Fresh from defending her Olympic Cup title at the Horse of the Year Show, top showjumper Katie McVean is preparing to test herself against the best in Europe.
The Mystery Creek rider made a dash from Swolgen in the Netherlands back to Hastings for the HoY, retained her Showjumper ofthe Year crown aboard imported 11-year-old Seremonie, collected a handy $40,000 prize and was on the plane back to Europe an hour after the win.
This weekend, McVean and her gifted nine-year-old mount Delphi will contest the final leg of the European World Cup circuit at s'Hertogenbosch, 80km south of Amsterdam.
It will be the lead-in for the pair to the World Cup final in Leipzig starting on April 27. That comprises her preparation for the London Olympics qualifying event at Aachen, in Germany in July.
"It'll be quite tough because all the Europeans will be fighting for the final few spots for the final," she said yesterday.
The field of 42 includes many of the world's best riders and having a competition indoors will give McVean and Delphi a taste of what to expect when they get to Leipzig.
She's got nothing planned between this weekend and Leipzig for the combination, and won't change that if everything goes well.
"If things don't go quite to plan we will have to regroup and do something else.
"But Delphi's great. She travelled fantastically, and is doing everything really well so I'm very happy with her."
McVean - ranked equal 125 with European-based New Zealand rider Samantha McIntosh - is working at a stables for the New Zealand winter and will ride a second horse, Quinto, in a smaller class this weekend.
"That's quite good because it means not standing around all day waiting to ride one horse."
At Aachen, McVean will be aiming to win the individual spot for the London Olympics. It will be a stiff challenge but she's confident Delphi is up to the challenge.
"She's jumped clear rounds round the biggest courses and, as long as I can keep her right and have her ready on the day, I think we've got a good chance."
