Equestrian Australia has announced the appointment of Brett Davey as the first Australian Dressage High Performance Manager. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a new era for Australian dressage.

Brett Davey has some really interesting qualifications to be the first Australian Dressage High Performance Manager, being Australian born and bred and having grown up with horses on the Australian scene.

At the young age of 14, Brett rode his first Prix St Georges test in 1998. That year also saw Brett become involved with the Sydney Royal Show stewarding. (He must have been the youngest steward ever at the Sydney Royal. Brett still follows this passion today, however, he is now Chief Steward in charge of all the Showjumping at the Sydney Royal.)

In 2000, Brett at 16 rode his first Grand Prix dressage test. He then went on to produce a number of FEI and Grand Prix dressage horses at a very young age. He was also an avid eventer and competed at Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Three-Day Events.

In 2014, Brett and his New Zealand fiancé, Andrea, made the big move to Germany where they based for three years. Andrea had a very promising Grand Prix dressage stallion and an outstanding young dressage horse, which they took with them. Both Brett and Andrea were based with Jonny Hilberath, who has been the national German Olympic dressage coach since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2018, Brett and Andrea returned to Australia to live and train horses and riders full-time. Well, almost full-time. Brett is now the managing director of the company Flaneur Equine, which specialises in importing great horse products from Germany that are not here in Australia. Their product range includes stables and stable fit-outs, showjumps, arena harrows, waterers, rubber matting, giant wheelbarrows, tack lockers on wheels and more, all of which are designed and made in Germany.

THE GERMAN EXPERIENCE

So, I caught up with Brett recently and asked him about his time in Germany with the German Olympic coach Jonny Hilberath, especially with a view to the high performance ambitions of we Australians. Brett says that he went to Germany expecting to see what the Germans really did to perform such outstanding dressage in the Grand Prix arena. He says that, in all honesty, he had expected to observe German training techniques that were a little different to what we in Australia pursued; he expected to see things that were not common knowledge.

After three years there, Brett says that in terms of doing things differently to us here in Australia, there was nothing. Just nothing. Jonny Hilberath, at the top of German coaching with the best riders in the world, did nothing other than just plain, correct training. Jonny Hilberath says: “There is no substitute for correct training,” end of story!

Brett went on to say that watching the best German riders and the best German horses in the world being coached was a wonderful experience. He feels that the Germans are very professional in the way they conduct themselves and the way they do their day-to-day training and the way they prepare themselves for competitions. They are very professional.

Brett says his experiences with Jonny Hilberath also gave him a broad understanding of the equestrian industry in Germany from the breeding aspect, to the sales aspect, to the auction aspect, to the local shows and competitions, right up to the big German shows which are the biggest in the world. This German awareness of excellence in all things horses, including the coaching and training, is what produces Olympic gold medals.

NEW ROLE

As of June 2021, Brett has been appointed EA’s Dressage High Performance Manager. So, my next question to Brett is what is his vision for Australia and what are the first steps. Brett immediately calls himself a “face to face person” and that he is about to go on the road and talk face to face to as many stakeholders as he possibly can. His immediate mission is to try and get a big picture, both good and bad, of where everyone in Australia who is interested in High Performance stands at the moment. So I ask him who does he consider to be a serious stakeholder in the journey forward for an Australian Dressage High Performance Programme.

Brett feels that the obvious first point of call will be the current competition dressage riders in Australia. And this includes the elite riders, the emerging riders and a particular emphasis on the young rider. For me this is quite significant in that the elite riders have been those hardy Australian souls who have, one way or another, climbed the ladder to Grand Prix and jolly well performed against all the Australian odds of distance and very few instructors and horses that until recently were not bred for the job and competitions being few and far between and very little EA support.

The Australian elite riders have done it tough and are now older. Sure, those that have survived are now recognised as the Australian Grand Prix riders, however, they have found their way to this top level through hard work and by using their own resources.

In my opinion there has been no High Performance Programme available to our top riders to help. It’s been a lonely journey. There has always been EA High Performance Management for Australian teams in organising transport and horse and human vaccinations and accommodation and plane bookings and competition transport to and from overseas countries. This, indeed, has been a tremendous help in my opinion, however, High Performance Management is very different to a High Performance Programme.

A FIRST FOR AUSTRALIA

So, with Brett interested in the emerging riders and the young riders and putting together pathways, this is indeed a first for Australia. Brett does feel he has some unique and exciting new ideas, especially for the emerging and young riders going forward, so exciting times ahead.

• Brett has high on his list of important stakeholders the EA National Dressage Committee, which ultimately is responsible for rules and policy and programmes.
• Brett feels that currently the stakeholders, including organising committees and state bodies of dressage competitions, are in actual fact doing a great job. Brett is keen to talk to these people with a view to understanding the difficulties they face and whether the High Performance Programme can lend support to this aspect.
• The National Selection Panel, which is the Australian selectors, are of course a stakeholder and an integral part of the High Performance Programme, and so Brett will be having in-depth discussion with these people.
• In some states there are indeed High Performance Programmes to a greater or lesser extent already operating. Brett is very keen to understand how these states are operating and to try and make sure that the national High Performance Programme supports these pre-existing programmes.
• The Australian dressage judges are considered very important stakeholders and Brett will be endeavouring to talk and listen to as many Australian dressage judges as possible.
• Brett feels that there are other bodies out there as well as individuals who have thoughts and information to offer in terms of getting a High Performance Programme on the Australian road. Brett actively encourages these people to initiate contact with him so that he can meet them and listen to what they think are important considerations. This in my opinion is the beginning and the moment where anyone with something to offer needs to make an effort to contact Brett through email or phone.
• Brett is very keen to, right from the start, create pathways for emerging Australian dressage riders and young dressage riders.

In closing, Brett voiced his opinion that he thinks that our Australian horses are as genetically good as anything in Germany. Brett is also of the opinion that our horses are not just genetically advanced but also have as much potential as any dressage horse anywhere in the world. Brett feels that the Australians right now are proving that they can produce good Grand Prix horses. Brett feels that we now need to learn how to make great Grand Prix horses.

For me, just the voicing of these opinions and the enthusiasm to go with it is very exciting. Good luck, Brett!

Cheers,

Heath EQ

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