As the Australian team settle into their London home later today so we thought it was time to give you the facts and figures on those riders who will represent Australia at the Games. Scroll down for information on each of the team members
To get you in the Olympic mood here is the Equestrian Australia Olympic video ‘Dreams’ produced by Peter Haynes from In the Limelight.
Megan Jones
DOB: 6 November 1976
Base: Hahndorf, SA
Australian home: Hahndorf, SA
Megan Jones and Allofasudden Photo: Copyright Equine Images
Megan came from a non-horsey background but as her mother had always wanted to ride as a child and had not been able too so as soon as she had the chance to let her daughters ride she bought them a pony. When Megan was a toddler she needed surgery for a hearing problem and although the operation was successful it left her with a stutter. Megan has never let this problem and the fact that she is dyslexic stop her doing what she wanted to do and admits that if she thinks about it and breaths properly she can control her stutter but also admits she is a bit lazy in thinking about her breathing! Megan’s first top horse was the 17.2hh Kirby Park Irish Hallmark who took her to 4* level, but sadly ‘Paddy’, as he was known died, in 2005 from a spider bite. A few weeks later Megan went on to win the Adelaide CCI4* on Kirby Park Irish Jester. After achieving great success with Jester, Kirby Park Allofasudden has now stepped into the limelight and it is his turn to show just how talented he is.
Olympic Games:
2008 Beijing Olympic Games – Team silver medal. Individual fourth.
Recent Performances:
- 5th - 2012 Sydney CCI3*
- 6th - 2011 Adelaide CCI4*
- 9th - 2011 Melbourne CCI3*
- 3rd - 2010 Sydney CCI3*
- 6th - 2010 Melbourne CCI3*
- 2nd - 2009 Adelaide CCI4*
- 1st - 2009 Melbourne CCI3*
Career Highlights:
- Winning a team silver medal in Hong Kong
- Winning the Anna Savage Award at Adelaide in 2002, 2006 and 2008 (jointly with Christopher Burton)
- Being named South Australian Female Athlete of the Year in 2008.
Olympic Horse - Allofasudden
- Chestnut gelding
- DOB: 01/01/2000
- Bred by Prim Cromwell from Mypolonga in SA
- By Rustic Amber
- Owned by Megan Jones
Olympic Groom:
Kate O’Brien. Kate also went as Megan’s groom to the WEG in Kentucky.
Did You Know?
Kirby Park Allofasudden was sold as a yearling at the magic millions sales but his racing career didn’t really amount to anything. He was quite badly behaved when Megan took him on. Megan is looking forward to marrying her partner James Deacon, Director of Logan Floats, early next year – no doubt lots of horses will be invited as the wedding is taking place at Megan’s home – Kirby Park. Megan’s favorite dessert is creamed rice pudding, which she has been known to eat straight out of the tin at events!
Andrew Hoy
DOB: 8th February 1959
Base: Gloucestershire, England
Australian Home: Culcairn, NSW
Andrew Hoy and Rutherglen Photo: Libby Law
Andrew would probably be the first to admit he has been around eventing at the top level for a long time. He won Burghley back in 1979 and rode in his first Olympic Games at Los Angeles in 1984 – London will be his seventh Olympics. Coming from a farming background Andrew decided to leave country NSW over twenty years ago and has been based in England and Europe ever since. His partnership with the grey gelding Darien Powers saw him become a household name and his surname ‘Hoy, Hoy, Hoy’ rang out at Sydney after the team won the gold medal.
