FUN FACT: Our managing editor, Katie Dixon, was a part of the Australian equestrian team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in Greece. Below she shares her experience.
The team of grooms who flew from Germany to Greece
As the Tokyo Olympic Games kick off today, it’s hard to believe it’s been 16-years since I landed in Athens, Greece, for the 2004 Olympics Games as part of the Australian Equestrian Team.
Yes, most people know me as the “Aussie girl on the radio,” but I grew up riding horses and traveled a lot throughout my teenage years, competing in show jumping events.
My coach, Tim Amitrano, was selected as the sole athlete to represent Australia in show jumping at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and he took me as his groom. As the groom, our horse Mr. Innocent aka Spanky was my responsibility; his life and well-being were in my hands.
I turned 17-years old the day we flew into Greece from Germany. We lived in a little country town in Belgium, not far from the German border, and I remember feeling nervous, excited, overwhelmed, but proud to represent my country.
As I led Spanky off the truck heading towards the plane, I remember everyone stopping and staring at us. I was not surprised. Spanky was a lot smaller than the other Warmbloods more than 16.3hh boarding the plane. Our superstar stood at only 16hh and was an Australian Quarterhorse x, but he held his own in the ring.
The trip was several hours to Greece, and I sat on a bucket next to Spanky the whole time. When we landed, I wasn’t expecting the fanfare as we walked off the plane. Cameras were flashing, news crews broadcasting LIVE, and every other countries team eyeing us off to check out the competition.
As we arrived at the equestrian grounds, I remember being in awe of the facilities. Tim stayed in the Athlete Village, but I never left Spanky. There were dorms for the grooms on the grounds, a food hall, and an entire stable dedicated to each country, including a kitchen and bathroom with a fridge packed daily with goodies.
I remember thinking, “I’m only 17-years old, and you’re leaving me here?.” But I had a job to do, and Tim trusted me, so I did what I had to do. No one knew my age, and I believe, to this day, I am officially the youngest ever “official” on an Australia team.
It was HOT in Greece. Most days were spent laying around the stables, hanging out in the “misting tent” with Spanky to cool him off (he loved the water), and overall not leaving his side. Sabotaging other teams wasn’t unheard of and happened while I was there, so keeping him safe was my top priority.
One day while in the stables, a man and woman surrounded by security came towards me. I recognized them instantly. It was the Prince Frederik of Denmark and the newly crowned Princess Mary. Mary was an Australian who met Frederik in a pub in Sydney and was the inspiration for the movie, The Prince and Me. They were lovely and spent several minutes chatting and meeting Spanky.
On the days we weren’t competing, we watched other events, and during the dressage semi-finals, I sat two rows away from the Queen of Spain. We wouldn’t have known who she was if not for the Spanish dressage rider dedicating his ride to her by bowing directly in front of us.
I also met my childhood idol, Ian Miller, a Canadian rider who rode a famous horse called Big Ben. I had probably read the book over 100 times, and to have the opportunity to meet him was one I’ll never forget.
On competition day, everything had to be perfect, but, for the most part, like a Quarterhorse, we stayed pretty relaxed. Warm-up didn’t involve much as we didn’t want to exhaust Spanky but being a grass arena brought a whole new aspect to the game.
Did you know you can screw studs into a horse’s shoe? It’s true. We had different shaped studs depending on the ground/weather, and I had to make sure they were screwed on correctly. It sounds like a small task, but if anything went wrong gear-wise, it was my fault. If a boot fell off, it was my fault. If the girth wasn’t tight enough, it was my fault. And with the world watching on TV, the last thing you want to go wrong is a gear issue.
I imagine people laughed when our little Australian Quarterhorse walked into the arena. The fences were 5’2″ high and had a maximum width of 6’5,” but he did us proud. Sadly, we had to pull out after the second round due to health reasons, but the entire experience is one I will never forget.
The experience is what sparked my interest in journalism and opened many doors for many years to come.
While I might not compete anymore, I love watching the equestrian events during the Olympics, knowing firsthand what an incredible experience it is. I never imagined I’d get to go to the Olympic Games, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s to teach your kids to reach for the stars because you never know where you will land.
Good luck to all those, both American and Australian, competing at the Olympic Games.
Katie Dixon
myparistexas.com managing editor
