From now until 24 June 2024, all Australian Olympic contenders in dressage and eventing have to at least have one internationally rated competition as part of their final qualifications to be eligible to be considered for Australian Olympic team selection for Paris 2024.

There are, however, a few outside runners in each of the three disciplines of dressage, eventing and show jumping who have not as yet started their campaign to qualify for Australian team selection.

So, what do the riders have to achieve to be considered for Australian selection for Paris?

In dressage, a rider cannot be considered unless they have two CDI dressage scores at a CDI3* show or above or a CDI-W. In eventing, a combination needs to have one CCI4*L and two CCI4*S or one CCI5*L and one CCI4*S. In both eventing and dressage, at least one of these qualifying competitions has to happen in 2024.

The show jumpers have to complete three international shows which can be, as I understand it, a mixture of the following:

1. An FEI World Cup jumping competition outdoors at a starting height of 1.55m with 4 penalties or less, or 1.60m with 8 penalties or less.

2. A Grand Prix competition outdoors conducted at a height of 1.55m with 4 penalties or less, or 1.60m with 8 penalties or less.

3. A Nations Cup competition outdoors conducted at a height of 1.55m with 4 penalties or less, or 1.60m with 8 penalties or less.

All of these show jumping shows have to have an international CSI(O) or CSI-W ranking. For people interested in wading through show jumping selection criteria for Paris, this can be found on the EA website. As far as I can see, the show jumpers, unlike the dressage and the eventing riders, can possibly already be fully qualified for selection and not have to compete and produce qualifying results in 2024. As an enthusiastic spectator trying to follow our show jumpers and their progress towards selection for Paris, the Australian selection process is a nightmare!! This is the only reason why we have not been publishing a show jumping leaderboard. Our leaderboards endeavour to introduce our top Australian riders and their horses campaigning for Olympic selection to us, the spectators and supporters. These leaderboards certainly have targeted the top 10 combinations vying for selection in dressage and eventing. Anyway, get over it!! I will somehow start tracking Australian show jumping contenders for the 2024 Olympics.

“I will somehow start
tracking Australian show
jumping contenders…”

NO CHANGE IN THE LEADERBOARDS

Where can you find our dressage and eventing leaderboards?

So, since last month there have been no competitions to change our dressage and the eventing leaderboards, which, in my opinion, rank the top 10 Australian combinations in both disciplines. I am fairly confident the Australian Olympic teams for dressage and eventing are snuggled into our leaderboards; but I am not confident that the leaderboards have the riders in the right order yet.

There are going to be some major reshufflings in the next six months until 24 June. For those of you interested in reviewing who the top 10 are in eventing and dressage, you are very welcome to follow this link to last month’s column where each of the 10 top riders is introduced along with my commentary. The only reason we aren’t updating them this month is simply, because of Christmas, there have been no international competitions where Australians have competed since last issue – and therefore no challenges or changes to last month’s leaderboards. This is the first time the leaderboards have not been rejuggled and changed each month. The past six months have been frantic as the Australian riders have really started to focus up on Paris.

“There are going to be
some major reshufflings…”

These leaderboards take enormous research and are about to become even more of a headache because now we have to track riders who have qualified for selection and riders who have not qualified for selection. The leaderboards have so far just reflected those riders with the best international competition results. We have not had to also take into consideration whether they were qualified for team selection or not because part of that criteria was a performance in this year, 2024. Well now, that has changed. None of the dressage riders and none of the eventers will, to date, have completed qualifications which allow them to be considered for selection on an Australian team heading towards the Paris Olympics.

To complete these qualifications, the dressage and eventing riders have to put up a cracking score at an international show this year. Their selection performances have to be current.

LONGSHOT CHANCE FOR OUTSIDERS

Is it possible for someone who has not made the top 10 leaderboard to still be a consideration for Paris?

It is just possible that out there somewhere there are dressage or eventing riders who have not even started to get their qualification scores. Just maybe, especially if it happened to be a very experienced rider, an unexpected challenge from out of nowhere could change the leaderboards and so Paris selection. That actually would be very exciting and very interesting. That would mean a new combination would have to put up three scores in international competitions in the next six months. So, this means, it is possible for riders who have not yet come onto the radar and have not yet appeared on the leaderboards over the last six months to move into superstar status!! Possible but a bit unlikely.

