KATE DWYER may be one of the few dressage riders in the world who can say that 2020 has yielded great things. At one of the last international shows to take place before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the Al Shaqab CHI5* in Doha, Qatar, Kate and her remarkable partner, the 14-year old Snowdon Faberge, scored their first-ever international win. They also made history for Ireland by becoming the first Irish combination ever to win a CDI5* grand prix special.
It wasn’t Kate’s first history-making moment, either. In 2019, she and “Fabio” were part of the Irish quartet dubbed “the girls in green”, who memorably secured their country’s first-ever dressage team place at the Olympics. It’s not bad going, especially for a horse that Kate has recently learned is part-bred Shire.
“We always thought he was part-bred Welsh cob, but his breeder, Lorraine Hughes, got in touch with me after the Euros and it turns out one of his dam’s parents is a Shire horse. I’m not sure why we were surprised though – his head is as big as my torso and his feet are like dinner plates. I always used to joke that he could go off and plough a field after our test!” Kate tells me, as we chat overlooking the magnificent Al Shaqab stadium back in early spring.
It’s the day before her win in the grand prix special and Kate recalls the excitement of the Irish team’s result at the Europeans, and her hopes of Olympic selection. Just over three weeks later, the Tokyo Games would be officially postponed to 2021, but Kate is not letting it deter her from her goal of competing at the Olympics with her beloved Fabio.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 25, 2020-Ausgabe von Horse & Hound.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 25, 2020-Ausgabe von Horse & Hound.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
'He's barely out of the county...'
Minutes into a trip abroad, Adam’s superstitions are realised when things go awry on the farm. It’s all hands to the grindstone, proving that there's never a dull moment for Tessa Waugh
The last Edwardian sportsman
Sporting paintings by Raoul Millais, whose life spanned the 20th century, are hanging in hunting homes all over the country. Liam Clancytells us about the artist and his life well travelled
Gangster steals the show
The area trial is won by a combination on their first attempt at this level anda daughter of clone Murka’s Gem shines bright
Charlotte's clean sweep
Olympic hopefuls in action while Natasha Baker makes a winning return and Carl debuts his latest superstar
Woodward is a class act
A complex character rewards his rider’s patience with a third international win, while a 17-year-old makes her mark
Student has the Upper hand
A former showjumper and an osteopath take top spots, while a corner question causes cross-country problems
All change
The leaderboard tips upside down, as the top two plummet and Caroline Powell rises to triumph
A super day
Eric Winter’s track provides a brilliant cross-country day, with Irish first-timer Lucy Latta delivering the outstanding performance
Spooky 'Isaac' holds it together
The defending champion pilots a rising star to lead the first phase
'We all hate doing anything badly'
As part of H€SH’s 140th anniversary this year, we are celebrating Britain’s great horsey families with a series of interviews. In our third instalment, we speak to the multi-garlanded showing dynasty of David Tatlow, his daughter Loraine Homer and her daughter Alice
