Australian Junior Jumping Team, winners of the FEI Nations Cup (CSIO J&Y) at Chaoyang Park in Beijing.
© Equestrian Australia
History was created recently with the Australian Junior Jumping Team winning the FEI Nations Cup (CSIO J&Y) at Chaoyang Park in Beijing. On borrowed horses, the team of Clay Simonds, Conor Reed and Amelia Douglass all jumped clear to beat the Chinese team by 34 faults.
Equestrian Jumping South Australia caught up with Australian team member, Conor Reed, to find out what it was like to represent Australia in Beijing.
What was Australia’s competitive advantage for this competition?
“We are all experienced riders, having all three of us jumped in many junior and young rider shows and classes. We have all ridden numerous different horses which made us well prepared for the borrowed horse competition.”
What was your biggest challenge of this competition?
“Getting used to the new horses, and for me specifically understanding the horses stride as Uriah (the horse I was given) was the biggest horse I have ever ridden.”
The Australian team only had one 20-minute ride on their respective borrowed horses before entering the competition ring.
So, what was the key focus for Conor and his team during the short time they had to get to know their horses?
“We needed to understand the horses that we were given to us as best as we possibly could. When we jumped them, we would try to see how they reacted when we moved them forward, and how they reacted when we shortened the stride.”
Congratulations Conor and team Australia.
Source: Equestrian South Australia
READ THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES HERE
