Great Britain’s jumpers off to a flyer in Spain
Wednesday 16 July 2025
The British Equestrian Jumping Squad, in partnership with Agria, got their 2025 Longines FEI Jumping European Championship off to a flying start on day one. The morning started with cloudless skies and a perfect temperature for jumping at the host venue, Casas Novas in A Coruña, and renowned course designer Santiago Varela Ullastres had set a thrilling test, where horses and riders have the conundrum of speed over safety in the hunt for a clear round. In this opening speed and handiness class, four seconds are added for a fence down and scores are multiplied by a coefficient of 0.5 to give everyone a starting penalty score, with the leader being on zero and everyone else being given the difference in penalties between their score and the leading one.
Jessica Mendoza and In The Air
First to go for the squad was individual pairing Jessica Mendoza riding her own and Georgia Kipp, Kirsti Mitchem, Melissa Skowlund, Pernilla Amman’s – affectionally known as ‘The Mom Club’ – In The Air. US-based Jess headed back to European shores this spring to contest selection for A Coruña, having felt that ‘Fly’ was a horse with championship credentials. Today, they proved that was certainly the case. The pair set off in determined mode with a good forward momentum and the Air Jordan-sired mare was making every effort not to touch anything. They just got slightly close to fence 11, which had the lightest of planks in the top set of cups, and a slight nudge brought it to the ground. However, they were quickly back in the groove and clear the rest of the way, stopping the clock at 79.04 seconds. Four seconds to add for the fence down gave them a final tally of 83.04.
After her round, Jess said; “I’m very happy. I think I made one little mistake there at the plank – that's a little disappointing – but my mare jumped fantastically. There was one line that I did add in that I didn't plan to do, but I landed a little short, so I made a quick decision and that paid off. Other than the mistake to the plank, it was fantastic.
“She feels great – she puts her whole effort in every time she jumps. She does gymnastics over the jumps and puts her heart into every one! She was flying! I think it’s a really good course – it walked nice enough and it rode tough enough, but without being too killer, so I think it was the perfect type of course for the first day.”
Matt Sampson and Medoc de Toxandria
As the afternoon progressed, the blue skies disappeared as a sea mist rolled in from the nearby Atlantic coast and the sun gave way to grey clouds. The first of Britain’s team members to go was debutant Matthew Sampson. Any day that you realise a childhood dream is a special one, but to be nominated as pathfinder and then deliver makes it even more memorable. Riding Medoc de Toxandria for Rachel Gredley, William Gredley and Unex Competition Yard Ltd while the Der Senaat III-sired gelding’s usual partner, Tim Gredley, takes some time off from competition, Matt is clearly relishing the chance afforded to him by Tim for be selected for his first championship appearance and he pulled off a superb round. They were fast enough to be competitive, while leaving all the fences standing and no risks. Their time was 78.36, which would likely be bettered by a few, but was the absolute perfect start for the team and a job well done.
“I couldn't be more happy – we had a good plan, we stuck to the plan and everything went our way today,” beamed a delighted Matt. “So yeah, I’m very happy with Medoc, he’s an amazing horse. His mindset is amazing and he's very laid back. He gets a little bit excited when he first goes in and he hears the bell, which is quite cool, and then he settles down and does his job. He always tries to the best he can,” he continued.
And on his debut chance? “I'm delighted to be here, to be honest, and for the opportunity from Di Lampard. Also, to Tim letting me ride this horse, and I have my other horse Daniel from James Davenport and Angelie Von Esson, who's helped get me to the that level as well, to get the experience in these shows. I’m very grateful to everyone that's behind us – there's a lot of people at home.”
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette
Second up for the team was Donald Whitaker, back in a championship team after making his debut in Milano in 2023. This time, he’s here with a different ride – the British-bred Millfield Colette, who Donald has partnered since 2022 and owns with Reitsportanlage Dagobertshausen GmbH in Germany. The snow-white mare is renowned for being quick and is certainly clever – useful traits on the first ‘speed and handiness’ day of the championships. They’re a great partnership and know each other well, so Donald had no hesitation in letting her run in her characteristic forward way – again, keeping the momentum without taking undue risk. They were clear all the way, with a time of 75.27 putting them into the lead individually and giving the team score a huge boost.
Afterwards, Donald was clearly delighted with his beloved equine partner; “I could not be more proud of her – she's never fails to amaze me. It always feels amazing when you ride her becauseshe goes in there like a panther, she knows what she's doing and she wants to win – I think almost more than I do! She wants to run and jump, that's all she wants to do. I think it's her happiest place when she's in the ring.”
His thoughts on riding in a team versus as an individual? “The team element to it is massive because you've got the likes of Scott Brash and Ben Maher, who have literally done everything in the sport, and they're on your team. So, you have to get your chest out a little bit and make sure you don't make a mistake,” he explained.
“Obviously, you don't want to disappoint them, but it’s also a good feeling of representing your country. Matt and I grew up in Yorkshire together grew up in Pony classes and did everything together, so to be at the European Championships together is amazing. It kind of means a bit more when you’re on a team.”
