Bridget Murphy and Penmain Promise are one of more than 30 para dressage and Virtus athletes set to compete at Boneo Park this month. Image by KimC.nu by Ateni AB.
It’s competition crunch time for para riders taking on the 2025 Para Dressage National Championships (CPEDI2*/3*) at Boneo Park in Victoria this month. The event is hosted by Carlton Performance Horses and will be the first qualifying event for the FEI World Championships in Aachen 2026.
With over 30 riders, including Virtus athletes, set to hit the competition arena, I can guarantee the pressure is most certainly going to be ON and the standard of competition high.
Riders from all over Australia will be in attendance and looking to see where they fit on the ranking board as we move towards the year of the FEI World Championships (formerly the World Equestrian Games, or ‘WEG’). The first qualifying event often means different things for different riders, but ultimately it is the starting line of the race towards a place on the Australian team for the World Championships.
Stella Barton and Lord Larmarque competing at the 2024 Para Dressage Nationals at Boneo Park; the duo went on to make the Australian team for the Paris Paralympics. Image by One Eyed Frog Photography.
Event director, Jade Woodhead Butler, confirms that 32 riders are entered, with representatives from Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland. She tells us that judge Marc Urban will be officiating, following judging at the Europeans. “I love running para competitions, and it’s great to see that numbers have significantly increased from when I started running these events in 2019,” says Jade. “I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone at the first World Championship qualifier.”
There are new combinations emerging who will be wanting to show the judges and selectors that they should not be miscounted, but there will also be seasoned combinations that have numerous campaigns on the same horse and with Paralympic experience under their belt, that will be riding to prove why they have been selected for teams in the past – and confirm that they should be selected again. With only four riders being chosen for the team, the competition is going to be tough.
From my experience, the first qualifying event usually has the highest number of competitors throughout the campaign. This is when everyone is unsure where they sit in the rankings, they want to set the standard of scores with their horses moving forward, hope to gain confidence as a partnership, and ultimately learn where individual areas of weakness may lie so that they’re able to train hard and improve as the remaining selection events unfold.
BRIDGET MURPHY AIMS FOR ENJOYMENT
I spoke with Paralympian Bridget Murphy (Grade 2), who was a recent competitor at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, about her feelings towards this event after just coming off the world stage last year. In true Bridget fashion, reflective of the professional that she is, she informs us: “Macey [Bridget’s Paris partner, Penmain Promise] is feeling super. She’s working really well so I’m excited to be stepping back into competition at the Nationals. As it’s my first big competition after Paris, my main goal is just to enjoy it. I’m not putting any pressure or expectations on it. Score wise, I’m hoping we pick up where we left off, but as long as I ride a test I’m happy with, that’s all that matters”.
Bridget Murphy and Penmain Promise, aka ‘Macey’, competing at the Paris Paralympics. Image by KimC.nu by Ateni AB.
The selection policy for the 2026 FEI World Championships was released by Equestrian Australia (EA) a few months ago, outlining how combinations will be chosen for the Australian team. The selection criteria combine pre-requisite FEI Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) followed by EA competition criteria and discretionary considerations.
The criteria states that:
- A combination must achieve an FEI MER of 64% or higher between 1 January 2025 and 15 June 2026.
- The combination must achieve a total percentage score of 67% or above in a Grand Prix Test A or Grand Prix Test B in at least two CPEDI3* events between 1 October 2025 and 15 June 2026.
- The combination must compete in no less than two CPEDI3* events between 1 January 2026 and 15 June 2026.
So basically, riders will be looking to produce scores consistently above 67% at all four qualifying events; however, riders technically could gain qualifying scores from only two events next year alone.
The Australian-based CPEDI3* qualifying events include:
- Boneo CPEDI3* November 2025
- Willinga Park CPEDI3* February 2026
- Boneo CPEDI3* May 2026
- Sydney CPEDI3* June 2026
Competing at all four events will give riders the maximum number of opportunities to produce qualifying scores; riders can still meet the required selection criteria even if they attend only two selection events next year, which means the pressure is on all riders until the very last minute!