Olympic Games:
2004 Athens - 6th (team), 57th (individual)
2000 Sydney - 1st (team), 2nd (individual)
1996 Atlanta - 1st (team), 11th (individual)
1992 Barcelona - 1st (team), 5th (individual)
1988 Seoul - 5th (team), 8th (individual)
1984 Los Angeles - 5th (team), 15th (individual)
Recent Performances:
• 6th - 2012 CCI4* Luhmuhlen (Luhmuhlen, Germany)
• 9th - 2012 CIC3* Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden, Germany)
• 17th - 2012 CCI4* Kentucky (Kentucky, USA)
• 2nd - 2012 CCI3* Montelibretti (Montelibretti, Italy)
• 3rd - 2011 CCI3* Blair Castle (Blair Atholl, Great Britain)
• 22nd - 2011 CIC3* Barbury Castle (Wiltshire, Great Britain)
• 22nd - 2011 CIC3* Luhmuhlen (Luhmuhlen, Germany)
• 4th - 2011 CIC3* Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden, Germany)
Career Highlights:
• Winning three consecutive team gold medals at the Olympic Games
• Winning silver at the individual event in Sydney, 2000
• Being selected to compete at a record seventh Olympic Games in London
Olympic Horse - Rutherglen
- Bay gelding
- DOB 26/01/2003
- Bred in Germany by Gerhard Oestermann
- Hanoverian by Ramires
- Owned by Andrew Hoy
Olympic Groom:
Jessica Rogers
Did You Know?
Andrew rode Davey, who had been bought for him as a Pony Club horse, to win Burghley in 1979. Around this time he met Captain Mark Phillips and through this association was often based at Gatcombe Park (at that time the home of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips). Andrew was the flagbearer for Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Games.
Clayton Fredericks
DOB: 17 November 1967
Base: Rosegarth, England
Australian home: Moora, WA
Clayton Fredericks and Bendigo Photo: Pauline Chevalier
Clayton moved from WA to England in 1994 and the following year he was part of the Open European Championship team. He met British event rider Lucinda Murray when he was in England and consequently decided to stay in UK and the couple married in 1997. The couple have a daughter, Ellie, who at the age of eight is already following in her parents footsteps competing in local hunter trials. Clayton first saw ‘Charlie’ (Bendigo) in Germany, where he was competing in high-level dressage and showjumping, and felt that he had all the makings of a top event horse. The rest as they say is history.
Olympic Games:
2008 Beijing - 2nd (team), 7th (individual)
Recent Performances:
• 1st - 2012 CIC3* Renswoude (Renswoude, Netherlands)
• 1st - 2012 CIC3* Jardy (Jardy, France)
• 3rd - 2012 CICO3* Fontainebleau (Fontainebleau, France)
• 6th - 2011 CCI4* Pau (Pau, France)
• 1st - 2011 CCI3* Saumur (Saumur, France)
• 17th - 2011 CICO3* Aachen (Aachen, Germany)
• 2nd - 2011 CIC3* Barroca d’Alva (Barroca d’Alva, Portugal)
Career Highlights:
• Winning the individual silver medal and team bronze at the World Championships
• Becoming the World Cup Champion twice - 2005 and 2008
• Winning Olympic silver in Beijing with the team
Olympic Horse - Bendigo
- Bay gelding
- DOB 01/03/1999
- Bred in Germany
- Sire - Contender
- Owned by Edwin and Peta McAuley
Olympic Groom:
Lisa Baker, who also groomed for Clayton at 2008 Beijing Olympics
Did You Know?
Clayton does some singing (in his spare time!) and you can download one of his songs ‘The will to win’ by clicking here. His rock band is called ‘Snatch’. Clayton and Lucinda are both very involved with the ‘Fredericks family business’ of Southern Stars Saddlery and have helped to design saddles for each phase of eventing. Clayton is the Rider Representative on the FEI Eventing Committee.
Christopher Burton
DOB: 22 November 1981
Base: Dorset, England
Australian home: Toowoomba, QLD
Christopher Burton and Holstein Park Leilani Photo: FEI/Media
Christopher Burton made the move from Queensland to NSW to ‘get closer to all the action of eventing’ and 18 months ago moved to England for the same reason. After a quiet start in UK Christopher has produced some amazing results this year which saw him as an obvious choice for the London Olympics. At Greenwich he will be riding Jean and Jade Findlays talented chestnut mare Holstein Park Leilani. Chris took the ride on Leilani when Jade was pregnant with although the original plan being that the mare would go back to Jade after her daughter was born. However the success that Chris was having spurred them all on to see just how far this partnership could go. Both Jade (who took Leilani to two star level before passing him onto Chris) and Jean will be at London cheering him on towards a medal.
