Melissa Galloway and Windermere J’Obei W. Copyright Photo: Libby Law Photography

It’s the end of an era for one of New Zealand’s best-ever dressage combinations. Paris Olympian Melissa Galloway has sold her beloved Windermere J’Obei W to a rising young star in Germany. It was never the plan but as the Marlborough record-breaker says, “it’s crazy how things just seem to fall into place”. “The plan was always to bring Joey home after the Games . . . I never really thought I would sell him.”

The 14-year-old New Zealand warmblood gelding – by Johnson TN out of the thoroughbred mare Miss Pompeii who is by Pompeii – duly went into quarantine in preparation for his trip and Melissa began her journey home. But a week or so later she got a phone call to say that Joey would need to stay six months instead of three because he had been in Saudi for the FEI World Cup Dressage Final earlier this year.

“I was so stressed. They had to take him out of quarantine and put him in a facility down the road,” says Melissa. “After a week or so they rang and said he really needed to go somewhere he could be lightly ridden given how long he was going to have to stay.”

Melissa turned to her longtime coach Andrea Raves for help and she suggested Hubertus Hufendiek who lived nearby. “I had based and trained with him 12 years ago when I spent a year in Germany. He’s not riding at the moment but his partner is a beautiful rider, so I called them and that’s where he went.”

Then came the call from Hubertus who said he had a talented and ambitious young rider who was looking for a horse just like Joey to pursue her dreams in the under 25 grand prix. “She tried him and it went ridiculously well. It seems to be the perfect fit. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t.”

And so begins a new journey for both Melissa and Joey. Together they achieved so much. Joey, who was bred by David Woolley and Rania Todd, joined Melissa as an unbroken two-year-old.

As well as representing New Zealand at the Paris Olympic Games, they dominated on both sides of the Tasman, twice winning the New Zealand grand prix title, the Dressage Horse of the Year crown, the Australian national grand prix, and the Sydney CDI. They own the New Zealand records for grand prix (74.2%) and musical freestyle (79.865%). Joey was also twice the ESNZ International Horse of the Year.

Visiting Melissa Galloway and Windermere J’Obei W. Copyright Photo: Libby Law Photography

“It was always my goal to achieve the big three – to compete at the World Championships, World Cup Final and the Olympic Games. There have been so many highlights along the way – of course the Games are the absolute pinnacle but there are small things too like rides I have had at home when I have come out of the arena almost in tears because he has gone so well,” says Melissa.

To make the decision to sell him had been extremely hard for the whole family . “We are all so attached to him. I have had time to process it but it is still very emotional for me, especially when I think about what he has done for us all. He has done so much for my career and I hope he can help his new rider achieve her dreams. There have certainly been a lot of tears shed.” But she feels the sale opens an exciting new chapter and she is already planning trips to visit.

Melissa has some good horsepower coming through in her homebred Windermere Integro, seven-year-old Buckingham – who is related to Joey through his mare line, Beaufort DW, who is already showing a lot of talent, and five-year-old Fine Style SW who is by Fugato and looks the spitting image of Joey.

And, in case you wondered, Melissa still has the Los Angeles Olympic Games in her sights. “I am definitely still very ambitious for those goals but it is about having the right horse at the right time . . . I guess we will see.”

She extended a huge thanks to her coaches over the years, Andrea Raves, Vanessa Way and more recently Anne van Olst, along with her sponsors and Joey’s many fans and supporters. “It’s been an absolute dream run with Joey. He has helped me achieve all of my dreams and now I can’t wait to see him help his new partner achieve hers too.”

ESNZ dressage high performance manager Penny Pearce says it would have certainly been a very difficult decision for Melissa to make to sell Joey. “We know she has some new exciting horses coming through and will be back representing New Zealand in the future,” she said.

By Diana Dobson – HP Media Liaison
Photos by Libby Law/ESNZ