New Zealand's Melissa Galloway Sells Olympic Dream Maker, Windermere J'Obei W

Dressage

New Zealand

New Zealand's Melissa Galloway has sold her Paris Olympic ride, Windemere J'Obei. He will continue his sport career in Germany.

Windermere J'Obei W is a 14-year old New Zealand bred Dutch warmblood by Johnson out of Miss Pompei xx (by Pompei Court xx). He is bred by Rania Todd and David Woolley.

New Zealand Record Setter

Galloway and J'Obei have become record setters for New Zealand dressage in the past few years.

She welcomed him into her barn as an unbroken 2-year old. The pair won the medium tour at the 2019 NZL Dressage Championships before making the transition to Grand Prix. In 2020 they won the National Grand Prix Championships ahead of Rio Olympian Julie Brougham and Vom Feinsten.

In 2021 she had initially planned to base herself in the U.K. with Gareth Hughes to prepare herself for the 2021 Tokyo Games, but the U.K. move did not happen as the logistics were too overbearing due to the Equine Herpes Virus raging in Europe at the time. New Zealand Olympic slot ended up being passed on to Malaysia (and it eventually went to Singapore.

Galloway made the trek to Europe in the winter of 2021-2022 and based herself with Anne van Olst for her 2022 campaign in preparation of the World Championships in Herning, where she finished 33rd in the Grand Prix with 70.978%.

In 2023 she returned home for a year and was unbeatable down under, stringing 13 consecutive victories together at five CDI's in New Zealand and Australia, and winning the 2023 New Zealand Championships.

They own the New Zealand international records for Grand Prix (74.218% - CDI-W Cambridge) and Freestyle (79.865% - 2023 CDI-W Boneo).

The Olympic Dream

In 2024 Melissa shipped her horse Windermere J'Obei W pro-actively back to Holland at her own expense for further training and competition in the hopes of being nominated for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Her first show of 2024 was the CDI-W 's Hertogenbosch where she posted 67.370% in the Grand Prix. As the Pacific League finals winner, Galloway rode the 2024 World Cup Finals in Riyadh (KSA), where she posted 68.603% in the Grand Prix and finished 9th in the Kur to Music finals.

At the 2024 World Cup Final
(Photo © Dirk Caremans)

In May she competed her horse at the Aachen Dressage Days and obtained 69.904% in the Grand Prix and 70.277% in the Special. She also rode in the 4* tour at the CDIO Aachen, where she posted 69.022% in the Grand Prix and 72.465% in the Kur.

She was nominated as NZL's individual Olympic rider and fulfilled her dream when she rode down the centerline in Paris at the 2024 Olympics, where she scored 68.913% to place 40th in the Grand Prix.

"It was always my goal to achieve the big three – to compete at the World Championships, World Cup Final and the Olympic Games. There have been so many highlights along the way – of course the Games are the absolute pinnacle but there are small things too like rides I have had at home when I have come out of the arena almost in tears because he has gone so well,” said Melissa.

Stuck in Quarantine

After the Olympics, Galloway returned home to New Zealand but her horse ended up stuck in quarantine in Europe.

A week into J'Obei's quarantine Melissa got a phone call to say that Joey would need to stay six months instead of three because he had been in Saudi for the FEI World Cup Dressage Final earlier this year.

“I was so stressed. They had to take him out of quarantine and put him in a facility down the road,” Melissa explained. “After a week or so they rang and said he really needed to go somewhere he could be lightly ridden given how long he was going to have to stay.”

Melissa turned to her longtime coach Andrea Raves for help and she suggested Hubertus Hufendiek who lived nearby. “I had based and trained with him 12 years ago when I spent a year in Germany. He’s not riding at the moment but his partner is a beautiful rider, so I called them and that’s where he went.”

Sold to German Young Rider

Hufendiek matched J'Obei to a German young rider who was looking for an Under 25 schoolmaster.

“She tried him and it went ridiculously well. It seems to be the perfect fit. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t," said Galloway.

With Windermere Integro at the 2023 CDI-W Cambridge
(Photo © Libby Law

Listed as owned by Galloway and Anne and Rodney Parkes, J'Obei sold to said individual.

"It was never the plan. It’s crazy how things just seem to fall into place," said Galloway who found the decision extremely hard. “The plan was always to bring Joey home after the Games . . . I never really thought I would sell him.”

She added, "we are all so attached to him. I have had time to process it but it is still very emotional for me, especially when I think about what he has done for us all. He has done so much for my career and I hope he can help his new rider achieve her dreams. There have certainly been a lot of tears shed.” But she feels the sale opens an exciting new chapter."

Melissa will continue her journey with the home-bred 10-year old Windermere Integro (by Nzgro x Wolkentanz II) and 5-year-old Fine Style SW (by Fugato and looks the spitting image of Joey.