Endurance GB’s International Committee has announced the appointment of former international rider Fiona Bloom as Chef d’Equipe to the senior international team. Fiona (33) succeeds longstanding manager Liz Finney who has retired 25 years after first stepping into the role.
Team GB
New senior team
Chef d'Equipe
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iz Finney has been involved in international endurance from the early 1980's and was a member of the British team at the first European championships at Florac, France, then in Germany, where she and Show Girl II won the individual silver medal, and finally at the first World Equestrian Games at Stockholm in 1990 where the British team of Liz, Judith Heeley, Joy Loyla and Lilla Wall were Gold medallists. Liz was Chef d'Equipe on 14 occasions starting at the European championships at Morlaix in 1995 where the team of Pat Fowler, Jo Trego, Sally Hall and Jill Thomas won gold. She was Chef d’Equipe two years later at the European Championships at Pratoni Del Vivaro in Italy and took on the challenging task of leading the squad at the inaugural desert World Championships in the UAE in 1998 where the team scored four completions, Jo Trego, Jane James, Graham Hartley, Anne Newton landing a credible seventh place out of 16 nations.
Her swansong as International Chef d’Equipe was at the 2019 FEI European Championships at Euston Park where the team came fifth. Rosemary Attfield, Chair of International said: “Liz Finney has given a huge amount of commitment to the international side of the sport over a number of years and provided strength and continuity by taking on the role of Chef d’Equipe at so many major championships. We all join in thanking her for all that.” Fiona Bloom (nee Hamilton) has been competing in endurance since the age of eight,
firstly with Rosemary Attfield’s 13hh Welsh Section C, Burfield Queen Bee, with whom she completed the Wicklow Ride as well as winning Gold on Exmoor in 2000 at the age of 13 becoming one of the youngest competitors ever to take part in the 100 mile event. Fiona has ridden internationally at FEI level 25 times and represented Team GB on teams at every level. With her grey mare Sharifah, she twice represented the Senior International Team at European Championships both at Assisi in 2009 and at Barroca D’Alva in Portugal in 2007 at the age of 20, where she and Sharifa finished in 19th place and the team finished sixth. That same year she won the 160km CEI3* at Ermelo in Holland and followed up with a win in the CEI3* 160km at Euston Park in 2007. Professionally Fiona is a chartered human Physio and ACPAT & RAMP registered veterinary physio. She is also a FEI permitted Equine Therapist. She owns her own practice working with horses and riders across the equine disciplines. Her MSc thesis was entitled “Performance Differences within the Elite Endurance Horse” and she is currently studying for her PHD which is focused on lameness in Endurance horses.
As an FEI judge, Liz has officiated in Europe, the USA and Dubai and was President of the Ground Jury at the World Championships at Euston Park in 2012. Liz was also Chairman of British Endurance Riding Association and was heavily involved in the formation of Endurance GB following BERA’s merger with the Endurance Horse and Pony Society (EHPS). She founded the Cheshire endurance group in 1991 and has been their Chairman for a number of years.
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