Images supplied by Jenny Carroll and the Australian Virtus team.
The Australian team has settled in to their accommodation around Winchester in the UK and is preparing for the first day of competition at the inaugural Virtus Open European Equestrian Championships at Sparsholt College.
The team of eight includes Chloe Karstens (NSW), Phoebe Roche (VIC), Catherine Viney (SA), Andrew Driffield (NSW), Luke Purtill (WA), Bel Dabic (WA), Sui Watts (NSW), and Sarah Sherwood (QLD).
You can read more about each rider here.
Just like the 2023 gold-medal winning Australian Virtus Global Games team (Andrew Driffield, Sui Watts and Sarah Sherwood), this European Championship team will ride borrowed horses at the event.
Sarah Sherwood has been partnered with Jack for the Virtus Open European Equestrian Championships.
For this competition, only the Great Britain team are riding their own horses, while riders from Australia, Germany, Spain and France are on borrowed horses.
The support team trialled borrowed horses for the athletes on Monday and Tuesday, and then the athletes having been getting to know their new equine partners on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Australian riders have been paired with the following horses:
II1:
Chloe Karsten: Gunner
Catherine Viney: Delilah
Andrew Driffield: Clarke
Luke Purtill: Max
Sarah Sherwood: Jack
II3:
Phoebe Roche: Eddie
Bel Dabic: Tommy
II2:
Sui Watts: Apollo
Sui Watts and Apollo.
Wednesday saw the fitness inspection and Opening Ceremony, where Andrew Driffield was awarded the honour of taking the Athletes’ Oath on behalf of all competitors.
Catherine Viney and Delilah complete the trot up.
Competition is scheduled for Thursday for the Team event (everyone will ride the Team test, but only those countries with at least three riders will be compete for the Team awards). Teams can include three or four riders, but with only two riders in any one grade (the Virtus grades being II1, II2, and II3). The Australian team will be Andrew Driffield (II1), Sarah Sherwood (II1), Sui Watts (II2), and Phoebe Roche (II3). Friday will see the Individual classes take place.
The athletes are supported at this event by chef d’equipe Jenny Carroll, head coach Mary Longden (Vic), head of athlete support Rachael Frechette and stable manager/rider Esther Cruickshank (SA). Coaches Jess Somerfield (NSW), Kathy Angel (SA), Prue Carleton-Carlos (VIC), and Charlie Waterman (NSW) have been busy trialling the borrowed horses and helping to ensure our athletes find suitable matches. The team is also lucky to have Sharon Jarvis (Paris Paralympic Australian team reserve) able to support our WA riders Bel Dabic and Luke Purtill.
Coaches Kathy Angel, Esther Cruickshank, Jess Somerfield, Prue Carleton-Carlos, Charlie Waterman, and Sharon Jarvis.
Sharon Jarvis and Luke Purtill.
The event is organised by Virtus in partnership with Sparsholt College Equestrian Centre. Sparsholt offers training in a range of tertiary education qualifications including and extensive Equestrian program; they regularly host competitions at their equestrian centre that includes outdoor and indoor arenas and stabling for 66 horses.
Go team Australia!
World leaders
Australia is a world leader when it comes to Virtus Equestrian. Not only are we the reigning Global Games champions, but Aussie athletes cleaned up at the recent May video competition.
Australia was the first country world-wide to offer live Virtus competition in 2022. In 2024, live Virtus competitions have been run conjunction with some of the major Para Dressage (CPEDI) events at Willinga Park, Boneo Park and Hawkesbury Dressage Festival – providing the global Virtus Equestrian movement with a blueprint for how the program can be successfully integrated. The class numbers have grown with each event, so watch this space!
We wish our Virtus team competing at the Virtus Open European Equestrian Championships the very best of luck, and we look forward to sharing their results.
Please note that unfortunately there will not be livestreaming of the championships, so please don’t get tricked into signing-up for any subscription services.
