Is it really almost four years since the World Equestrian Games in Tryon? Hard to believe, perhaps blame it on the pandemic blur. But yes, our best rider and horse combinations are now into the home stretch of qualifying for the 2022 FEI World Championships in Denmark.
While we hunker down ahead of our winter, the good people of Herning in provincial Denmark are gearing up to host the World Championships at the height of their summer. Herning, pop. 50,000+, will host the Dressage, Jumping, Para-Equestrian and Vaulting championships from 6-14 August, with the Driving and Eventing Championships to be staged in Pratoni, Italy, a month later.
The separation of disciplines to different venues has come about largely because the equestrian world has become too big for its riding boots. We have outgrown the number of single venues that can smoothly stage all the disciplines at once. Hence the FEI is experimenting with different formats so that more venues can become involved.
Herning will be a qualifier for the Paris Olympics, so it is paramount Australian fields strong teams. Heath Ryan is as close a follower of international-level team selection as anyone – and he thinks there is room for improvement in the process, to put it mildly. Agree or disagree, his assessment of the leading dressage contenders and the hoops they must go through is compelling reading.
Equally compelling is the competition for the Para Dressage team. Many of the leading aspirants were in force at the Australian Para Dressage Champs at Boneo Park last month for the long-awaited return to international level competition here. Adele Severs introduces us to some of qualifiers in with a chance to represent Australia.
Meanwhile, a stunning performance in the Grand Prix CDI3* Freestyle at Sydney CD-Lite gave Kiwi Gaylene Lennard a ticket to Herning that she hadn’t even factored in. It was her first offshore outing with her assertive black gelding, Jax Johnson, unexpectedly earning their second MER with a record 76.875%. Gaylene is still catching her breath as she tells us whether she and Jax will book a flight to Herning or not. What a dilemma!
Someone who knows all about flying horses is Roz Tippett. A woman who opened many doors for West Australian dressage riders, Roz opens up about her adventures, travails and victories in a remarkable career that is still going strong. Appropriately, Roger Fitzhardinge, an acquaintance of hers from their WA stamping grounds, brings us her story.
Back east at Willinga Park, they’re fastening their seatbelts for the fourth World Championship Gold Buckle Campdraft, a spectacle that elevates this uniquely Australian horse sport to where it belongs. Share in the excitement by checking in with Adele’s report, her interview with Terry Snow and Troy Palmer, and our live streaming of the lavish event. Equally exciting and requiring similar “cow smarts” is the sport of cutting. Amanda Young brings us up to speed with Ashleigh Meagher, a young woman from Ballarat who is smashing the record books with her little family horse, Magicool.
As always in your free monthly magazine, keep up to date with our Training, Lifestyle and Health sections: Kerry Mack demystifies training the half-pass, Michael Baker deconstructs the language of dressage, Bernard Bale talks to Julia Roberts about her love of riding, and Suzy Jarratt takes us behind the scenes of International Velvet. Veterinarian Maxine Brain looks at sinusitis in horses, the nutritionists at Hygain explain the importance of acid buffers in a horse’s diet, while sport horse breeders will be fascinated by the science behind Equilume’s products.
Enough from me, please enjoy all your riding and reading with us. EQ
Robert McKay AM
Contributors
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HEATH RYANNational equestrian personality, international dressage and eventing rider, Olympian, judge, coach and breeder, Heath is never backward in offering his unique insights into the sport and industry.
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ROGER FITZHARDINGEAs a judge, coach, competitor and commentator, Roger’s passion to tell the real stories behind the horses and horse people shines through in his unique brand of equestrian photojournalism.
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DR KERRY MACKGrand Prix dressage rider, coach and Mayfield Farm stud principal, Kerry draws on her learning as a qualified psychiatrist to approach training from the cerebral perspective as well as the physical.
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DR MAXINE BRAINDr Maxine Brain is an equine vet dedicated to achieving optimal equine health and performance with her team at Kilmore Equine Clinic, which she founded.
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SUZY JARRATTSuzy has a rich background in newspaper journalism and radio broadcasting in NSW and nationally, and last year won an international award for equestrian journalism.
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ELLI BIRCHBased in Essex in the UK, Elli Birch of Boots and Hooves Photography has covered prestigious equestrian events and country sports around the world.
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AMANDA YOUNGHaving previously competed to FEI level in eventing, Amanda Young is now involved in both English and Western disciplines as a competitor, breeder and journalist.
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New Zealander Gaylene Lennard and her black gelding Jax Johnson scored a record 76.875% in the Freestyle at the Sydney CD-Lite to notch up their second MER for the FEI World Championships.
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