Seventeen-year-old Australian Chloe Karsten secured double gold in the II2 division at the Virtus World Equestrian Dressage Championships, winning both the II2 Grade III Novice A (team) and II2 Grade III Intermediate B (individual) tests aboard Jack with scores of 67.81% and 68.01% respectively.
Karsten – who hails from Umina Beach on the Central Coast of NSW – was part of the silver medal winning Australian team. The Aussie team – which also included Catherine Viney riding Rambo, Bel Dabic riding Delilah, and Luke Purtill riding Rossi – produced a great result, with the top three team test scores combined recording a total of 208.56%. The gold medal went to the British team on 217.60%, while bronze went to Germany on 189.88%.
The Australian team’s efforts were impressive, with all riders on borrowed horses who they only met for the first time just days before the event began.
Seventeen-year-old Bel Dabic of Bunbury, WA and mare Delilah secured a silver medal in the II3 Grade IV Novice A (team) test on 70.5% and also placed fourth in the II3 Grade IV Intermediate A (individual) test on 70.13%.
Luke Purtill – another West Australian rider, from Serpentine – and horse Rossi were awarded a bronze medal in the II1 Grade IV Intermediate A (individual) test, scoring an impressive 69.67%. The pair were also fifth in the initial II1 Grade IV Novice A (team) test on 64.33%.
Catherine Viney placed fourth riding Rambo in the II1 Grade IV Novice A (team) with an impressive score of 70.25%, with the pair also placed fourth in the II1 Grade IV Intermediate A (individual) test on 68.40%.
Congratulations also to II1 riders Sarah Sherwood (Cosmo/Jack) and Andrew Driffield (Doodle), as well as II2 rider Sui Watts (Minty), and II3 rider Phoebe Roche (Finn), who all did Australia proud competing on the world stage.
