The community comes together for the Sydney Horse Trials..

Story by Rebecca Ashton, and photos by Julie Wilson and Rebecca Ashton

The smoke haze drifting in from the Blue Mountains, teamed up with heavy cloud in a show of eerily misty pathos for the re-run of the Sydney International Horse Trials after the tragic fatal accident of Caitlyn Fischer…

But it was more a case of the phoenix rising from the ashes for Australian eventing. “This is for me the Australian spirit first, and the eventing spirit as well,” enthused Christoph Hess.

“I really think it’s the spirit of Australians, not to resign, but to start again. This weekend has been a 10. Perfect! 100% opposite to last week so you can see how quickly life can change. I think it was good that we made a cut. It was not the second part of the last competition, it was a new competition. The riders were top. I saw many happy faces; riders, owners, sponsors, trainers. The officials are very happy. I think this was the right answer that we needed. The decision was made last Saturday evening. It was the right decision to continue immediately. I got a lift to the airport last weekend with Chris Webb and even then he was ringing judges and coming up with a plan.”

“Otherwise it’s a depressive situation. We are such a small family, the eventing family, that it was a shadow over everything. We called Catrin Norinder last weekend when she was in Kentucky, just before the 4* track. I know that when we called again yesterday, she was very happy to have this good result then she could start properly into Badminton,” explained Christoph.

Chairman of Equestrian Australia Judy Fasher was also obviously relieved and happy that things had run smoothly.

Judy, it’s been a positive end to a traumatic week?

“It’s been a terrible few weeks actually since Olivia’s death and it’s been very hard for the whole sport. But we’re an amazing group of people for pulling together. This event, when it was cancelled last weekend, there were doubt as to whether we could get it together, but as soon as you start talking to people; Shane (Rose) came onboard and with Michelle Hasibar’s help we got the Camden volunteers involved. Everyone put their best foot forward. The most amazing thing was that Christoph was able to rearrange things to come back and be with us on the ground jury. He’s been an absolutely amazing support and he’s given us all confidence that we were doing the right thing, because there’s always anxiety in these situations, whether people are exposed and maybe they’re affected in the way that they ride. There was quite a lot of anxiety about that. But once we decided to go ahead we noticed that people actually got better, and said we can do it.”

“I supposed the most amazing thing of all is the bravery of Caitlyn Fischer’s family. Mark and Ailsa rang on Friday morning just before the trot up and said to me that they wanted everybody involved in the event to know that they wanted it to go ahead. They particularly felt that it was important for the young people that it went ahead, but for everybody really, and that they absolutely endorsed it. I had to walk around the block a few times before I could actually announce it. I thought, this is going to be a very messy announcement! They’ve been marvelous. I noticed everybody just breathe, and then we could get on with it. I’m sure they didn’t see it as permission for us to go ahead, but that’s how we received it. It made a big difference.”

Was it a hard decision to go ahead before their acknowledgement?

“I think it was an instinctive decision that we had to keep going; that we had to do it and that we wanted to do it and the riders wanted to ride. I think we all felt that Caitlyn was a very gung ho, young girl and her enthusiasm for eventing was enormous and I think we felt she would have  wanted that too, and certainly her family made it perfectly clear to us that that’s what she would have wanted.”

“I don’t think we would be human if we all didn’t feel terribly on edge, and I think that applied to everybody involved in the event. It was a great relief when the first few riders went round cross country without problems. When the last horse had finished, Sylvia who was the course designer for this event and I held each others hand for quite some time!”

And I hear there’s a celebration planned for Caitlyn next week?

“Caitlyn was actually a working pupil for Christine Bates and she had some friends in the Wilberforce area in NSW and Caitlyn’s family is coming to pick up Ralphie, the horse. He’s been resting after the event. He’s been under veterinary observation, but he was also resting in a place where he was comfortable to be. Mark and Ailsa accepted Christine’s invitation, so we’re all going to a BBQ there on Saturday night and Mark has insisted that the dress code is thongs and jeans so everyone feels comfortable! I think they’re going to quite considerable preparations to make it a great night.”

Head of Equestrian NSW Bruce Farrar and his team had a lot at stake trying to rerun such a massive event, but he and his committee were definitely up to the job.

You did it!

“Rebecca, it was a remarkable experience after what happened last weekend. The fact that so many people made themselves available to come back. Christoph Hess, instead of going back to Germany, came back here, Geoff Sinclair, Helen Christie all came along. The organising committee were in two minds as to whether to hold it, but we spoke to the riders, we spoke to the volunteers, and together we made the decision we would re-run the event basically for the riders and the sport. We were blown away by the support we got from the riders. We came up with number where we would run it for a minimum of 50 and we ended up with in excess of that.”

It was an important qualifier event as well?

