Great Britian
Feb 07 2005 - EVEI MediaTwo of the British World Championship squad, Becky Broughton and Katie Smith are amongst the four riders invited to ride in The 2005 President of the UAE Presidents Cup.
 Becky BroughtonImages by Gilly Wheeler |
Becky Broughton, who rode her first competitive endurance ride in
1987, then aged just eight, has been training in the UAE since the
start of the current season and has the choice of two horses to ride
in the Presidents Cup. She may choose either Rawnq, on whom she
finished second in the both the 160km Cirencester ride and 123km South
Downs ride in the UK last summer or Murmansk who finished seventh last
year in the CEIO at Newmarket.
Becky has been the most successful UK team member in the last few years having finished 13th in the 2001 Open European Championship and 18th in the 2002 World Championship both with her Arabian Stallion Murmansk who unfortunately was eliminated lame after the first leg in last month's World Championship. |
 Katie Smith |
The globe trotting member of the British team, Katie Smith, who last
year rode in South and North America, Australia and Europe stands 12th
overall in the 2004 FEI Emirates World Rankings. She is also an
accomplished race jockey on Arabians in the UK.
Last year she won two major British endurance rides one of which was the 160km trial ride for this years Open European Championship the other the 120km Thetford Forset Ride. In the World Championship she rode Celsar Baydhal owned by Australian Meg Wade, who was pulled lame after the fourth leg. Smith is riding another Wade owned horse in the President's Cup, Castlebar Chopard who arrived last week with the Australian team horses. This grey Arabian mare helped Quilty veteran Ron Males win his 21st buckle in October last year before he announced his retirement. |
Christine Yeomans |
The venue for the Presidents Cup is familiar to the third British
rider, Christine Yeomans, who finishing 25th in this event last year
on ZT Maisam. The horse she rides this year is ZT Shakanmr who has
been in training for several months in the UAE under the watchful eye
of Sarah Kelleway. This is ZT Shakanmr's first 160km ride.
Yeomans has ridden most of her life but is a relative new comer to endurance. In the few years she has been competing she has successfully completed rides in France and Belgium as well as the UK. Christine, who had a shoulder operation before Christmas, arrives in the UAE with her husband, her crew manager, on February 10th giving her a little time to get reunited with ZT Shakanmr. |
Natalie Noke |
The final member of the British Squad is 33 year old Natalie Noke who
rides Tokar Ibn Teelah. This is the horse on whom she won the 2 day 80 + 80 km
Red Dragon last October, one of the toughest rides in the UK.
Noke purchased this former Anglo Arab race horse as a six year old. His racing background suited him well for the sharp pace of the UK 42km Marathon ride in which he finished second once and won in 2002. Natalie who has been involved with horses all her life and competed in endurance for the last ten years will be accompanied in Abu Dhabi by her two young daughters Sarah Jane four and Gemma who is almost two. |
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HH President's Cup
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