Heath Ryan comes armed with bouquets and brickbats in Ryan’s Rave this issue. He is impressed with the standard and medal prospects of the contenders in our Olympic team selection leaderboards – but less so with Equestrian Australia’s handling of the “Mankini Affair”. A bit of fun at a country jumping event ended up going viral around the world and giving Australian equestrianism the greatest exposure (sorry) we have ever had! Heath’s views make for essential reading.
Also getting attention overseas is Sam Overton. From never sitting on a horse until he was 15 to jumping against the best in the business at the World Cup Jumping Final in the US, Sam says he and his gelding Oaks Cassanova – aka ‘Ed’ – have discovered the need for speed. Competing in Nebraska was a big motivator for the Queenslander, who says he has learned to be less conservative after mixing it with the American pros.
Having just nailed the $60,000 GDP Classic Grand Prix at Boneo Park to prove his point, he opens up in an extensive interview with Adele Severs on his North American 5* adventures, his plans and his thoughts on the Olympics.
Since being crowned Tiny Tot Champion as a five-year-old, 17-year-old Maddison Vallender now proudly wears the prestigious Deb Hamid & Kevin J Hitchins brooch after a stunning performance at the Victorian Youth Dressage Championships. Maddy, along with her mare Rubinell and gelding Ronan R, also put in remarkable performances in her first CDI at Dressage by the Sea. But as a modest Maddy tells Roger Fitzhardinge, she is driven more by building partnerships with her horses than by building trophy cabinets. If Maddy is the future of dressage in Australia, then Australian dressage has a great future.
Roger’s eye for the crème de la crème of dressage also takes us to steamy Caboolture, Queensland, to report on Charlotte Dujardin’s masterclass. The British Olympic dressage star told the full house she has mellowed somewhat after having a daughter – but she still has ambitions for the Paris Olympics, including planning her next pregnancy around it! She also gave a brilliant masterclass, of course, which Roger reports on in great detail.
The competition for team selection for the Paris Paralympics is also in full swing, and Bridget Murphy gives us the inside running after the first CPEDI Paralympic Qualifier for 2024 was staged at Willinga Park. It was the first time the Paras – and our Virtus riders – had competed there, and it brought out the best in all of them.
In Eventing, Amanda Young pays a heartfelt tribute to the late, great all-rounder Fox Hill, who not only had 65 starts as a racehorse but went on to have over 100 eventing starts, including four CCI5* completions, then dabbled in Grand Prix showjumping as a 20-year-old. If Fox Hill was the horse who refused to stop, then Sefton is the horse who refused to die. Bernard Bale revisits the tale of the Irish Draught x Thoroughbred that miraculously survived an IRA bombing in London in 1982 and went on to become an English national hero. Still in the UK, movie aficionado Suzy Jarratt introduces us to the “travellers” of Ireland and their affinity with horses as portrayed in the hit TV series Peaky Blinders.
Elsewhere in Show Jumping, Dawn Gibson-Fawcett interviews Amelia Douglass in Doha, where the 23-year-old has just competed in the CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines spectacle with her new horse, 11-year-old gelding Quel Filou 16.
The therapeutic benefits of interaction with horses are further examined in our Lifestyle article on how equine therapy is kicking goals with youngsters. In Health, resident vet Dr Maxine Brain focuses on the different equine respiratory ailments; while in Training, Kerry Mack opens the discussion on horse welfare and asks if we are all comfortable with the status quo… or not.
Finally, a shout-out to Shane Rose. We love you, Shane, and remind everyone that humour is what fancy dress is all about. If you’re not having fun riding then you’re not enjoying your sport. Heath Ryan calls the episode a storm in a teacup. We think he’s wrong. It was more a storm in a G-string!
Always enjoy your riding,
The EQ Life Team
Contributors
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HEATH RYANNational equestrian personality, international dressage and eventing rider, Olympian, judge, coach and breeder, Heath is never backward in offering his unique insights into the sport and industry.
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ROGER FITZHARDINGEAs a judge, coach, competitor and commentator, Roger’s passion to tell the real stories behind the horses and horse people shines through in his unique brand of equestrian photojournalism.
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DR KERRY MACKGrand Prix dressage rider, coach and Mayfield Farm stud principal, Kerry draws on her learning as a qualified psychiatrist to approach training from the cerebral perspective as well as the physical.
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SUZY JARRATTSuzy has a rich background in newspaper journalism and radio broadcasting in NSW and nationally, and last year won an international award for equestrian journalism.
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DAWN GIBSON-FAWCETTStarting out as a newspaper reporter in Australia, Dawn went on to found Dawn Creative Media which now has clients in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.
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AMANDA YOUNGHaving previously competed to FEI level in eventing, Amanda Young is now involved in both English and Western disciplines as a competitor, breeder and journalist.
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BERNARD BALEA British-based equine enthusiast, Bernard is a long-time journalist, author and broadcaster. On a personal note, he has also ridden in circus and arena shows on horses trained by his wife!
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BRIDGET MURPHYBecoming involved in Para Dressage in 2018, Bridget and her equine partners have achieved much success in a short space of time. A keen competitor, her long-term goal is to represent Australia on the international stage.
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