Thursday September 11          

It was another day of sitting on the edge of our seats with both Nicole Kullen and Sharon Jarvis still in the medal hunt with one horse to go!

In the end Nicole was placed 4th in the Grade IB Freestyle and Sharon 7th in the same event for Grade III.

We started the day with Jan Pike riding Northern Griffin in the Grade IA test. Jan rode accurately but the competition was strong. She placed 9th. Then Nicole rode a free flowing test and was placed first after the morning session of 7 riders.

Grace also rode in the Grade IB test and again her horse was a little overwhelmed by the occasion. Grace rode beautifully to complete her sequence of movements but we always knew that the judges would not score the resistance in evidence highly. Grace was placed 12th overall.

The evening saw the the continuation of the Grade IB test and Nicole was placed 3rd with just the Brazillian horse to come. Unfortunately our celebrations were short lived as the last rider scored 1% more than Nicole leaving her in 4th place.

The final rider for the competition was our Sharon Jarvis. Sharon knew the scores to beat and went in determined to ride her best.

Odorado powered into the arena and make a great impression on everyone. Sharon then proceeded to give it all she had and then some.

Odie responded but the judges remained only moderatley impressed giving her an overall score of 69.446%. Although it was Sharon`s best score for the competition she still was hoping to medal after coming 4th in the previous event.

Still there were many great outcomes from the Games. We achieved two Bronze medals, two 4th places and a team 6th.

Our team worked well together and it was great having our own vet this time.

It`s onto Beijing now to meet up with the rest of the Australian Paralympic Team and participate in the closing ceremony.

Final Scores Competition Day 5
Grade IA
Jan Pike 9th 65.555%

Grade IB
Nicole Kullen 4th 66.110%
Grae Bowman 12th 61.611%

Grade III
Sharon Jarvis 7th 69.446%

 
Georgia Wins 2nd Bronze Medal          

In her final competition event Georgia rode with finesse to win another Bronze Medal.

After 10 riders she was the first to top 74%. But soon after two more athletes passed her mark. With hearts in our mouths we waited to see the score of the final rider to find out if she medalled. The Aussie supporters erupted when the final results were announced.

Grade IV Freestyle to Music Results:

RSA JOHNSON Philippa 77.272%
NOR LUBBE Ann Cathrin 75.046%
AUS BRUCE Georgia 74.319%
NOR RUI Sigrid 69.498%
FRA BIZET Nathalie 68.453%
SWE ARONSSON Lotten 68.362%
NED VERMEULEN Sjerstin 67.908%
DEN THORNING J. Line 66.045%
NED PETERS Sabine 65.863%
CAN BRAIN Karen 62.136%
USA BRUECKMANN Robin 61.135%
CAN ELSTONE Eleonore 60.683%
NED de GROOT Ineke 58.955%
POL GEPNER Patrycja 56.819%

Competition Schedule for 11 September

8.48am Jan Pike – Grade IA
9:30am Nicole Kullen - Grade IB
9.52am Grace Bowman – Grade IB
9.51pm Sharon Jarvis – Grade III

 
Georgia Wins Bronze          

Georgia Bruce winning a bronze medal on ‘Victory Salute’ at the Paralympics last night

Georgia Bruce rode her way into a Bronze Medal for Australia in the Individual Championship Test in Hong Kong tonight. Adding to Australia’s overall Paralympic medal tally, Georgia performed brilliantly and was only 1% away from the gold medal position.

