Plenty on the Line in Australia for Kiwis

The Kiwis are ready to head into battle at the Oceania Team Championships which are being held as part of the Australian Showjumping Championships in Werribee. 

Chef d’equipe John Cottle is confident that if each combination jumps as well as they can, the coveted Trans Tasman Trophy could be coming home. The very experienced Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) captains the New Zealand team, and is joined by Lisa Coupe (Kumeu), Ross Smith (Canterbury) and Luke Dee (Ocean Beach).

The young rider team comprises Rebekah van Tiel (Karaka), Rosie Commons (Auckland), Olivia Robertson (Queenstown) and Bridget Hansen (Ocean Beach).

But it doesn’t stop there for the Kiwis, who will also be hungry to stake claim to the Australian titles on the line..

“The Aussies are very strong, no doubt about that,” says Cottle, “and there are 40-odd in the senior class on Friday so from a championship side, it is going to be a tough class.”

He’s been working closely with all combinations and is hoping the tweaks and changes that have been made will pay dividends.

“We’ve had a bit of rain and the ground looks good,” says Cottle.

Courses will be designed by Frederic Cottier (FRA) who will also be designing at the 2014 World Equestrian Championships in Normandy.

 “It will be interesting to see what his courses are like and whether he brings that current global trend of very tight times.”

The Australians have named strong teams for both the senior and young rider contests.

Jumping prodigy, 20-year-old Tom McDermott has been named in both teams. In the senior he joins Jamie Kermond, Sharon Slater and Shane Davidson, while in the junior he will ride alongside Slater’s daughter Kelly, Sarah Beale and Nicole Bruggermann – the latter two who were part of the Australian Young Rider team to tour New Zealand earlier this year.

The Oceania Challenge headlines a full four days of jumping action at the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre. Not since 2005 has Australia had the home ground advantage when taking on New Zealand in a jumping test and both nations will be looking to take an early lead in the two round series which will continue at the Royal Melbourne Show from 26-29 September.

Australia and New Zealand have recently formed the Oceania Equestrian Federation to raise the profile of the sport in this region and to add weight to lobbying opportunities of both nations at FEI level. As a result, all competitions between Australia and New Zealand, previously known as ‘Trans-Tasman tests’,will now be referred to as Oceania Championships.

By: Diana Dobson/ESNZ