Mary Warren and Mindarah Park Ramaden / Photos: Rebecca Ashton
Mary Warren had the weekend of her life at this year’s Australian Dressage Championships. Successfully competing her eight year old Mindarah Park Raphael in the FEI Young Rider CDI-Y classes, she went on to pleasantly shock us all by winning the Saturday night Willinga Park Grand Prix CDI-W Freestyle with a score of 71% on her 13 year old stallion (and Raphael’s Dad) Mindarah Park Ramadan. Because that wasn’t enough pressure for the 18 year old, she also sat her HSC maths exam in-between tests!
Last night!
(She laughs) “That was quite shocking! I was not expecting that. Ramie felt super but there’s still lots of things we need to improve on. I was not expecting that score and definitely not that placing. But I’m so happy with Ramie. He’s getting better and better and we’re communicating better and better. You can really feel, when you can communicate well with them, you can go anywhere, and that’s what I’m feeling with him.”
“He’s really come up a few gears since the Sydney CDI and he feels much easier to ride now. I can guide him a bit now and he just goes with me. I ride six days a week, four in the arena and two I do hill work or hack them out. It stops them from getting bored and keeps them happy. I feel they want to try for you more then.”
The freestyle test last night, it was pretty technical…
“Yes I design all my own freestyles and put them together myself. It takes me about a week to do it. With these two horses, they can do technically difficult stuff and most of the time we can pull it off. We pulled it off last night.”
Mary with Mindarah Park Raphael
HSC, Nationals, I want to know how you’re doing everything!
“On Friday I rode the CDI-Y Team Test and I literally had to jump off, hand the reins to Mum and a friend of ours drove me to a local school around here where I had to sit my HSC maths exam. Later that afternoon I had Ramie’s Grand Prix test at 16:00.”
How do you compartmentalise and focus?
“I worked all the times out carefully and I had so much help and support. I couldn’t do it by myself. You just do it. I’m not a stressy person and I like to challenge myself. I’ve had this dream since I was six and doors just keep opening for me so I just keep powering through. Every morning I get up at 05:30/06:00 and just do what needs to be done. You have to focus. But I enjoy it so it’s great.”
You’re still training with Elliot Patterson?
“I’ve been coming to the squad clinics and Elliot comes down every five to six weeks and I get lessons from him then. It gives me time to focus on things on my own at home in between and he can come and see the progress. It’s hard when you’re by yourself. I use mirrors but mainly I rely on my feel or if Mum’s around l’ll ask, ‘Did that look alright?’ Dad has a good eye too.”
Mary with her family
What are your plans for next year?
“More training. I’ve got quite a few horses at home that I‘ve got to sell. I want to expand my business and take in some more clients and just keep doing what I’m doing. This is what I love to do.”
Are you taking a holiday after all this and when the HSC is over?
“Well I’ve got Equitana in November. I’m going to have a lesson with Lyndal (Oatley) and Patrik (Kittel) on this one (she’s holding Raphael) and Patrik will ride Ramadan in the Grand Prix freestyle gala night.”
How did you line that up?
“I’m sponsored by Custom Saddlery like they are and I sent Lyndal a Facebook message asking her advice about a particular saddle and she wrote back saying that she had been following me a bit and we started communicating. I sent her videos of both my boys, it went from there.”
Each Rider of the Month receives a prize from IAHP.
This month, they receive a 30g tube of Sootha Paste valued at $19.80.
Contains B-group vitamins, magnesium and tryptophan for horses. These nutrients are necessary for general metabolism, normal appetite and growth, healthy skin and muscle, function of nervous system and formation of red blood cells.
