Emma Flavelle-Watts Scores a Hattrick at 2025 CDI Boneo

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2025 CDI Boneo

Australian Emma Flavelle-Watts scored a hattrick of victories in the big tour at the 2025 CDI Boneo on 6 - 8 June 2025. This was the first CDI hosted again at Boneo Park on the Mornington peninsula in Victoria since the sale of the estate.

Boneo last hosted a CDI a year ago on 11 - 14 April 2024.

The approaching winter weather made for challenging conditions, but the attendance for the CDI was more than decent, particularly in the youth divisions. For the 3* big tour only three combinations were entered.

Hattrick

Queensland based Emma Flavelle-Watts and Scarlatti Mio VSR made their trip to Boneo pay off as they won all three 3* Grand Prix classes.

On the opening day they topped the board in the Grand Prix test with 69.674%, a score they got from an international panel of judges including Shivdas, Hobson, Tornblad, Hoevenaars, and Ventura. They were the sole combination to compete in the Special and posted 69.808% while three riders did the Kur to Music, which Flavelle also won with 73.590%.

Caroline Wagner and the 12-year old KWPN gelding Ibicus (by Apache x Mondriaan) were twice second with 65.457% in the Grand Prix and 69.200% in the Kur. Caroline owns Ibicus together with Frank and Pauline Carnovale.

Ones to Watch for Australia

The black Scarlatti Mio VSR is bred in Australia and is by San Amour out of imported dam World Lady O (by World Diamond x Londonderry). The Hanoverian was bred at Nan Tubb's Verdini's Run Hanoverian Performance Horses in Mole Creek, Tasmania. Emma purchased him in 2017 from Kaitlin Colless and show jumper Olivia Hamood.

Flavelle produced Scarlatti Mio up the levels herself and made her international show debut a year ago at the CDI Bawley Point in February 2024, posting 69.802% in their first CDI Grand Prix. Sixteen months later they rode their second international in Boneo. The pair won the medium tour division at the 2024 Australian Dressage Championships.

"A huge thank you to Boneo Park for providing such top-class surfaces and facilities – it’s always a pleasure to compete at a venue that supports both horse and rider so well," said Emma. "Although the weather was challenging we still had a great time!"

No Newcomer

The 41-year old Flavelle-Watts is no stranger to international showing though, even though her international starts are always interrupted with bigger breaks.

Flavelle and Cabaret C in 2021 (Photo © Stephan Mowbray)

Her first CDI big tour horse was her career starting mount Northern Meara (by Falkland Victory x Arnhem). A 16-year old Flavelle first got on her when the mare was 4 and in 2009 she rode her in the Grand Prix tour at the CDI Sydney. In 2013-2014 she returned with Grand Prix horse Andiamo (by Anamour x Regal Advise). Another 5-year break followed and in 2019 she was back with Kim Tenkate's Grand Prix horse Cabaret C (by Contender x Canturo). He came back in 2022 in Sydney and Caboolture and then Flavelle was gone again from the CDI scene until her return in 2024 with Scarlatti Mio.

Flavelle trained under Linda Schmerglatt and spent time Germany. She first did a 6-month stint at Hans Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen's yard in 2002 and ended up training in Germany for three years, including eight months at Jörn Kubelke's yard and an educational period with Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. She moved back to Australia in 2006. In 2013 she returned once more to ride with Wolfram Wittig and brush up her skills.

Emma and her husband purchased 100 acres in Ponoma near Sunshine Coast, which they developed into MountainView Stables. They have Pomona Mountain in the backdrop. Flavelle now trains with Robert Schmerglatt.