Ever since the idea first came to mind, Jodie Mckeone has been quietly working away at her goal of representing Australia at the FEI Para Driving World Championship for Singles. It was never going to be easy – Australia had never had an FEI-classified para driver, let alone a World Championship entrant.
Well, Jodie has just achieved what she has dubbed “mission possible” by completing the FEI Para Driving World Championship for Singles in Exloo, the Netherlands – and not only that, she finished on the podium with a bronze medal.
We catch up with Jodie the day after her incredible feat as she takes a moment of solitude to watch the sunrise over the competition arena before preparing for the ferry ride back to her temporary base in the UK. “I am in shock; I can’t believe it… I’m over the moon,” she says of her medal-winning performance.
FROM THE UK TO EXLOO
Jodie’s journey has been years in the making. However, it was at the end of April this year when she left Australian shores to base in the UK yard of one of her childhood idols, George Bowman Senior. “George leant me his horse Royal Walker. He’s a Dutch Hackney who George bought and imported to the UK as a young horse,” explains Jodie. “He’s come back to Holland for this championship and is now about to get back on a truck again to the UK; by coincidence, it’s the same truck driver who originally bought him out from Holland!”
Jodie and Royal Walker, aka Roy, began training together at the start of June and competed a handful of times in the UK with the World Championship being their fifth competition together. The dressage, where the pair finished 11th with a solid score of 62.40, was the first time they’d driven that test in the competition arena.
They then blew everyone away on day two in the marathon and won the phase with a score of 81.46 – a result that lifted them to third place overall. “It was just so much fun; I had a whale of a time,” says Jodie of her performance on the marathon course. “Having a body that fails you all the time… to then be on a carriage, or a horse, you’re free. You’re mobile, you’re free and it’s your heart place. Marathon day… that was just bloody awesome.” Jodie has long had Multiple Sclerosis Relaxing Remitting (MSRR) and in addition was diagnosed with stroke and Spinal Segmental Myoclonus in January this year.
Following her resounding win in the marathon, Jodie produced another terrific performance in the final cones phase to finish seventh and add just three penalties to her overall score. It was enough to secure third place and a historic bronze medal in the Grade I division.
“Marathon day… that
was just bloody awesome.”
LIFE ON THE CARRIAGE
Jodie, 53, has been involved in the sport all her life. Both her parents drove harness horses for the film industry, and she too drove as a child. She progressed to competing harness horses at royal shows, in particular horses bred by her mother, Evanne Chesson, who breeds Warlander horses (a breed that crosses Andalusian or Lusitano horses with Friesians) at Shepherds Hill Farm in Central Victoria. Interestingly, one of Evanne’s horses, Shepherds Hill Michael, represented Australia with Gail Bain at the 2018 FEI Driving World Championship for Singles.
Jodie is dedicated to the sport of carriage driving, in particular Para Driving. “What I love about this sport is there’s something for everyone and every family. Any size or breed of horse, any age… from young juniors right through to older drivers. George Bowman is still driving a four-in-hand team every day back in the yard and he’s 88. It’s an all-inclusive sport; it doesn’t matter who you are or what sort of horse you have… even the equipment, there’s a budget for everybody.”
Para Driving has been a part of the FEI since 2006, with the FEI Para Driving World Championship for Singles in its seventh year at Exloo. Competitors can be classified as one of two grades: Grade I and Grade II.
Jodie is the first Australian para driver to gain FEI classification, and she’s keen to keep that avenue open for others who want to take that next step in their careers. “[Classification] has been quite a challenge, but now we can hopefully keep that pathway open, and I do intend to strongly support anybody who wants to come along and have a go. I also have schoolmasters at home, so I’m definitely keen to help anybody that comes along to follow the same pathway whether you’re able or para.”
