On the eve of an Olympic year and with the European Championships and World Equestrian Games looming, some of the Ireland’s top riders turned out at Spruce Lodge Equestrian Centre in Redcross, co Wicklow, Ireland
, for three days of assessment with national coach Ferdi Eilberg on 14 - 16 June 2011.
Eilberg, who has forged a prolific career coaching dressage’s elite, has been working with 13 horse and rider combinations in Ireland since last year. However, he requested the opportunity to assess further possible talent, and some 26 applicants came forward in a bid to prove their potential.
Riders of all levels where invited to apply but Preliminary and Novice horses were required to have achieved 70% within in the last year, while those at Elementary and above were asked to have achieved a minimum of 63% at National Championships, Winter Finals or Dressage Festivals in 2010/2011.
Joan Keogh, Chairman of Training, opened her stunning Wicklow venue to the combinations, and, from these assessments days, a list of riders and horses will eventually be drawn up for the long term training plan. The original group of 13 will continue to have National training until the end of 2011, with the 3 days acting as an assessment for their place in 2012.
One such rider, who was part of the original 13, is Heike Holstein, a High Performance competitor, who has represented Ireland at three Olympic Games. Holstein currently has two high quality horses competing at Advanced level, with another exciting youngster waiting in the wings.
She was full of praise for Eilberg and the support she has received from Dressage Ireland as part of the National training programme:
"Ferdi is fantastic; he is pleased with my horses and is fantastic about giving you direction."
"My long-term goals are the Europeans and WEG so it’s great to have the opportunity to work with him regularly as he has so much experience coaching people at a top level," she said.
Anne Marie Dunphy, Rosemary Gaffney, Ruth Chadwick and Marguerite McSweeney were among the other big name riders who turned out, but they were also joined by up-and-coming talent such a Josephine Delahoyde and Niamh Moran.
McSweeney was also quick to praise the national coach: ‘I find that Ferdi is 100% with you for the entire lesson and that he reaffirms what you need to do at the end of each session,’ she said.
Speaking at the final day of assessment, Eilberg said he was excited by some of the new, younger horses that had been brought forward.
"My role is to assess the talent and then give those who have talented horses a plan and structure to advance their training and get on the path to events such a WEG in 2014," he said.
Such was the demand for places at the assessment, a second session will now be held in July and the Board of Dressage Ireland, while pleased with Eilberg’s positive feedback, will hold off on making any decisions until after the Irish Championships in September.
Text and Photo by Angel Strickland Fahy
Related Links
Dressage Ireland Assessment Days with Ferdi Eilberg
Klatzko Steals the Show at 2011 Irish Winter Dressage Championships