With the FEI World Championships for para dressage just around the corner, the race for team selection is well and truly underway. We catch up with competitors from the Para Nationals – the first of three Australian-based observation events – to find out more about some of the key contenders.

Held as part of the Leader Equine Dressage Spectacular and run by the team at Carlton Performance Horses, the Australian Para Dressage Championships took place from 7-10 April at Boneo Park on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and saw national titles decided across the five grades.

It was a welcome return to international level (CPEDI3*) competition in Australia after a lengthy pandemic-induced break, and with the FEI World Championships for para dressage taking place from 10-14 August in Herning, Denmark, riders vying for selection were keen to put their best foot forward. It has been a long time coming to get international judges into the country, with the event welcoming New Zealand’s Mura Love and the USA’s Christel Clarkson to the judging panel alongside Western Australia’s Wendy Barker.

To compete at the FEI World Championships, combinations must achieve a Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) score of 62% in the Team or Individual Test at a CPEDI3* or above during the qualification period; this is a qualification requirement set by the FEI. In addition, Australia’s own selection criteria requires combinations to provide two Team and two Individual test scores (where scores of 70% are of particular interest) from selected observation events this year. In Australia, the ‘Para Nationals’ signalled the first of these events, followed by the recent Sydney CD-Lite and later the Boneo CPEDI3* (9-12 June), while overseas riders can use any CPEDI3* shows as discussed with the Para Equestrian High Performance Manager.

Following the Para Nationals, we caught up with a number of new faces – or in some cases, familiar faces with new equine partners – to find out more about their road to the Para Nationals and what now lies ahead with not only Herning but also the 2024 Paris Paralympics on the horizon.

MARNIE CLAPHAM & CHERRYMOUNT RHETORIK (GRADE I CHAMPION)

Grade I rider Marnie Clapham is no stranger to international level competition, having competed previously with Freedom Spyda and Frantonio, however, the Para Nationals marked her first CPEDI with Cherrymount Rhetorik – a 17-year-old gelding by Rituel out of Scarlett II (Lucano), owned by Elizabeth Watkins.

“I was very happy with our first CPEDI as a partnership. ‘Henry’ and I have been building on our communication and I was so happy he listened to me and tried his best. Our scores were good considering our lack of competition experience together, but also the lack of competition over the last two years for both of us,” says Marnie.

Marnie and Henry were crowned Grade I champions following their wins in the Individual and Freestyle tests with scores of 63.333% and 65%, and also a second place in the Team test on 64.286%. Their scores meant they ticked the FEI MER box in terms of World Championship qualification.

Marnie began riding when she was five years old, explaining that her mum would lead her around on her stock horse. “I fell in love with horses and got my first pony at seven years old. I have loved training and developing a great partnership. At 10 years old I qualified for the State Young Rider Championships on my six-year-old pony that I had trained myself from a three-year-old.”

Marnie became involved in para dressage in 2016 following a major brain haemorrhage two years earlier, whereby she spent 15 months in the Brain Injury Unit at Westmead Hospital, Sydney. “I was a national-level young rider before my brain haemorrhage and never thought I could return to riding. As a Grade I rider, my disability is both physical and cognitive. My brain haemorrhage resulted in major damage to the balance and coordination centre of my brain and also my memory. I have very little short-term memory,” she explains.

“Every ride is a blessing. I have been competing in FEI competitions since 2019, however, I had two years off from January 2020 after my beautiful lease horse I was riding, Freedom Spyda – owned by fellow para rider Anne Skinner – sustained a major injury,” says Marnie.

Marnie’s partnership with Cherrymount Rhetorik, aka Henry, came about through her membership with Equine Pathways Australia (EPA), a not-for-profit organisation founded by Julia Battams. “Julia offered me the opportunity to have a ride on a new lease horse when Spyda was injured in 2020. Henry was leased to EPA a few years ago by Liz Watkins from WA and is a real favourite in the EPA program. I had a couple of rides when Henry first arrived, but felt he was too big for me.

“However, Julia encouraged me to try him again about six weeks ago and I felt ecstatic. I loved that he tried the whole lesson and really wanted to listen to me. I have loved riding him since. Henry is a talented horse and has competed at a high level, however his favourite pace is walking. He is a bit quirky and loves all things sweet,” adds Marnie, who says her goals this year are to improve her scores with Henry and hopefully gain World Championship selection.

