The dressage riders who will carry Australia’s hopes in Greenwich at the London 2012 Olympics are:
- Lyndal Oatley and Sandro Boy
- Kristy Oatley and Clive
- Mary Hanna and Sancette
While Lyndal will be making her Olympic debut, her cousin Kristy has already represented Australia in Sydney (2000) and Hong Kong (2008).
Kristy is the inspiration for Lyndal’s Olympic aspirations, and Lyndal is excited about making her Olympic debut.
“This is a fabulous dream come true and I am one happy girl,” said Lyndal. “It has been a long journey to get to this point and I am thrilled to be going to my first Olympic Games.”
The Oatley cousins are not the only pair to keeping the Olympic dream firmly in the family. Lyndal’s mount Sandro Boy, an 11-year-old Oldenburg stallion by Sandro Hit/Argentinus, is the paternal half-brother of Mary Hanna’s Sancette, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding also by Sandro Hit, out of a Contender mare.
Equestrian Australia’s high performance manager Brett Mace says that the team are doing well under the pressure. “Competing for a position on an Olympic Games team is an intense situation to be faced with and our riders handled it well,” he said.
The team certainly seemed unfazed by the pressure at the CDI3* grand prix in France with an impressive overall performance. Lyndal scored 70.894%, while Kristy and Hanna achieved 68.234%.
The Australian dressage team’s reserve horses and riders are expected to be named shortly.
