GOLD squad member Shane Rose and Virgil, pictured here at WEG, 2018.

© Michelle Terlato

Equestrian High Performance Weekly Update – 27th July, 2020

From the Equestrian High Performance team....

We hope you have all been keeping safe, well and healthy.

We continue to monitor the ever evolving Covid-19 situation and its impact on equestrian sport worldwide.

Domestically our riders continue to abide by the various State regulations regarding the restriction of movement and social activities, dependant on their location, whilst also remaining focussed on their goals and training ahead of a postponed Games in 2021. FEI competition continues to take place in Europe and the USA with many of our athletes producing fantastic results displaying top form and demonstrating that the unforseen Covid-19 pandemic has not hindered their dedication, training and desire to represent Australia at the Olympic Games.

Over the weekend we saw Australian dressage rider Simone Pearce break not one but two Australian records at the Achleiten CDI4* in Austria. Simone rode the black stallion Destano to record breaking scores in both the Grand Prix, with a score of 74.152%, and the Grand Prix Special, with a score of 74.617%. Previously Olympian Kristy Oatley and Du Soleil held both records with a Grand Prix score of 73.913% achieved in Budapest last year and 74.605% in the Grand Prix Special at the World Equestrian Games 2018. Equestrian High Performance would like to congratulate Simone and her team on their incredible results and we look forward to continuing the journey with them.

We are now officially less than one year away from the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. As we once again begin the countdown to the Games of the XXXII Olympiad we reflect on the hard work and dedication of all our athletes, support teams and staff who have ensured we remain prepared and focussed on achieving our Olympic goals and fielding the strongest possible Australian Equestrian Team in pursuit of podium success next year.

We have also received confirmation from the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) that in order to ensure the current suspension of Equestrian Australia (EA) has limited impact on our riders participating at the Tokyo Olympic Games they have amended the Olympic Team Nomination & Selection By-Laws. This means the AOC will have authority to Nominate and Select athletes to a team should EA be unable to do so. The AOC have stated this provides certainty that eligibility, nomination and subjective criteria have not changed and the process for selection and nomination is relatively safeguarded, ensuring our riders can continue with their Olympic preparations with confidence. Equestrian High Performance will continue to work closely with the AOC regarding the Selection Policies and the process and will share these with our stakeholders when they become available.

The High Performance National Driving Squads took part in their second virtual meeting last week since their inception in June this year. Behavioural Strategist Warren Kennaugh, who specialises in the development of elite athlete capability and who also works with the High Performance Program, hosted the virtual workshop. The drivers worked with Warren in analysing winning behaviours and also exploring factors that can derail a winning performance. The feedback regarding the workshop has been overwhelmingly positive with the drivers, who are based in Australia, UK, Europe and USA, feeling that the workshops have provided them with useful techniques and strategies to improve their own performance as well as feeling more engaged with the Program and other Squad drivers, in spite of the geographical distances.

As always the health and safety of our people and horses remain our highest priority as we work together as a united high performance community to navigate these unprecedented times.

We thank you all for your understanding and continued support and please feel free to contact the High Performance team directly if you have any questions or queries.

Source: Equestrian High Performance Team

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