JOANN FORMOSA & LUCIFERS LOVELIGHT (GRADE II RUNNER-UP)

London 2012 Paralympic gold medallist Joann Formosa needs little introduction, however her new equine partner, Lucifers Lovelight, is new to the world of para dressage. Joann and the eight-year-old mare, by Diamond Hit out of Lucifers Lynx (Gullet) and owned by David Bean and Janelle Bean-Thornton, were the Grade II runners-up at the Para Nationals – and Joann describes her first CPEDI event with her as “fantastic”. They finished second in both the Team and Individual tests with scores of 66.566% and 66.617%, ticking the FEI MER box in the process, and winning the Freestyle on 67.989%.

KELLY FFROST & HIGHFIELD LUDA DIJON (GRADE III CHAMPION)

Kelly Ffrost was a name new to most at the Para Nationals, and together with Highfield Luda Dijon she was named Grade III champion after winning the Team, Individual and Freestyle tests with scores of 62.647%, 61.470% and 65.723% – her Team test score giving her an FEI MER.

It was Kelly’s very first CPEDI, and she says it was great fun but a lot busier than she expected! “I felt my tests were good; we still have plenty of things we can improve and work on, but I am still very happy overall.”

Kelly became involved with horses at the very young age of three: “My parents ran the Paint Horse Association of Australia for many years and we attended and competed at many shows both in Victoria and also the interstate Nationals every year until I was 12. I then attended Pony Club. I’ve always had a love for horses from growing up to now! They’ve always been there. They are incredible animals.”

A few years ago, Kelly suffered an injury caused by a spinal cord stroke, which left her a T10/T11 incomplete paraplegic with minimal use from her waist down. “When I had my injury, I thought I wouldn’t ride again, but I did lots of online research and found barrel racer Amberley Snyder. I thought, if she can do it I can do it. I kept searching and found out about Equine Pathways Australia. My cleaner, Kez, told me to contact them – strangely, she is also sister to Lou Cooper, a fellow Pathways athlete,” explains Kelly.

“It was that day I spoke to Julia (Battams) on the phone and I had my first ride within a week. That was eight months post injury… it was amazing, liberating, and made me feel like myself. I really loved jumping, games and bush riding as a teen, but that is just a little bit harder now… so I have transitioned to para dressage to get out and have some fun. I have been competing now for one year!”

Kelly began riding Highfield Luda Dijon – a 12-year-old gelding by Luda Dante out of Creme Caramel (Kaliber) – in November last year when she retired her horse Chicago Bay from competition due to his age. “One day Julia said to me, ‘I’ve got a horse for you to try’, and he was incredible. He just took to it like a duck to water. Arabella Grace Carbines, Dijon’s owner, is beyond incredibly supportive and it is amazing to have the chance to work with such a talented boy!

“Dijon is incredible; he’s patient, calm, and accepting of anything we ask of him. He has an incredible temperament, wonderful movement and tries his absolute heart out every single ride without any fuss. He makes me feel safe.”

Looking to the year ahead, Kelly is hoping to get out there and compete more, improve her scores and hopefully be considered for World Championship selection. “If not, I’ll keep soldiering forward and aim for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. We can only keep working and trying hard for what makes us happy… dancing with our horses!”

ZOE VORENAS & WIS FORTE (GRADE IV CHAMPION)

Zoe has been a regular name on the entry lists of CPEDI events in Australia for a few years now, however the Para Nationals was her first appearance on six-year-old gelding WIS Forte. The pair were third in the Team test scoring 65.833%, then really hit their stride to win the Individual and Freestyle tests with 71.098% and 70.683%. Not only did they tick off an FEI MER, but their score of over 70% in the Individual test also meant they put forward a score that meets Australian selection criteria directives.

“I am still on cloud nine,” says Zoe. “For me, those scores and the win was just icing on the cake. ‘Flynn’ and I have only been a partnership for about four weeks, so I was aiming for a good, positive outing for him. I really wanted him to have a good experience. He just went above and beyond in his performance but also his behaviour at the event. I couldn’t be happier. Of course, he’s only young so there’s so much to work on and develop. That’s the exciting part! Two scores over 70% is just unreal in front of international judges.”