For the first time Georgia’s mum Annie was in the crowd to see her performance. Georgia rode a accurate and flowing test. Her mount Victory Salute was supple and obedient to Georgia’s direction and they made a wonderful sight as they completed each movement. Even more remarkable is the fact that Georgia has only been riding Victory Salute for 4 weeks! The horse is owned by Carolyn Lieutenant who is a long time supporter of Para-dressage sport and is in Hong Kong to help train Georgia and Sam, Victory Salute’s stable name. Watch this space when Georgia competes again on Wednesday in the Freestyle to Music. Tuesday’s Individual Championship Test Riding Times Grade IA Jan Pike 5.40pm Grade III Sharon Jarvis 7.04pm Grade IB Nicole Kullen 9.30pm Grace Bowman 10.20pm Medal Ceremony Grades IA, IB & III 11.30pm

 
Sunday September 7th          

Equestrian competitors and staff enjoyed a wonderful Opening Ceremony reception at the Hong Kong Jockey Club last night. Cocktails and finger food was served in the Club Parade Ring.

The speeches and entertainment was well received by all and we were able to watch the Beijing Opening on a huge wide screen.

Competition results

This morning Sharon Jarvis started the Australian campaign with her Grade III Team Test. Sharon rode extremely well especially as Odie was very tense and tried to break away on a couple of occasions. A lesser rider would not have coped as well as Sharon did.

1st Germany 71.615%
2nd Great Britain 69.538%
3rd Denmark 69.538%
4th Italy 67.154%
5th Australia 62.923%
6th Sweden 60.231%
7th USA 59.231%

Thank you Sharon for a good start.

Tonight Grace, Nicole and Georgia ride their tests.

The weather is extremely hot and humid but the Field of Play inspires good performances.

 
Update - September 6th          

Last night Jan Pike rode a wonderful test in the warm-up competition. Jan scored 61.76% on Northern Griffin, just missing out on third spot. It also gave Jan a clear indication on how to increase her score next time she rides. It was great to see her supporters arrive to cheer her on and the whole Aussie team was there cheering.

Team Test Riding Times

The draw has been done and we are riding at the following times on Sunday September 7:
8:18am Sharon Jarvis - Grade III
7:39pm Grace Bowman – Grade IB
8:03pm Nicole Kullen - Grade IB
11:03pm Georgia Bruce – Grade IV

With the opening ceremony tonight and an early start tomorrow our planning and co-ordination will be put to the test. We will start about 5.30am and will be still going at midnight!

The horses and athletes are all doing extremely well and we are quietly confident that good performances will follow.

 
Horses Pass Veterinary Inspection          

Our first official competition checkpoint has been passed with all Australian horses passed as sound by the Chief Vet and Ground Jury. Four horses from other countries were asked to represent but in the end everyone got through.

Our horses are looking fantastic and training yesterday was very encouraging.

We have chosen the Team riders. It was an extremely difficult decision and we are fortunate that all athletes and their mounts are so competitive.

The Australian Para Dressage Team for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games are:

Georgia Bruce
Nicole Kullen
Sharon Jarvis
Grace Bowman

 
Paralympics - Day 2          

Today official competition rules take effect. This means FEI rules will be enforced and drug testing will begin for both horses and athletes.

The team and horses are looking great and ready for action.

Training continues at a steady pace balancing acclimatisation with competition preparation.

The weather remains hot and humid with an early morning thunderstorm adding to the lights of Hong Kong.

Site Report

The facilities at both the Hong Village and the Competition venue are awesome. Transport between each is easy and regular.

There are eight arena areas to train in and every rider has at least two scheduled training sessions per day available.

The stables are air-conditioned to 21 degrees, rubber flooring and water available everywhere. Each stable complex has 3 wash bays, weighing scales, laundry, lunging yard and feed delivery. The whole layout is compact and flat which makes getting to everything very easy on athletes, horses and staff. Security is tight but friendly!

 
Let the Games Begin!          

The Australian Paralympic Equestrian left Australia on August 28 ready to tackle the heat, distractions and talented competitors in Hong Kong as part of the 2008 Paralympic Games. The Team and Riding for the Disabled Association Australia would like to thank the many supporters and sponsors who helped in its preparations for the Games.
More Australian Paralympic news can be seen on the Australian Paralympic Committee web site by clicking on the link below: APC Web Site