Danish Olympian Lone Jorgensen and her partner Ulli Eggers have made the decision to permanently relocate to Australia at the end of the year. They will leave behind their Stuttgart based stable, where Lone has lived and worked for the last thirty years.
The Copenhagen born Jorgensen started working at Eggers' facility in Korntal-Münchingen, Germany, since 1982. She booked her first big international successes on Wempe Juwel and then came FBW Kennedy with whom she competed at the 1997 and 1999 European Championships as well as the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The chestnut Kennedy sold to Jane Clarke as a ride for Robert Dover and Jorgensen moved on with FBW Ludewig, on whom she competed at the 2004 Olympic Games.
Lone came back into the spotlight with the highly talented young Grand Prix mare Donna Asana which she sold to Austria. At the moment, Jorgensen is competing FBW De Vito on the international show scene. They recently showed at the 2012 World Cup Finals in 's Hertogenbosch.
Jorgensen first came to Australia as a trainer in 2009 to conduct a masterclass at Dressage with the Stars, replacing an ill Monica Theodorescu. Lone's involvement with Australia grew considerably after the sale of Claudia Fassaert's Grand Prix horse Ostra to Australian Fiona McNaught. The latter owns the beautiful equestrian facility Boneo Park in Boneo on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, Australia.
"I have been in Australia a lot the last five years and learned a lot about the country," Jorgensen told Eurodressage. "We already said to ourselves in Sydney 2000 that this could be a country we would like to live in."
Lone has been travelling regularly to Australia to train and clinic all over the country. She has mainly been teaching at Boneo Park and she will base herself in that area of the country. The couple is on the verge of buying a property on the Mornington Peninsula .
"It's very exciting and a lot of work," Lone said about the big move down under. "I will surely do more teaching than the last (few) years here in Europe. However I will still be riding my horses on competitions over there," she explained. "I will teach at Boneo Park, but will have my own business and do other cinics all over Australia."
Lone will be taking four horses with her to Australia.
Photos © Astrid Appels
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