Imagine travelling halfway around the world, being matched with a foreign horse, and then – with just a few rides under your belt – heading into the international competition arena to represent your country. That’s exactly what Australia’s Virtus Global Games Equestrian Team did – and they also brought home the gold!

It was a long road to France for Australia’s Virtus Global Games Equestrian Team. Andrew Driffield, Sarah Sherwood and Sui Watts have been training towards the goal of representing their country on the world stage for many years, and 2023 was the year it finally happened.

As the world’s largest elite sports event for athletes with an intellectual impairment, the Virtus Global Games brought together thousands of athletes from around the globe across a range of different sports – with equestrian added as a live event for the first time at this sixth edition.

Following a monumental fundraising effort spearheaded by Heath Ryan and Mary Nitschke of Ryans Horses, the team arrived in Vichy, France, and had just a matter of days to acclimatise and match athletes with horses. With only a few rides aboard their new equine partners before competition began – and competing against nations such as France and Spain on their own horses – it was a big ask for the Aussies. Well, the determination that came next blew away not only their families and support team – the latter comprised of Chef d’Équipe Jennifer-Ann Carroll, Head Coach Mary Longden, Assistant Coach Sally Francis and Athlete Support Rachael Frechette – but also the entire Australian equestrian community.

Ultimately, it was team gold for Australia, followed by individual gold for Andrew and Sui, and individual silver for Sarah. Six tests on borrowed horses, and each performed with a level of focus, skill and determination that delivered impressive scores and accolades to match.

ANDREW DRIFFIELD

“It’s the best feeling
you can have…
it’s just unbelievable.” 

Andrew Driffield has dreamt of representing his country for decades. He first began riding lessons with Rozzie Ryan when he was just seven in the 1980s, and then after a break from horses reconnected with the Ryans and began working for them at Lochinvar in 1995; it was during this time that he was inspired by Heath, as so many are, to represent Australia on the world stage.

“It was really good to be a part of that, in that environment with Heath and Rozzie. They are very generous and very kind, and they do a lot of things for people in the equestrian community,” says Andrew.

Andrew, who these days trains with coach Jess Somerfield, had never given up on his lifelong dream. Virtus Global Games gold has been a long time in the making for the 49-year-old – in fact, he’s been campaigning via Sport Inclusion Australia for live equestrian events at the Games for over 20 years. Previously, they were video competitions: “When I first started [getting involved in Virtus Sport] they had video competitions, and I thought, why can’t we just have a live one? Why can’t we all be together and have a live competition? I pushed it and eventually it happened.”

With live equestrian events included for the first time this year, it was only fitting that Andrew forged ahead and not only gained selection but brought home two gold medals. In the team competition – the Grade IV Intro B (II1) – Andrew scored 71.319% for a close second and contributed to the team’s historic gold medal, while in the individual Grade IV Novice A (II1) class, he claimed the gold with an impressive score of 71.437%. Andrew was also named as the Australian flag bearer for the closing ceremony.

For Andrew, finding out that the team had won was a very special moment: “When we won, I was sobbing, we all started crying – it was just unbelievable, and probably a relief as well. [Prior to competition] we had two rides per day, so we had four rides on our horses and then went out and won.

“It’s the best feeling you can have… it’s just unbelievable,” he says of now holding the title of gold medallist. “It’s a bit like winning a grand final! It’s very hard to explain. I know a lot of athletes, when they’re asked what it’s like to win the gold medal, they can’t explain it. You really can’t explain what it feels like.”

Sarah achieved a score of 68.819% in the Grade IV Intro B (II1) for the team competition, finishing fourth and contributing to Australia’s gold medal. On the second day – and with a little more time in the saddle of her borrowed horse – she was second to Andrew in the Grade IV Novice A (II1), taking home the silver with an impressive 69.828%.

“It was extremely overwhelming,” says Sarah of her and the team’s success. “Andrew and I were just bawling our eyes out on the podium. I was just emotional. It was the first time that Australia’s team had won gold. It was an overwhelming, exciting feeling and being on the podium was just phenomenal!”

Sui says she is thankful to the Australian equestrian community for their amazing support, as well as Jenny Carroll, Mary Longden, Sally Francis and Rachael Frechette for their help and on-ground expertise at the Games: “I couldn’t have done it without them.”

