Julie Brougham Olympic dressage rider dies age 67

Julie Brougham dressage — Julie Brougham and Vom Feinstein at Rio 2016

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

New Zealand Olympic dressage rider Julie Brougham has died from cancer, aged 67.

Julie became New Zealand’s oldest Olympic rider when she competed at the Rio Games in 2016 with her German-bred gelding Vom Feinstein, whom she bought in 2009. The pair, who were only New Zealand’s third dressage combination to compete at an Olympics, finished 44th individually.

In February 2018 Julie and “Steiny” claimed the grand prix title at the New Zealand national dressage championships and the following month won the grand prix at the New Zealand Horse of the Year Show. In May that year Julie had a hip replacement following a fall from a pupil’s horse, but four months later she and Steiny were New Zealand’s sole dressage combination at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA. They scored 68.991% in the grand prix for 36th place.

The combination’s many other achievements included winning the FEI World Dressage Challenge in 2011, taking the New Zealand Horse of the Year Show grand prix freestyle and grand prix special titles with national record-breaking scores in 2015, and winning the freestyle title again the following year, setting an Australasian record at the time with 76.3%. The pair also enjoyed a top 10 placing at the Aachen CDI4* in 2016.

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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.

Tributes paid as ‘inspirational’ Olympic dressage rider dies aged 67

“Julie has been many things to many people within our sport – a fellow athlete, a friend, judge and an inspiration in everything she strived for and achieved,” said a spokesman for Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ).

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