“It didn’t have a big impact for Rio but there were lots of riders here who needed a qualification to go to Melbourne or Adelaide. The Olympic hopefuls needed a run, so it was worthwhile to go ahead. We were unbelievably impressed with all the people who came together. We had 70 volunteers here yesterday (for the cross country). For the first time we had too many volunteers! It was sensational.”

“We’ve had two tragedies in seven weeks but it was important for the sport to move on and show people that those tragedies were unusual and the sport will get back up and running, and we were very, very pleased yesterday. We had some sensational riding from our elite riders. We didn’t have any falls. We had encouraged riders to go cross country schooling during the week so Shane Rose and Alexandra Townsend made their facilities available for riders. All those little extra things made it all possible so they were able to turn up yesterday having had a bit of a hit out during the week and go into the start box really, really positive.”

Shane Rose and Virgil

And by all accounts it’s been successful?

“In every way….except financially! Even during the conversation with my board, I said this is going to be a bit of a disaster financially but they said, ‘Bruce, it’s what we do, it’s why we exist. We’re a competition driven organisation so we have a duty to do what’s right for the riders.’ The board had no hesitation in proceeding this weekend knowing it was going to be a bit of a struggle.”

With just the 2* and 3* events running, it was a small but enthusiastic group of riders who turned up at SIEC. Olympic hopeful Sonja Johnson from Western Australia had an exceptional weekend winning the CCI3* on Parkiarrup Illicit Liaison and coming third on her youngster Misty Isle Valentino. I spoke to her just before the showjumping.

You’ve had a good weekend!

“I have had a good weekend so far, but it’s not over yet, so let’s say I’ve had a good Friday and Saturday. I was really pleased with how much better the boys were in their dressage. Both horses knocked at least five penalties off their score from a week ago which is just an indication of how useful it is to get good quality, consistent coaching with Christoph then Gareth Hughes then Prue Barrett’s been pulling it all together. The nice thing is that I know there’s still more to come yet. I know we can get it better. On Christoph’s score he was on 41, so we can keep improving that.

“They were both super cross country. Valentino is only quite young at this level, and he’s never galloped over this terrain and at the end it was so funny because you could feel the body was tired but the spirit was so willing! I came through the finish line and said to him you can stop now and he replied with no, no, I can keep going, it’s alright I can do another 10 minutes!”

“Little Benny (Parkiarrup Illicit Liaison) doesn’t really register tired. He’s just a guru and we were slowing down and well under time. The one second of time faults on Valentino was because my watch didn’t start. It started a bit later, so in the end I was slowing down because I thought I was too quick, but it turned out that I was over. So when I was about to go cross country with Ben, Prue said, “Please start your watch. Do you know why I want you to start your watch? Because otherwise you’ll go 40 seconds under time with him!”

“They’ve both pulled up really well and are both happy. Now we’ll just focus on the showjumping. I came here with the goal of getting Liaison under a 45 and finishing on it and Valentino getting him under the 50.”

Stuart Tinney and Pluto Mio

You’re big on fitness for your horses you told me at Equestriad.

“I’m neurotic about fitness. I just can’t stand riding unfit horses. I don’t want to have to come into the last half dozen fences on a hill thinking holy shit I hope they’ve got enough in the tank. So, I do really, really drill fitness.”

Excellent neurosis to have! What’s your routine with them?

“I gallop every four days, and at home I have the most amazing hill which is why I love being home for the fitness work, but I’m loving being over here for the coaching.”

You need a private jet for you and your ponies!

“Yeah that would be really good, or at least a really good sponsor!”

“I have this wonderful hill at home. It’s 1.2km long and increases by 70 metres in elevation. And it’s not just dead straight, you’ve got to twist and turn through trees so that makes them very rideable. So, before a major championships, they’ll go up that six times. It takes me about one and a half minutes to gallop up it and eight minutes to walk back down. They’ll do that six times. That’s after they’ve trotted up once. It’s a hangover from long format I suppose.”

Do you miss that?

“No! I never want to do another long format in my life, but it’s almost a shame we haven’t got it, because I think it taught people about getting horses fit, and it also taught them in the steeplechase, you’ve got to be able to gallop down and just jump the fence in a really good balance and open and that’s a skill you don’t see so much these days; the ability to just keep coming and jump out of a rhythm. I think it’s a shame, but in terms of the horses, I think it’s much better. I mean there’s no way Jaguar would have been able to do an Olympics at 18 and a World Championships at 20 if we were still doing long format.”

“I fully understand why organisers don’t want to do it too. But I almost wish through to 105m and 1* we still had long format three days. It’s not going to happen, but I just think it would be so good because nowadays so many people eventing live in cities, and they don’t get horses really fit, and they can get away with it at low levels, and they go up levels with unfit horses.”

So do you go home now?