THE HORSES

“These athletes fly to another country and get on a horse that someone has ridden twice, and they’re meant to trust them and say, ‘yep, all right I’ll get on and ride an international competition,’” says Athlete Support Rachael Frechette, encapsulating the enormity of the task that lay ahead of the Aussie team as they embarked on their journey to Vichy.

The horses were sourced by the French hosts, with most coming from riding clubs and schools. “Most of them were doing a lot more jumping than they were dressage,” explains Chef d’Équipe Jenny Carroll, adding that this meant they arrived with jumping saddles. Fortunately, the Aussie team had a last-minute heads-up on this point and were able to bring dressage saddles from home to have fitted at the event!

Horses were preselected for the Aussies based on previous Virtus Sport video competitions, and then three were provided for final selection by Head Coach Mary Longden and Assistant Coach Sally Francis. Sally rode all three horses to test them out and determine exactly what aids were required to get each performing at their best, and this gave the athletes confidence when getting in the saddle for the first time.

“With each horse I got on and found its walk on, stop and steering buttons. Then I tested riding correct corners and straight long sides in the correct outline for all three paces and noted the canter aid for each horse. I finished the session riding other elements of the tests such as the 10m trot circles and four-loop serpentine in the 40m x 20m arena.”

While the team was allocated three horses, two riders could share a horse if this was considered the better option. “We did try the third horse, but Sally decided it wasn’t going to be suitable, so Sui and Sarah shared one horse,” explains Jenny.

That horse was an Arabian cross pony named Bonni M. “He stayed in a steady outline at the walk and trot but was a little fast and unbalanced at the canter,” notes Sally. “Many walk/halt transitions and then trot/walk transitions and canter transitions without carrying the whip improved his canter immensely. In fact, in the end Sarah had him travelling better in the canter than I did, which enabled her to score so well on him! And he was the perfect size for Sui and her saddle, so it was a win-win situation for us all.”

“That’s what I was very proud of, because he didn’t have that frame in the beginning,” says Sarah of Bonni M’s improvement throughout the event. Sarah explains that it was tricky to only have a few rides before the competition, and she really needed to channel everything she’d learnt in her career to date to get the pony more forward and working in a correct frame. Her hard work paid off and in the second test the results were evident on the scoreboard!

While of course there were challenges riding a foreign horse, Bonni M was a very popular pony with both athletes: “He was good and very tolerant of Sui and I,” says Sarah of the little chestnut gelding. “The pony just tried his absolute heart out! He was very willing and patient.”

“I liked Bonni M,” reflects Sui of her dual gold medal partner. “He was cute and really fun to ride. He just got better and better each ride and I miss him now!”

Andrew was matched with Volpino, aka Ed, who at 18 hands was nearly rejected from the pool of horses due to his height; fortunately, it was recognised that Andrew is also quite tall, and the pair hit it off. “Ed was a true gentleman to ride with lovely paces, so a perfect match for Andrew,” explains Sally.

Andrew recalls his first glimpse of Volpino was a video from Mary of Sally test-riding the horse: “I thought he looked like a nice, forward moving horse.” As it turns out, Volpino really was a gentle giant. “He was a bit shy at first but when you got to know him, he was really nice, he liked having hugs and all that,” reflects Andrew.

While Andrew was pleased overall with his tests – and who wouldn’t be with two scores over 70% – like a true professional he was quick to identify the areas in which he could improve. “When you get on a horse like him, a taller horse, it takes a lot out of you to try and get a big giant around a small arena! I thought the trot was a bit slow, I think I lost momentum, but I was quite happy with the canter. You had to really ride him in the canter, otherwise if you relaxed a bit, he would go back to trot again. So my leg was going 100 miles per hour at times trying to keep him going!”

THE ROAD TO VICHY

As Project Officer for the Equestrian NSW Equibility Project, Jenny Carroll has long been focused on improving opportunities for equestrian athletes with disabilities. “This has been an amazing culmination of the Project, because this wasn’t even on our radar when it started,” she says of Australia’s Virtus Global Games success.

While many of us became aware of the Virtus team when Heath Ryan and Mary Nitschke’s fundraiser first hit the news, the road to Vichy began long before that for our three athletes and their support team.

