Olympic qualifiers in Australia are facing a shortage of 4-star events, leaving some with no option but to go overseas to qualify their horses in time for the Beijing Olympics. One such rider, Megan Jones talked to Allied Equine about the difficulties of qualifying a horse in Australia at the present time.
Although Megan has been able to qualify Kirby Park All of a Sudden (Floyd) into the A-list, trying to qualify her star horse, Kirby Park Irish Jester, has been more problematic. Since Olympic qualification must occur within 18 months of the Olympics, World Championship events do not count towards qualification -counting out Jester’s performances last year.
With the cancellation of 4 star events in Sydney and Adelaide, it seems that opportunities for Olympic hopefuls are drying up. A glimmer of hope lies in the Camperdown Lakes & Craters International from the 6th -9th December in Victoria. This has not been cancelled as of yet and would provide the perfect opportunity for Jester and other horses to complete qualification.
Even Camperdown is not ideal as the ground is hard and the event itself is uncertain because of continuing EI restrictions -but Megan is preparing Jester anyway with plenty of gallops. Otherwise, the only option is to go overseas for the numerous international events held year-round.
Megan runs the Kirby Park Stud at Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills.
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