Thank you to Deb MacNicol

Deb MacNicol has for many years, and continues to be, a valuable and important contributor to Equestrian Australia.  Her hours of volunteering, self-funded trips and on call technical assistance cannot be measured simply, extending over a very long period from Equestrian Federation of Australia days through to now, well over 40 years!  And her energy is still very evident at the many events she assists with. Recalling just some of her past achievements, there are not too many areas of Australian Dressage that Deb has not been a positive part of:

• Dressage Competition Manager at SYD2000
• Olympic Games Dressage Chef d’Equipe at: Beijing2008, London2012, Tokyo2020
• FEI World Equestrian Games™ Dressage Chef d’Equipe at: Aachen2006, Kentucky2010, Tryon2018, Herning2022;
• Talent Identification Programme identifying horses for the future
• Key driver of many Dressage Squad initiatives and Selection panels;
• EA Board member
• EADC Committee member and Chair
• Qld State Chair
• Dressage Committee member;
• Organising Committee for many events including Australian Dressage Champs, Youth Dressage, and State Championships for Vic, Qld and SA, and Dressage and Jumping with the Stars;
• High Performance Advisory Dressage Panel;
• Equestrian Australia Official Accreditation : Previous FEI Eventing Dressage Judge, currently EA C Level Dressage Judge and Judge Mentor,  Technical Delegate and FEI Ll3 Steward.

The FEI World Championships in Herning is an important chapter that closes for our highly respected Chef d’ Equipe in her decorated career. It was very fitting that the Australian Dressage Team performed spectacularly under Deb’s watch in the Grand Prix Team competition, placing Australia eighth out of nineteen nations and ranked highest in Group G (South East Asia/Oceania) granting Australia the quota place to the Dressage competition for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the only Australian Olympic discipline to do so at the 2022 World Championships. 

Deb is an open book encyclopedia for all things related to Australian Dressage.  And she will dislike the attention this article brings to her achievements, always preferring to be the calming influence behind the scenes supporting our Athletes!  High Performance wish to take this opportunity to thank Deb for all that she has and continues to do for Dressage at Equestrian Australia.