Janice Cockley-Adams is a European Strategic Sourcing Manager, who took up riding 26 years ago – as soon as she started earning!
Janice says “I trained as a Zoologist and was a competitive athlete from age of 11. The combination of physiology, psychology, nutrition, training and competition together with the close bond between horse and rider ticked all my boxes. I did my first ride in 1988 and was hooked. Over the years I have been fortunate to have great moments on 9 different horses including winning the Scottish Open Championship (160km) and the Spirit of Sherwood multi-day 150 miles (240km).”
Highlights with the two horses Janice has on the elite squad for WEG include 6th FEI 120km Dukeries, May 2010 (first European to finish,)2nd FEI 160km Haywood Oaks, Apr 2010 (her debut 160km) and 7th FEI 130km Monpazier, France, Sept 2009 (first Briton to finish) on Roxane du Bout du Monde. Khadidja du Pont has also had many fantastic results including 4th FEI 120km Euston Park, August 2009 (first European to finish), 2nd FEI 120km Dukeries, May 2008 & best condition award (first European to finish), and 23rd (first Briton and 4th European) in the inaugural running of the FEI 160km Shk Mohammed Al Maktoum Endurance Cup, Dubai, Jan 2008 (The “richest endurance ride in the world.”) Janice was ranked 7th in FEI World Ranking 2007 (Rider/Horse Combination). She was also the Winner of the British FEI Championship 2007, Winner of the Senior Grand Prix Trophy 2007 (Most points in Endurance Rides (i.e. races) by a British rider) and Winner 160km Dukeries, May 2007 (her debut 160km).
Janice’s ambitions within Endurance are to represent GBR and to continue to train and ride at international level for many more years to come. Her crew include Janine Wade, Sashi Davies and husband Iain Cockley-Adams.
Janice’s daily regime is certainly tough. She states “I typically work around 10 hours a day which can include late evenings too for calls to colleagues in the USA, so the horses fit around this – riding before and/or after work. I am usually up and out for 5 am daily and pleased to finish before 7.30pm. When travelling abroad for work I try to minimise overnight stays whenever I can. This means very long days if I have meetings in Europe (leave home at 4.30am and back 11.00pm) but it fits in better with managing the horses. When I am away on business my husband rides the horses. When I’m not competing, the weekends are dominated by long rides, sessions on the gallops and catching up with jobs around the house and land.”
Janice’s top tips for success in Endurance are discipline; hard work; planning; diary notes and a holistic approach – physical, mental and environmental. “You need to understand each horse and recognise when it has reached its potential - not all horses are good at endurance, some actually like jumping or excel at dressage etc.”
We asked Janice what her most memorable riding story was...
“I guess the first time I rode Khadidja in a Race ride in France. After only riding her for an hour, I agreed to buy her 2 months before I did the 200km 2 Jours Montcuq ride where I first took ownership of her. Half way round on the first day I leant over to straighten my stirrup and she bucked me off and ran off down the trail. At that moment I saw my life savings running away and I got up and sprinted uphill for 2 km before finally catching up with her. Her seller had told me no sudden movements as she was hyper sensitive but I guess I forgot until I was sprinting after her! My pride was a bit hurt that day but nothing else. However we went on to the second day and had a very successful and safe 10th place which considering I was only looking to complete before the long journey back to the UK and I didn’t really know her I was very pleased. It was the start of a great relationship and one in which she is now very much my girl.”
CHRISTINE YEOMAN
Christine Yeoman has an impressive list of previous team selections including2003 FEI European Endurance Championships, Ireland, 2006 World Equestrian Games, Aachen, 2007 FEI European Endurance Championships, Portugal, 2008 FEI World Endurance Championships, Malaysia and 2009 FEI European Endurance Championships, Assisi, Italy where she was selected but couldn't go!
