Rio Eventing hopefuls out to impress at Sydney International Horse Trials
It is less than 100 days until Equestrian competition begins at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Australia’s Eventing hopefuls are preparing for an important weekend of competition at the venue of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
The Sydney International Horse Trials, beginning Friday 29 April at the International Equestrian Centre in Horsley Park, is one of the last opportunities for Australian based Rio Eventing hopefuls to perform in front of selectors before the team is announced in June.
There are four positions available on Australia’s Eventing Team for Rio and with riders spread across Australia, the US and UK, there is a strong depth of talent vying for selection.
Olympic silver medallist Shane Rose has his eye on a team position and is determined to make up for the disappointment he experienced at the London Games, where an injury to his horse forced his withdrawal just days prior to the start of competition.
Four years on and Rose is leaving nothing to chance. He has four horses entered at Sydney, including CP Qualified and Virgil, the horses with which he finished first and second respectively at the 2015 Australian International Three Day Event.
“CP Qualified and Virgil are doing their first full event for the year. They’re both fairly fresh and keen to get out there so I’m looking forward to the weekend and hopefully they’ll do well.
“My two younger horses Shanghai Joe and Glenorchy South Park are doing the three star as part of their qualification for Rio. I’m looking to qualify Shanghai Joe as a back-up to my other two horses,” said Rose.
Sydney Olympic gold medallist Stuart Tinney is also in the mix as is Olympic silver medallist Sonja Johnson who has travelled across the Nullarbor from her hometown of Albany, Western Australia in a bid to make the team.
“We did a rough workout and we think it is between the 50th and 60th time in my life that I’ve crossed the Nullarbor," said Johnson.
“Selection for an Olympics or World Championships is always a very important reason to make the crossing. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that every time you do it you just want your horses to arrive well, you want to arrive safely and do the best job you can. As I get older its important to keep that in perspective because otherwise you put pressures on yourself that are counterproductive.
“I am very much trying to treat it as any other trip across the Nullarbor,” she said.
Competition begins Friday at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.
Follow @EquestrianAus on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates throughout the weekend.
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