Sue Hearn was at the Bong Bong Picnic Races on November 18 off the back of the Rio Olympics.
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The Highlander competed with the Australian dressage team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.
Hearn was first reserve and added to the team two weeks before the Rio opening ceremony, making her Olympic debut aged 60.
The team finished the Olympics in eighth position. Hearn said competing in the Olympics was “amazing, I really didn’t think that we would get there. It was a bit of a chance that we took.
“My horse was really in form when we left Australia and we thought, well, if you don’t have a go, you’re not going to get there.”
Hearn competed on her 14-year-old warmblood gelding Remmington who has brought her much success over the years.They won the Brisbane Grand Prix CDI in 2014 and 2015.
Hearn said she was please with how Remmington performed.
“He’s a really good horse and he travelled really well. It was a very long trip,” she said.
“Rio was amazing, I had a horse that was reserved for Sydney Olympics and we missed out on that. So it was incredible to get into Rio with Remmington.”
Hearn was the first equestrian rider to compete at Rio.
“It was a bit nerve-racking. I was a little bit disappointed because I made a few mistakes and it would have been nice not to have made those, but otherwise Remmington was super,” she said.
The Olympian said the conditions in Rio were great for the horses.
“Everything was fantastic for the horses, it was obviously a little tricky with travelling and things but the facilities were fantastic and they were managed very well,” she said.
Hearn said she had hopes to compete more with Remmington i any upcoming events.
“He’s 14 so he is in his prime, but he is still very competitive,” she said.
“I think I learnt quite a lot on my trip so I’m hoping that in the next year or two I can still keep that going.
“I also have a young horse also at that level so hopefully I’ll get him going as well. I will just see what happens, just ride and do what I can.”
Hearn said Rio was a wonderful experience and that she was proud of the Australian team’s efforts at the 2016 Olympics.
