Eventing High Performance Programme

About Eventing High Performance

The High Performance Program has been designed to deliver an end to end pathway and programme to  support riders from pre development through to Elite. The goal is to establish a sustainable programme which can ensure our athletes are well prepared with the required skillset to compete internationally. By using a programme to bring athletes through the pathway, we can manufacture opportunities and environments to accelerate development and ensure readiness for pinnacle events. The programme is split into two parts:

Pathway – Exploring and Developing phases of the programme, all about the athlete
Campaign – The business end, established and now focusing on Championships, very much about combinations

Pathway Programme

Talent Identification Squad (TID): This is the identification and exploration space. Athletes can be on this squad from six months to three years

Talent Development Squad (TD): Athletes have now been exposed to a HP setting and have chosen to commit to it. Athletes are essentially doing an apprenticeship at this stage.

High Performance Potential (HPP): This is a bridging squad from development to HP and can act as a holding pen for athletes lacking horsepower. It is also an entrance point for athletes that skip the development stage.

Campaign Programme

The Campaign Programme is focused on the next Championship Event,  working with identified combinations to be best prepared to compete and achieve at the next Championship, focusing on achieving qualifications and building performance.

High Performance Futures (HPF): The experience for these athletes is much more bespoke and individualised. The criteria is results focused and athletes are selected as a combination (Horse and rider). In most cases, athletes in this squad are tracking towards the following championship

High Performance (HP): This is our elite squad, as per HPF, it is designed to deliver on each athlete’s individual needs. Athletes are chosen in combination and selection is results focused and athletes have typically achieved at a Championship Event.

One of the main criteria of these squads is a Athletes ability to prepare for a target event and execute the result at that event, its not necessarily about winning or achieving at every event. The driver for the Campaign programme are the performance targets and what the minimum standard is that combinations need to be aiming to achieve success at the Championship

Selection

Selection will take place annually  June) at the discretion of the selection panel, with a 6 monthly review (December). Combinations may be added or removed at any time in between those selection dates.

Talent ID, Talent Development, HP Potential
Whilst there are various performance requirements depending on the squad level, the criteria is predominately values based.

The Talent Identification Squad will follow an application process which includes providing applicants with an opportunity to display their talent and show they have the desired attributes through an assessment process.

Talent Development and HP Potential squad members are selected from the current TID squad, or will be new squad athletes, entering the pathway at these stages, no application is required. The HP Manager (in conjunction with a technical expert where needed) would recommend athletes for selection (or deselection) to the panel, who would then check, challenge and vote against the selection criteria.

HP, HP Futures
Selection onto HP and HP Futures will be made against an objective performance criteria plus other factors as per General Regulations.

Combinations that meet the performance criteria will be put forward for selection (or deselection) to the panel by the HP Manager, who would then check, challenge and vote against the selection criteria.

Teams
Team selections would follow the same process, though with a defined criteria that is targeted to the outcomes of the Team competition.

The selection process and overall responsibility is managed by High Performance, any selection concerns please contact the HP Team.

High Performance Eventing Selection Panel

  • To be appointed April 2025

Current High Peformance Squads

View current Eventing High Performance Squad Athletes and Horses.

 

Eventing High Performance Sponsors

Kevin Bacon UK are very excited with their new sponsorship arrangement to supply Team NZ with specialist Kevin Bacon hoof products. It is great that the riders horses can benefit from the use of our products and we can help them on their way to success at Rio 2016.

Eventing Team NZ High Performance Squad members are receiving a range of the Kevin Bacon Hoof products, including Kevin Bacon’s Original Hoof Dressing: Which is an essential item to keep the horses feet in perfect condition. It maintains correct moisture in the feet and stops them drying out or becoming brittle and cracking. ‘No foot, no horse!’

The range Kevin Bacon is named after the Australia Show Jump rider and created by Jean Jacques, a butcher from Belgium. He had a horse suffering from an avulsion fracture on its front heel. Unable to find a product to heal it, Jean teamed up with vets, homoeopaths and chemists to develop the Kevin Bacon’s 100% natural hoof dressing.

Racing Blue have been working closely with Eventing Team NZ since the 2011 season when Erik Duvander and team vet at the time Ollie Pynne chose to start using their revolutionary feed supplement STORM. STORM is scientifically proven to boost a horses’ natural ability to manage muscle acidosis, which occurs during intense exercise and so helps to delay the onset of fatigue and supports recovery.

The technology behind STORM was developed in horses at the world famous Animal Health Trust by our nutritional experts and since then has been widely used in human athletes. Racing Blue support Eventing Team NZ with their considerable scientific and nutrition expertise in conjunction with their sister company Independent Equine Nutrition. Dr Catherine Dunnett Nutritional Director of Racing Blue says “We really enjoy our work with Eventing Team NZ they are a great group of people and we hope that our efforts help Erik Duvander and his team leave no stone unturned in the run up to Rio”

Bespoke New Zealand Wine, Little Beauty, have been an official supporter of Equestrian Sports New Zealand High Performance Team since 2013 and are right behind the team as they build up to Rio 2016. Little Beauty sponsors wine for our Eventing Team NZ fundraising/hospitality events and supplies our riders and their valued owners with a great selection of Little Beauty’s wines.

One of the reason’s Little Beauty’s, Fleur McCree wanted to support Team NZ was she clearly recalled the feeling when Mark Todd and Charisma – the horse he rode to win two Olympic Golds – cleared the last fence in 1988, with everyone in New Zealand shouting ‘you LITTLE BEAUTY Mark!’ Fleur describes it as “an inspiring moment in life and one of the reasons why Little Beauty is called Little Beauty!”

A great supporter of the sport it is great too often have Fleur present at the top competitions to cheer on the Team.

Westgate EFI and Bruno Goyens De Heusch have been sponsors and supporters of Team NZ since 2008. The present sponsorship was put in place before the last Olympics and they are fully committed to the NZ Squad and team leading up to Rio 2016.

Westgate EFI kits out our horses at team competitions with bespoke NZ rugs and stable wear, including our stable fronts which make the Kiwi area look so great! With exceptional attention to detail even down to the the head collars, lead ropes and brushes, nothing escapes the New Zealand colours. Westgate also supply our riders with individual sponsorships of rugs, safety equipment, saddle clothes and items of clothing. Westgate EFI’s continued commitment to Team NZ and our High Performance Squad definitely assists us in standing out as a Nation and a team.

Are the Official supplier of riding jackets for the Eventing High Performance Team NZ. They produce the stunning bespoke jackets and tail coats for our riders to compete in at our Team competitions and have been sponsors since before the Olympic Games in 2012.

Dainese are proud to be the Official Protection Partner and team uniforma supplier of Team New Zealand Eventing. Members of the New Zealand Eventing squad have to opportunity to wear the Balios 3 Body Protector from Dainese as part of their safety equipment for the cross country stage of eventing.