His third time representing Australia may not have gone as he would have liked, but Andrew Driffield has still come away from the Virtus World Equestrian Games with plenty to be proud of.
“I was happy with the ride, but I got marked down very badly because my horse was off the bit, that means his head was up in the air, and the judges don’t like it,” Andrew shared, adding they were accurate with the routine, but it is hard to compete on borrowed horses.
“It is hard to source good horses and quite a few people had trouble as well, my teammate Sarah got eliminated because the horse refused to go in the arena.”
Having previously performed quite well when representing Australia over the years it was a disappointing event for Andrew, who has decided that this would be his last oversees competition.
“I built Virtus up in Australia, and I would like to pass on the baton to other riders because it was my dream to start it and to build it up.” he shared.
“I am not giving it up completely, apparently next year they are looking at having a Virtus Equestrian Games event in Melbourne, which would be nice.
“They are looking at having Virtus at the Paralympics in 2032, so that’s another goal as well.”
Andrew is still committed to his training and will continue to support the sport, as well as the up and coming athletes.
He will continue to take part in local dressage competitions which he enjoys to keep his skills honed and to stay engaged with the sport he loves.
-JEM ANSHAW
