Novice showcase: Singapore’s first Olympic equestrian passes its winter state

Caroline Chew is many issues: Lawyer, Olympian, pioneering Singaporean athlete and, at the very least for this winter, part-time Floridian.

Chew, who usually lives and works in London, has briefly relocated her workplace to Washington, DC so she will be able to compete on the Wellington, Florida circuit for the primary time this winter. Presently basking within the Florida solar are Tribiani’s longtime companion, the now 19-year-old named after Joey from NBC Buddies when she obtained him in 2015, and his inheritor obvious, 14-year-old Grand Prix veteran Blue Hors Zatchmo. , with which she made her aggressive debut at this 12 months’s Adequan International Dressage Pageant.

With Joey, Chew has traveled the world representing Singapore, together with on the 2018 World Equestrian Video games (North Carolina), as Singapore’s first rider on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and final 12 months on the 2022 FEI Blue Horse Dressage World Championships (Denmark). Throughout AGDF Week 7, they added one other feather to their cap by scoring a brand new private better of 75.93% to complete fifth within the Stillpoint Farm Nations Cup CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyleon February. 26, and have certified to compete within the FEI World Cup Finals, April 4-8 in Omaha, Nebraska.

He feels nice, likes it and is a superb competitor, Chu stated.

Chew teamed up with the Norwegian Warmblood gelding (Solos Landtinus, Millie MogelvangMichellino) eight years in the past whereas in regulation college. With the assistance of her trainers, Matthew Frost and Adam Kemp, she discovered Joey at Blue Hors whereas in search of a small touring horse with which she might qualify and compete on the Southeast Asian Video games. He exceeded all expectations and has a persona to match his expertise.

Joey could be very good-looking for a schoolboy, Chu stated. He desires to know he is the most effective, however he would not essentially need you round on a regular basis. He desires consideration, however he would not need to ask for it.

At 19, Joey has but to indicate any indicators of slowing down. Making ready for the longer term, nevertheless, Chews’ dad and mom bought the 14-year-old Oldenburg stallion Blue Hors Zatchmo (Blue Hors ZackFiestas Lady, Donnerhall II), beforehand campaigned at CDI5* degree by Danish riders Agnete Kirk Thinggaard and Nanna Skodborg Merrald . final 12 months to compete alongside Joey.

I feel he is a bit like a really good-natured overgrown little one, Chu stated of latest companion Mo. He’s fairly messy and spills his meals in every single place. I imply he is very candy, he likes consideration, he would not act like a stallion in any respect. He is quieter than Joey, nevertheless it’s like he is completely coated in shavings or filth or meals. One among these three issues.

Chew and Mo made their aggressive debut on American soil on the Adequan International Dressage Pageant 3 CDI3* held January 25-29, the place they received 68.26% within the Grand Prix.

It has hundreds and a great deal of power, he stated. To date it has been quite a lot of attending to know one another and ensuring he understands what I am making an attempt to inform him once I faucet into all that expertise and energy. So we’re taking it actually sluggish and we’re simply attending to know one another.

The competitors and coaching in Wellington is especially conducive to attending to know a brand new horse, he added.

Florida is nice as a result of it is nearly like a proving floor, the place you are able to do a race or two after which do extra coaching, having proven. [Mo and I] He did not race earlier than I got here to Florida, so now we will do each, we will see what he is like within the races, determine it out, then practice once more after which do some extra races, he stated.

The Florida circuit has all the time been on Chews radar, nevertheless it did not make sense to come back to the state till this 12 months.

I normally dwell in England, so Brexit has made touring to Europe a bit tougher than it was, he stated. We have been in search of a circuit the place I might do greater reveals with Joey and dip our toes within the water with Mo. Florida checked these bins. After which the final piece was my job, I am a lawyer, and I had a extremely good alternative from work to briefly transfer to the DC workplace.

Chew, whose focus is antitrust regulation, has labored full-time at London-based Freshfields for six years. The corporate has a worldwide presence and frequently works on a cross-national foundation, though its US workplace in Washington, DC isn’t removed from Wellington.

It is quite a lot of flying proper now as a result of I am competing, Chu stated. I’ll spend three or 4 days within the DC workplace. I normally fly after a contest, normally on a Sunday. A typical coaching day, even when it is a work day, will begin very early, possibly half previous one [6:30 a.m.] which works out effectively, as a result of then it is good and funky right here in Florida. Then I am going to begin work round 8:30. I’ve fairly late nights generally, nevertheless it works.

Chu credit a lot of her aggressive success to her workforce, each in driving and as an expert.

I really like the workforce I work with, not simply nice attorneys, however nice lecturers, and they’re very supportive of my outdoors commitments, so it really works out very well, she stated.

My son-in-law Rachel [Stephens] he stays right here with the horses, after which my two coaches [Frost and Kemp] who mainly fly out and in of the UK both to show me or to maintain the horses educated whereas I am away, Chu stated.

“We have labored collectively for a few years,” he added of Frost and Kemp. I feel I began driving with them 11 years in the past, so now we have a extremely, actually good working relationship.

Rising up in Singapore, Chew didn’t have entry to the best degree of athletic coaching. Nonetheless, whereas riders coaching in Grand Prix actions are few and much between, the Singapore dressage neighborhood is passionate, stated Chew. In her early driving coaching, extra emphasis was positioned on pony membership applications and horse care than on clear coaching directions.

The best degree of schooling was the Prix St. Georges, such little tour kind issues. I feel if you happen to have been in that class, you’d be one out of 4 or 5 folks, he stated. So it is a rising neighborhood. I feel it is greater now than once I was rising up, nevertheless it was laborious to even take into consideration racing internationally not to mention at Grand Prix degree.

Extra to come back for each Mo and Joey. Within the quick time period, Chew is preparing to do that week’s CDI5* at AGDF with Joey. Whereas nothing is about in stone, future Olympics and World Championships are additionally on the Chews horizon.

“What I’ve realized through the years on the marketing campaign path is that you would be able to plan something you need, however you want quite a lot of issues to come back collectively to make it work,” he stated. We do it step-by-step to save lots of ourselves from this strain. However clearly, if it really works very well and we’re in a superb place, I might like to go once more.