Sunday, May. 4, 2025

Ellen Whitaker Refuses To Jump For Team Great Britain After Fallout With Show Jumping Manager

Upcoming British show jumping star Ellen Whitaker, niece of show jumping greats Michael and John, had a falling out with Great Britain Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe Rob Hoekstra according to BBC Sport.

Whitaker disagreed with the program Hoekstra designed for her. The 24-year-old objected to changing her individual competition schedule to compete for the team.

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Upcoming British show jumping star Ellen Whitaker, niece of show jumping greats Michael and John, had a falling out with Great Britain Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe Rob Hoekstra according to BBC Sport.

Whitaker disagreed with the program Hoekstra designed for her. The 24-year-old objected to changing her individual competition schedule to compete for the team.

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Whitaker was supposed to ride on Britain’s Nations Cup Team in the opening event of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup League in La Baule, France, but she decided to leave the team instead when Hoekstra asked her to compete her top horse, Ocolado, two weeks before the team event. Dave McPherson replaced Whitaker, and the team finished a respectable third.

Whitaker has said she won’t ride for Great Britain as long as Hoekstra is the manager, but British Showjumping is fully backing Hoekstra in the dispute.

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