“I was going to go home straight after last week, but if I took the horses home now, they’d only get three weeks before we’d need to come back for Melbourne. So, I’m flying home tomorrow for two weeks. There’s a heap of sheep work that needs doing, and I need to check the crops and things like that; the stuff that makes money to pay for all of this! The horses will have a week off and then Sarah Dawson, Shenae Lowings and Jess Manson are going to keep them going between them. Shenae doing dressage on them for a week, they’ll probably be better. Jess is going to take over the ride on my little 1* horse and take him up to Tamworth for me. Then I’ll come back, get some more intensive training in with Prue and go and see if we can’t do an even better job in Melbourne. If you say it quickly it’s easy!”

Shenae Lowings and Ballyhoo

Shane Rose was collecting ribbons in the CIC3* with a first on Virgil and second on CP Qualified.

Good weekend.

“My top horses Qualified and Virgil have been good all weekend. I’m just a bit annoyed with myself. I went the wrong side of a lane on Qualified and got a few unnecessary time penalties. I just had a couple of mistakes on my young horses, which was disappointing. South Park was just a bit tired at the top of the hill and jumped a little left of the double corners, which made the angle really acute for him. Just a little green on his part. He hasn’t galloped on hills like that over a 3* course. He’ll be better for the experience. I made an error on Shanghai Joe. He would have cantered in nicely under time if I hadn’t made that little mistake at the water.

“But all four have pulled up great and hopefully they’ll jump well and we’ll head down to Melbourne.”

How was your training this week? Hard coming back to do it again?

“It was a very different experience. Not so much for the CIC horses but for the CCI horses, you prepare them to peak at a certain time and then everything gets thrown in the air. It’s hard as a rider, but it’s a small price to pay and we’re grateful for the opportunity. It’s great that the committee and all the volunteers could come back and put the event on for us at short notice. It’s not like postponing an event, it’s like putting on a whole competition. It’s a massive event to put on, and the committee has done an amazing job.

“I was desperate for a start on the two CIC horses. This was always part of their plan, first start for the season so if I was to miss this, it would have been difficult so I’m really, really grateful.

“In five weeks we’re off to Melbourne. All the horses have pulled up really well so hoping to reload and do a better job down there.”

Another Olympic hopeful Stuart Tinney was also grateful for the run with three of his horses.

“I’m really pleased with how the horses went. Pluto Mio and Carlchen went around the CIC3* and they were very good and I was very pleased with their tests as well. War Hawk was actually just wonderful yesterday. I just rode the wrong striding into the water. I tried to do four strides instead of five, which was a silly mistake. Otherwise he was super too.”

Was it hard to keep them motivated this week?

“Yeah it’s hard because you’ve got to try to fit in another jump and give them another canter as well, but they seemed to have coped very well.”

Was there a good vibe here this weekend?

“It’s been great actually. The organisers have done a great job to get it up and running again. It’s been wonderful that we can come out and do the event, and those horses that needed to qualify could do that.”

Who are you taking down to Melbourne?

“Carlchen and Queen Mary in the CCI3*. Having done the CCI3* here, War Hawk, he won’t go. Pluto Mio will do the CIC3*”

Judy Clarke and Diablito

Another inspiring story from the weekend was Judith Clarke. A sixty-year-old grandmother, Judy gave the “youngsters” a run for their money finishing third on Diablito in the CIC3*

“I think people are in awe because I’m 60 but I don’t feel 60. I look at myself in the mirror and get a shock sometimes! I try to keep fit, I regularly go to the gym, but I’ve always been stronger and more active than most people my age. I had three brothers so grew up a tomboy!”

“I’ve been riding all my life. I did my first one-day event in 1988 in Oberon and won it. It was a prelim, but I was hooked from then on. I’ve had some really nice horses and I’ve been in 3* before, but I had a break from 3* for about 15 years. I was riding 2* but didn’t really want to take that next step, but now I’m kicking myself.”

What made you go back to 3* then?

“The horse. He’s amazing. I got him from a friend of mine who basically didn’t want him anymore. He was nine years old and had only done prelim dressage, and had never jumped. He’s rising 19 now so neither of us have a lot of time left!”

Will you head down to Melbourne?

“Yes I will. I was undecided. I wanted to see how we went here. I got a late entry for this event. The horse is older, so I don’t want to end up with a really good lame horse, but I’m going to give it a go.”

A minute’s silence for Caitlyn Fischer

Although it could be argued eventers are the tough ones of the equestrian world, both the emotion and relief were palpable on Sunday. All prize winners were present in the arena at the end of the show jumping when there was a touching minute’s silence for Caitlyn. More than one tear was shed and there was a real sense that the eventing community had gone through this tragedy together and come out the other side. The rerun of the Sydney International Horse Trials really was a cathartic event.