Dressage superstar Sabine Schut-Kery can’t wait to share her wealth of knowledge at EQUITANA Melbourne but there’s also something else she’s looking forward to as part of her trip Down Under . . . seeing a kangaroo.
German-born Sabine has been in the United States since 2005 and was a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the Tokyo Olympic Games as well as finishing fifth individually overall.
“It was magical,” says the Californian-based rider and trainer of the result, adding it brought together her life goal, her philosophy around horses, and her understanding of dressage. “It was very fulfilling. It is what I have been striving for.”
Sabine is the star presenter for the Sprenger Dressage Masterclass on Friday (November 11) at EQUITANA Melbourne. She has a long association with EQUTANA in Germany, having performed there for many years from a teenager. “As a kid and teen, it was my absolute favourite event. I didn’t like so much the competition scene when I was younger but was a lot in exhibitions, so EQUITANA was a big highlight. It was held every other year in Germany near my home town and as soon as one was over we would straight away start working towards a new performance.”
She is excited and curious to see what EQUITANA Melbourne is like, but also what Australian dressage is about other than what she has seen internationally.
She plans to share all she has learned on her journey. “It will be an insight into what I have learned for so many years, combined with my own personal philosophy on how to train a horse . . . I would call it old school really. I learned when we didn’t have these extravagant moving horses, so gaits were developed. I love it.”
Her training is driven by a “huge love of the horse” and she always puts her equine before her own personal goals as a competitive rider.
Her Olympic horse, the 16-year-old stallion Sanceo, scored personal bests in Tokyo, with their 81.596% effort in the Grand Prix Special for third place and 84.3% in the Freestyle to Music. “I was able to publicly perform what I have worked towards for so long and strived for.”
And it was extra special to crack 80% in Tokyo on such a big stage.
Much was about the extraordinary relationship she has with Sanceo, who has been with her since he was nearly three. “He performed three days for me with the same consistency and enthusiasm and joy.”
While they had to withdraw from the recent FEI World Dressage Championships in Denmark, the horse is now back in work. “He will tell me when and what we are going to do and for how long,” she says. “He is still fresh right now.”
Sabine has other youngsters coming through. “If you want to be competitive, one horse is not enough. I don’t have another one right behind him but the young ones are fun and there are lots of other championships I enjoy.”
In the meantime, she is counting down until her trip to Australia. “I am in love with kangaroos and I am excited for so much for this visit,” she says.
Friday is dressage day at EQUITANA, with things kicking off in the morning with the Goodbye Flys Young Rider FEI Dressage, followed by Sabine’s Sprenger Dressage Masterclass and the Goodbye Flys CDI-W Freestyle part of the night show.
EQUITANA Melbourne is back after a four-year hiatus and with an expected 40,000 people through the gates over the four days from November 10-13, it promises to be a cracker. From top competition to superb star presenters who are coming in from across the globe, to shopping, education and entertainment – it is truly one of the gems of Melbourne.
For tickets and more information, head to www.equitana.com.au
