Horse owner vindicated after two-year battle with Olympic sport

A tribunal has ruled against national federation Equestrian Australia (EA) after a nearly two-year dispute over one of the Olympic sport’s most coveted prizes.The feud centred around the scoring system used at the 2024 Australian Dressage Championships at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre and divided officials in the exclusive sport.Vivien Lipshut with her horse Estupendo, which no longer competes in dressage.Paul JeffersThe taxpayer-funded peak body fought claims by Victorian horse owner Vivien Lipshut that her imported European gelding Estupendo and his rider David McKinnon were wrongly denied the title of Australian grand prix champion.However, the National Sports Tribunal has found against EA, determining Estupendo and McKinnon the rightful winners after hearing that the scoring format was changed without the knowledge of entrants in the days before the event.Lipshut alleged she had faced intimidation from one of the sport’s former integrity officers during her bid to have the original result reversed and was vindicated by the decision of tribunal member Anthony Lo Surdo SC.“This was never just about winning a championship. It was about standing up for fairness, accountability, and the integrity of our sport,” Lipshut said.David McKinnon rides Estupendo at the Australian Dressage Championships at Sydney International Equestrian Centre in 2024.Simon Scully“I could not stand by and allow an injustice like this to go unchallenged. If the rules can be ignored in one case, they can be ignored in any case. Every member deserves to know that the rules will be applied fairly and consistently, regardless of who is involved.”Six-time Olympian Mary Hanna and her Paris 2024 reserve horse Ivanhoe 1 were declared the victors after the Australian championships two years ago under on a points system applied by Dressage NSW event organiser Toni Venhaus in the lead-up to competition after consultation with the EA’s Dressage Committee.But the tribunal determined the scoring change was invalid and against EA’s own rules, concluding that the grand prix champion should have been calculated with the percentage-based model typically deployed in dressage, where horses are judged on their movements during a routine.On that basis, Estupendo and McKinnon would have had the edge.Reacting to the tribunal’s ruling, state organisations Equestrian NSW and Dressage NSW said the championship rug for 2024 would be presented again next month at their awards night.“The decision provides important clarity regarding the application of the rules and reinforces the importance of fairness, consistency and transparency across our sport,” they said.“We extend our sincere congratulations to Viv Lipshut, David McKinnon and Estupendo on being recognised as the 2024 Australian grand prix champion. This is a significant achievement and one that deserves to be celebrated.”Lipshut, who herself stopped riding after having a stroke in 2017, has accepted an invitation to attend the NSW awards dinner.But after encountering resistance from national-level officials from the moment she questioned the outcome of the blue riband event, she said the battle had taken its toll.EA opposed the matter being sent to the Australian government’s independent sports umpire, but the tribunal accepted it after an investigation by this masthead.“Although I am grateful this matter has now been resolved, the nearly two-year struggle has come at a considerable personal cost to my health and wellbeing,” Lipshut said.“My sincere hope is that this determination will help ensure that no member of Equestrian Australia ever has to endure such a prolonged struggle again simply to have their concerns heard.”Equestrian Australia, which will receive $5.7 million in federal funding in 2026-27 via the Australian Sports Commission, has also been embroiled in a legal dispute with its former digital services provider.It has vowed to vigorously defend separate proceedings brought against it by former Olympian Heath Ryan in the NSW Supreme Court.Ryan’s EA membership has been provisionally suspended for more than a year while the International Federation for Equestrian Sports investigates a video that showed him whipping a horse 42 times.Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.From our partners