Shane Rose and Virgil, pictured here at the Tokyo Olympics where they were part of the silver medal winning Australian team. Image by Dirk Caremans - Hippo Foto.
Four major championship teams, 16 international wins, and one unshakable bond. The partnership between Shane Rose and Virgil will forever be part of Australian eventing history. With the announcement of the 19-year-old’s retirement to babysitting duties, we celebrate a truly incredible career.
The story of Virgil begins with a Thoroughbred mare name North Pole, by Distinctly North out of Rose Gold, who was purchased off the track at age four by Michelle Hasibar. North Pole was nothing special to look at and seemed a little sore from racing, so Michelle decided to give her three months off to readjust. It was one night “thinking mad thoughts” that Michelle pondered breeding from the mare.
Virgil as a foal. Image supplied.
“It was a rush of blood idea…”
Wanting to breed her own Olympic eventing hero, Michelle phoned the Chuggs and after some discussion selected their wonderful Vivant – the stallion with whom Chris Chugg had immense competition success, and who sadly passed away last year.
“In hindsight I knew nothing of breeding,” Michelle told Equestrian Life in August 2021. “It was a rush of blood idea and if I’d waited a few weeks maybe I would have been more thoughtful and not put her in foal.”
Michelle well remembers the day that foal was born. “It was around foaling time, and I noticed one morning that the mare looked a bit agitated, so I went to investigate. There on the opposite side of the fence was a tall and very leggy foal perched on the edge of the dam. He demanded attention from the day he was born. Trying to manoeuvre that leggy, strong foal back under the fence was a feat, I have to say!”
‘VIRGIL TRACY’
Michelle said she had used up a lot of “V” names on previous horses and now having to name this foal wasn’t easy. “I wanted Vern, and Virgil was second choice. Virgil Tracy is a character from the Thunderbirds Are Go! television series. He was the pilot of Thunderbird 2 and was dubbed ‘The Peacemaker’ of International Rescue. Virgil won the name over the Footrots cartoon character Vern.”
Everyone who saw Virgil immediately commented on his presence. He never really went through the ugly duckling stage and was broken in at the age of three by Adam Sutton. It wasn’t long before Michelle was riding him with confidence and took to him to a one-day event simply to “show him around”. He was well-noticed, and two students of Chris Burton apparently told him he needed to buy him. Burto let it go and so the continued schooling of Virgil went on.
“I took him to SIEC again for a look around and there was a tiny – and I mean tiny – step down from a grassed area to another area and he decided he could not step down it. I wasn’t giving up and Sam Lyle went past on his first horse to go cross country… by the time he passed on the third horse of his to compete, I was still there. I eventually won the battle of the wills and continued on. When I started to jump him in 80cm classes he was jumping them as if they were 1.20m fences. It was pretty amazing and the showjumpers were interested.
Virgil showing off at Goulburn Three-Day (old three star level). Image supplied.
“I took him around to Shane Rose’s for an outing and, after I had ridden him all over the place (past Shane several times who was on the bobcat) I asked what he thought. In true Shane style, he said he never noticed him. When Shane is on a mission he is not distracted, not even by my great horse Virgil! I asked if he was interested in looking as I was needing to probably sell him as I needed some money to buy [daughter] ‘Buster’ a decent pony, so I took him over.”
“I thought it was a fluke, so I
went and jumped another…”
Shane recalls the first fence he jumped with the horse that would go on to partner with him at two Olympic Games and two World Championships.
“The first time I sat on him, I went and jumped one fence… I thought it was a fluke, so I went and jumped another. I then basically rang Michelle and said, ‘I’ll buy him, however much he is!’” laughs Shane. “He was pretty good from the first time I sat on him.”
And so Shane and wife Niki purchased Virgil, with Michelle retaining a share in him.
NURTURING THE DREAM
Michelle always believed in Virgil’s potential and she and Shane nurtured the dream as he continued to succeed. His first overseas jaunt was to the eight and nine-year-old Young Event Horse Championships in Blenheim and then on to the test event for the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen. He then had a minor injury playing the hero in the paddock and had a spell back in Australia.
Shane and Virgil on their way to second place at Adelaide in 2015. Image by Jenelle Christopher.
