This year’s Sydney CDI 3* has managed to attract a number of impressive riders from Great Britain, Canada, Korea and New Zealand. With only two weeks before the competition commences, riders will soon be arriving in Australia so they have time to get used to their mounts. Due to strict quarantine requirements and the high costs involved in air transport, all riders except those from New Zealand will be riding borrowed horses.
There is one rider from Great Britain, one from Canada, two from Korea and six riders from Australia’s neighbour New Zealand.
The representative from Great Britain is Sally Goodwin-Davis. Sally started affiliated dressage at the age of ten. She represented Great Britain at Pony and Young Rider level and rode her first Gran Prix at the age of 20. Sally’s own horse, Dauphin des Sarts is a 17.3hh Belgium warmblood who competes at CDI3* level and last year competed at Pompadour, Vierzon and Hickstead.
Canada’s representative is Janine Little. Janine was short listed for the Canadian team in 2011 and was the Pacific Regional FEI Advanced Champion and also the Western Regional FEI Advanced Champion.
For the first time Korea will be heading to Sydney with two riders; Mr Jun-Sang Choi and Mr Kyun-Sub Kim. Jun-Sang Choi competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and is working hard to secure a spot for the London 2012 Olympics. Kyun-Sub Kim has been competing in dressage, eventing and jumping from a young age and also has dreams of representing his country at the Olympics.
New Zealand has three riders competing in the Young Rider competition. Kate Welten on Amajah, Catherine Tobin on Riverndell Romeo and Kelly Van Dyk on Wolhkahn. All three combinations have had substantial success in New Zealand. Although Kate Welten dominated the Young Rider competitions all season, it was Kelly Van Dyke who recently piped her at the post in the New Zealand CDI-Y. Kate apparently was suffering from a severe stomach bug so she did well to get Reserve Champion. It will be interesting to see how they go against their compatriots from Australia.
Vanessa Way and Penny Castle will be competing in the Big Tour competitions and Amanda Berridge will be competing in the Small Tour. Vanessa recently won the Grand Prix Horse of the Year title at the New Zealand Horse of the Year Show. This was achieved with her self-trained horse, KH Arvan. It is his second season at Grand Prix and his quality of work is now starting to impress the judges.
The Sydney CDI 3* will be a great place to see how the Australian riders compare to their New Zealand neighbours and riders from abroad. It runs for three days from the 28th to the 30th April at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.
Related Links
Vanessa Way Claims 2011 New Zealand Horse of the Year Title
Kelly Van Dyk Wins Young Riders' Title at 2011 New Zealand Horse of the Year Show