In terms of selecting Australian teams for the FEI World Championships in Dressage, Eventing, Show Jumping and Para Dressage, we are now right down to the wire.

The Australian Dressage selectors have nominated eight horse and athlete combinations to the FEI, which is very, very interesting. For me, this list is a bit sad and maybe controversial, as I will explain later in the column. On 11 July, the actual team of four combinations will be named and up to another four combinations as reserves will be named.

The Australian Eventing selectors will nominate up to 15 horse and athlete combinations on 10 August and on the 17 August will nominate a team of five combinations (a team of four and one individual) and up to another three combinations as reserves.

The Australian Show Jumping selectors were to nominate up to 10 horse and athlete combinations on 1 July (actually, at the time of writing, 4 July, nothing has been announced!) The team proper will be announced on 11 July with four combinations making up the team plus one travelling reserve. There will also be three non-travelling reserves announced.

The Australian Para Dressage selectors was supposed to nominate up to eight horse and athlete combinations on 3 July, and on 11 July nominate a team of four combinations and, at the selectors’ discretion, name another four unranked reserves. Like the Show Jumpers, Para Dressage had not posted its nominations at the time of writing.

(NB: Since publication of this article, the Para Dressage, Jumping and Vaulting short lists were released by the FEI and Equestrian Australia on 6 July and can be found here.)

So, one discipline, Dressage, has posted its World Championship nominations according to the selection criteria. Two of the disciplines, Show Jumping and Para Dressage, have not. If a rider does not comply with the selection criteria absolutely, it is very likely that they will be dismissed from team contention. I know this is a little thing, but it never ceases to amaze me how administration is not bound by selection criteria and prerequisites as opposed to riders who really, really do have to comply or risk potential dismissal. It really is a “them and us” (or administrators and then the riders) situation. And then there exists a third party, we EA members and supporters. We very clearly are of little or no consideration and an explanation on the EA website as to why these teams have not been announced on schedule is clearly way too much to ask. All of these selection criteria have been posted since 23 March 2022. So, for some 15 weeks these dates have been publicly recognised. I guess if a selector was very sick and hospitalised, then this inaccuracy would be acceptable, and everyone would be sympathetic. As long as we were told. Communication!

For those of you interested and trying to follow the World Championship journey, these selection nominations will appear shortly, I hope, as per the selection criteria on the EA website.

DRESSAGE

So for those of you following my column last month, you will have seen my selection of the top 11 Dressage combinations vying for Australian team selection. These combinations were put in order courtesy of their top qualifying score only; that’s my list criteria.

Simone Pearce was No. 1 rider with her horse Destano. As noted last month, Simone had just changed her job and consequently did lose the ride on the stallion Destano. So, out the window went her No. 1 ranking for the World Championships. Simone, however, took over the ride on a new horse called Fiderdance, which came with her new job at Gestüt Bonhomme. Against all the odds, Simone has qualified on this new horse after just some eight weeks of partnership and now has a personal best score of 72.261% at the recent Aachen CDIO5* on 30 June 2022. Unbelievable. So by my system, this will put Simone and Fiderdance into third place. Interestingly, at the Aachen competition just gone, Simone did go head-to-head with the top-placed Australian combination according to my system, and she did beat Lyndal Oatley riding Eros. That, however, is for the Australian selectors to evaluate or for interested enthusiasts who are somewhat astute and are capable of being slightly more subjective to understand and evaluate. I am just putting forward personal best scores. Simone Pearce and Fiderdance have a ranking of No. 3 on my system, however, No. 1 and No. 2 rankings belong to Lyndal Oatley on two different horses. Realistically, a rider can only ride one horse in a team, so that means that Simone is now ranked No. 2.

This is how my rankings are now looking:

1. Lyndal Oatley on Eros with a best score of 74.370%.

2. Lyndal Oatley again on Elvive with a personal best score of 73.718%.

3. Simone Pearce on Fiderdance, with a personal best score of 72.261%.

Fourth position was Kristy Oatley riding Du Soleil, however, this horse has in the interim from last column to this column been retired and so that means Kristy is out; not quite, she reappears a little later with a second horse.

