William Fox-Pitt Appearing at EQUITANA Melbourne 2010

William Fox-Pitt riding Cool Mountain take individual silver and the team gold medal in the eventing at 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
Photograph: Peter Nixon/FEI

It is with great pride and excitement that the EQUITANA Melbourne team announces the appearance of British Eventing great, William Fox-Pitt, at their event in November 2010!

It will not only be Eventing devotees who recognize William's name as it is synonymous with every major Eventing competition worldwide. There are very few achievements in the discipline that William has not accomplished. His 195cm frame has graced the podiums of three Olympics, numerous World Equestrian Games and European Championships. His name has been on both the senior and junior British Eventing Lists for over a decade and his posters can probably be found on the walls of young riders the world over.

William Fox-Pitt has received acclaim for both for his charming personality and amazing riding ability for decades, during which he has stayed at the top of this extremely competitive sport. The adrenalin fueled discipline of Eventing has borne his mark from a young age, where he has steadily risen through the ranks from representing Britain as a teenager, winning numerous championships, through to his first appearance at the illustrious Badminton Three Day Event in 1989, at the young age of 20.

From these beginnings, this Eton and University of London educated rider, has gone on to represent his country for 15 years; with team Bronze at the Atlanta Olympics in 2004, team Silver at the 2008 Athens Olympics in 2008 and team Silver at the recent Beijing Olympics. The World Equestrian Games have also fallen under the hooves of a Fox-Pitt steed, with team Bronze in Jerez, Spain and team Silver in Aachen, Germany. William has also brought home seven team Gold medals from the European Championships.

The only rider to have won four out of the five CCI**** events worldwide (Burghley in 1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008; Badminton in 2004; Luhmulen in 2008, and most recently the Rolex Kentucky in 2010), William is in a league of his own. The HSBC FEI Classics (a series uniting the top end of the international Eventing circuit) is another feather in Williams’ hat, when he took out the prize in 2008.

The most recent outstanding achievements in a long list of successes for William and his horse, Cool Mountain, include being a member of the gold medal winning British eventing Team and silver medalist in the Individual eventing competition, at the prestigious 2010 World Equestrian Games, held in Kentucky.

This will be the first time that William has been to Australia in a professional capacity, and we are delighted that he will be taking part in a number of parts of the exciting EQUITANA Melbourne event. On Thursday 18^th November, William can be seen in his Eventing Master Class inside the 4500 strong NutriRice Grand Pavilion. Later that evening William will be taking part in the eagerly awaited All Star Showcase, representing his beloved discipline alongside presenters from other major equestrian sports. On Friday 19^th, William will be taking part in the fun filled ‘Jump and Drive’ competition, where show jumping and carriage driving are paired for a race against the clock! There will also be the opportunity to see William in a 45 minute educational session later in the afternoon for a closer insight into his training techniques and methods.

Everyone involved in EQUITANA are looking forward to meeting William and are sure that Australia will be waiting with bated breath, to see this great rider in the flesh, at the Melbourne Showgrounds in November this year.