TEAM EFFORT
Here in Australia, there were three people who were integral to helping Jodie achieve her goal. “Equestrian Australia board member Christie Freeman has acknowledged and supported driving long before she held any position. That is a huge help for our discipline that we have her support. Julia Battams from Equine Pathways Australia has been absolutely brilliant in supporting my para pathway, even though she knows nothing of driving, but she knows a hell of a lot about the para side of the discipline. She’s been a huge support. And then Corby Cunnington from Driving Queensland; she’s also EA’s Driving Athlete Representative. No time of day is ever a problem; she is always available to assist with everything possible. They’re the three people that have managed to help me work towards my classification, and continue to help me every day.”
Jodie says her journey to the World Championship would not have been possible without many, many other people in the equestrian community. Her “beautiful long-standing friend” April Thorrowgood, an Aussie based in the Netherlands, was actually where talk of a World Championship campaign started after Jodie underwent a bone marrow transplant back in 2015 .
“I’m just excited for this sport to be
acknowledged and promoted.”
“April has never wavered in her faith since we first started talking about this together… I call her ‘Chef Executive Officer of Mission Possible’. The support team that she has managed to build around me, all from the Netherlands, it’s just been absolutely incredible. Every single one of them: the Chef d’Equipes Lieke van Amerongen (and her 11-month-old daughter Mirthe) and Maayke Thörig-van Amerongen, the coach Jaap van der Windt, my backstepper and groom Sietske Flobbe, chief technical support Henk van Amerongen, and Roy’s personal groom Lysanne de Groot.”
Jodie also had a lot of support back in the UK, including backsteppers Rebecca Sotheran and Felix Breeze (George Bowman Senior’s grandson), as well as grooms Jess Adlerson and Hannah Graves, who all assisted at British events. The kindness and generosity of the Bowman family – George Bowman Senior, Barnaby Bowman, George Bowman Junior, Robert Bowman, and all their wonderful partners – has been instrumental, especially in terms of providing a horse and training base.
“And of course, all my family and friends, and my amazing support team back at home who are working tirelessly to keep everything going smoothly whilst my husband Jason and I are away for the first time together in 30 years. This could not have happened without every single dynamic aspect,” says Jodie.
“My husband has managed to go on his first international flight, help me prepare to go to the World Championship, supported me through a World Championship… and it still hasn’t been a whole week yet,” she laughs. “I’m so grateful that he was able to manage to get here.”
LOVE OF THE SPORT
Jodie has long been an advocate for the sport in Australia and has organised countless events and clinics; in 2017 she was instrumental in bringing Boyd Exell to Victoria for a multi-day clinic. While she has taken a step back in recent times, she says fellow driver Elizabeth Lawrence has eagerly taken up the reins and started Driving Greenwood International (DGI), a homage to Boyd Exell’s competition committee, Driving Valkenswaard International (DVI). Currently in the pipeline with DGI is a Boyd Exell clinic in January, 2024… watch this space!
“The support from everyone has been unbelievable. It’s been amazing; it’s blown me away. I have just opened up social media and I am in absolute shock and grateful for all the amazing photos, comments and incredible support that has happened following this event. The carriage driving community of Australia and the equestrian community as whole have really smashed it… this is such a positive outcome for carriage driving.
“I’m just excited for this sport to be acknowledged and promoted. That’s my passion; the sport thriving from people’s results and our common love of the horse… at the end of the day we all just love our horses.”
JODIE’S GOAL SETTING FORMULA
Jodie’s winning formula was “just like a bride”, as this was her first time representing Australia.
1. Something old: “Some beautiful antique leather and brass harness from George. My mum, Evanne, visited me in June and luckily she’s a harness maker. We restored the harness back to its original condition, re-dying, oiling and polishing.”
2. Something new: “Some lovely pearls that my georgous friend, Corinne Collins, had gifted one Christmas.”
3. Something borrowed: “Corrine also lent me a driving apron that another hero of mine, Vince Corvi, used when driving Corinne’s ponies at Royal Shows.”
4. Something blue: “I purchased a blue hat at the Yorkshire Agricultural Show that is in a very similar style to the Snowy River hat. This was also a significant factor, as my dad was the man who did the famous scene in the movie. I also purchased a gold one to use at vet check and presentations to honour the Australian green and gold. ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie… Roy, Roy, Roy!’ was a our catch cry.” EQ
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