Victoria Welch and Washington competing at the 2007 National Young Rider Championships
Christine Haigh, National office, Tuesday, 27 November 2007 Eighteen year old Victoria Welch and 14yo Dimity Lourey have been selected to represent Australia in a friendly Trans-Tasman Young Rider Derby at the Lion Foundation NZ Young Rider Championships in Taupo on 12-13 January 2008.
Robbie Soster has been selected as the reserve rider and the Dressage Young Rider Program Manager Jenny Carroll has been appointed as Chef d’Equipe.
Victoria and Dimity will compete on borrowed horses at Medium level in the Derby. Equestrian Sports NZ has also undertaken to try to provide catch rides for girls for the entire event.
The Australian team of Jayden Brown and Lilah Nieuwland won the 2007 Derby in February and Victoria and Dimity are looking to repeat their success.
All three girls already have impressive competition records to their credit.
Victoria is the 2007 Australian FEI Young Rider Champion and Advanced Young Rider Reserve Champion. She was also Queensland and Australian Medium Young Rider Champion in 2006. In May Dimity was winner of the open Prix St Georges at the Sydney CDI. Her other recent successes include equal 1st place in the Grand Prix at the 2007 Toowoomba Dressage Championships. Robbie was 2005 and 2006 NSW Dressage Young Rider of the Year.
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