FINALIST PROFILE
2021 EQUESTRIAN VICTORIA
LIFETIME SERVICE TO SPORT FINALIST
DES RUSSELL
MEET DES
Des has dedicated his life to horses and more importantly his passion of Show Jumping. He has owned and bred many horses – from horses he has picked up at the sale yards to Off The Track Thoroughbreds and purpose bred imported Warmbloods. There would be many stories Des could tell!
Des has contributed to the equestrian industry his entire life, and invested his time and money into importing and producing internationally competitive horses in the Show Jumping discipline. He imported and still owns the very successful stallion Valhalla. Not only was Valhalla a very successful horse ridden by Jamie Kermond, having numerous wins at WC level, he has also sired hundreds of progeny, many of whom are also successful Show Jumping horses.
Des also owned and produced Caracas. Caracas was sold overseas and is continuing to have a successful career today, and as a ‘super sire’, has strongly stamped many Australian jumping horses. These are only two of the strong examples of Des’s contribution to current day jumping in Australia. He continues to invest in purchasing high level jumping horses to help secure the future of jumping in Australia.
Des also attends horse shows all over Victoria and Australia proudly watching the many horses he owns, from the amateur level with junior and young riders to competitive World Cup horses.
The connection Des has with horses and jumping comes from a lifetime commitment to the sport.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
HOW TO VOTE
Before casting your vote we’d like you to get to know our finalists by reading their profile.
You’ll also need your membership number, so have it handy when you’re ready to make your selections. We also ask that you look at the criteria listed for each category and use these points to make your decision – remember, it’s not about just being a nice person!
When you are ready to cast your vote, simply click on the VOTE NOW button.
JUDGING CRITERIA
In considering the award of Lifetime Service an individual should have demonstrated significant, sustained and high quality service contributing to the improvement, quality and accessibility of equestrian sport, Consideration should be given to the following:
- Length of involvement in the sport
- Initiatives developed or involved in which contributed to the enhancement of the sport
- Significant mentoring to share knowledge
- Time volunteering
- Demonstrated approachability and integrity
VOTING ELIGIBILITY
You must have been a financial member during the 2020 membership year to be eligible to cast a vote. You are only able to submit ONE voting form per category. The following will be deemed void and will be removed:
- duplicate votes in a category by the same member
- unfinancial members (as per time period above)
- invalid or incorrect membership numbers