This story was originally published in Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.
Melissa Galloway would go to great lengths to reach her Olympic dressage goals; making the move to the United Kingdom in the midst of a global pandemic is one of them.
The 27-year-old is aiming to ride at the postponed Tokyo Olympics next year, but will have to jump a number of hurdles to get there.
Move to the U.K. in Preparation of Tokyo
Galloway, New Zealand’s leading dressage rider, says it’s a huge decision to move to the Northern Hemisphere in February as a new strain of Covid-19 spreads through England.
“Which is what I could do, but at the same time, because we re working with animals, you just don’t know how long they re going to last. And anything can happen in the next four years.” To qualify for next year’s Olympics, Galloway needs to place well at certain international shows. The events are not available in New Zealand – and Australia is no longer holding any because of Covid-19. Right now, Galloway and her main horse, Windermere J Obei W, are “going amazing” and she wants to build on that. The pair kicked off the season in March by winning Horse of the Year after turning heads across the Tasman in February at Willinga Park on the south coast of New South Wales.