4. Mary Hanna riding Syriana with a personal best score of 72.239%.

5. Warwick McLean riding Hendrix II with a personal best score of 70.609%.

6. Mary Hanna riding her second horse, Calanta, with a personal best score of 70.478%.

7. Jayden Brown riding WillingaPark Sky Diamond with a personal best score of 69.674%.

8. Lindsey Ware riding Aristede with a personal best score of 69.196%.

9. Kristy Oatley riding Rosenlorbeer with a personal best score of 67.978%.

10. Michelle Baker riding Bradgate Park Puccini with a personal best score of 67.974%.

So now comes a bit of a bombshell, for me anyway. The eight riders announced on 2 July, 2022 on the EA website are as follows:

• Lyndal Oatley riding Eros
• Lyndal Oatley riding Elvive
• Mary Hanna riding Calanta
• Mary Hanna riding Syriana
• Simone Pearce riding Fiderdance
• Warwick McLean riding Hendrix II
• Jayden Brown riding WillingaPark Sky Diamond
• Kristy Oatley riding Rosenlorbeer

This is the order of the list as it appeared on the EA website, and I have to say this looks very much as though the selectors have put these combinations in order. I think this order was organised before the results of the Aachen CDIO5* competition where Simone has continued to improve and did the best of all the Australians. The selectors not being totally current does not fill you with confidence. Early days at this stage, I guess, in terms of final team selection so maybe a broad brush is being used. (NB: Since publication of this article, the Dressage short list has been republished 6 July in alphabetical order.)

A broad brush being used might explain the next anomaly: Kristy Oatley riding Rosenlorbeer has a personal best score of 67.978% and the selectors have named her No. 8 in the long list who they have nominated to the FEI. Australian-based young rider Lindsey Ware riding Aristede has a personal best score of 69.196%. What happened here? If Australia is to have a future, it will be with our younger riders. Lindsey Ware is 20 years of age and pure gold for the Australian Dressage future. The top riders in the world are indeed younger than most of our Australian Dressage team riders. In Germany last weekend (30 June to 3 July), one of the biggest international Dressage competitions in the world was held at Aachen. The winner of the CDI4* Dressage and the CDIO5* Dressage classes was Cathrine Dufour, who is 30 years of age. The Tokyo individual gold medallist, Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl, was 35; Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Fry, who was part of Great Britain’s bronze medal winning team at Tokyo, was 25; and who can forget then-27-year-old Charlotte Dujardin claiming gold at the London Olympics before going on to also win gold at Rio? With the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on the horizon, now is the time to be fostering our next generation to ensure they gain the experience needed to have a chance at claiming gold medals for Australia ten years from now. As demonstrated by the aforementioned riders, other countries have recognised a new wave of young talent. Times are changing and the top riders coming through are younger. We need to begin recognising talent amongst those in their late teens and early twenties who could be the next Charlotte, Jessica, Cathrine or Lottie come Brisbane.

Recent history clearly illustrates that we need to change. At Tokyo as a team we were second last of 14 teams, while in the Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen we were last of eight. I am all for being brave enough to go out there and get given a hiding and stand back up and go out for more, but we have to keep learning and we have to keep changing. A young Australian rider who has legitimately posted a higher personal best should get recognised with enthusiasm by our Australian selectors. I have to say that you almost do wonder if the Australian selectors have actually made a mistake. These little Australian selector “whoopsies” do make everyone in the dressage world more than a little nervous. I think there is nothing little about this mistake, if you ask Lindsey Ware. If this omission was not a mistake, then surely all of us as EA members are entitled to an explanation. Communication! I am very sad that Lindsey has not made this listing. Personally, I do find it hard to understand a ~67% best score being short listed over a ~69% best score, and I would like to know the reasoning.

We are all hanging out for 11 July and the naming of the Australian Dressage team. One way or another, it should have some new blood. Just as long as the selectors can come to terms with riders not achieving two lots of 69% in the qualifying period, we should see Warwick McLean move into the No. 4 position and Jayden Brown move into first reserve, being No. 5 selection.

In my opinion, the addition of the two boys to this team is magnificent and has the potential to promote a more aggressive and competitive Australian Dressage team.

