Australian eventer Olivia ‘Golly’ Barton has won the CCI4*S at the Strzegom October Festival (1–5 October) in Poland with 12-year-old mare Hollyander HG.
The duo rose from tenth after dressage (35.2) to fourth following a clear show jumping round, where they picked up just 0.4 of a time fault. However, it was in the final cross country phase where they truly came to the fore, jumping clear once again and cantering around to add just 10.8 time faults on a course where no combination made the time — in fact, only three went quicker. They finished on a total of 46.4 to claim the win.
“It was a very nice surprise for ‘Holly’ to come away with the win in the CCI4*S,” says Golly. “She hasn’t had an FEI run for a while, so to come out and win her first event back overseas is very special!
“She delivered a relaxed dressage test, jumped a super show jump round, and just cantered around the cross country, just adding a bit of time; she didn’t miss a beat!”
Golly moved to Belgium in October last year, taking both Hollyander HG and APH Sodoku with her. Now based in Belgium with American show jumper Jenn Goddard, Golly not only trains her two eventers but also rides several show jumpers.
Next stop, Boekelo Nations Cup
In August this year, Golly was part of the third-placed Australian Nations Cup team at Arville in Belgium, where she rode APH Sodoku to finish 22nd individually from around 100 entrants.
The duo is now preparing to line up for the Nations Cup in Boekelo, The Netherlands from 9-13 October, where they are once again part of the Australian team alongside Ema Klugman and Chiraz, Kevin McNab and Faro Imp, and Isabel English and Cil Dara Bombay S.
“Hopefully we can try recreate Arville’s result at Boekelo this week!” says Golly.
A mare known for her quirks
Prior to their European venture, Holly and Golly were standout performers in Australia — winning the 2023 Melbourne International Three-Day Event CCI4*L, placing second in the CCI4*S in New Zealand, and also placing second in the 2024 Adelaide Equestrian Festival CCI5*L, among other accolades.
By Higgins out of the imported mare Bindabella (by Breitling W) and carrying both jumping and dressage lines, Holly is known for her quirks. Bred by Bob and Ela Weight, she was broken in by Deon Stokes and came to Golly as a four-year-old — a partnership that tested the then 18-year-old rider.
Following her 2023 MI3DE victory, Golly told Equestrian Life how her partnership with Holly began after meeting Bob and Ela through mutual friends.
“They were wanting to get into the eventing scene and really wanted to send Holly to me and see what we could do together,” recalled Golly. “As a four-year-old, Holly was not the most straightforward horse, she was quite opinionated. I’ve always loved her, and we’ve just really gotten along. While she’s not the most conventional eventer, she’s just got a heart of gold and always tries. So that’s what I love about her.”
Golly now owns the mare in conjunction with the Weights.
Top ten for Andrew Hoy in CCI4*L
Australians were also in action in the CCI4*L at Strzegom. The Olympic duo of Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos were the highest-placed Australian combination, finishing seventh. Eleventh after dressage on 33.9, they jumped double clear and added just 6.4 cross country time faults to complete on a total of 40.3. In August, Andrew and Vassily won the CCI4*S at Luhmühlen.
Katja Weimann placed 13th with Jeu de Blanc W on 56.6, while Sarah Clark was 19th with Casallia S on 75.6.
Full results from Strzegom October Festival can be found here.
