Sophie Fox’s former racehorse happily didn’t live up to his name at the EQUITANA Australian Open Exhibition Eventing in Melbourne.

Mr Pig headed home a 16-strong field in the CNC1* coming from sixth in the dressage to nab the win.

The title came right down to the wire with a couple of fences really giving the leaderboard a shakeup. Dressage leader Sarah May and Charlie Bean didn’t have the best of days in the jumping phase and finished in 11th place. Sophie and Mr Pig pulled through to take the title on 49 penalty points...

Entertainment and enjoyment was front of mind for Kate Farrell as she put together a mix of toe-tapping music especially for her CDI-W freestyle at EQUITANA Melbourne.

It paid off with the crowd who certainly got into the spirit as she and 16-year-old Luxor 118 danced their way to fourth place in the class with 69.085%.

“EQUITANA attracts a huge number of people who aren’t just our usual dressage crowd. Dressage has a bit of a reputation for being a very serious discipline, so I wanted to show it can be really fun too,” says Kate. “Dressage is a passion for me and I always find it uplifting to ride. I wanted to make a freestyle with music that everyone knew.”...

The curtain came down on the 20th anniversary of EQUITANA Melbourne in the most fitting of ways . . . with the crowning of the IRT All Star The Way Of The Horse champ of champs.

Bruce O’Dell edged out a true all-star field to take the supreme award but it was a hard-fought battle to the end between him, Ken Faulkner, Adam Sutton and Kiwi Tui Teka.

Bruce had first choice of the unhandled youngsters on the opening day of the competition and quickly snapped up the only gelding amongst them, leaving the three others with mares...

Who? Pedro Torres

What? Dressage star presenter and a world champion in working equitation

Where? Sintra, Portugal

Awards? Three time team world champ, individual and reserve individual world champ; six time individual European riding champion

What’s your first horsey memory?

When I was little I had a pony – Navarro – it was a nice pony and belonged to my father who lived on a little farm. Navarro was my first contact to sit on a horse. I was five. Then I was just riding at home. My parents were separated so every second weekend I had time with my father – it started my passion for horses. Every time I see a horse my heart goes a little more strong. Started like that at the beginning. At eight or nine I went to riding school in Lisbon but I didn’t start competing until quite late – 19 or 20. Working equitation was not so popular in that time. I started with normal dressage and also a little showjumping. Then working equitation appeared in Portugal in 1996 – the discipline was just mostly in the Mediterranean countries...