The Olympic Torch Relay is set to get under way and Australia will be the first port of call outside of Greece when on June 4th, Cathy Freeman, who lit the flame during the magnificent Opening Ceremony in Sydney 4 years ago, will take it on it's first lap from the Sydney Opera House to the Quays.

With the opening ceremony set to begin in just 83 short days the Olympic selectors in all countries have a task ahead of them and the Australian Selectors are in the same boat with the rest of the world!

Let's start with the dilemma facing the Eventing Selectors - Australia is there as the "country to beat" currently holding 3 consecutive Olympic Gold medals in this discipline and quite obviously they are determined to make it 4 which would be an incredible feat, if they can pull it off!

The Selectors are in an enviable position in that they have such a depth of quality combinations to choose from but this creates its own set of problems in that only 5 will get chosen so those left off the final list will no doubt feel miffed.

I do not now, nor have I ever considered myself an eventing expert or even an armchair specialist as I have had little to do with the sport, other than covering some wonderful events such as World Games in 2002 and then in 2003 the European Championships and I admire the bravery and dedication of the riders and their horses however you would have to assume that Andrew Hoy is a shoe-in for the team as he has been on the three Gold winning teams to date - the rest are no doubt being discussed amongst eventing circles as I write! Some Australian based combinations headed to the UK for Badminton hoping for good results to impress the selectors with and Wendy Schaeffer landed in Ireland last week to prepare for Punchestown on the first weekend of June. I understand that Andrew Hoy, Bill Levitt and possibly Megan Jones will also be heading this way for the event but this is yet to be confirmed, and there may be others - jumpingaround.com will be there to bring you the colour and news from Punchestown.

Obviously with 3 Gold medals in their "credit box" the Australian Eventers are a force to be reckoned with and the Brits are the country leading the betting as the team who can snatch that fourth Gold from the Aussies - but then we move to Showjumping and Dressage!

Let me start with Dressage as again I do not profess to be a commentator of any sort in this discipline but the question has to be asked "why are we bothering to field a rider in this discipline"? Australia was unable to qualify a team position for Athens during the European Championships in 2003 and it seemed that we would have no representation at Athens but suddenly, due to the withdrawal of another country we find we have gained an individual spot "by default". From searching the results of the major competitions around the world it would appear to me that, although the Australian Dressage scene is improving all the time, we are not seriously "there with a chance" of finishing in the top half of the field so would it not be better to perhaps use any monies allocated for Olympic representation for further training of our riders, perhaps basing them in Europe in the middle of the best to raise the yardstick? I have been told over the years that to retain funding we need to send riders to the Olympic Games but this doesn't wash for me - surely the "powers that be" might be better employed putting the case that Australia should be putting money into the development of this discipline to ensure that when we do go to Olympic Games we have a chance of finishing in the top half of the field - otherwise are we not in danger of being branded as "there for the appearance money"?!

It seems to me that we have only three contenders at the moment for the spot and they appear to be Kristy Oatley-Nist, based in Germany, who has been doing very well; Ricky MacMillan, based in Australia, who seems to have won every major title available and Mary Hanna who is also based in Australia and who seems to be tailing Ricky in the major competitions at home. I gather Heath Ryan would be working towards the Worlds in Aachen in 2006 as no doubt is his wife Rozzie, who many Australians felt was cheated out of her chance at Sydney Olympic Games.

Now we move to Showjumping - the discipline I have been commentating on for some years now and the sport which has always been my passion. I was fortunate to have spent a great deal of my teenage years based in the UK and this was when the sporting heroes were the Whittakers, Eddie Macken, Paul Darragh, Ludger Beerbaum, Harvey Smith and so many more. Australia had their greats too with Jeff McVean still remembered as an outstanding International showjumper and the only Australian to have ever made it into the Top 10 in the world - and of course who could forget Kevin Bacon and his magic little horse Chichester who won so many major events throughout Europe. Vicky Roycroft was there as a young "slip of a girl with the determination of a hungry lion" and she continues today to be just as fiercely competitive. Gavin Chester is still considered, by the greats of the International arenas, to be the "best catch rider in the world" so Australia has been able to mix it with the best on rare occasions but they are still thought of more as "novelties" with their unorthodox riding styles and wildly undisciplined (by comparison) horses by the European showjumping community.

