Equestrian: Home sweet home for Field

Kallista Field will pursue her dressage career from a New Zealand base despite the best riders competing in Europe.

Germany and the Netherlands continued to dominate the Olympic Games dressage competition in Sydney, but Field says, for now at least, she will stay at home and compete in Australasia.

``I can't afford to live in Europe, I haven't got the money,'' Field said.

The 22-year-old can now boast Olympics and world championship experience, but will need to develop a new horse for the 2002 world equestrian games in Spain.

Her mare Waikare, who took Field to 18th at the Olympics yesterday with two New Zealand record scores, is to be retired.

``I'd love to not retire her, but she deserves it. She's been Grand Prix (standard) for eight years and she can't do any better than this, so why push it round for another couple of years.''

One person who believed Field would do better after her Olympics debut was coach Judy Dierks.

She and husband Clemens - he has been unable to help for her Olympics campaign because he is the Australian national coach - school Field from their Australian base, travelling to New Zealand at times to work with her.

``Certainly Kallista's got the potential. She's 22, she's got a tremendous experience already and a great competition life ahead of her,'' Judy Dierks said.

``She can do it from New Zealand, she can, as we can do it here in Australia. Of course, its nice if you can pack up and go and live overseas, but it's not always the case so sometimes you've got to do the best you can with what you've got.

``And I think that its good that it is still possible to do it from down here.''

Judy Dierks said it was impossible to say how good Field would be if she was based at the best stables, with the top coaches and the top competition of Europe.

She said the biggest priority was for Field to get another good horse.

It was hard to get a horse and rider both performing to their peak on the day, and Field had managed it twice at Sydney.

``Kallista's particularly a very cool competitor, and she manages the stress and the pressure brilliantly, and she just gets out there and really rides.''

Field will take two new horses, Julius and Jamahl, to Australia in the next few months to try to qualify for Spain, aiming both horses also for the next Olympics in Athens.

Field scored 66.44 percent in the first round of dressage this week, but then bettered the New Zealand record on Friday by posting 68.04 percent in the Grand Prix Special.

She was delighted with the two records, saying her result at Sydney had bettered her expectations.

``I didn't really think I'd get this far so its all a bonus. I've done way better than I thought I would. To get this far is amazing.''

- NZPA