2 minute read
MY TACKBOX
YOUNG RIDER
Georgia Davenport - causing a stir
By DANNII CUNNANE.
Georgia has been riding since she was six and has been specializing in dressage for the last six years.
This will be a big year for Georgia. “I’m going to University to do a degree in Psychological Science,” she says. She also has her hands full riding her two warmblood horses, both of which she has trained herself.
“Regal Don Debonair, also known as Inky, is a six-year-old warmblood gelding who stands at 17.1 hands high. He was purchased by my family by us as a twoyear-old from breeder Linda McKinnon and has been ridden by me for the last 12 months. Regal Prince Black, also known as Teddy, is an eight-year-old warmblood gelding we purchased as a newly started three-year-old, also from Linda McKinnon. I was 14 and he was three when I started training him.”
Georgia has great success with both horses. With Regal Don Debonair she has been selected on the 2019 Dressage NSW Young Rider Squad, and they were also awarded the Young Rider Preliminary Champion at Dressage NSW Winter Festival in 2018. Not to be outdone, however, Teddy (Regal Prince Black) qualified and competed at the 2017 Sydney CDI in the six-year-old young horse class and was in the top 10 at Medium and Elementary Young Rider Dressage Nationals in 2018.” While Georgia is only young, she puts in the hard yards to get positive results. “Equestrian is a sport that requires a lot of commitment and drive to do well and you have to love it because it can become all consuming,” she says. “You might ride each horse for 45 minutes a day, but so much more time goes into making sure they are sound, fit, and healthy, both physically and mentally. During the summer months this means getting up at five in the morning to make sure the horses don’t overheat when being worked and spending time cooling them down at competitions.” Georgia has her goals set for this year with both Inky and Teddy moving up the levels and improving on scores. “I’m aiming to compete Inky in elementary early this year and be working towards medium throughout the next 12 months,” says Georgia. “Teddy has just had his first Advanced start and I am aiming for a Prix St George start in the next month or so to qualify him for the CDI-Y this season. Towards the end of 2019 we will begin the process of qualifying my Mum’s horse for his fouryear-old young pony season in 2020 which is exciting.”
Georgia is lucky to have a big support system behind her, with everyone encouraging her to reach her goals, including, she says, her parents and her current coach Deon Stokes. “There’s also Wendy Bruszewski who introduced me to dressage and coached me before we moved to the Hunter Valley, and my amazing sponsor KC Equestrian Wear,” she says.
At HorseVibes, we wish Georgia all the best on her journey and look forward to following her progress.
