After a rather hectic end to last year and some breathing space now I am on my working holiday in the USA, I have finally been able to put together the final Sunburst Equestrian Newsletter for 2006.

Looking back on what eventuated as a disappointing World Equestrian Games/Burghley campaign, I can better put it in perspective and move on with plans for 2007. While I was obviously very disappointed to miss WEG selection, I did realize that ‘Fox’ was by the far the youngest Australian horse on the squad and was not sufficiently developed in the Dressage phase to be a serious individual medal contender. This will most definitely be our focus in the lead up to Beijing. To then miss the magnificent Burghley Horse Trials through a poorly timed paddock injury did compound my disappointment and make my stay in the UK somewhat gloomy. However, I was confident that I still had a great horse for the future.

Returning to Australia in mid-September was a welcome relief – back to sunshine & riding horses again! I was immediately back into riding 8 horses/day in preparation for the Spring events and also had much study to get through in order to finish my Masters in Animal Physiotherapy by mid-November. My first spring event , the Reynella Horse Trials, was very successful with Koyuna Sun Dancer, Koyuna Sunshine and Acacia Ridge Sun Rise taking out the CNC***, CNC** and CNC* classes respectively while Hoc’s Maximus and Koyuna Sun Storm jumped clear but slow across country in the Pre Novice class and Glenrose Sun Devil placed 4^th in his first eventing start in the Introductory.

The E-Banc Trade Adelaide International was again an amazing event with the organizing committee doing very well on a strict budget. Koyuna Sunshine was a ‘gun’ across country to record the fastest time in her section which was instrumental in her winning the class by just half a point! Koyuna Sun Dancer was also very good with one of very few clear showjumping rounds pulling him up to 3^rd place in the competitive CCI** field. As a big, lanky youngster, Dancer found the twisty course in the parklands a little tough to negotiate and after a bad slip on landing early in the course, I opted for a slightly slower ride. He did jump very well though and I am confident that it served him well in preparation for a CCI**** run there this year. I also started my old campaigner, Koyuna Sun Smoke in the CCI**** though our preparation was not ideal with foot soreness in the final 3 weeks badly disrupting his work regime. Still, I was pleased that he was able to give me my only clear 4* Cross Country run for the year even though he did not pass the Veterinary inspection the following morning. He will now be retired from serious competition but I hope that he will provide useful service to younger riders coming into the sport.

Flying out to Brisbane the Monday morning at 6:15am was a bit of a struggle but I felt it was necessary to give me some time & space to finish my Masters. I spent a week staying with Eventing friend Simone Kahn from where I was able to travel to do some work placements with practicing Animal physiotherapists before heading up to Gatton for the final week of presentations and preparation for practical exams. Fortunately, I survived this and now have a Masters in Animal Physiotherapy. Now it is just a question of what I do with it! I am quite keen to pursue further study in the field of equine exercise physiology – the technical term for analyzing heart rate, speed and altitude data of event horses in competition – but need to find a means of funding it! 

Our final competition for the season was the Lakes & Craters International in the stunning setting of the volcanic lakes and steep hills overlooking these. Koyuna Sun Dancer’s first CCI*** ended prematurely with a spectacular fall at fence 3 on the Cross country where he inexpicably left the ground a full stride too early landing on the fence. Fortunately he did not fall as the back rail collapsed when he hit it (as is its design) but I landed heavily on pretty hard ground! I was quite surprised and of course disappointed as his dressage was very good and had left him in 3^rd position. Still, I am confident that he is an exciting horse for the future and that 2007 will be his year. Koyuna Sunshine was very consistent in the CCI** with her best dressage score of 47.7 then clear Cross Country and showjumping to finish 4^th. She was no doubt disadvantaged by the extension of time on the Cross country course but considering the very hard ground conditions, extreme temperatures and the steepness of the terrain, I was in favour of this decision. Koyuna Sun Storm excelled in her first CCI* to be 3^rd while Acacia Ridge Sun Rise was not on his best form for 6^th place. Hoc’s Maximus was also disappointing across country when he refused going into the water jump, especially as he had his best run cross country yet up until that point. One more chance…

2007 promises to be an exciting year as I am very keen to take Koyuna Sun Magic to the USA in April for the Kentucky International Horse Trials CCI**** and plan to campaign both Koyuna Sun Dancer and Koyuna Sunshine at CCI*** level. Many young horses will also keep my team and I very busy!

 Best Regards,

 Wendy Schaeffer OAM