MIETTA’S NEW DANCE PARTNER
In the lead-up to Nationals at Boneo, I spoke with Mietta Innes-Irons, who has been competing as a Grade 4 para rider since 2022, to get some feedback on her preparation for this event.
Mietta Innes-Irons and Sir Helmut, pictured here at the Hawkesbury Dressage Festival earlier this year where they were crowned the CPEDI2* Grade 5 Champions after winning all three tests. Image by Rodney’s Photography.
Mietta is a skilled rider who has a new dance partner and is already proving she means business. Mietta found her new horse, Sir Helmut (Sir Donnerhall x Benetton Dream) at the end of 2024 and has been competing at various events in Victoria since to build on her partnership with this special gelding. “I’m really excited to see what Helmut and I can achieve together in this campaign. It’s been wonderful working with him and watching our scores improve as our partnership develops. The ultimate aim is to be selected for the Australian team for the World Championships in Aachen next year,” says Mietta.
PRESTIGIOUS SELECTION PANEL
The selectors for the LA Paralympic cycle, which includes the World Championships next year, comprise Kerry Mack (chair), Jan Pike and Sally Francis, plus development selector, Caroline Colby.
In my opinion, EA have absolutely nailed their para selection panel for the LA cycle. It is chaired by Dr Kerry Mack who, outside of her riding career, works as a senior general and perinatal psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Kerry is an extremely talented and seasoned Grand Prix dressage rider with years of experience breeding, producing and competing at the highest level in Australia. In more recent years she has had an increasing amount of involvement coaching several para-athletes.
Sally Francis is not only an extremely knowledgeable coach who has been working with Riding for the Disabled Australia (RDA) and High Performance para riders for over 20 years, but also has experience working at multiple Paralympic Games and international events (such as the 2023 Virtus Global Games) as the Australian team Chef D’Equipe (her first being at the 1996 Paralympics).
Lastly, EA has listed past Paralympic rider and medallist, Jan Pike, on the board of selectors. I believe this is the first time in Australian history that a para athlete has been named on the panel of selectors and I can’t tell you how excited this makes me! I really think it’s so important to have someone who has been in the saddle as a high performance Paralympic athlete and knows exactly what it takes to gain results at the highest level. I honestly can’t stress enough what an extremely valuable asset I think this is with regard to selection; I don’t think this can be discounted as a “secret weapon”. I am so proud to see this implemented, and equally as excited to see how this will impact selection when it comes to crunch time!
Jan Pike represented Australia at two Paralympic Games: Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. At the Athens Games, she and Dr Doulittle secured silver and bronze medals. Image supplied by Equestrian Australia.
Caroline Colby is a Victoria-based rider who has been deeply involved in dressage her whole life and has now taken on a role with para dressage. Caroline will be attending all selection meetings from now on with the aim to assist future development of selectors and selection for para sport.
Julia Battams, founder of Equine Pathways Australia and Technical/Coaching Consult for EA, has commented on the upcoming event. “It is a huge event for our athletes, both High Performance and those just starting their competition journey,” she says. “The facilities and organising committee are always amazing at this event, and it gives such a great feeling to be there. It is also the first of the selection events for the World Championships in Aachen next year so there will definitely be a bit of pressure on as well!”
It’s an extremely exciting event and I truly wish all competitors the very best of luck as they make their way down the centreline at Boneo this month. I really hope for the development of para sport in Australia that we see scores of international quality as we move toward the next Paralympic Games in LA 2028. In saying this, it is a huge achievement and literally takes an army to even be in the saddle at such a prestigious event, so I hope all competitors enjoy the ride and have fun.
Equestrian Life has partnered with ClipMyHorse.TV to livestream the event. I’m so looking forward to watching and commentating, so make sure you tune in. EQ
Watch the action live via Equestrian Life, or live and on-demand with ClipMyHorse.TV.
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