News received at the jumpingaround.com offices tells us that Edwina Alexander (based in Holland) and Rod Brown (based in Australia) have been announced as definite starters for Australia at the World Equestrian Games later this year in Aachen, Germany.

Edwina has been based at Stahl Tops for some years now and has been doing exceptionally well on the European International circuit against the best in the world and winning and placing on a regular basis - she is currently ranked 52nd on the World Rankings list and has achieved this ranking competing at top level competitions.

Rod Brown, based in Australia has won just about everything there is to win with the Australian thoroughbred gelding, Mr Burns and with his results he has been given his ticket to the World Equestrian Games.

Neither Edwina nor Rod will have to attend the final selection event in Germany at the beginning of August at a National Show - they will definitely be representing Australia as individuals.

Now the big decision facing the Australian Selectors is whether they will be sending a team - it would seem to those who are watching the Australian Showjumping scene that it would be a pointless exercise to send a team as they would almost definitely be finishing with a very lowly ranked team placing at the end of the Games and this will do nothing to further the sport!

There has been a decided struggle for riders to even achieve their COC (Certificate of Capability) much less be able to get around the first day at the Games where the tracks will be taller, more technical and with a time which will almost certainly be unachievable for most of the Australian showjumpers based on their performances at home where the tracks have been soft on all aspects required.

The standard of horses currently on the Australian circuit would have some believe that there are "other" reasons for pushing for the selection event at a National Show in Germany prior to the Games - could the good old fashioned junket be a possible reason, because a strong result from an Australian team could hardly be thought to be possible!?

There are several horses currently on the Australian Elite and Development Squads which are being hawked around the traders in Europe and our office is often asked about these horses and their ability. The traders are of the opinion that the horses they are being offered for sale are at best Junior European horses - but Australia keeps promoting those same horses as World Equestrian Games horses!

Perhaps the time has come, in Australia for a reality check - Selectors, Course Designers, Chef d'equips, Coaches and other Officials perhaps need to spend some time in Europe looking at the National Shows in various countries to see exactly where Australian Showjumping sits in the big picture of the sport - sitting in Australia makes everyone very self satisfied without an understanding of just how far behind the rest of the world we are. Many in Ireland, UK and Europe suggest that we are some 20 years behind - this does not justify the cost of sending a team to the World Equestrian Games.

Edwina Alexander has done much to improve the image of Australian Showjumpers and she deserves to have her try in Aachen - if luck is on her side, she may well be well up in the Individual results. Rod Brown, has not competed in International competition for some years and he will no doubt find the sport has changed dramatically but the horse was competed in Europe in the lead up to Athens Olympics so hopefully that will work for this combination - but to even consider a team would surely be a questionable decision.

Surely the time has come to realise that there is simply no point in sending riders at extreme cost for nothing more than appearance money!

Money can be better spent on training and producing the crop of young horses and riders currently on the circuit and hopefully we can be serious about sending a team to Kentucky World Games in 2010.

So to the original question - who would want to be an Australian Showjumping Selector? I can't think of too many who would willingly take on an unpaid, thankless job for which they will only, at the end of the day, get the blame when a team, if sent, do poorly!