“There was a lot of discussion going on in the background for 12 months about the possibility of, firstly, equestrian being included in the Virtus Global Games this year, and then secondly, having an Australian team,” explains Jenny. There was a three-stage selection process to gain selection: a Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) score was set by Virtus that needed to be achieved during video competitions held over the last two years; Australian selection criteria was produced, outlining scores slightly above the MERs and calling for two results, where certain live competitions in addition to video competitions counted; and then a boot camp in Victoria for those who met the aforementioned requirements.

“Athletes that met the requirements attended a clinic in Victoria for three days where we tried to simulate what was required for the Games,” explains Jenny. “They came and rode horses that they didn’t know, and they had to live onsite at the camp with us, because part of the Sport Inclusion Australia policy is that athletes travel as an Australian team and stay in the team hotel without family support.” Pre-event camps are a part of preparation for many Australian championship teams across the disciplines, and Jenny believes it certainly helped the Virtus athletes prepare for what was to come. In Vichy, their ability to cope under the pressures of elite competition in a foreign country certainly contributed to their success.

Following selection, the next step for the athletes and their families was to get their heads around the cost associated with attending the Games. With self-funding required for athletes, it was beyond reach for some and certainly out of the question for family support to head along as well. That all changed when Heath Ryan and Mary Nitschke organised the online auction to raise funds; the Australian equestrian community got behind it and with the money secured, the team was able to take the next step in their equestrian careers and represent their country. “Heath and Mary, all their enthusiasm and connections, that was just mind blowing. What they pulled together for us was fantastic. We also want to acknowledge the support the team received from local clubs and businesses, plus the generous support of the Joan Tonge Trust; Joan was a rider with a disability who left funds in her will for activities that support riders with disabilities,” explains Jenny.

On the ground in Vichy, it was a true team effort – from Jenny’s team management to Mary and Sally’s coaching and horse selection, and Rachael’s off-horse support. “It was such a professional team effort from all parties to make this dream come true for our riders and beyond,” enthuses Sally.

“They did well at the
Games because they’ve all
got excellent riding skills.”

Head Coach Mary Longden, who has been involved with para equestrian athletes since 1994 and has coached many national teams for Australia and other countries, says she came out of retirement when she heard a Virtus equestrian team was on the cards. Having worked with all three riders on and off over the years, she knew them well: “Those three riders all ride really well, and they did well at the Games because they’ve all got excellent riding skills.”

“It’s rare to get a team that’s able to perform at that level of competition, with that pressure and manage to maintain their composure and keep the main goal in mind,” adds Mary.

Rachael, who has worked alongside people with disabilities for 30 years and now runs her own equine program, was blown away with the team’s success at the Games. “We worked so well as a team; we communicated perfectly. It was unreal, the variables [of competing at a foreign event with borrowed horses]. We had so many people watching us, and other countries saying, ‘how did you do that?’

“It’s very difficult to come up with the words for it… just a lot of pride! The tears wouldn’t stop,” adds Rachael. “To see these athletes get to a point where they’ve represented their country and followed their dream… as a team, we sat back and said, ‘don’t tell us that we can’t!’”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Virtus has been part of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) since its inception, however as Jenny explains there hasn’t been a category in equestrian sport at the Paralympics for athletes with an intellectual disability since Sydney 2000. “Some sports have put in classifications that include them – athletics and swimming are the main ones – however some sports, like equestrian, still haven’t returned athletes with an intellectual disability to Paralympic competition.”

While equestrian athletes with intellectual disabilities can technically be included if they also have an eligible physical disability (all three Virtus team members are currently para classified) the current classifications offered at a Paralympic Games don’t effectively accommodate them.

“The Virtus athletes and the Virtus Equestrian Committee, we had a long discussion while we were at the Games about the future of Virtus and where that fits within the IPC. It is hoped that in the future they will return to the Paralympics,” says Jenny.

“Our riders received some really good scores, Andrew scored in the 70s. This is part of the challenge for reintroducing athletes with intellectual disabilities into the Paralympics… what is the average standard at the moment, and do [Virtus athletes] fit into the standard? We were very delighted that the scores were very much up there with other competitive para riders. And they deserved those scores, that’s for sure.”

As Mary adds, all the judges at the Virtus Global Games were FEI Para Dressage judges and therefore they were judged at the standard of international level competition. “The good thing is Australia has now set the standard for the future, and that’s a really important thing because I’m on the Virtus Equestrian Committee, and it was great that we could now say, ‘well, this is the required standard’… treat it like the elite event it is.”

