Dressage rider Way chasing Olympic dream

TONY BIRD

Vanessa Way should be away enjoying her honeymoon.

But instead the Oakura equestrian, who last week tied the knot with longtime partner and New Plymouth sports bar owner-operator Brook Hughes, is about to take the biggest gamble of her life so far.

Next Thursday, Way and her talented advanced dressage horse KH Arvan will be winging their way to London – the honeymoon put on hold until after the London Olympics.

The 39-year-old has mapped out a plan that hopefully will help her nail a spot in the New Zealand dressage team so she can realise a dream of competing at the Olympics.

Way and KH Arvan were part of the New Zealand team that created history in a show in Sydney late last year qualifying a dressage team for London.

As a result, Dressage New Zealand has gained $40,000 in Sparc high performance funding solely directed at dressage.

It might be a pittance compared to the $1.25 million the high flying eventing code are set to get for their Olympic bid, but nevertheless New Zealand Dressage officials are thrilled to be a part of the funding mix.

New Zealand Dressage intends sending a team of three to represent the country in London. The final team will not be selected until June.

At present, Way and Louisa Hill are frontrunners to earn Olympic selection. Way said there are several other hopefuls who also fancy their chances.

No way does Way want to come short and miss out on winning a spot in the team.

With assistance from Sparc's high performance staff, she has hatched a plan to give her every possible chance of wearing the New Zealand blazer at the 2012 Olympics.

She has used all her savings, borrowed money and taken a job in England so she can be trained by the World No 1 in her sport and compete in international shows in Europe in the months leading up to the big showdown starting in July.

Part of the expenses she needs to cover is the $30,000 airfare to get her 13-year-old warm blood horse to the United Kingdom.

Way estimates the pre-Olympic campaign will cost around $100,000. That is expected to take her through to June when the team is named and the Olympic funding comes on stream.

From contacts made on a previous visit to the United Kingdom last year, Way has secured herself a job working for current World No 1 dressage rider Carl Hester at his state of the art stabling complex in Gloucester, England.

"I could not afford to do it any other way," said Way this week.

"Carl's given me a job riding his horses in exchange for him training and helping me and I will train with him right through to the Olympics."

Way's work will include general stablehand work and helping exercise Hester's big team of dressage horses six days a week. On her day off, she will train other riders to help cover her own expenses.

One of her star pupils is up and coming young New Zealand eventing rider Clarke Johnstone of Wanaka, who is taking six horses to the United Kingdom next week in his bid to make the Olympic eventing team.

Being trained by a champion rider with a string of big successes behind him on the world stage, is the best way to get her and her horse to lift their performance the required notch or two, said Way.

"The minimum percentage mark they want is 68 and my highest so far is 67," Way said.

Under the tough criteria, set by the Olympic committee it requires combinations to be up with the top 15 ranked in the World, according to Way.

She is confident of reaching the required level.

Way said the head judge in Australia last year marked her at 69 per cent in a test last year, higher than the other two judges.

"It's only a matter of time, that by working with Carl, we should be able to lift our performance by a couple of per cent."

Way sums up her sport saying the horse is the athlete and the rider the brain and prompt to get the horse to perform a set of paces and gymnastic style tricks.

One concern Way has heading into her latest overseas adventure is getting KH Arvan to the United Kingdom fit, well and injury free.

She said experience of return trips across the Tasman a couple of times last year had eased her fears.

"He was tranquillised on his first trip, but since then he's been over and back and was perfect. He's like an old hack now so those Aussie trips have been good preparation for this big trip."

One of only two New Zealand dressage riders that come under the Sparc high performance umbrella, Way said has been an amazing help.

Apart from professional assistance at the gym and being on a nutrition programme, help with planning her campaign has been invaluable, she said.

"Sarah Harris from high performance sat down with me and planned exact points working from the Olympics back and I had to fill in every block with the aim to make me get better.

"In my head I've always wanted to be there, but didn't have an exact plan.

"That's what I had to do to make the Olympic dream happen."

The former flight attendant has come a long way since she made the headlines winning the Young Rider section at the 1993 New Zealand three-day eventing horse trials in Taupo riding ex-racehorse Kungfu Boy.

She made the switch to dressage early last decade and enjoyed early success at the advanced level with Winter's Realm before KH Arvan entered her sporting life.

The massive 17-hand plus gelding is 13 years old and at the peak of his powers for a dressage horse. He was born and raised in Oakura.

KH Arvan was bred by Oakura's Sally Conquest and John McGrath on land that is known as Karaka Hill – hence the first two letters of the gelding's name.

"I used to work for them and give them a hand with their young horses," Way said.

"I bought (KH Arvan) when he was a 2-year-old and he was the first Hanoverian (warm blood) that I had had. The others were ex-racehorses.

"He was purpose bred, something I couldn't afford until then."

Way paid just $3000 for KH Arvan and after 11 years work on getting him to this stage, the gelding will soon strut his stuff against competition, some valued in the millions.

KH Arvan is special, said his owner-rider. "He's a genuine nice guy. He's just unflappable."

Way expects that to be a huge plus when competing before big crowds that flock to the arenas in Europe to watch a sport that struggles to gain any recognition in New Zealand.

Way and KH Arvan plan to kick off their European campaign in April.

"It was going to be France next month," said Way. "But Carl (Hester) said that's too soon. He wants me to do the first one in England in April. That gives me time to get the horse settled, get him well and push the training."

Way was raised in a "non-horsey" working class family and says it's amazing what can be achieved by just hard work.

"I was probably the poorest kid on the block with no pony when I was a kid, but I've worked and worked and my success has been a huge incentive. Now I'm only a step away from my dream."

In her own words, Way said she is a "spring chicken" in her sport.

"There was a Japanese competitor at the last Olympics in Hong Kong in 2008 that was 70 years old.

Way is grateful to have sponsors that helped her along the way.

She said a Prime Ministers scholarship worth $13,000 as well as grants from Sport Taranaki, the Polaris Trust and the local Taranaki dressage group and a number of individual supporters have helped tremendously.

"I couldn't do it without their help," she said.

Now, about that honeymoon. "We've delayed it until after the Olympics. I'd like it to be somewhere hot like Spain," laughed Way.

- © Fairfax NZ News