Dan's the Man in France !
Tuesday 04 June 2013
It was a great result for young Essex based showjumper Dan Neilson at the weekend (30 May - 2 June) as he took second place in the CSI4* Grand Prix class in Bourg en Bresse, France.
Riding Stacy Willsone’s 11-year-old chestnut gelding Varo M, Dan jumped one of eight clear first rounds in a class of 50, before being pipped to the post by the French Olympic rider, Michel Robert in the jump off.
The 23-year-old, who is on the UK Sport funded World Class Development Programme, is based at the Aspen Stables in Chigwell, Essex.
“This was a great result for Varo M – his best at this, the top level,” said Dan. “It was a stiff course with the fences well up to the 1.60m height but Varo is on great form and gave me such a good ride.”
“It really couldn’t have been a better show,” said Dan – who also picked up sixth place in the 1.40m class riding another of Stacy’s horses, Zigali PS. “It was great for Stacy too – not only as an owner of such promising horses, but also as a rider, as she came third in the CSI* Grand Prix class. So it was good results all round!”
Dan has since been selected to be part of the GB team competing in the CSIO5* Furusiyya Nations Cup in Rotterdam at the end of the month (21 June 2013).
The World Class Development Programme underpins World Class Performance and, together with the Equine Pathway, they comprise the Equestrian World Class Programme. It incorporates the three Olympic sports of Dressage, Eventing, Showjumping and the Paralympic sport of Para-equestrian Dressage.
The aim of the Programme is to have in place a sustainable system that can deliver more medals on the international stage now and in the future. The Programme has been funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through Exchequer and National Lottery funds, via UK Sport since 1998.
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