London 2012 | Team Talk - The 5 Nations

Team Talk | A Team Gold Medal for GBR Would Crown Both Of These Mens' Careers Nicely

I haven't played any team sports since I left school, a bit of Badminton doubles maybe or Sunday soccer, but that's as close as I've come to being in a team for some time. Eventing isn't really what you'd call a team sport, I mean it's not like they pass a baton to one another, but this is a home games and there are team medals to play for so I'll park that discussion!

What I love about the team game is how it highlights the uniqueness of the equestrian disciplines amongst the Olympic mix. Look at the ages of some of the guys in these teams; Mark Todd, Mary King, Andrew Hoy, Andrew Nicholson,- all in their 50's, these guys must have been born into the games, not to mention some of the showjumpers, and the 71 year-old dressage rider from Japan. To me this illustrates just how difficult it is to control half a ton of horse flesh around a given task, and how much effort, skill and experience that requires. Yet we also have some of the youngest competitors giving these living legends a run for their money, now that's real talent! I just wish our only Rolex Grand Slam winner, Pippa Funnell, was in a position to challenge for a home games, that really would complete the set. 

Thirteen teams, from every continent bar Africa, are all dreaming of chalking up a victory of some sort in London. When you consider what you need to do just to get a team qualified for the Olympics - just understanding what's needed, let alone qualifying, it's quite an achievement in a sport such as ours for so many to get a full squad to the games. Hats off to them all!

The TEAM GB Olympic Quest | Rockers, Ravers, Lovers & Sinners

WFP & Lionheart Headed To Greenwich | The Olympics Are So Nearly Here It's Scary

The waiting is over (well almost - we wait to see who is on the subs bench), Team GB Eventing has been announced amongst much comment, opinion, and heated discussion - it's all a little scary! Some are ranting, some are raving, and others are just loving the debate about selection choices.

The 5 members making up the team are:

Kristina Cook - (41)  Miners Frolic
William Fox-Pitt (43) Lionheart
Piggy (Georgina) French (31) Jakata or DHI Topper W
Mary King (51) Imperial Cavalier
Zara Phillips (31) High Kingdom

Zara Phillips | On The Team

Personally I think Zara is an inspired choice. The Olympics is nothing but pressure, and a home Olympics is like turning up the gas and leaving the lid on! Her horse has continued to grow, mature and improve event after event, and Zara has achieved more than any other her age at senior level. I would suggest aided by the fact that she can handle the pressure better than most due largely to the attention she attracts because of her royal connections.

If you look down this list you'll notice that each of these riders is predisposed to handling pressure very well.   I've always thought this is what separates the best from the very best, and given the right horsepower you'd expect to see Pippa Funnell in that list, given how well she has learnt to manage nerves when it matters most.

The Europeans Seemed To Have Arrived From Nowhere

All The Aussies Are Over Here!

It seems to have been a quirky year for eventing. A number of top horses are out with injury, we've had a southern hemisphere invasion, Badminton ran over Easter weekend, a few Germans ran their Badminton mounts again at Luhmühlen in June, and now it's back to Luhmühlen for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships, which doesn't see to have got as much air time as it usually does.

Perhaps I've just been spending too much time in the States (which is about to increase!), and have missed all this, but I think it's more likely being over shadowed by talk of the Olympics and all the Antipodeans who have been rifling through their ancestry to satisfy visa conditions or residency status, and are pitching up in the UK for pre-Olympic prep, or just to get caught up in the general euphoria that's erupting here at the moment. Whether it's Hamish on his English adventure or the entire Kiwi squad, there are Antipodeans everywhere!

Anyway, back to the European Championships.... From the freshly updated list of entries (see below), hot off the press this morning, the first thing that strikes you is the number of new names on the list. Team GBR has only one new name on the list, Laura Collett, who is no stranger to the championship podium, with a medal haul of what seems like everything from tiddly-winks right up to Young Rider Europeans, having been hung round her neck.