FOR any young athlete, getting your first national call up is one of the highlights in their fledgling careers. The feeling was no different for Our Lady of Fatima pupil, Robyn-Lee Bester who recently represented South Africa at the FEI World Dressage Challenge. Not only did she excell as an individual rider, she was also part of the South African team, which finished first. The national team faced stiff opposition from Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

The aim of the competition was to give dressage riders who, under normal circumstances, cannot take part in international dressage competitions and live in the more remote countries, the opportunity to compete internationally. Bester finished 10th in the competition and said she felt she could have done better.

“I was very excited making my South African debut. It’s an honour representing your country on an international stage and winning gold in the team division was a fantastic effort. I would have liked to have finished in the top five, but I’m very pleased with my performances. Dressage requires a lot of hard work and dedication and the competition allowed me to see where I have to be in terms of international standards. It was a great eye opener and it offered me invaluable experience,” the Grade 10 pupil enthused.

While Bester is recognised as a junior, she was required to compete as an adult for the qualifiers as only the top 40 scores go forward to the final challenge day, when they are judged by international judges and the balance of the riders ride in a separate challenge. The final rankings for individual riders have been released and in the run-up challenge class, Bester’s final score was 62.12 per cent.

“My dream is to go to Holland and ride there for a year. My coach is based there and I think the experience would be awesome and beneficial to my development.”

The 16-year-old added a key aspect of the sport was having a good relationship with your horse.

“The stamina and discipline of your horse is tested over the course of the competition, but it’s the relationship between horse and rider of total trust that brings success. The better the bond with your horse, the better you will do,” she said.