In 2015, Virgil competed at Adelaide Three-Day Event and finished second on his dressage score where Shane won with CP Qualified. In 2016 he was the travelling reserve for the Rio Olympics, with Shane and CP Qualified making the team.
Following Rio, Shane returned to England and with Virgil, CP Qualified and Shanghai Joe, he based at Sam Griffiths’ yard. Shane and Virgil competed at Burghley CCI4* (now CCI5*L) where the cross country going was spongy and he started to over-jump fences a little; despite this and incurring 11 penalties for a frangible pin, he still finished a credible 16th.
There was no real reason to bring Virgil back home and so he stayed there and learnt about coping with the varying terrains that were on offer outside of Australia’s often hard, drought-affected tracks. Shane and Virgil stayed at Sam’s for around 16 months and competed at Luhmühlen CCI4* (now CCI5*L) where they finished seventh on their dressage score. They then competed at the Blair Castle leg of the Event Rider Masters series (CIC3*, now CCI4*S), gaining a good win under their belt. It was time to return home.
FIRST MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP
With the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA on the horizon, Shane hoped to make the Australian team with Virgil. He spent time back in Australia training Virgil and ticking him over; the gelding knew his job well and just needed to stay in condition in preparation for Tryon.
“Shane and Virgil were
selected on the team…”
Shane and Virgil at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
Shane and Virgil were selected on the team and the trip to Tryon was tiring and long, having to go on a milk run, so to speak, ending up in the UK before going on to the USA. Virgil was a good traveller, but being tall and somewhat cramped on the long trip, he didn’t recover as quickly as he could have. Tryon was good for him except for a tiny mistake at a skinny fence on cross country, where he just didn’t get focused and ran past it. This lapse was costly and had he not had that minor misjudgement he may have finished fourth overall.
It was back to Australia and time to regroup and work towards getting on the team for the Olympics in Tokyo. Shane decided a trip to Pau CCI5* in France was the best option, and so off they went on a three-week quest to get a performance there for Tokyo team selection.
Getting to Pau in the French Pyrenees in October 2019 was a logistical nightmare and again a milk run, going all over the shop and having to wait while others competed at Le Lion d’Angers Young Event Horse Championships. It was all worth it and it was a great performance at Pau, with Shane and Virgil finishing third on 34.6. It was a serious qualifier and had to carry some weight in the eyes of the selectors.
TOKYO OLYMPICS
Covid brought a stop to the world and eventing in Australia. The Tokyo Olympics seemed like an impossibility, but Shane kept the fire burning and stayed positive with Virgil throughout the year. The determination by Japan to ensure the Olympics went ahead saw Shane and Virgil on the squad for the Olympics and training continued. With the unfortunate scratching of team-mate Stuart Tinney’s Celebration, it was time for Virgil to step up and deliver. He certainly ticked all the boxes. He was a seasoned campaigner, he had the new test with four flying changes under good control, he was fit and healthy and sound, his cross country training and confidence were at an all-time high, and he was experienced on all terrains.
He was always a great and careful show jumper; in fact, Virgil had not had a rail down in eventing for many competitions and was rated by Equiratings as the second-best showjumping horse in eventing at Tokyo behind Toledo de Kerser (the horse that ultimately gained team gold and individual silver with Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and, interestingly, was produced as a five-year-old by Sammi Birch).
Virgil was a competent traveller having flown around the world several times over, so his bags were packed and he was off to the Olympics. Thanks to Covid-19, the excitement associated with owner’s rights and all the fun of catching up with her eventing friends that were like family was not going to happen for Michelle; she was going to watch her wonderful horse from her house in lockdown with her dogs by her side and not even friends around to celebrate!
Shane and Virgil on their way to a team silver medal and individual 12th place at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Image by FEI/Christophe Taniére.
Shane and Virgil were the highest placed Australian combination at the 2022 FEI World Championships in Pratoni, Italy. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
“Shane and Virgil walked
away from Tokyo with a
team silver medal…”
As we now know, Shane and Virgil walked away from Tokyo with a team silver medal alongside teammates Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos, and Kevin McNab with Don Quidam. Shane and Virgil finished on a score of 35.7 to place an incredible 12th individually.
