Esslinger hot in Winter Classic
SUN VALLEY – Credit goes to Anne-Marie Esslinger for winning the Winter Classic.
Anne-Marie Esslinger put her win at the Nissan Winter Classic down to planning the approach to one of the jumps perfectly, as well as one or two other factors.
The rider of Burlington Stables in Sun Valley competed against the very best in the 1,5m category in June and knew she needed a game plan to win.
Esslinger took two horses to the competition. “Oregon was clear the first day, then third in the 1,50m Grand Prix,” she said.
“Quadix had the last rail down on the first day, then cleared and placed in every other class at his show.”
Then, with coach Dominey Alexander, she planned the course on the final day. “I thought Oregon gave his best in both rounds – and going last in the jump-off [with a late draw] is always an advantage – you know what you have to do.”
She said the course was interesting with technically challenging distances and the dimensions being ‘large but not too scary’.
“I thought, when we walked the track, that the faults would probably be evenly distributed. I needed to make decisions as to what I was going to ride the half stride distances in, and to keep moving because the time is usually tight.”
Esslinger and Alexander planned the inside turn to jump number four in a way she was surprised other riders did not use, which gave her the edge.
“When Lorette [Knowles-Taylor] delivered a beautiful fast clear, I knew the only way we could be faster was to do that inside turn. Luckily we pulled it off.”
Esslinger concluded that success in sport required talent, dedication, self-belief, years of hard work, patience, the ability to plan and focus, the ability to come back from setbacks and many other traits. “In equestrian sport, you also need a great horse, the ability to build a harmonious rapport with that horse, the knowledge on how to extract the best performance from your horse, and keep it confident, fit and on-form.”
If you know of sport stories you would like published, let us know about them on our Facebook page.
https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/194484/records-reaps-rosettes-easter-festival/