Chris has been riding since she was a child but gave up as teenager then started again as adult, and has now been competing in Endurance for approximately 12 years. Her best results to date include 17th and top British rider in Aachen on LM Taquillero, 160km win on LM Taquillero and fastest speed on 160km in UK 2009, 120km win in Belgium, 160 Km win on LM Midday, 160 km win on Farouk de Lozelle, 160 km qualification for Kentucky on home bred mare, Forest and her 120km win in France on Diyla
Chris’s ambitions are “to compete in a championship and win a medal” and her crew include husband John Yeoman, farrier Nigel Perrott, Michelle Macleod, Lisa Davenport, Nikki Malcolm and Olwen Bryer. Chris says that husband John is the most influential person in her life, “Without his support I would not be where I am now. I trust his judgement on race day to make sure all at base is taken care of, so that when I come into a vet hold any information I need is correct “
Chris’s top tip for success in Endurance is “Fitness of not only horse but also the rider is essential.” Chris says her most memorable Endurance story was not at a top level event, but “doing my first 80km ride at Cirencester to achieve advanced status - it poured with rain all day! And my first race ride at Ludlow in the blazing sun which I won. That was the start to my competitive career.”
Chris has two horses qualified for WEG: LM MIDDAY, an 11yo grey Arab mare whom Chris has owned for 5 years, and has consistently performed well, including winning Dukeries 2009 160km, 2nd in France 130km and being on the British Team for 2008 FEI World Endurance Championships, Malaysia.
The second horse is CJ'S GAI FOREST, a 10 yo homebred chestnut Arab mare (Ganemede/Gold Sahri) who’s results include 1st 120km, 6th 160km 2009 and 2nd 160km 2010.
DAVID YEOMAN
David Yeoman rode a lot as a child up to 21 yo, including Polo, Point to Point, Eventing, Pony Club, but then had to go to work for 20 years. David has been competing in Endurance since 2005 and chose this sport because “my Sister-in-Law got me re-involved with riding in 2004/05, and I just took to endurance like a duck to water!” Needless to say the Sister-In-Law is Christine Yeoman!
David’s first Endurance ride was at Forest of Dean 42KM in 2005 and after successfully building up his experience every year, David has had a fantastic year already in 2010. His best results to date are 1st Cirencester 164KM FEI ***, 2nd Haywood Oaks 120KM FEI** both in 2010, and 1st Euston Park 121KM FEI** in 2009, all on Haszdr. David has also clocked up a fair few Golden Horseshoe miles over the years on Eleazar De Landas, achieving Gold at Golden Horseshoe in 2006 and 2008 , and Silver in 2007. David rode on the Development Squad Team last year at Mont Le Soie , Belgium , FEI** 120 km.
Annabelle comes from a very sporting family, her mother evented at top level making the world squad alongside people like Sheila Wilcox. Her father was a very successful cricketer captaining Surrey and England. She has been around horses all her life and has ridden successfully at all levels in eventing being evolved in junior, young rider and senior squads. Annabelle has ridden at numerous top level three day events throughout Europe including competing in Britain, Germany, Holland and France. Highlights include competing horses at Badminton on a number of occasions, including two of which she had bought right up through the levels from scratch.
Throughout her career she trained with numerous well respected figures of the equestrian world and since finishing competitive riding has made a detailed study of equine biomechanics. This information and all the experience of her professional competition career help form her training today, helping to safely optimise the equine athletes performance.
Annabelle has been involved in Endurance in various ways since 2003 and attended the World Championships, World Games and European Championships. She became chef d'equipe for the senior British Endurance team in late 2010 and continues to date in this role as well as helping to train the riders in their equitation skills.
Gavin Scofield D.O. is a state registered Osteopath who graduated from the prestigious and long established European School of Osteopathy, in England. Training involved a 4 year full-time honours degree level course after which he did postgraduate studies in Veterinary Osteopathy.
Gavin has been involved with Osteopathy for over 24 years and has run a full time international equine practice for 20 years. He sees over one hundred horses each week, making it one of the busiest practices of its type in the World.
Equine athletes from all disciplines are catered for including many international competition horses and Olympic contenders…but although the majority of patients are performance horses we don't exclude the family pony!
Gavin has lectured extensively internationally, including working for the European School of Osteopathy as a lecturer and examiner on their BSc degree for over 15 years (at present a senior examiner in the final year viva practical examinations).He has also been a guest lecturer for the University of London (animal science degree) and Imperial College (equine science degree, bio-mechanics and locomotion)
Consulting to the equine industry on Bio-mechanical matters as a whole has also been a regular part of his work: including to the veterinary world, farriers, saddlers, dentists other therapists and especially trainers and riders, where his years of gathered knowledge can be invaluable in helping improve the mechanical welfare of the equine athlete.
