Elisabeth Austin and Olivier Bring Young Blood to American Grand Prix

In her first Grand Prix Freestyle outing, Austin bested a field of more experienced competitors. The 23-year-old Austin and Olivier, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood son of the popular Idocus ridden by Courtney King, clearly showed they’ve got what it takes to compete in the big leagues. Riding to a mix that included music from “Pretty Woman” and the rock duo, the Eurythmics, Austin and Olivier scored a 71.40 percent. Behind them in second was Lars Petersen and Success with a score of 70.750.

Austin borrowed the freestyle from long-time supporter Theo van Bruggen of Belgium, who had designed it for a European rider. It may have been the pair’s first competitive Grand Prix Freestyle, but they did get a bit of a test run in performing a freestyle before a crowd. Last weekend, the pair were demonstration riders at the Equus Equestrian Sport Foundation’s Scholarship Benefit Weekend. The Sunday evening gala included awarding Robert Dover with a Lifetime Achievement Award and in honor of him, Austin and Olivier rode a Grand Prix Freestyle of Dover’s.

“I rode his freestyle to a live orchestra. It was so great,” Austin said.