Kate Kyros Takes Over Ride on New Zealand World Championship Team Horse

Dressage

Australia

Australian junior rider Kate Kyros has take over the ride on New Zealander John Thompson's World Championship Team Horse, Chemistry. The 10-year old KWPN stallion will be Kyros' Under 25 schoolmaster.

Chemistry is by Connaisseur out of Cendea (by Johnson) and is bred in The Netherlands by G. Verrijt. Thompson had already sold the stallion to the Kyros family in 2021.

World Championships Herning

John Thompson discovered Chemistry in The Netherlands in 2016 when the stallion was four and imported him to New Zealand, where he trained him up to Grand Prix level.

In 2020 Thompson moved to Australia and made his CDI debut on Chemistry at Grand Prix level. He then sold the horse to the Kyros family, who continued to support him through his 2022 World Championship campaign.

The pair qualified to represent New Zealand in the spring of 2022 and travelled to Herning, Denmark, where they scored 68.059% in the Grand Prix to finish 63.

Under 25 Schoolmaster

After Herning, the impressive black stallion returned to Australia to join his owners with Kate taking over the ride.

"I have been training on Chemistry since his return from the World Equestrian Games this year," Kate told Eurodressage. "He is a powerful stallion with huge talent for passage and piaffe. I am enjoying learning to ride these movements for the first time. He is only 10, but his talent for the P & P makes him like a schoolmaster."

When asked what the biggest challenge she is experiencing at the moment, Kate replied, "the changes. Tommy preference would be to do 1’s ‘for days’, so I am learning to be still, and he is learning my aid - the change aid being so personal."

Her future show plans for 2023 include the National Youth Championships and her first international will be Brisbane CDI.

String of Three

The 18-year old Kate Kyros has been competing internationally at junior level in Australia aboard the 13-year old Australian bred Courtlands Cadman (by BJ Kaneto Casaova x Donegal Double Taje). She has now reached the age limit and needs to make the transition to Young Riders level in 2023.

The Kyros family recently purchased the 9-year old KWPN licensed stallion Intro K (by Apache x Rousseau) in The Netherlands and they have now three horses lined up for Kate's future in dressage sport.

"Intro K has settled perfectly into life in Australia," said Kate. "We will make our first International start at Bawley Point CDI in the YR classes this February."

She also added, "we certainly didn’t plan to own and campaign two stallions, but they are both ‘impeccably mannered’. They are stabled next to one another and share a fence in the field. Fortunately, they are great friends."

Florida Dreams

Kyros is thinking big and would love to compete in Florida in 2024.

"I am hoping to achieve the scores in Australia this year to make a start in the winter series in Florida in 2024," she explained. "I am very grateful to be able train out of Jemma Heran’s property on the Gold Coast while I study a Business/Law degree on scholarship at Bond University Queensland."