INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - The Equestrian Association of the Philippines hopes to strengthen its grassroots development program this year by looking for new talents, EAP president and Buhay party-list Rep. Carissa Coscolluela said Thursday.

?We will go around the country and find young horse riders from the Mountain Province to Mindanao,? said Coscolluela, noting that promising riders have emerged from key cities like Baguio, Tagaytay, Cagayan de Oro and Davao.

Coscolluela, a former national rider, said it is also a pleasant surprise that ?the kids of some of the horse attendants are good riders.?

Novice competitions in the provinces are in the works to entice new riders, said Coscolluela, also a former chef d? equipe for the country?s top riders.

?The youth of our country is our greatest strength,? she said. ?We hope to find the best young riders in the countryside.?

The EAP recently tapped five foreign coaches and trainers, including Olympic medalist Stanny Van Paeschen of Belgium, to help prepare its athletes for the Southeast Asian Championships in Thailand late this year.

Paeschen was part of Belgium?s team jumping squad that took the bronze in the 1976 Montreal Olympics

Renowned Belgian coach Jos Kumps, Argentinian Sebastian Pellon Laison and Bavarian Frank Freund will also train the national team led by Olympian Toni Leviste, veteran rider Jones Lanza, Joker Arroyo and Australian-based World Cup rider Michelle Barrera.