Equestrian Life - EQ Life September magazine: Aussies fly the flag in Italy

Current Issue
Past Issues
About Equestrian Life Magazine
Editorial Submission and Writer's Guidelines

Training

How do you achieve 'throughness'
Tips from Carl Hester
Forwards and down
Flying Changes Part I
Flying Changes Part II
Flying Changes Part III

Health

Pass or Fail?
There is life after laminitis
How do you feed your hay?
Ten tips to beat the heat with horses
Listen to that Heart Beat

Dressage

So you want to do dressage?
Dressage Do's and Don'ts
Dressage: Know your C’s
Training the transitions at Preliminary level
How do you achieve 'throughness' in early training?
How to easily improve your dressage test...and your score

Eventing

Exercises for the event horse
Training with Sam Griffiths
Trips from Andrew Hoy
The world’s current top ten eventing riders in pictures
National Eventing Rule Change

Showjumping

101 Jumping Exercises Part One
101 Jumping Exercises Part Two
BLOG: Out and about
Dutch are simply the best in Barcelona
Check out our gallery from the World Cup Qualifier

Vet

Equine Skin Disease
No hoof no horse
Equine Gastric Ulcer
Understanding the Sacroiliac Joint
Hendra issue still needles
LAMINITIS: “No Foot No Horse” Part 1
LAMINITIS: “No Foot No Horse” Part 2

Aussies fly the flag in Italy

By Adele Severs

The FEI World Championships for eventing are taking place at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, with the first horse inspection on 14 September. Australia has a strong squad that includes seasoned campaigners and exciting newcomers alike.

ANDREW HOY & VASSILY DE LASSOS

Andrew Hoy needs little introduction; the eight-time Olympian was a member of Australia’s recent silver medal winning team at Tokyo where he and Vassily de Lassos also claimed individual bronze. Andrew, who is based in the UK, has also attended six World Championships/World Equestrian Games (WEG): 1978 in Lexington and 1982 in Luhmühlen with Davey; 1990 in Stockholm with Kiwi; 2002 in Jerez de la Frontera with Moonfleet; 2006 in Aachen with Master Monarch; and 2018 in Tryon with Vassily de Lassos. He and Vassily – a 13-year-old Selle Français gelding (Jaguar Mail x Illusion Perdue, by Jalienny) owned by Paula and David Evans – were fourth on their dressage score at Tryon and will be aiming to finish on the podium in Pratoni. Vassily will be groomed at these World Championships by Clémentine Girardeau.

EQ LIFE: Pratoni will be your third major championship with Vassily. You were fourth at WEG Tryon in 2018, and third at the Tokyo Olympics last year, which were amazing results – do you think you can you go one (or two!) better this time around?

ANDREW: Vassily can definitely do it. It's where we set the base for the dressage, that's the thing that's quite likely to decide where we finish, because he has got a very consistent record of finishing on his dressage score. So who knows? We're working on it!

EQ LIFE: How is Vassily feeling – he had a great run to finish on his dressage score at Haras du Pin, not to mention great second-placings at Aachen and Marbach earlier this year?

ANDREW: Before this interview, I was out riding in a field alongside where Vassily is, and he was running and bucking and galloping and playing. He's feeling very well, he’s definitely in good order. Every horse is an athlete, the same as every rider is an athlete, and at any stage anything can happen – but all is good at this point.

I've been in the industry for so long now, it's just step by step, and day by day. It's not about getting in a panic because it's a championship, it's just another competition. I very much know the venue – it is a great venue – and so it's just a matter of day by day until we get there. And then throughout the competition, continuing on and executing our performances...