Olympic Games:
Debut
Recent Performances:
• 2nd - 2012 Saumur CCI3* (Saumur, France)
• 2nd - 2011 FEI World Cup overall
• 8th - 2011 Les Etoiles de Pau CCI4* (Pau, France)
• 2nd and 3rd - 2011 Le Pin au Haras Pin CIC3* (Le Pin, France)
• 2nd - 2011 Sydney CIC3* (Sydney, Australia)
• 2nd - 2011 Kihikihi CIC3* (Kihikihi, New Zealand)
Career Highlights:
• Winning the 4 star event in Adelaide in 2008 on Newprint and in the same year winning the Anna Savage Award for best and fairest (jointly with Megan Jones)
• Finishing 2nd at the FEI World Cup series in 2011
• Representing Australia in 2010 at the World Equestrian Games
Olympic Horse – Holstein Park Leilani
- Chestnut mare
- DOB 01/01/1996
- Australian warmblood by Lander
- Owned by Jade and Jean Findlay
Olympic Groom:
Elizabeth Coleclough
Did You Know?
Christopher Burton is known as ‘Burto’ to his friends. Although he has only recently moved to UK he actually competed there in 2004 at Badminton and Burghley on the chestnut gelding, Woodmount Spry. Before he took up horses full time Chris had thoughts of becoming a cabinet maker and says he would still like to do that one day. He is a keen skier and managed to enjoy some time at the snow earlier this year in France before making his way onto the London team.
Lucinda Fredericks
DOB: 28 September 1965
Based: Rosegarth England
Lucinda was born in Zomba, Malawi and but spent much of her youth in Germany and England.
Lucinda Fredericks and Flying Finish Photo: Libby Law
Lucinda rode at 4* level in her twenties but spent much of her thirties building a business and creating a home for herself and Clayton and becoming a mum, to Ellie, in 2004. After marrying Clayton Lucinda changed Nationalities so she could ride for Australia. Lucinda has a knack of getting the best out of ‘quirky’ and sometimes ‘difficult’ horses and it was the headstrong yet tiny (15.2hh) Headley Britannia who really shot Lucinda to fame in the 2006 after the pair won Burghley. They went on to win Badminton the following year and in 2008 made their Olympic debut at Beijing. ‘Little Brit’ was retired earlier this year but it looks as if the classy Flying Finish will be happy to continue to fly the flag for Australia and Team Fredericks.
Olympic Games:
2008 Beijing - 2nd (team), 26th (individual)
Recent Performances:
• 2nd - 2012 CCI4* Luhmuhlen (Luhmuhlen, Germany)
• 2nd - 2012 CCI3* Vairano Vidigulfo (Vairano, Italy)
• 4th- 2012 CICO3* Houghton Hall (King’s Lynn, Great Britain)
• 6th - 2012 CICO3* Fontainebleau (Fontainebleau, France)
• 9th - 2011 CICO3* Aachen (Aachen, Germany)
• 22nd - 2011 CICO3* (Fontainebleau, France)
• 20th - 2011 CIC3* Barbury Castle (Wiltshire, Great Britain)
Career Highlights:
• Winning silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
• Being selected to compete at the London Games
• Winning three CCI4* events in Kentucky (2009), Badminton (2007), Burghley (2006) - all with Headley Britannia
Olympic Horse – Flying Finish
- Bay gelding
- DOB 27/05/2002
- Sire - Candillo
- Owned by Peter Reid and Lucinda Fredericks
Olympic Groom:
Emily Young-Jamieson
Did You Know?
Lucinda’s father was a Major in the British Army. She was a member of Britain’s Junior and Young Rider eventing teams in her younger days and was long-listed for the Sydney Olympics but not in eventing … in dressage with a horse called Azupa Gazelle. Lucinda used to be the team trainer for the Dutch Eventing team.
