After more than 18 months of planning, Stonewall Equestrian is gearing up to host its biggest event yet: the Stonewall International CSI-W, a World Cup Qualifier and international Jumping show from 16 to 19 October which  promises to lift the bar for Australian Jumping.

Advertisement

This moment has been a long time coming. “I always wanted to hold a World Cup show,” Stonewall owner Krissy Harris said “but we had to wait until the arena had settled enough to guarantee beautiful footing, and now with Michael Archer bringing his Judge’s and show experience to the table, 2025 will be our year.”

Advertisement

What followed has been a meticulously planned build-up, with one clear objective: to raise the level of the sport in Australia.

Krissy’s vision is clear, “what I want is to get the horses going better and better and better. That’s our job as World Cup show runners, to create opportunities for riders and horses to improve.”

At the heart of the competition will be French course designer Julien Pradervand, who brings serious global credentials to the Stonewall main arena. “Julien was assistant at Paris for the Olympics,” Krissy explained. “He’s just come from Spruce Meadows. He builds all over the world.”

Krissy sourced Julien through Peter Holmes, chief course builder at Thunderbird Park. “I asked Pete to recommend someone who understands our level of sport and what we’re trying to achieve.”

Advertisement

That understanding is crucial. “There are strict parameters for a World Cup course,” Krissy said. “You’ve got to have certain lines, combinations, a triple bar, but how you place them makes the difference. A good designer can create horses, a poor one can break them.”

To complement Julien’s work in the main arena, Mark Atkins will assist, while Gavin Chester will head up course design in Ring Two, supported by Aran Ghafouri, who is building the 1.40m CSI1* class. “It’s a really cool combination,” said Krissy. “Aran gets an international class on his resume, and Gavin is happy to step aside for that class.”

While the World Cup class is the centrepiece, the Stonewall International will offer much more.

There will also be a CSI1* 1.40m class designed to help riders ease into international competition,“trotting up, getting passports sorted, taking temperatures,” as Krissy puts it. The one-star classes will run in the second arena another very nice arena.

In addition there will be an Junior class being run as a Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) qualifier for the Youth Olympics, further reflecting Stonewall’s commitment to development to the future of the sport and Thoroughbred classes as well.

The atmosphere, Krissy explains, will be boutique and considered. “We want it to feel beautiful. We want the horses on a stage that’s worthy of them. And Cathy (Cooke) has always got something new up her sleeve when it comes to the VIP areas. She’s already told me her plans, and I’ve given them the okay, but I’m not telling you what they are!”

Advertisement

One of the things that sets Stonewall apart is the focus on building more than just results. “Mike (Archer) has made it his mission for Stonewall to be a training ground for officials as well as horses,” said Krissy. “We run MER classes, we get different judges in, and we create chances for people to get accredited.”

The event is designed to feed into bigger ambitions, namely, the ‘Road to Brisbane’ and following the World Cup weekend, Stonewall will host a Young Horse Show with classes for 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 year olds, all held in the main ring with Julien back on course design duties.

Advertisement

“I’m really interested to see what Julien thinks of our young horses,” said Krissy. “He’s seen them all, Europe, America, Canada. Now he’ll see what we’re producing.”

So what does success look like for the Stonewall team? “A glass of champagne and a couple of prawns on Sunday afternoon,” said Krissy laughing. “That’ll do it.” But beyond that? “If we’ve helped the sport move forward, with the horses, the riders, the officials, then we’ve done our job.”

Visit: https://www.facebook.com/stonewallequestrian for all the latest details including partnership opportunities.

Advertisement