played host to the 1960 Olympic Games’ eventing. Three clear rounds propelled the Kiwis to the top and it was theirs to lose coming into the showjumping.
Mark’s costly two rails dropped him from gold to silver with Blyth taking the win and Paula Tornquist (SWE) picking up bronze.
That year the champs attracted 91 combinations from 23 nations, 17 of whom contested the team’s medals. Of the 91 combinations, 70 completed the three tests.
MORE INFO: https://pratoni2022.it
LIVESTREAM: ClipMyHorse.TV
The horse details :
Falco – owned by Sue Benson and Tim Price
McClaren – owned by David and Katherine Thomson
Menlo Park – owned by Jean, Rob and Clarke Johnstone
Artist – owned by Monica and Andrew Spencer
Just Kidding – owned by the Pottinger Family
Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ – owned by Pip McCarroll and Samantha Lissington
Trudeau – owned by Winky Foley
Cooley One To Many – owned by Lucy and Sophie Allison, Franki Clapham and Carole King
By Diana Dobson – HP Media Liaison