Wellington, Fla. – Mar. 16, 2018 –Â International Grand Prix rider Nicholas Fyffe, of Marcus Fyffe Dressage, has been named to the Australian team for the CDIO3* Nations Cup event that is set to take place March 28 – 30 in Wellington, Fla. during the final week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
Fyffe will compete Louise Cote’s Hitchcock, a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding (His Highness – Diana, Don Primero) in the small tour of the Nations Cup. Fyffe will be joined by fellow Australians Kim Gentry aboard Leonardo and Kelly Layne on Furst Amante on the CDIO3* Nations Cup team.
It will be Fyffe’s fifth time representing Australia in a Nations Cup competition, and he was also a member of the gold medal winning Australian team at the 2007 Tri-Nations Cup in South Africa.
Fyffe and Hitchcock made their debut together in January 2018, and over the course of the season have not placed lower than first or second in their Intermediate I national classes. During AGDF Week Three, they won the Vita Flex Victory Pass Award, which Fyffe has received multiple times throughout his career, and competed in the CDI3* small tour division during AGDF Week Ten. The pair’s average score is more than 71 percent.
“Hitchcock is a horse that David [Marcus] and I have had in our program for several years,” Fyffe said. “He’s typically ridden and shown by his owner, Louise Cote, but she’s recovering from a surgery on her neck and had to take some time out of the saddle. The shows during this season have really been a great opportunity for me to step him up the levels and gain more exposure in competitions. It has been a fun collaboration with Louise!
“I am honored to represent my country in this year’s Nations Cup in Wellington,” Fyffe continued. “Hitchcock is a very talented horse who has proven over the last few shows that he is quite competitive, so I’m looking forward to a great competition with my teammates Kelly and Kim.”
