Olivia Hicks Photograph:abbeydigital

Olivia attended the Australian Youth Showjumping Festival held at Worrigee Equestrian Common, Nowra, and on the advice of event organiser Jane Frankum, Olivia entered the FEI Children’s Category A class.

The FEI development department runs an annual Children’s competition in which countries from around the world participate.  The FEI designs a jumping course and specifies exact dimensions and appearance of each jump. Each qualifying competition around the world is required to build the course to the exact direction of the FEI. Competitive equality is created by having all riders competing over a course that is identically built in each country.  Each country’s results are then submitted to the FEI and tallied with the results from the rest of the world.  From the final worldwide results sixteen riders qualify for the FEI Children’s Jumping final which is held on borrowed horses.

Olivia Hicks was the winner of the Australian qualifying competition and has qualified for the Final.  Olivia has been awarded an FEI-funded trip to the final which this year will be held at Spruce Meadows, Canada. The show will run 23 – 28 October 2006.  Olivia like the other International riders will only have limited opportunities to familiarise herself with her borrowed horse.  The competition will be held over several days, with the overall winner decided on 28 October.  An additional sixteen riders from the host nation will also take part in the final.

Olivia will travel to Canada in just over a week to compete in the Final. To ride at Spruce Meadows is a life long aim for many aspiring jumping riders. Olivia is about to get her chance to ride in the famous arena.  The EFA would like to wish Olivia the best of luck. Special thanks to John Vallance and Jane Frankum for their support of this competition in Australia.