As Jenny explains, people with an intellectual disability have by far the most significant numbers of anyone with a disability in the world – yet they are not the highest number of participants in sport. With the success of the Australian Virtus team, alongside the recent success of our Special Olympics World Games team, it’s hoped that more athletes will now be inspired to pick up the reins and set a goal of representing their country. All three Virtus riders participated in Riding for the Disabled (RDA) early in their careers, and RDA is a great starting point for anyone interested in riding for the first time.

Similarly, the Special Olympics is a community-based movement that promotes involvement in sport for athletes with an intellectual disability, and the Special Olympics World Games is another pathway for Australian team representation. However, the Special Olympics has a restriction that athletes can only attend two World Games in the same sport, as there is emphasis placed on trying new sports – and this doesn’t particularly suit equestrian athletes who are in for the long haul. That being said, the Special Olympics World Games is a great pathway to then go on to the Virtus Global Games and beyond. The fantastic performances from our equestrian team at these recent World Games – which resulted in four gold, three silver, and three bronze medals for athletes Bella Parisi, Karen Messmer, Oliver King and Jaye Barnesby-Buie – show that Australia is a force to be reckoned with at this level too.

“I think what this year is showing is there are some fantastic stepping stones into international representative sport,” says Jenny. “Virtus is really opening up an avenue for elite riders with intellectual disabilities. I’m hoping it will get more riders coming through that might realise they have the ability to represent Australia and make Australia really proud – because that’s what Sarah, Andrew and Sui wanted to do, they just wanted to make Australia proud.”

The next Virtus Global Games will take place in four years, with the location yet to be decided – however a Virtus Oceania Games could be held in just two years’ time. “We’re looking for the next people to get involved, because we need a bit of sustainability in coaching and support staff,” explains Jenny. “We ran some coaching workshops [through the Equestrian NSW Equibility Project] during Covid and we were delighted that we had more than 50 coaches put their hand up, so we know there are people out there who want to help. There are programs such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) that will help to make this sustainable… athletes with NDIS funding can list participating, competing and improving their riding skills as one of their goals, and then they can obtain funding for coaching and support at events.”

As with any athletes striving towards elite sport, Mary stresses the importance of Virtus riders having good coaches from the grassroots up: “It’s no different just because the riders have an impairment… you’re still looking for the same results.”

Jenny says Sport Inclusion Australia’s support and involvement with the Virtus team was fantastic, and at present the organisation is setting up a memorandum of understanding with Equestrian Australia, so that EA becomes the national federation that liaises with Virtus Sport. “It’s a really good pathway, so hopefully Equestrian Australia and everybody will take it on board – that’s my hope. All the clubs will then hopefully start running Virtus classes alongside the current para dressage classes and just further open up that area for elite intellectually impaired athletes.”

“You’ve got to play the game,
you’ve got to be a team person.”

“My advice is to find the right horse and find the right coach,” says Andrew. “That’s what it comes down to; they’re the most important things. The other advice I’ll tell you is to take it easy, don’t try to peak too early, because you might have disappointment in your life and it’s very hard to get selected for Australia.”

From an athlete support perspective, Rachael says that one of the things we can all learn from how the team performed at Vichy – and something she worked on a lot with each of the riders – is the ability to focus on the present and listen to those who are there to help. “I think staying focused and staying in the moment is important,” she explains. “So, at the Games it was trying not to jump too far ahead, too often; yes, you’ve got to plan ahead but for this, let’s stay here, let’s stay in the moment, and work through what we need to. There are specific people that are in your life to help; listen to them and listen to the people that have been there and can give you good advice or good support.”

Andrew believes being a team player also contributes greatly to success. “You’ve got to play the game, you’ve got to be a team person,” he explains. “You’ve got to get on with other people and that’s important – to be a team player. You can’t just say, ‘it’s about me’; it’s about your team. And that’s what I said to other people when I came home: we are a team.”

There are many things we can learn from the fabulous performances of the Australian team at the Virtus Global Games – but perhaps the most resonant advice of all is to follow your dreams. In the words of dual gold medallist Sui Watts: “Go for it, work hard… dreams do come true.” EQ

Riders who are interested in becoming classified for involvement in Virtus Sport can contact Sport Inclusion Australia.

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