What are the problems associated with a last-minute drive at Paris selection?

Are there individuals out there who I know, who are capable of coming in from the cold in the final six months? Actually, yes. The problem here is that riders who are going to do all of their qualifying in the next six months are looking at a super intense period of competition. Horses can only take so much right at the top and if you overdo this your horse will struggle to stay healthy and sound. We are going to see this factor, unfortunately, impact on the final selections for the Australian Olympic teams. There are going to be a couple of Australian combinations who on paper should be included and they are not. This part of the whole process is heartbreaking. Looking after and preserving your horse is pretty much the number one consideration in this very intensive lead-up to final Australian Olympic selections. One mistake here and no matter how good you are you will miss out on riding for your country.

Of course, once you have thrown everything you have got to make the Australian team, the riders then have to dig even deeper and produce the performance of a lifetime at the Olympics. That is such a contradiction and so damn hard to do. All of the Australian riders will be so intensely focused on their horses’ wellbeing in this final six months of selection. When a rider has no horse, no matter how good you are, it means no selection. It is here that enormous conflict erupts between our selectors and our riders. These are awful moments of conflict and usually the riders end up being branded troublemakers and worse.

A HORSE’S WELLBEING IS EVERYTHING

The core issue here, however, will be riders trying to protect their horses. The Australian selectors are trying on the other hand to get an accurate assessment of the horse and rider through competition results and wanting the riders to compete in designated competitions. The selectors’ job is to find the most likely Australian combinations to produce the best possible results for Australia at Paris. From a rider’s point of view, a horse’s wellbeing will mostly be prioritised over and above what the selectors are trying to achieve. Sometimes if a horse is fatigued, they just need to be rested or given light work. If a horse is fatigued and the selectors have scheduled a final selection trial and the rider decides not to front up, then you can see how conflict can then erupt.

The horse’s wellbeing is everything to the rider. A rider can only become great if they have a very special horse which the rider has learnt to look after with everything they have. I can’t tell you how difficult it is to throw everything you have at looking after a horse and still be able to go out and compete right at the top at scheduled events. Sometimes this is impossible. Riders are not always famous for their communication skills and so especially when they are protecting their horses the selection process becomes very complicated.

So competition in Australia, and indeed for Australian riders based overseas, life is going to be all about their horses’ health and wellbeing and competing like they have never competed before. For the Australian riders, the next six months is about to hit turbo charge. It is going to be right-on-the-edge stuff. It is going to be very exciting!

The show jumping is also very exciting but just so difficult to jolly well follow. The difference now is that just maybe I can work out which show jumpers have actually reached qualification status and so are now eligible to be considered by the Australian selectors for Paris. Maybe! It would be really good if I can.

Making the Australian Olympic team is going to be a result of really good riders on really good horses who have managed to surf a perfect wave at exactly the right moment into being selected. It will be the performance of a lifetime to make that Australian team. Then… just four weeks later, is the Paris Olympics from 26 July until 11 August, and the riders and their horses have to fly halfway around the world and do even better yet again. That is bloody ridiculous! That is what it takes to be an Australian Olympian!

Good luck to all of those Australian riders fronting up to take on the next six months. For those of us watching, it is going to be just the best spectating.

Cheers,

Heath EQ

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ BY HEATH RYAN:

Paris Peloton Moves Go Crazy – Equestrian Life, December 2023

Peloton Builds on Road to Paris – Equestrian Life, November 2023

Pressure Builds in Olympic Stakes – Equestrian Life, October 2023

Tracking Our Paris Contenders – Equestrian Life, September 2023

Let the Qualifying Games Begin – Equestrian Life, August 2023

Live Wire Sparks Coaching Debate – Equestrian Life, July 2023

It’s All Happening Overseas – Equestrian Life, June 2023

Exciting Times for All Of Us – Equestrian Life, May 2023

Will Enzinger a Potential Game Changer – Equestrian Life, March 2023

A Dressage Adventure – Equestrian Life, February 2023

The Big Picture for 2023 – Equestrian Life, January 2023

Heads Up Next Gen, Brisbane Awaits – Equestrian Life, December 2022

Planning for Paris, Leading to LA, Building for Brisbane – Equestrian Life, November 2022

Eventing Results: Disappointing but Promising! – Equestrian Life, October 2022