EVENTING

Things have really changed here since my last column where I named the top 16 eventers. The eventing long list of 15 horse and athlete combinations will be nominated to the FEI on 10 August and the team will be announced on 17 August. So, following is my updated version of the top 15 horse and athlete combinations:

1. Out of the blue comes a new very serious contender for team selection in Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture. Last month Shenae was ranked 14^th. Shenae, however, changed everything by winning the CCI4*L at Melbourne International Three-Day Event (MI3DE), held 9-13 June, with a personal best score of 25.3 penalties. Holy smoke! That is something to be reckoned with anywhere in the world. As far as I can see, this is the best CCI4*L score this year in the world. Shenae is 25 years of age, which for me is quite significant. In the 1990s, when Australia won three consecutive Olympic gold medals, the Australian riders ranged from 18 to 35. They were basically very young riders that no one had heard of and they cleaned up teams of riders from other countries made up of eventing legends. The bulk of the Australian riders who have continued to do well for Australia are the leftovers from the 1990s or earlier. These riders have been magnificent and have won silver and bronze Olympic medals, but no gold medals. Really, really good, but in the ‘90s Australia won three consecutive team gold medals, which had never been done before and has never been done since by any nation in the world. It was no fluke. Australia so needs some young riders to take over before our older riders completely drop off the perch! Hopefully Shenae is the beginning of a new golden era. Interestingly Bold Venture, who is Shenae’s horse, is a straight Thoroughbred and quite quirky and was not a very expensive horse. Bold Venture started his life as a race horse and this also is something that was a common denominator in the Australian horses winning gold medals in the ’90s. This could be such a great story. (You can read more about Shenae and Bold Venture here.)

2. Shane Rose riding Easy Turn did turn in a fantastic performance as was hoped for in the CCI4*L at MI3DE and scored a personal best of 29.1 penalties. This takes Shane by the skin of his teeth in front of Andrew Hoy. Shane and Easy Turn come from a 15^th ranking from last month’s column. Just keeping in mind that Easy Turn did score 26.6 penalties in a 4*L in 2020. This score is outside the selection period so doesn’t count, however, on their day, Shane and Easy Turn can perform even better. This is significant when we are trying to evaluate our potential to win a gold medal. If these two new horses in Bold Venture and Easy Turn can front up for the World Championships at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy (14-18 September) in good shape, we are seriously in for a good chance of a team gold medal. Getting these top horses to the Olympics, or in this case the World Championships, in top form is very, very difficult and often countries end up fielding their second or third ranked team. Very difficult to keep your best horses and riders in top form and safe and sound.

3. Andrew Hoy riding Vassily de Lassos have slipped to No. 3 courtesy of the outstanding performances of Shenae Lowings and Shane Rose. I think that if you were a selector and able to practise subjective evaluation, Andrew would still hold pole position in the Australian rankings. Just keep in mind that the criteria on this ranking exercise is simply personal best CCI4*L scores within the selection period. This system does a great job of creating order from what at first glance is total chaos and riders competing in different countries in competitions at different standards. Once this first process is carefully worked out then selecting the final riders does involve horse soundness, current form, performance consistency, availability of the horse and rider and a whole lot more considerations that are difficult to imagine. The selectors just have to be very methodical and logical and basically subject the selection process to common sense. I think Andrew is still the No. 1 selection even if the maths suggests a little otherwise. At CHIO Aachen just gone, he and Vassily were second in a very classy four-star field.

4. Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 A Best Friend have slipped from No. 2 to No. 4 in the rankings. They have a personal best of 30.2 penalties. In my opinion, they are very much on track to be part of the Australian team in Italy in August.

5. Bill Levett riding Sligo Candy Cane have a personal best of 33.7 penalties from Millstreet CCI4*L in Ireland (31 May – 5 June). Sligo Candy Cane is a young horse who is coming up the ranks impressively. Bill Levett himself is very experienced having already been on an Australian team and this is a new, high-quality contender for team selection, which was a little bit unexpected.

6. Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam, which is Kevin’s team silver medal Tokyo Olympics horse. Kevin and Don Quidam have a personal best score of 34.3 penalties.

7. Shane Rose on Virgil has slipped from No. 4 to No. 7. They have a personal best of 35.7 penalties. This was their Tokyo Olympic score, which gave the Australian team a silver medal.

Both Shane and Kevin are only allowed to ride one horse at the Championships so both of these second horses will be reserves for them. However, the team will have five riders competing, four in the team and one individual. So, No. 6 and No. 7 are reserves if Kevin’s or Shane’s first rides are unavailable. Just keep in mind, however, that Andrew Hoy and Bill Levett will move up a slot before these reserve horses are put in the team. Also keep in mind that the two above second-string horses for Kevin and Shane are team silver medal-winning horses from Tokyo, so how strong does the Australian team look on paper right this moment! On paper, this team is shaping up to be stronger than any gold medal team we have ever fielded, and goodness knows we have fielded a lot of gold medal teams. Woohoo!

