Clayton was part of the Australian silver medal-winning eventing team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and won individual silver and team bronze at the 2006 World Championships. In recent years, his focus has turned to designing cross-country courses and coaching.
Only a handful of people have designed at the highest level, so this appointment is significant news both for Clayton’s own course-designing career and in the context of the wider sport.
He will succeed Britain’s Mike Etherington-Smith; Mike will stay on in the role of course advisor, and Ewan Kellett will support Clayton as assistant course-designer. Mick Pineo will continue as cross-country lead at the fixture.
Clayton said he is “incredibly honoured” to accept the position.
“Adelaide is one of the world’s iconic eventing competitions, combining elite sport with a spectacular city setting,” he said.
“Having competed at Adelaide in the inaugural year of 1997, I have a deep appreciation for the event’s history and significance. My goal is to build on the outstanding work of Mike Etherington-Smith and the festival team by designing courses that are challenging, fair and, above all, safe for both horse and rider.”
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Mike said he is “absolutely delighted to see Clayton take on this challenge”.
“Having worked closely with him at a number of venues around the world, I have seen first-hand his passion for the sport, his attention to detail and his understanding of what makes a great cross-country course,” he said.
“I have every confidence that he is the right person to design the Adelaide course.”
Clayton also holds other international course design and assistant designer roles. This includes serving as assistant to Burghley’s course-designer Derek di Grazia at this year’s event, alongside fellow assistant Andrew Heffernan. Clayton and Andrew are doing a masterclass on the Thursday (3 September) of Burghley.
Adelaide Equestrian Festival event director Kirsty Withers said Clayton’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the event.
“Clayton’s achievements as both an athlete and course designer have earned him enormous respect throughout the global eventing community,” she said.
“Together with Ewan, Mick and the best course-building team in the region, this exceptional group will continue to strengthen the Adelaide Equestrian Festival’s reputation as one of the world’s premier five-star events.”
She added: “I’m also delighted that Mike Etherington-Smith will continue his long-standing association in his new role as course advisor, ensuring his invaluable knowledge and experience remain part of Adelaide’s future.”
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