Their next team appearance came at the 2022 FEI World Championships in Pratoni, Italy, where unfortunately the Australian team did not have the event they had hoped for. However, showing incredible consistency, Shane and Virgil still finished the highest of the Aussies in a very credible 13th place individually.
NOT QUITE READY TO RETIRE
Just shy of his 18th birthday, one of Virgil’s best performances was yet to come. At Adelaide Equestrian Festival in 2023, Virgil became the oldest horse ever to win a five-star event, produced the first sub-30 finish ever seen in the CCI5*L at Adelaide, and recorded his own lowest-ever finishing score at the level.
Shane says that along with their performance at Tokyo, Adelaide was one of their major career highlights.
Shane and Virgil won the CCI5*L at Adelaide Equestrian Festival in 2023. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
“Whenever you win an Olympic silver medal, that’s pretty impressive,” laughs Shane. “But Adelaide in 2023… to be able to do that and finish on that score at nearly 18 years of age was pretty amazing.”
From there, it was a win in the CCI4*S at the 2024 Land Rover Horse of the Year in New Zealand before Virgil was named on the Australian team for the Paris Olympics.
As we now know, Shane’s lead-up to Paris couldn’t have been more eventful. In March 2024, he suffered a horrific fall that left him in hospital with 19 separate fractures and a severe concussion; four months later, he became a four-time Olympian and Virgil completed his second Games. The pair made the individual jumping final and finished an impressive 20th overall on 41.8.
For Shane, having a horse like Virgil to get back on after such a serious accident was invaluable – but at the time, his focus was firmly fixed on Paris.
Shane and Virgil competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
“It’s more a hindsight thing,” he says. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I was just getting back on the old boy. I knew a fair bit about what he was going to do and what his reactions were going to be. It was more when I started getting back on some other horses after Paris, I realised, ‘Oh wow, there’s a lot more to think about!’
“The thing with Virgil was I had such a good relationship with him, I knew everything he’d do before he’d do it. He’s pretty predictable and I was always pretty comfortable and confident on him. He’s the best jumping horse I have ridden; that gave me a lot of confidence when I got back on him, and so because of that I didn’t think about it… which probably says everything. I didn’t have to think about what I was doing, just how I was going about doing it.”
JUMPING PROWESS
When Shane says Virgil is the best jumping horse he’s ever ridden, he’s not kidding. Not only did the gelding compete – and win – at five-star level eventing, but in 2023 he also jumped around the World Cup track at Waratah Showjumping in Sydney as well as the Grand Prix at Willinga Park.
Shane and Virgil competing in the Willinga Park Grand Prix in 2023. Image by Elegant Exposures (Liv Salkeld).
“I don’t think there’d be many horses, if any, who have a five-star eventing completion and a World Cup showjumping round to their name in the FEI database,” grins Shane. “Virgil found jumping pretty easy, so he was able to run and jump and do it within himself. I guess that’s why he stayed so competitive for so long… he was never at maximum capacity eventing and so he was able to better look after his body compared to a horse going at full revs all the time. Anything going at full revs, it’s more likely things will break. When you’re just idling along, doing things within yourself like he was… it promotes longevity. The fact that he was such a good jumper meant he never really worried about anything jumping-wise, he was doing it comfortably. And that always made things easier for us!”
Virgil finished his career with an Australian record 16 international wins from 45 starts, four major championship appearances – and the hearts of not only Shane and Niki Rose, Michelle Hasibar and others close to him, but the entire Australian equestrian community.
Shane and Virgil, pictured here at the Tokyo Olympics, share a special bond. Image by FEI/Libby Law Photography.
“I’ve just been lucky
to have him.”
“I think he’s starting to like his job now,” says Shane of Virgil’s latest role babysitting young horses. “Some of the youngsters that were in the paddock with him came back into work the other day. They were coming in out of the paddock, and he was trying to figure out what was going on. But he’s settled into it, and I think he’s enjoying looking after them – although apparently he’s tried to escape a few times!”
So far, Shane hasn’t hopped back on for a quiet ride – but he hasn’t ruled it out down the track. “At the moment we’re just giving him time and space. I have thought about doing something like that occasionally, maybe one day. He’s been a pretty good old boy, and I’ve just been lucky to have him.”
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