OLYMPIC event rider Lucinda Fredericks made competitive appearances in Germany and Britain over the same weekend, writes KATE HEALEY. The Little Cheverell 43 year old, who with husband Clayton was part of the silver medal winning Australian team at the Beijing Olympics, began with a trip to Germany.

Along with her husband she had been picked for the Aussie team competing at the World Equestrian Festival, host to a range of top level equestrian disciplines, at Aachen in Germany.

Fredericks produced the best team performance for Australia in the CIC*** (three-star one day international), finishing ninth overall on Peter Reid’s nine year old German-bred bay horse Flying Finish.

The gelding only started running at three-star level this season but impressed in all phases, lying ninth after dressage and maintaining that position with faultless clears in the show jumping and cross country.

“I was absolutely delighted with the horse’s performance,” she said.

“This was his biggest event for sure, and the quality of the field was incredible, with nearly all the horses having won at three and four star level and some medal winners from the World Equestrian Games.

“The team spirit was brilliant and it was great to be representing Australia again.”

Husband Clayton was also on the fourth-placed team, riding Edwin and Peta McAuley’s 11-year-old Bendigo III, a winner of the Saumur CCI*** title in France earlier this season. The pair had been lying sixth after dressage but an uncharacteristic two down in the showjumping pushed them back to 17th overall.

Lucinda then swiftly jetted back to Britain to contest a CIC* (one star international) at Brightling Park in Sussex, with the six year old Smoke on the Water 2.

Her head girl, Emily Young-Jamieson, had kept the horse tuned up at home and he led from start to finish in an outstanding international debut.

“I was extremely grateful Emz (Emily) had worked Ice (Smoke on the Water) so beautifully while I away in Aachen,” she said.

“It helped me to produce an incredible dressage score of 25, with five scores of 10 from the judge.

“He’s a stunning horse and I have high hopes for his future.”

Marlborough-based Olympian Andrew Nicholson was part of the New Zealand team that finished second to Britain out in Aachen. He rode the Spanish bred horse Nereo, who was a slightly disappointing 19th after dressage, but made up for it with a cracking cross country round, one of only a handful inside the time, that brought him up to 15th overall.