Global Amateur Tour Showjumping

This article is from the February 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Competing internationally is an opportunity that many riders only dream of, with just a small group of Aussies taking up the reins overseas each year; primarily those looking for WEG or Olympic selection. The Global Amateur Tour strives to expand that range, providing a 1m to 1.2m showjumping competition for amateur riders around the world on borrowed horses. In 2019, the tour comprised of six legs of competition held in six locations across the globe; New Zealand, Mexico, Peru, Morocco, Brazil and Argentina. Horse Deals caught up with the three Australians that attended the Brazil leg to hear about their experience.

Lauren Errington

Tell us a bit about yourself. I am a 28-year-old Western Australian showjumper, who resides in the rural area of Harvey, WA. I have been riding since the age of five. When I transitioned from ponies to horses, I rescued a Standardbred, schooled and competed him to 1.10m. I acquired my first Thoroughbred as a four-year-old, schooling him to his current competition level of 1.30-1.35m. I have another Thoroughbred, currently competing at 1.15m, a younger Thoroughbred coming up through the ranks, currently at 90cm and a young Warmblood x that I have recently backed.

What inspired you to enter the Global Amateur Tour? My undeniable passion for horses and showjumping have always inspired me to reach high-end goals and in particular the desire to compete at internationally acclaimed events. When I heard about the GAT, I set my heart on being part of this prestigious tour and was honoured and delighted to have been accepted.

What was involved in your preparation before travelling overseas? Apart from the day-to-day schooling of my own horses, my coach assisted with additional training. Otherwise, it was business as usual, juggling time to fit in uni studies, work and horses.

How would you describe São Paulo? São Paulo is a huge city and is the financial hub of Brazil and not a normal tourist destination. The venue was in the middle of the metropolitan area and is home to some 500 horses on any given day, with approximately 1,200 horses housed during the week of the competition. The GAT classes are included in the international show program, which was held indoors. This venue is of international standard, with numerous indoor and outdoor jumping and dressage arenas, stables, round yards, a polo field, a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, tennis courts, coffee bars, and a golf driving range, along with a member’s clubhouse which is like a five-star hotel.

How were the horses assigned to the riders and were you given much time to get to know them? Horses from various equestrian facilities throughout the city were made available for riders to trial. On landing on Thursday, the other riders and I were whisked off to try out some horses.

I trialled two horses, but neither was entirely suited to my riding style.

Tell us about the horse you were teamed with and what they were like to ride. A day before competition, I was given a young seven-year-old Warmblood stallion to ride, with whom I immediately bonded and thoroughly enjoyed riding. He had an incredible temperament and willingness to please, was honest and fairly bold. He seemed to enjoy the electric atmosphere of the indoor arena and didn’t seem phased by the excessive noise, cheering, music and ongoing announcements and changing electronic billboards alongside the arena. He cherished the moment and together we rode a number of superb rounds, placing fifth in the first individual round, a fifth in the team event (with the team consisting of one overseas rider, teamed with three local riders) and 13th overall in the competition, out of approximately 40 competitors in my classes.

What was the most valuable lesson you learnt in your time there? Hard work, dedication and commitment to your chosen discipline, irrespective of whether you ride Warmbloods or Thoroughbreds, will always be rewarded when the passion for what you do is your motivation.

Why would you recommend for other riders to apply for the Global Amateur Tour? The GAT provides amateur riders the opportunity to compete at an international level on borrowed horses around the world, giving up-and-coming riders the opportunity to experience international competition. This level of international, amateur competition is not normally seen in Australia. I highly recommend this international exposure to other amateur riders.

David Prior

Tell us a bit about yourself. I am 44, currently based with my partner Rebecca Alsop and four-year-old daughter Lily at our twenty-acre equestrian property in Greenvale, 20 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD. I have competed for nearly 20 years to 3* eventing and 1.30-1.35m showjumping.

What was involved in your preparation before travelling overseas? Lucky for me, Bec set to organising a couple of fund-raisers to assist with the financial demands of the trip, approximately AU$10,000 (and worth every dollar). We are grateful to friends from far and wide who contributed. Bec also organised the care of our own competition horses, clients’ horses in training, agisted horses, riding lessons and Lily. On our return, we would only have three weeks before competing five horses at the Australian Showjumping Championships. Equestrian Australia was supportive in quickly processing my international competition license and I was good to go.

Tell us about the horse you were teamed with and what they were like to ride. I had been reserved a lovely liver chestnut stallion who had been competing 1.35m and we clicked immediately. The GAT Chef d’Equipe had a video of our riding as part of the application process so they knew the sort of horses that would work and we had the chance to ride two or three and select the best match.

Although the first competition was both enjoyable and had a good outcome for me, it wasn’t so for one of the other Australian riders and one of the New Zealanders. This resulted in a swap of horses whereby I was offered a top quality six-year-old, Sebastian, that had been bought for $150,000! I have to say I was eager to take this opportunity even though the horse was a lot less experienced. Sebastian was a stunning dappled grey who caught the eye of every onlooker. He took a bit of riding because he was lethargic by nature. I had the chance to ride him under the guidance of his wonderful owner Afonso who was very helpful in providing useful tips.

