i
n November 2011, life-long equestrian Sue-Ellen Lovett, from Queensland,
performed at the Sydney CDI event for the third time, demonstrating she
has the skills and application for consistent, high-standard achievement.
Competing in the Prix St George and the Inter 1, she and her mount, 17-hand
Thoroughbred gelding, Ko-Olina, came a creditable 19th overall.
It was a bittersweet moment for Sue-Ellen, who had decided to retire her equine
friend and partner following this event. "Riding at the CDI doesn't get any bigger,
or better," she says. "I was riding with my peers, and I had trained Ko myself.
"I cried when we finished the last test. I still cry often when I think of him (`Ko'
is now enjoying retirement with good friend Moira Kelly) and how much he gave
me. It's tears of joy and gratitude, as much as loss. But I wanted him to retire on
a good note, and still sound. He was beginning to feel some symptoms of old age,
and I didn't want to ask any more of him."
Photos courtesy Cathy Hyde