Kate Kyros is set to realise a childhood dream by competing in the US against the world’s best after finishing the domestic season with a swag of awards at the Australian Dressage Championships.
The Bond University Law and Business student has made a habit of breaking records since advancing out of juniors and into the 21 and under Young Riders division this season.
The 19-year-old has also tested herself in the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) under 25 Grand Prix with stunning success.
In the picturesque surrounds of Boneo Park in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Kyros produced an almost flawless series of rides on her stallions Intro K and Chemistry.
She was named the overall FEI CDI Young Rider Champion after steering Intro K to victory in the two classes.
CDI (Concours de Dressage International) are events that are recognised by FEI and carry an international ranking.
The pair claimed a new Australian record score of 75.196 per cent to be declared winner of the FEI CDI Young Rider Individual award and backed it up with a personal best score of 76.67 per cent to claim the Young Rider Freestyle class.
It was on Chemistry where she really elevated her standing with her performances in a series of Open and U25 events against Australia’s best riders.
Atop Chemistry she won the CDN Open Intermediate class with another personal best score of 70.686 per cent.
They then won the FEI CDI U25 Grand Prix with 69.897 per cent and finished second in the FEI CDI U25 Grand Prix Freestyle with 74.735 per cent, both personal bests.
The results were enough to see her named overall FEI CDI U25 National Reserve Champion.
Her standout performances across the different divisions and classes saw her awarded the prestigious Dietmar Specht Memorial Trophy which recognises outstanding talent in riders under 30 years.
“It has been an incredibly exciting year quickly advancing from Juniors to the top of the sport at Grand Prix,” she said.
“To finish the year with such amazing results at Nationals was very rewarding including outstanding scores from international judges.
“I am so grateful to both Intro K and Chemistry, their talent, temperament, and trainability truly make competing a dream.”
Her teammates didn’t go home unrewarded either both receiving National Gold Performance Medals from the Equestrian Australia Dressage Committee. These awards recognise horses who produce scores of over 70 per cent across a 12-month period. Chemistry was one of only three horses to achieve this award for Big Tour (Grand Prix events).
Kyros will now head to Florida in November for a four-month stay where she will train and compete against the world’s best riders at the 2024 Adequan Global Dressage Festival. She intends to compete in eight International CDI events over three months.
“It is still feeling very surreal that I will be competing overseas so soon, it has been a dream of mine since I started riding at 10 years old,” she said.
“It is a huge journey for the horses, but I am confident they will arrive ready to hit the ground running and I am so excited to see what our Florida adventure entails”.