How did the competition differ to competing in Australia? After the first competition we had the opportunity to watch the 1.25m class. Horse after horse that came into the ring impressed us all with their ability, and we quickly realised if there is one thing about horses in a country where riding is an elite sport, it is that nearly every horse we rode and saw at the competition was talented. In Australia, only one out of fifty horses at the top shows would have this calibre. Junior riders in Brazil pay $300,000-$450,000 for a good horse, and these horses jump around 1.45m easily and usually clean. Many horses are imported from Europe and the remainder are from top bloodlines bred in Brazil, who benefitted from mare lines that were exported from Europe earlier in the 20th century to keep them safe during World War II.

Other than showjumping, what other experiences were highlights? One might imagine that riding and competing at the exclusive Sociedade Hípica Paulista (SHP) in São Paulo, where the membership fee is US$70,000, that we were in for a unique experience. And unique it was! I’ll never forget the spectacular grounds which rival the best of private facilities in the world with facilities for jumping, polo, kids lessons, riding for the disabled, and dressage arenas in a very beautiful setting – so inspiring that I could even take up dressage! There were pools, gym, massage service, hairdresser and many other services for members unknown to us in Australia. Although she wasn’t competing, Bec was offered a horse to ride on a daily basis by one of the very generous members of the clubs Board of Directors. The generosity shown to us in Brazil is unfamiliar in Australia. As VIP ticket holders, we had three buffet meals per day, mostly local fare, fresh and with wide variety. The bar was open from 10am and the bar staff came to your table whenever you looked thirsty. Not that I drink, but the others appreciated the service. Bands performed on each of the evenings so if the daytime activities hadn’t worn you out then you could let your hair down and boogie – the Brazilians know how to party but generally don’t drink as much as the ANZ crew.

We had a couple of days off competing and used them to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the VIP experience and to go on a cultural tour of Embu das Artes, a colonial town renowned for its artisan works and wide variety of alcoholic beverages.

Did you meet any riders of note? On day one of the CSI, I spotted Philippe Guerdat — Olympian and coach of many top showjumping teams — and asked him if he could spare some minutes to share some wisdom with the GAT riders. He willingly spent nearly an hour with us later that week. We had the opportunity to meet with several riders of the Brazilian Olympic team who are otherwise based in Europe.

Why would you recommend for other riders to apply for the Global Amateur Tour? GAT provides an opportunity for riders like myself who are keen competitors, to ride at international shows that are on par with the top European shows without requiring us to be at the elite levels of the sport, not to mention we avoid the high levels of stress associated with that elite level of competition. There are always ups and downs, like any good adventure, but I can’t recommend it more highly. The one thing we will change for next trip is to take Lily with us as the setup is perfect for kids! We look forward to being there in 2020.

Hayley Bettink

Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m 22 years old and am living in Bunbury, Western Australia, however I grew up in Northcliffe, WA, on a dairy farm. I got my first pony when I was eight years old but didn’t start pony club until I was 11. I have competed all over the south-west in all disciplines however showjumping always was a standout for me.

What inspired you to enter the Global Amateur Tour? A good friend of mine told me about the opportunity and she actually competed in the Mexico tour. I applied and was told that the Mexico leg was full and was asked if I wanted to compete on another leg instead. For me, this may be my only chance to compete on an international platform and I jumped at the opportunity. The Brazilians have always made a great name for themselves in breeding good jumping horses and producing some fantastic showjumping riders. Although I had never travelled to South America before I’d heard it’s a beautiful place so the Brazil leg was the one I decided to compete on.

What was involved in your preparation before travelling overseas? I tried to ride as many horses as I could in the lead up to the trip. Every horse in my paddock that was rideable was in work! I wanted to work with horses of differing sizes, education and age to help with my ability to quickly adjust to different horses. I even tried my hand at Portuguese the few months before leaving although I wasn’t very good.

What were the facilities like? The facilities at Hípica Paulista in São Paulo were beyond incredible. We were lucky enough to be allowed in the private change rooms which were equipped with lockers, showers, makeup station and even an in house boot cleaner! There were multiple restaurants, pools and cafés and at the time of the show, there were lots of stalls of beautiful products for purchase. The arena itself was beautiful and the course of jumps was just picturesque. Every clear round, no matter what level, was met with loud upbeat music and cheers. It was truly an incredible atmosphere and one I haven’t yet had the chance to experience.

Tell us about the horse you were teamed with and what they were like to ride. I was teamed up with an 11-year-old Warmblood gelding. He was possibly the kindest horse I have ever had the pleasure of riding. He was very cold and a little spooky but honest and loved his job. With a ground covering canter I found the speed class lots of fun with him. I was lucky enough to meet his owner after the show and she was such a beautiful person, I was grateful to have the chance to thank her personally for her generosity in lending me such a great horse.

What was the social side of the competition like? The Brazilian riders were all there to have fun and share the love of their sport with every competitor. It was heartwarming the way they accepted and welcomed each one of us into their competition. The atmosphere before the class and walking the course was one of friendly ease and calling out encouragements to each other. Lots of riders welcomed us in passing and wished us luck. I have met some incredible people through this experience and feel that they are friendships that will last a lifetime.

What was the most valuable lesson you learnt in your time there? To never forget that our passion and love of the horse is why we compete in this sport. Each new partnership with a horse teaches us something new.

Why would you recommend other riders to apply for the Global Amateur Tour? If you love meeting new people and riding quality horses I feel this tour can really benefit you. I personally have never travelled overseas and am glad for the opportunity to do so while competing in the sport I love. I am grateful for the organisers of this tour and feel they have really brought forward an opportunity for amateur riders to experience the international level of our beloved sport.

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