Showjumping in Australia went from the embryonic stage to undergoing rapid growth and then seems to me to have stagnated after what was known as the "Bond era" collapsed and the money simply disappeared from the sport. Many Australian officials have commented over the years that the showjumpers are "just a greedy bunch who only go to shows for the money" and in some ways they may well be right - but perhaps this is because those same officials have not provided a system which encourages riders to work towards producing their horses from the green horse stage through to the Olympic hopeful horse and so with the high cost of running teams which sometimes consist of up to 18 horses the riders have no choice but to go where the money is better.

Which brings me to the lead up for the 2004 Athens Olympics and Australian showjumping. Australia had the opportunity to qualify a team for Athens at an event in Germany in June 2003 but were unable to "come up to the mark" leaving us with no team representation despite the "cockiness" with which they went into the event! The only opportunity for an appearance in the showjumping arena at Athens was the individual spot which was gained for Australia by James Paterson-Robinson who has been based in The Netherlands for some years now - and to me this is when the "rot set in" for the morale of Australian showjumping!

The system is such that this spot, although qualified for by James is actually gained for Australia and so the jostling to be selected as the sole Australian representative began almost as soon as the presentations of the bows ended in Germany in June 2003!

It is well known in jumping circles that I personally believe that as James was good enough to qualify the spot for his country there should be no discussion about selection and that the spot belonged to him assuming he had the horsepower for Olympic Games performance. The only time the selectors should, in my opinion, have become involved is if he notified them that he no longer had the horse.

James was of the opinion that he did not want to go if he wasn't confident of "finishing in the top 20" and I think that is an excellent attitude - does it really improve your chances of finding sponsors/owners if you can say you "went to the Olympic Games" because at some stage someone will ask where you finished!

However the system in Australia does not work this way and as such I sincerely hope that the final decision is made based on the "best combination for the job" and not on "which horse is still in Australian hands" and I wish all those working towards gaining the sole spot all the best of luck.

So earlier this year the Australian Elite list was announced and it saw the following combinations - Tim Armitrano and the quarter horse cross Mr Innocent who are based in Australia but after travelling to the World Cup Final in Italy in April went on to base in Europe.
Rory Hovell and the continental bred Quell damme de Heffnick, which he purchased from fellow Australian Edwina Alexander after she went to WEG with it in 2002 - Rory is based in the USA.
Andrew Inglis and the thoroughbred saved from the dog food tin, Mr Burns who are based in Australia but leave next week to begin their European campaign from their base in Belgium.
Thaisa Irwin and The Countryman who has gone from strength to strength are another combination based in Australia but they too head for their European base at the end of May.
James Paterson-Robinson and the continental bred Madonna who has won some major classes are based in The Netherlands where they have been for some years now gaining credibility with some excellent results.
Billy Raymont and Royal Selections who I believe is a throughbred have been doing very well from their Australian base following the local circuit clocking up wins and experience.
George Sanna and Boxster who base in Australia and have been ticking away quietly but at the time of going to press we are led to understand this combination are in the USA so one would assume they are not looking for Olympic Selection.
Robert Agnew and the warmblood DP Envy another Australia based combination who have done very well but I would suspect would not be thinking they are in contention for the sole spot.
Chris Chugg and Diamond B Ego the home bred warmblood who has won pretty much every available Australian title including the World Cup Final which they opted not to attend as was their right so one would assume, and feel safe doing so, that Chris is not thinking of Olympic glory with this horse.

Pictured left is Thaisa Erwin and The Countryman who are about to head to Europe to base I believe in The Netherlands. I am led to believe that Thaisa's intention is to gain experience which she hopes will see her gain at a place at the World Championships in Germany in 2006 and this sounds like a very intelligent and well planned journey with a realistic goal ahead of them.

It is a very strange year when we do not see the name Vicky Roycroft on the Elite list but at the time

she did not have a horse which would be considered as a "potential Olympic horse" which is what the Elite list is purported to be!

