Equestrian High Performance Weekly Update – 31st August, 2020

This week has seen some remarkable displays of success, resilience and positivity by our riders around the world.

We would like to first acknowledge and congratulate dressage rider Simone Pearce and the black stallion Destano on their two incredible performances this past weekend at the CDI3*-W Brno in the Czech Republic. Not only did they secure a double victory they also smashed the Australian Grand Prix record and the Australian Grand Prix Special record, both of the previous records were already held by the combination. Simone has shown incredible focus, ability and dedication throughout these uncertain times as she continues to focus on her Tokyo 2020 journey. Congratulations again to Simone, Destano and all their connections.

Today would have marked the final day of dressage competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. In recognition of what 'could have been' our Para-Equestrian athletes have been dressing in their competition attire and riding their tests at home. Our riders and support teams have put in enormous effort over the past 18 months in preparation for the Games, and whilst the disappointment they are not currently in Tokyo is shared by all, it is great to see they are taking the postponement in their stride. The Team camaraderie during this time is a testament to the attitudes of each of the athletes and it is great that they want to celebrate what could have been. We are excited to see what these athletes can produce with another year of training and look forward to seeing them on the world stage in 2021.

The Equestrian High Performance team have been liaising closely with administrators, KordaMentha, in an effort to further understand the recently published proposed EA Constitution and how these changes will affect our high-performance community. We have been seeking further clarification on what the proposed changes will mean for our athletes and have arranged a videoconference for our Tokyo identified riders this week to update them on the latest developments. 

We also continue to maintain regular and open communication with the FEI, Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), Paralympics Australia (PA) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) as we all continue to work together for the betterment of the sport. We hope to shortly have the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Selection Policies available for our riders and stakeholders. These policies are currently going through the review process and are presently with the AOC and PA.

As always the health and safety of our people and horses remain our highest priority as we work together as a united high performance community to navigate these unprecedented times.  We encourage all of our riders, staff and the wider equestrian community to diligently adhere to their government’s protocols regarding Covid-19 in order to minimise the risk of exposure and to limit the spread of the virus.

We thank you all for your understanding and continued support and please feel free to contact the High Performance team directly if you have any questions or queries.