The purpose of the Equine Bridge is to support the transition of British bred young horses into the sport. Centred on the equine athlete’s needs it brings together all stakeholders, riders, owners, breeders, trainers and the Olympic disciplines to identify and nurture talent, and working in close collaboration with British Showjumping, British Dressage and British Eventing, we have responded to the challenge of Covid 19 by developing an enhanced programme, with at its heart an annual two day “performance test” style event at a central equestrian facility the spring 2021.
Identifying Equine Talent
Conceived as a continuation of the British Breeding Futurity, the aim of the Bridge is to identify young horses and ponies who have the potential and talent to represent Great Britain at FEI level.
The basic structure of the Bridge event is inspired by the German style two day “performance test” for young horses, in that the candidates are observed by a team of international evaluators over a number of days and challenges to determine their individual abilities.
These include a 45 minute discipline-specific training session with an internationally renowned coach on day 1, a set ridden performance test on day 2, and a session under an experienced test rider.
Where the Bridge differs significantly from other performance tests is that is offes detailed veterinarian and allied professional input, aimed at supporting the key objectives of longevity and the promotion of equine health.
The Pool of Equine Talent
The Bridge candidates have undergone qualification via the BB Baileys Horse Feeds Futurity Programme and will have scored an overall mark of 8 or above (Gold Premium) as a 3, 4 or 5yo at one of the Futurity events.
New for 2020/21 is the additional requirement that Bridge horses must demonstrate sufficient ridden experience, either by having competed at least twice in affiliated competitions in their target discipline, or by having qualified for and subsequently scored over 70% at the NexGen Young Horse Final at Hickstead on 15th and 16th September 2020, where 4 and 5yo horses will have the free opportunity to complete a Futurity evaluation on site.
The Healthy Equine Athlete
The BB Baileys Horse Feeds Futurity and British Breeding Equine Bridge programmes support breeding and management of horses and ponies for longevity and soundness by collecting data and resources to improve future breeding decisions and by providing detailed professional veterinarian and allied professional feedback to optimise the management and production of young horses and ponies.
Says British Breeding Director Dr Eva-Maria Broomer:
“In a time when ‘the social license to operate’ equines in the sport can no longer be taken for granted, we must respond positively to the challenges and concerns over equine welfare in modern competition from within and importantly outside the equestrian community. Everything we do at British Breeding centres on facilitating the breeding and production of happy, sound and successful horses.”
As part of the Equine Bridge programme, every horse or pony undergoes a detailed soundness and performance evaluation with the organisation’s senior veterinarian and her team of allied professionals, comprising of an experienced master saddler, a master farrier and a qualified nutritionist, providing a holistic assessment of the horse or pony’s overall wellness, conformational traits, muscle development, saddle fit and foot balance.
To enhance the support available and to promote equine health and welfare, British Breeding are inviting a range of professionals and services to aimed at supporting the health or equines and riders alike to provide taster sessions at the annual Equine Bridge event, in addition to working with third parties to make available ongoing programmes to of support.
The Route into the Sport
The Equine Bridge programme seeks to provide meaningful support to riders, breeders and owners to ensure the Bridge horses fulfil their potential. The annual Bridge event provides excellent feedback, and will be accompanied by ongoing support for the production of talented young horses developed in partnership with the Olympic Disciplines and relevant third parties.
Says British Breeding Director Jane Marson:
“Our vision is for the Equine Bridge is to fulfil the need of the industry to source the best horses for the best riders and to understand and overcome the impediments that are currently leading to good horses not fulfilling their potential, and talented riders being unable to find good horses in this country.”
The Equine Bridge seeks to provide a wealth of information and utter transparency, via its public, livestreamed events, webinars and public database, which provides pedigrees, linear profiles, evaluators’ comments, videos and photographs. All evaluations are carried out by an independent team of experts.
Says British Breeding Director Rachael Holdsworth:
“We would like to thank British Showjumping, British Dressage and British Eventing for their support and extend a warm invitation to interested riders and investors to engage with the Equine Bridge to take advantage of the opportunities to meet the horses and their breeders. As soon as we will have a clearer understanding of the possibilities of running public events in the spring, we will provide further details on our website.”
