Britain’s jumping squad underway in Spain
Wednesday 16 July 2025
The 2025 edition of the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship got underway yesterday with the horse inspection, followed by a spin in the spectacular main arena for the 92 horse and rider combinations representing 23 nations.
Set at the Casas Novas equestrian centre, which nestles in the hills above the bustling seaside town and port of A Coruña in the Galicia region of northern Spain, the championship is in its 38th year and it’s the third occasion it’s been hosted by Spain, having previously played out in Madrid and Gijon.
Under clear, electric blue skies this morning, the first horse inspection took place under the watchful eyes of the Ground Jury, led by President Carsten Andre Soerlie (NOR), and vet panel President Rosa Sanmartín (ESP), to check the horses are fit and well to compete. The five British combinations competing under the banner of the British Equestrian Jumping Team, in partnership with Agria, all passed with flying colours.
Scott Brash with his Championship debutante Hello Folie, owned by long-term supporters Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham, was first up – the bubbly 10-year-old Selle Francais mare looked a picture, thanks to groom David Honnet.
Next to be accepted was the Olympic duo of Ben Maher and Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Dallas Vegas Batilly, who’s bay coat had a terrific glow, all down to the hard work of Gwen Bellamy. Ben and ‘Tilly’ have been in great form and are the ultimate championship pairing, with vast experience and just the right temperament, so will be amongst the favourites.
Then it was US-based rider Jessica Mendoza, who makes a return to championship action after being the reserve rider for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, to compete here as an individual. She rides the 12-year-old mare In the Air, who Jess owns with Georgia Kipp, Kirsti Mitchem, Melissa Skowlund, Pernilla Amman – affectionally known as ‘The Mom Club’. Under the charge of groom Lina Karlsson, ‘Fly’ shone through.
Medoc de Toxandria is a horse with championship credentials, but that was with former rider, Tim Gredley at the 2023 European Championships in Milano. Tim temporarily passed over the reins to Matthew Sampson earlier this year and they’ve gelled into a formidable partnership, which has duly given ‘Matt’ his long-awaited first senior championship call-up. Medoc – who is owned by Rachel Gredley, William Gredley and Unex Competition Yard Ltd – is still based at Tim's yard under the care of groom Paul Drew, who once again did a supreme job in turning out the bay gelding.
Finally, it was Donald Whitaker, who was also part of the team in Milano, but he comes to Spain with new ride in Millfield Colette, a British-bred 12-year-old, who Donald owns with Reitsportanlage Dagobertshausen GmbH in Germany. Being a grey, huge credit must go to Brigita Unciute for having ‘Ellie’ absolutely gleaming and the ground jury instantly passed her.
So, it was five through for Great Britain. After a team meeting, Chef d’Equipe and Performance Manager Di Lampard declared her team as Matt in the role of pathfinder, Donald second to go, Scott third and Ben as anchorman. Jess will fly the flag as our individual combination.
The afternoon session was dedicated to giving all the horses a look at the main arena and a try on the surface. They each had 90 seconds of schooling on the flat, followed by 90 seconds of jumping time – enough for half a dozen fences or so. The British combinations all looked at ease in the sizable arena and ready for their first rounds on Wednesday afternoon.
The main draw took place this evening and Di Lampard secured us 11th to go out of the 23 teams, leaving us handily placed at halfway.
Tomorrow’s first round is a ‘speed and handiness’ competition, where combinations will race the clock over 1.50m fences to get the quickest time possible and earn themselves the best spot on the leaderboard ahead of the qualifying rounds for both the team and individual competitions.
The action starts at 14.00hrs (BST) and you can tune in via FEI TV, powered by Clip My Horse, via a subscription. All the start lists and results are available on the Longines Timing hub. Everything you need to know about how British squad and how the competition will progress are available on the British Equestrian online Hub.
Report: British Equestrain
Image: Jon Stroud / British Equestrian
