HARRY Meade was delighted to see a whole host of Wiltshire riders selected onto the World Class Development Programme by the British Equestrian Federation.

No fewer than six starlets of the sport from the county have been called into the elite squad, whose members will receive specialist mentoring and coaching as well as access to top quality equine medicine over the next two years.

Laura Collett, David Doel, Jessica Mendoza, Tom McEwen and Alex Sutton have all been included alongside Meade, who has been with the programme since 2008, and the Chippenham-based rider is pleased that the region is producing more and more top talent.

“It’s always a great help and a boost to be picked and it’s a great yardstick to show that you’re still heading in the right direction,” he said.

“There are some fantastic riders on the programme and it’s very nice to see that the local area is well-represented too. You get to know everyone locally through going to different competitions but that’s the same as with people from across the country and also with the foreign riders who are based here.

“This will be the start of my fifth year on the programme and the aim is to try and be a part of the British team at as many competitions as I can.

“We did so well in London (at the Olympics) this summer and that obviously gets you thinking about the World Championships in 2014 and Rio 2016.”