Scott Brash and Hello Folie
Scott Brash can boast many championship appearances on his long CV, with medals to boot, but it’s an exciting milestone in any athlete’s career to debut a new horse, especially one that you’ve always highly rated. Ever the master tactician, Scott has prepared Hello Folie, owned by Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham, to peak this week. She’s an exuberant 10-year-old – some might even say precocious – but the talent is certainly there and it’s just a case of Scott managing it. A huge leap over fence one, a triple bar, showed that scope very clearly. However, Scott quickly got her settled and expertly guided the Luidam-sired mare round. While there were still some spectacular leaps, the pace always forward and it was a lovely clear in 76.09, which neatly slotted the pair into second.
“Folie’s been incredible. She's a 10-year-old mare at her first championship, but I think she’s ready for this step. She's super-quality, you know, and has been really careful throughout her life, so I’ve just been trying to build her up slowly,” said Scott, much like a proud dad on the first day of school.
“Hopefully, it's been a nice experience for her – I’m delighted with her, she was incredible. She probably gives a bit too much effort at the start, then gets a little bit tired at the end, but that comes with experience, I think, and hopefully she’ll grow with the rounds to come,” he said.
Scott was a fan of Santiago’s course; “I must say that when I walked the course, I thought it was very clever. Everything is kind of connected, so if you make a little mistake somewhere, you're a little bit in trouble. It’s a very clever course, but it's not a killer either, you know, it's fair. He's played with the colours a lot and I think he's done a really good job.”
In summing up, Scott explained; “I’ve got to be happy with where she’s at. She feels on really good form and she loves her job, so that gives you a good feeling. It’s nice to get a round under your belt – she had a bit of a look at the wall and jumped a bit high, so I had to improvise a bit after that and go on eight strides instead of seven after the triple, but it didn’t phase her. She carried on and finished the round off really well, so I’m delighted with that.”
Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly
The final round of the day for Great Britian was in the hands of team stalwart Ben Maher, despite the fact that he’s more commonly found in the pathfinder role. However, together with his Olympic partner Dallas Vegas Batilly, owned by Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright, he’s by far the most experienced team players, so were nominated to go in the last rotation. Ben knows exactly what’s required in the tricky day one round and started in a very forward manner with ‘Tilly’ to keep the pace up – she’s naturally a big-striding horse, but naturally careful, which Ben uses to great effect. They were looking in fine fettle and the time was good, but there was a feather touch on the final element of the triple and the back bar dropped, almost in slow motion, but that added four seconds to their time. They kept their cool and ensured the rest was clear, stopping the clock on 74.63 seconds – a time that would have put them right up amongst the leaders, but the four added seconds, which dropped them down individually.
Philosophical as ever, Ben told the media afterwards, “I’m happy enough. You need to take a lot of risks today – I’ve been to a lot of Europeans before, so tried to get on the front side on the first day instead of playing catch-up. She was just backing off a little bit on the first two fences, then she jumped high over the wall. She just didn’t quite cross out of the triple, but she jumped a good round and there’s definitely still enough there for the rest of the week. I took some chances on the last two lines to try and get maybe a second and a half back, and we’ll try and jump clear round for the rest of the week.
“My plan slightly adjusted, but it went well. I went quick early on – I could take some risks, individually, because the team was in good stead. After the one down, I adjusted the plan to take a few more risks. I did seven strides after the plank – my first plan was eight – and then seven into the double, so two less strides than I originally would have done, which for sure saved me a second and half or so. Even though I’m in 21st, it’s still around the two-fault mark and a lot can change throughout the week.”
And on his fellow riders, he said; “It's great team. Matt did an amazing job as a newbie on the team and Donald has a fast horse, so that was great for him today. Scott was obviously on a new horse, too, so we’ve had a great first day. I don’t know where the team is, whether we’re leading, but stuff’s going to get pretty serious after here, the jumps will get bigger and wider – there’s a long way to go, but we’re certainly in a good position and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
The final standings
At the end of the competition, when the final mathematics is done, Great Britain holds the lead with a total of 3.96 penalties, thanks to fantastic rounds from our four combinations. Germany sits in second with 4.19, while Belgium rounds out the overnight podium with 4.61
Individually, we had two combinations in the prize-giving, with Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette third on 0.67 and Scott Brash and Hello Folie in fifth with 1.08. In 19th are Matt Sampson and Medoc de Toxandria with 2.21, while Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly are four places behind on 2.35 and individual rider Jessica Mendoza with In The Air sits in equal 45th on 4.56.
Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard declared it a good first day at the office for her charges; “Today was fantastic, I couldn’t be more pleased with all the riders. The five of them all jumped well.
“Everything went better than planned for a speed day – it’s always a difficult day, it’s a make-your-mind-up day, but it’s a good start, that’s all I can say. We’ve got some big jumping to come now.
“Everyone’s getting on really well – the spirit in camp is really good. They’re helping each other and there’s a good bit of supportive banter between them,” she said.
Looking ahead
Tomorrow, the ante is upped – as are the fences – as we move onto the first round of qualifying to decide the the top 10 best teams and the top 50 athletes, who go forward to compete in Friday’s team final. The scoring reverts back to the classic showjumping format, were penalties are added to an athlete's overnight score for fences down, refusals and seconds over the optimum time. The team result is calculated by adding together the three best-placed athlete scores after the first and second rounds.
The action starts at 14:00 (BST) and you can tune in via FEI.TV, powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, with a subscription. All the start lists and results are available on the Longines Timing site. Everything you need to know about the British squad and how the competition will progress is available on our online Hub.
Report: British Equestrain
Image: Peter Nixon
