Photo: Monique de Smit / DigiShots. Yes, folks a real live interview, the day I start using the handout quotes from the press office is the day I quit…
What a super test, it just looked so relaxed, so harmonious, so assured, great…
“With Vassily de Lassos, he is only a young horse, only nine, very much the unfinished product, but I could not be more happy with the test. The way he went in, the way he performed was absolutely excellent for where he is in his training. I rode him in Aachen, and when he went to Aachen, he produced his best, he rose to the occasion, here he came into the arena, and rose to the occasion again. This is something I’m really finding with this horse, I’ve only had him since May last year but he is always rising to the occasion with everything he does. It’s very special and a real privilege to ride a horse like that.”
Photo: Monique de Smit / DigiShots
He’s brilliantly bred for the job, Jaguar Mail over an Anglo Arab mare…
“It’s a very popular cross. I knew about him eighteen months before I went to look at him. Thomas Carlile was riding him and he told me about the horse. He said he weaves, he needs a pony with him because he is not good on his own. I said to Tom, I don’t need that in my life, there are enough difficulties with horses without that – but then when I went to try him. I kept looking at the result sheet and the results were extraordinary. There were certain things about him that I didn’t like when I first rode him that I thought could be an issue. Then I would look back at the results sheet, and said to myself, you’ve got to think outside the box here. Ride him again, still not sure, look at the results sheet again – okay, we’ve got to have this horse.”
Photo: Monique de Smit / DigiShots
Twenty four hours ago, I was thinking we are not going to have a cross country, but it is looking more hopeful…
“My feeling is that it is going to be a very strong but a fair course, no matter what the decision is on making it shorter. (because of the weather conditions) I don’t know, I’m just going to have to work with whatever the decision is.”
In terms of the going, you are going to be lucky, earlier in the draw, it should be riding better…
“I think I am in a very fortunate position, going first of the Australian team. Vassily is a very quick horse. I’ve just got to make a decision on the ground. I’m going to walk it again later today, and then I just have to ride with feeling. That’s what cross country is all about and that’s where the top riders come to the fore. They respond in the correct manner to the actual situation.”
Here’s a link to the results at the end of the dressage: http://www.longinestiming.com/#!/equestrian/2018/1587/html/en/longinestiming/resultlist_EDT.html
And here’s Andrew’s other Aussies from Day 2 of the eventing dressage.
Emma McNab – Fernhill Tabasco © DigiShots
William Levett – Lassban Diamond Lift © DigiShots
Shane Rose – Virgil © DigiShots
Andrew, Very many thanks for the great feeling you have conveyed to all of us who are sitting in Australia very frustrated not to be there!
Your description of your ride in the dressage is excellent. Wishing you well cross country, sounds like a challenge but you were always up for that!
Very best regards Judy