8. Gemma Tinney and Diabolo have a personal best score of 35.9 penalties from MI3DE. This is Gemma’s first CCI4*L performance and in last month’s column she had no ranking in my top 16. Gemma is 25 years of age, so again for me this is a very important development as I said about Shenae earlier in the column. In years gone by this is exactly the age group that produced gold medals for Australia. So, at the moment by my system, I am suggesting Gemma will actually be the first reserve for the World Championships. You can imagine the obvious question will be, does the partnership of Gemma and Diabolo have enough experience? If I was a selector I would be backing her, especially with the thought that the World Championships are also a lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Big, big picture is always the Olympics and a run in Italy could be the icing on the cake in preparation for a Paris gold medal.

9. Bill Levett and Lates Quin have a personal best score of 36.2 penalties, which they achieved at the Millstreet CCI4*L in 2021. This is Bill’s second horse to be ranked and will be a reserve for Bill.

10. Kenya Wilson and Sandros Salute MW have a personal best score of 36.4 penalties in the CCI4*L at MI3DE. In my opinion, Kenya was actually really hard done by not being included by the Australian Selectors in the Oceania Team, which was also conducted at MI3DE. The selectors did elect to select riders who did not have CCI4*L qualifications. The riders had CCI4*S qualifications, and I made the point at the time that the real deal is the long format and this should never be underestimated. Kenya had a very respectable score of 47.4 penalties at a CCI4*L earlier this year. Kenya’s MI3DE score of 36.4 penalties was the fourth highest Australian score in the class and would have made a very healthy contribution to the top Australian team. How did she get overlooked for the Oceania Championships? Anyway, she has made her point now and has to have firmed up her position to be included in the 15 horse and athlete combinations going forward to the FEI on 10 August for the World Championships.

11. Jessica Rae riding Fifth Avenue have a personal best score of 38.8 penalties in the CCI4*L at MI3DE. Jessica and Fifth Avenue were part of the Australian Senior Green winning team in the Oceania Championships.

12. Lauren Browne riding Sky’s Da Limit have a personal best score of 39.4 penalties in the CCI4*L at MI3DE. Lauren and Sky’s Da Limit were also part of the Australian Senior Green winning team in the Oceania Championships. Lauren Browne, like Kenya Wilson, does originally come from Western Australia and by my reckoning I think she will also be part of the 15 horse and athlete combinations to be nominated to the FEI. .

=13. Dominic Schramn riding Bolytair B have a personal best score 41.4 penalties at the new Maryland CCI5*L. Bolytair B and Dominic are based in the USA. This combination seems to be very brave and has very solid performances around a number of CCI5* courses, including Kentucky and Badminton.

= 13. Lissa Green and Billy Bandit have a personal best score of 41.4 penalties in a CCI4*L at the Equestrian Festival Baborowko in Poland. This partnership, which is based in the UK, is relatively new in the eventing discipline.

15. Andrew Cooper riding Hey Arnold have a personal best score of 41.8 penalties in the CCI4*L at MI3DE. Andrew is just such a good cross country rider. I think if Andrew was to make the team there would be no messing about and he would certainly put a score on the board at the end of the day. Some riders are fabulous on their day, but big picture they can be unreliable. Andrew will perform even when things are not going exactly right.

The Australian Eventing performances have really focused up in the last few months to the point where a team gold medal has to be a serious consideration. I think in the past we have had potential gold medal teams but have struggled to keep them together for the Championships. This is the really tough part. Can we keep our top combinations safe and sound so that they actually start at the World Championships next month? If we can, it could be the first time that Australia has won a gold medal at the World Championships. Exciting times. EQ

Cheers
Heath

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ:

The Eventers, the Dressage Riders & That 69% – Ryan’s Rave, Equestrian Life, June 2022.

Devil in the Detail in Dressage Team Selection – Ryan’s Rave, Equestrian Life, May 2022.

The Trials & Tribulations of Dressage Selection – Ryan’s Rave, Equestrian Life, April 2022.

Who are we to Judge? – Ryan’s Rave, Equestrian Life, March 2022.