Lewis Newton, a young rider on the rise, with his lovely horse Ferdi.
© SWD Images
By Equestrian Life
A young dressage rider from Western Australia, Lewis Newton works as a groom and rider for Clemens, Judy and Daniella Dierks in NSW and is competing his first FEI level horse — Ferdinand MD, aka Ferdi.
Lewis, who began riding aged four and received a pony named Thumbellina for his fifth birthday, went from Preliminary level to Advanced in just a few short months with Ferdi, and is currently aiming for FEI Young Rider classes. We caught up with this young star to find out more about highlights thus far, his plans for the future, and how he manages his FEI dressage horse…
EQ LIFE: You’re relatively new to the world of FEI dressage — what are some of your biggest highlights to date?
LEWIS: Riding at FEI level is an ongoing highlight, I think, as well as having the opportunity to train with Matthew Dowsley and now the Dierks family. My first ever dressage test was at Advanced level – I’m held to a very high standard by my trainers and they are incredibly supportive.
Also going from Preliminary to Advance in only a few short months and to qualify for the Australian Youth Championships in 2016 were highlights.
As a groom I have had lots of highlights, which include grooming the Champion of Champions Young Horse at Dressage and Jumping with the Stars 2016, as well as many champions at the New South Wales Dressage Championships and National Dressage Championships.
EQ LIFE: Riding your first ever test at Advanced level — and then competing at the 2016 Australian Youth Dressage Championships as your fourth ever test — must have been quite an experience. Remembering an Advanced test is tough enough for riders who have spent years riding simpler tests beforehand… how did you prepare for this?
LEWIS: I have a very good support team behind me. I have daily training from top coaches and I get to learn on very nice horses. I watch a lot of other riders riding the same tests on YouTube too see what areas I might find difficult so I can practise this at home. I try to practise as much as I can on as many horses as I can. I rode a lot of the movements from my tests on other horses at home. I visualise how I’m going to ride the test the week prior. In between tests, I find it very helpful to walk the test or draw it on a piece of paper. I always stress that I’m going to turn the wrong way at C!
Lewis and Ferdi in the competition arena.
© Rodneys Photography
EQ LIFE: Managing FEI dressage horses is a fine art! How do you keep Ferdi looking and feeling his best?
LEWIS: Dressage horses need to be able to carry out the all of movements to the best of their abilities without being too hot to focus. It’s all about balance and having the horses at their peak for the competitions. I want my horse to have a good amount of condition, healthy skin and a good coat. A good simple diet is always best and can be supplemented with a vitamin, mineral and amino acid supplement — such as Virbac’s Feramo with Chromium.
Dressage horses work very hard and the work can be quite straining on the muscles, and therefore ice boots are at the top of my tack-room essentials. For better recovery time after intense training, a vitamin E supplement can help prevent muscle stiffness and tying up — I use Virbac’s White-E.
EQ LIFE: What are your goals for the next couple of years?
LEWIS: I’m qualified for the NSW Youth Championships in June, and I’m confident that we’ll be in top shape and ready to go. Later on in the year we will compete at the NSW State Championships, the National Championships and also the Aachen Challenge at the Dressage Festival. Further down the track I’d like to start in Grand Prix and maybe even take a run at Tokyo 2020!
I would also like to start coaching more and taking on some of my own clients in the near future.
My partner and I have a very exciting young KWPN stallion (Chamuer/Lancet) “Keep Sake”. He is currently three years old and we will be campaigning him as a young horse for next year’s Dressage and Jumping with the Stars.
EQ LIFE: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you, and what advice would you give to other young riders starting out in the sport?
LEWIS: The best advice I’ve been given is that you can learn something from everyone. Horses are such complex creatures, and there are so many admirable people in the sport doing their best and sharing their knowledge. In terms of my advice for young riders, I would say that anything is possible if you are willing to work hard for it – and to seize every opportunity to learn and grow!