Gavin works throughout Britain but also has run clinics all over the World including extensively throughout Europe, the USA, the Middle East, and Russia; as well as consulting and advising clients regularly from as far a field as South America, Australia, South Africa etc.
For the last 8 years Gavin has been the official Osteopath for the British Endurance team, supporting the horses at all international competitions including the World Equestrian Games, World and European championships, as well as advising the team members on treatment and training and helping in the selection process .
Over many years of practice and after well over 120,000 equine treatments Gavin has refined and developed Osteopathic technique to develop a unique way of working he has developed a method of treatment that has pushed the boundaries of what is possible therapeutically allowing the patient’s body to achieve maximum benefit from manual medicine.
This subtle approach is specifically tailored to work with the innate homeostatic /self correcting reflexes within the body, including the postural centres of the brain. By appropriately stimulating these areas, on many levels, it is possible to help the equine FUNDAMENTALLY change patterns of tension within their muscular-skeletal system. This allows not just a release of tensions, but a PERMANENT change in postural balance,
improving biomechanical function, especially movement. This improved postural balance can not only optimise the equines movement potential but has also been seen to help improve physiological function and psychological issues.
These techniques have been applied to a huge range of complaints from the profoundly lame to, at the other end of the spectrum, the subtle imbalances seen in a grand prix dressage horses piaffe. Over the years cases have included a lot of complicated biomechanical / orthopaedic referrals. Significant changes are usually seen within 1-3 sessions and tend to be maintained for the long term.
Although the vast majority of his work is in the equine field, Gavin has applied his techniques to a huge variety of animals over the years. This has included many canine patients, feline, bovine and other farmed animals, zoo animals, birds of prey and even the odd bipedal creature!
Rob graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1996 having successfully competed for the college and the University of London in dressage, show jumping and polo. He also rode across Scotland. His first job was in mixed practice in the Home Counties where he developed and ran an equine critical care facility, and began tuition in equine physiotherapy and mechanical osteopathy.
Moving to Somerset in 1998 to take up a large animal post he started furthering his orthopaedic surgery training and was promoted to Associate Surgeon responsible for operating on horses, farm animals and some, rather larger, species from the local safari park. He was a founder member of the South West Equine Medicine Discussion Group, and lecturer and external examiner for the equine science courses at two further education colleges. His orthopaedic training has continued in Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Rob co-founded a new equine practice in 2006 and ran a busy equine lameness and orthopaedic surgery (including keyhole joint operations) service with a predominantly sport horse and racehorse client base for five years. He is an FEI vet for both endurance and eventing, was assistant team vet at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and team vet for the European championships in Florac.
Rob is also a trained surveyor, vice-chairman of the trustees of Glastonbury Abbey and a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Farriers. He has recently edited the English translation of a French veterinary osteopathy textbook, and has recorded and toured with several bands as a rock drummer. He is now based in West Sussex as a General Manager for the National Trust, but continues to see equine cases on a consultant basis.
HANNAH KELLY B.Vet.Med. MRCVS – Assistant Team Vet
I qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2002 and have spent the majority of my Veterinary career working in a “mixed” veterinary practice in Norfolk. Though most of my time is spent dealing with our equine patients (which vary from Suffolk Punches and zebras to elite endurance and racehorses) I can still be found occasionally calving a cow, tending to a hamster or stitching up a monkey! I am now an FEI 3* Endurance Veterinarian and can regularly be found on the veterinary panel at EGB and FEI rides in East Anglia (and occasionally further afield). Over the past 10 years of my involvement with endurance riding I have seen the development of Euston Park as a venue and seen the sport evolve considerably, especially in respect to the speeds now required for success at the elite level. In my spare time I event my ex-racehorse “Bunny” and can be often be seen out on her at some of the winter pleasure rides – especially when food and drink is mentioned in the title! I can’t wait to be part of the “elite” team this year and hope that everyone in the squad has a successful 2012.
