A South African on track for the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, 22-year old Nicole Smith is a youngster proving that with a good support team behind you, you can realise your dressage dream. The Paderborn based rider rejoiced in her recent performance at the 2014 CDI-W 's Hertogenbosch on 20 - 23 March 2014 producing good scores at such a high profile event.
“I was very happy with my Grand Prix performance,” Nicole told Eurodressage. “I have had higher scores, but I felt that this was one of the best tests I have ridden.”
According to Nicole, her 16-year old mare Victoria (Havidoff x El Corona) started started off a little bit hot in the test, but Nicole was able to release that steam as the test went on.
“She relaxed without losing too much of the energy or power! I was particularly unsure as to what would happen in the freestyle, as Victoria is very sensitive to noises and music, but she behaved very well during the test despite the big crowd," she explained.
With scores of 66.060% in the Grand Prix and 66.375% in the Kur, Nicole felt that the highlight of the weekend, aside from riding a nice Grand Prix, was actually finishing the freestyle!
“Victoria is very difficult with noise and music, to the extent that I had to retire in the last show I rode it in Paris, in December, last year," she confessed. "So it was a big breakthrough that she kept herself together in that big atmosphere.”
An extremely temperamental mare by nature, Victoria is always ready to work and constantly tries to please her rider. However she can sometimes get a little bit too excited in the process.
“She is very specific with her likes and dislikes and when there is something she does not like, it will be apparent very quickly. She has a few 'quirks' and everyone at my training stable, Fleyenhof in Germany, know that she is a little bit special," said Smith.
Nicole discovered Victoria at Bartels' Academy where the mare was initially trained and ridden by Imke Schellekens-Bartels. The minute Smith sat on Victoria, she knew she had found her leading lady.
“I had tried quite a few horses, but I knew she was the right horse for me from the very first ride," Smith reminished.
Currently trained by renowned German Olympian Hubertus Schmidt, the pair have shown a great improvement in recent months as they have been working on keeping Victoria “extra supple and doing good basic work," Nicole explained, adding that “all the movements are easy for her if she is loose in her body. Another big part of her recent improvement is that she is so much more relaxed in the main arena at the show.
She can become tense very easily, and was rather tense in the warm up arena. It was mainly just a case of both of us staying calm and riding the test as if it was just training and without pressure.”
While Nicole feels it is not yet possible to compete at a high level in South Africa, she does feel that dressage in her home country is developing. Still it is nowhere near the standard of European dressage.
“In South Africa there are not so many Grand Prix riders and it is difficult to export horses from South Africa due to African Horse Sickness," she explained. "Therefore, it is a long way from home to compete here, and unfortunately not many South Africans are able to do it. I am very lucky to have a very supportive family behind me. They are not able to be here to Germany with me very often, but I know that they support me all the way.”
With some really nice horses being bred in her home country, Nicole is excited about the future and is also thrilled by the fact that a lot of international trainers are visiting her country. Last year South Africa hosted its first ever CDI.
“It is not going to happen overnight, but hopefully it will continue to improve," she stated.
Nicole has the possibility to compete at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy and hopes that everything will go according to plan with Victoria staying fit, healhty and happy.
"However, the future is never certain with horses," she concluded.
Text by Sarah Warne - Photos © Astrid Appels - NO reproduction allowed
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