Today we saw a large array of horse and rider combinations take to the arena – some new, some experienced campaigners – but all absolutely thrilled to be competing at such a prestigious event.
The first thing I’d like to comment on is that several combinations received scores in the Grand Prix A test that will count towards the competition criteria section of Australia’s FEI World Championship selection policy (i.e. combinations need to “achieve a total percentage score of 67% or above in a Grand Prix Test A or Grand Prix Test B in at least two CPEDI3* events between 1 October 2025 and 15 June 2026”).
This is a huge achievement, and all involved should be so incredibly proud. All of the below combinations (bar one, who had not yet been reclassified) are adding to qualifying scores already gained at the Boneo Park CPEDI.
These riders include:
Bridget Murphy and Penmain Promise (67.414%)
Kylie Christian and Ivan Carlos (67.764%)
Claire Graham and Furst Olli 3 (69.889%)
Lisa Martin and Vilaggio (72.906%)
Mietta Innes-Irons and Sir Helmut (68.889%)
Some of the stand-out performances in my eyes were Lisa Martin and Vilaggio, who produced the highest score across all CPEDI3* classes with a massive 72.906%. The pair produced a harmonious test that was extremely accurate (no surprises there from the ever-experienced Lisa).
Claire Graham rode such a wonderful test on her extremely kind and quiet stallion, Furst Olli 3. He has the most genuine demeanour, but with such incredible presence. His paces and cadence I truly cannot fault. The picture produced by this combination is what all riders aspire to achieve – effortless, powerful, accurate.
Winners from today’s classes include:
CPEDI2* Para Intermediate A II – Kate Nipperess riding Dame Remi Wolverine
CPEDI2* Para Intermediate A III – Danielle Loizou and BML Jack Sparrow
CPEDI2* Para Intermediate A IV – Sarah Sherwood and Dicavalli Royal Guess
CPEDI2* Para Intermediate A V – Heidi Ford and Rikaardt H
CPEDI3* Para Grand Prix A II – Bridget Murphy and Penmain Promise
CPEDI3* Para Grand Prix A III – Claire Graham and Furst Olli 3
CPEDI3* Para Grand Prix A IV – Dianne Barnes and Tjibbe B
CPEDI3* Para Grand Prix A V – Lisa Martin and Vilaggio
II1 Virtus – Isabella Parisi and Coolinda Park Adasha Flazh
II3 Virtus – Grace Murphy-Ryan and Pemberton Show Bizz
If I’m giving my genuine and honest feedback from day one of competition, the results in general were perhaps a tiny bit lower than what I might have anticipated and if directly compared to the first of the FEI World Championship qualifying events at Boneo Park, the scores on average were perhaps not as strong.
In saying that, no two events are the same, and there were a number of external factors that appeared to impact today’s results.
The weather at Willinga hasn’t exactly been ideal, especially during the first half of the day for Grade I, II and III riders, with fairly constant drizzle throughout the morning. I do think this led to some minor issues and possibly caused a handful of horses to back off slightly.
Headsets weren’t working for test callers, stirrups were lost mid tests, the skies opened up for others. However, although these things may have caused slight hiccups for certain riders, everyone still had huge smiles on their faces at the end of the day, and this is what I SO love to see. Yes, sometimes things don’t go to plan, and sometimes external factors can have a negative impact but ultimately, we are so fortunate to be here doing what we love and that’s the most important thing. There was still a huge amount of promise shown and the depth of Australian para dressage is exciting.
I said it during my experiences at Boneo last year, and I’ll say it again now: the extreme effort it takes to get a horse safe and sound to a venue, let alone in the arena and performing well, is so incredibly huge and definitely no small feat.
A massive congratulations to all competitors who rode today, and to the incredible support people here helping make all this happen.
Good luck to everyone as they head down the centreline again tomorrow!
