Chloe Vell - Junior European Championships, 10 – 14 July 2013

Prestbury dressage rider Chloe Vell (15) will be heading to Compiegne in France to compete for Britain at the Junior European Championships, 10 – 14 July 2013. She rides her own K2-sired black mare, Kaja Di Valentina.This will be Chloe’s debut in the British team and she received her call up after a great season of high scores. International trips to French venues Saumur and Compiegne where she finished in the top eight in all her tests, including being a winning member of the Nations Cup team at Saumur, brought the attention of the selectors. A member of the UK Sport Excel Talent programme, Chloe combines her school studies and riding with a part-time modelling career. She’s on the books of London agency Select and has taken part in shoots for leading brands and publications.The British Junior Team has had moderate success at the European Championships in its 30 year history only managing a medal on one occasion. What the programme has done is help to produce medallist of the future with team gold and individual bronze Olympic medallist Laura Tomlinson one of the notable ‘graduates’. Other Brits who’ve gone on to success at senior level after young riders include Fiona Bigwood, Maria Eilberg, Becky Moody, Andrew Gould and Hannah Biggs.Along with team-mates Charlotte Fry, Chloe Vell and Maisie Scruton, Chloe sets off for Compiegne, some 40km north east of Paris on Monday ahead of the opening ceremony on Tuesday 9 July. The competition gets underway at the 10-hectare ‘Stade Equestre du Grand Parc’ with the Team test on Wednesday, continuing Thursday when the team medal will be decided. It’s then down to individual honours with two days of the individual test to qualify for a coveted freestyle place when the individual European Champion will be crowned on Sunday. Follow the action on http://dressageeurope.compiegne-equestre.com/ or British Dressage will be on Facebook and Twitter with updates.