And so we have an Elite list which is promoted as the "Athens Olympic hopefuls and yet we see that the reality of this list of nine combinations sees only three horses having the all important overseas performances and of these James Paterson-Robinson's horse Madonna has now been sold and so this leaves him without a horse up to the job. Of the remaining 6 horses we understand one is being promoted for sale as we write leaving us with a choice of 5 horses who have had no international experience outside of Australia.

Of these 5 remaining horses, two are trying to gain that all important international experience and the even more important results and we again assume that the remaining three are not even thinking of selection.

It is incredibly admirable and brave of Tim Armitrano and Andrew Inglis to make this last minute "attack on the European circuit" as it is a tough time to be looking for results when the best teams in the world are clocking up their performances for selection to Athens! It is also an expensive and often times soul destroying exercise as our Australian showjumpers receive little or no assistance when they undertake overseas travel with their horses and the more of the top showjumpers they meet and talk to the more insight they will gain as to just how much support they don't get in comparison to their European counterparts.

So I have to ask the question - is it worth the sacrifices these people make to travel themselves and their horse to compete against riders who may well have three, four or more International Grand Prix horses to compete - leaving these brave Aussie's with just one horse and no chance to get their "eye in" with a few smaller classes on different horses prior to contesting the big classes?

Yes it is definitely worth it as you will never get anywhere if you don't give it a try - and this is very much the Aussie way but I do believe that the time has come for the administrators and members of the Equestrian Federation of Australia to decide whether they want to have "token representation" at Olympic Games and World Games level or do they want to see our riders get a chance to be make it up the rankings!

It would appear to me that Equestrian Federations around the world help to fund their Elite competitors by imposing levies on competition entries which are then used as travelling funds for their Elite - the rank and file membership do not seem to have a problem with this and in fact many I have spoken to feel that it gives them a feeling of "ownership" when their riders do well. Those rank and file members who do not agree with the levy join the Riding Club system where they enjoy their leisure time activity with their horses and have no interest in even knowing how their countrymen/women are doing in the International competitions.

Australia I believe it is crunch time for equestrian sport in Australia - especially in the Dressage and Showjumping disciplines! The decision has to be made as to whether we continue to be the "poor relations" who pop up every four years for a couple of months to try and gain the experience necessary for an Olympic Games or World Championship appearance or do our riders simply become full scale producers of horses for the sole purpose of selling them to the rest of the world?

Or there is a third option - acknowledge that our riders are excellent and certainly up to doing the job against our European counterparts and, as a country, get behind them in every way possible and one of the ways to work towards this is to get rid of the "old guard" of both riders and officials who have had a strangle hold on the top level and bring in a proactive and forward thinking group who will work towards getting our riders to a level where they can show their prowess!

The other very important part of improvement is to become more realistic about the scene in Australia and do away with excuses such as "we don't have the horsepower" or "we can't afford to keep our horses" - this doesn't wash anymore and the most telling story of this is the recent performances of Australian owned dressage horse Pretender who has been winning classes with German rider, Hubertus Schmidt!

The showjumpers use the excuse that their top horses are sold because they cannot afford to hold on to them but in truth have any of the horses sold from Australia, who were the top in the country, gone on to huge International stardom - generally speaking, no they haven't - with the noteable exception of Eros, the Adam Wootten produced horse! They have done very nicely in the amateur circuit or the C/B level International rings - and I believe this is because the horses are not produced correctly! Imagine riders, potential owners and administrators, if you will, how much more these horses would be worth if they went to Olympic Games and World Championships and finished in the top 10!!!

Long term thinking is what is now required - and decisions made about exactly what the brief is for Showjumping and Dressage competition and this decision needs to be collectively made by riders, owners, breeders and administrators alike.

I wish all the Australian showjumpers, dressage riders and eventers the very best of luck on their tough road to Athens and I will make my evening prayer each night that by 2006 we will have seriously competitive showjumpers and dressage riders in Aachen Germany for WEG - naturally my fingers are crossed for the 4th consecutive gold medal to the Australian eventers.

Cheers,

Jan Heine
Editor-in-Chief

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