Zoe explains that she sourced Flynn – by Finest out of WIS Arianna (Dicavalli Raphael) – for a client of hers, Allie Morice: “Allie has been a long-term client of mine, so when Flynn came along we developed a plan and partnership for his future that’s very exciting. I feel incredibly privileged to have found such amazing owners.

“He was bred by WIS Warmbloods, who have given him such an amazing start and schooling thus far. Also, a huge thank you has to go to Fairlie from GBS Equestrian for helping us find each other. Flynn is a really super little horse. I say little, as he’s only about 15.3hh. But gosh, he has such a work ethic! He’s just one of those horses that really wants to please.”

Zoe has been riding at CPEDI level since 2015, and she says that globally the biggest change she’s seen is the quality of para horses coming through: “The difference from Rio to Tokyo… crazy. And you can only imagine the jump again to the quality in Paris. I think here at home, it’s good to see more and more new faces in the sport. Programs like EPA have really assisted new riders to enter the sport, but also those making the move from RDA or who have been riding in able bodied competition.

“The level of riding, horses and coaching has improved at home, too. It’ll be exciting to see where we go from here. There have been some changes with the (Equestrian Australia High Performance) para panel staffing and the selectors, as well as the addition of Nick Hunter to the High Performance program, which will hopefully help our sport even further. Sharon Jarvis now has a new role as the High Performance Pathways Coordinator, which will be such a great help for riders stepping up to that HP level.

“I think also, the Paralympics in general is starting to get the publicity that the Olympics has received. It’s so great to see our athletes get the recognition they deserve.”

As for her own future goals, Zoe explains that for this year she just hopes to keep ticking along: “I’ve got a few things on the burners at the moment, including the development of our property. Long term, I’m hopeful that Flynn will make a good prospect for the Paris 2024 campaign.”

A DEEP POOL OF CONTENDERS

Lisa and her own Juicy Wiggle – a seven-year-old mare by Jive Magic out of Richmeed Debonair – are also proving to be a serious combination to watch. The pair won all three tests to claim the Grade V championship title at the Para Nationals, scoring 70.775% in the Team test, 67.778% in the Individual test, and 73.375% in the Freestyle. At the Sydney CD-Lite, Lisa enjoyed another hat-trick of wins, scoring 69.922% in the Team test, 70.318% in the Individual test, and 72.483% in the Freestyle; the pair have well and truly ticked the FEI MER box and put forward scores over 70% for Australian selectors.

Grade II rider Maddison Cooke and her own 16-year-old Byalee Magic II won the Team and Individual tests at the Nationals with scores of 66.919% and 70%, claiming the overall Grade II title. They were also second in the Freestyle on 67.823%. Maddison then recently competed at the Sydney CD-Lite, winning the Team test on 67.222%, the Individual test on 65.834% and the Freestyle on 70.834% – meaning the combination has also ticked the FEI MER box and put forward 70%+ scores for Australian selectors.

Dianne Barnes and Cil Dara Cosmic are another combination to have produced stand-out performances. At the Sydney CD-Lite, they scored 70.875% to win the Grade IV Team test and 72.350% (despite an error of course!) to win the Individual test. Another FEI MER ticked and some 70%+ scores on the board!

Overseas, Aussie rider Matilda Carnegie recently competed at a CPEDI3* in Waregem, Belgium, with 16-year-old Warmblood gelding Boccelli. The pair scored 69.900% in the Team test, 69.049% in the Individual test and 70.875% in the Freestyle, and already have further scores of over 70% (in Team and Individual tests) on the board from two CPEDI3* events in the UK last year. Also competing in Europe is Tokyo Paralympic team members Amelia White and Genius, who have since competed at Denmark in March this year – scoring 66.085% in the Team test, 67.778% in the Individual test, and 71.917% in the Freestyle.

It is wonderful to see new Aussie faces – both human and equine – in the international para dressage arena as we head towards the FEI World Championships and Paris Olympics. With the final Australian-based observation event at Boneo Park in June, we’re now heading into the home stretch and it will be exciting to see who is named to represent Australia at Herning when the team of four is announced in July. EQ

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Bring on the Horsepower – Equestrian Life, March 2022

Pathways to Boosting Paras’ Horsepower – Equestrian Life, November 2021