A SPECIAL HORSE FULFILS WARWICK MCLEAN’S DREAM

A little over a year ago, dressage rider Warwick McLean never expected to represent Australia at the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen. In fact, he had only just purchased the horse that would take him there, and the plan was to sell him.

“We bought Le Special in April last year and the plan was as a project… to buy in and sell,” explains Warwick.

By Grey Flanell out of a Sir Oldenburg mare, the KWPN gelding had just turned nine years old and was training at Small Tour level. Early on, one of Warwick’s young stable riders was working the horse and took him out to his first competitions. “He’s not the easiest horse, he’s quite a spicy one… but at the shows he was really very good,” recalls Warwick.

By August last year, Warwick had clients interested in purchasing Le Special. However, they were a little worried he didn’t have the ability for piaffe and passage. Warwick couldn’t say for certain either, so he rode him for a week to see what he thought.

Warwick knows that what makes Le Special tricky is also what makes him a promising long-term Grand Prix horse, and he’s been careful along the way to work with the horse’s quirks rather than quell them. “He’s quite a playful horse… you don’t want to tell them off for being motivated.”

By the end of last year, Warwick and Le Special had a couple of starts at Intermediate A and Intermediate II, winning both tests even though everything was “still a little green”. In April this year, they debuted in the Grand Prix at a German national-level competition to test the water.

“He went out and scored 70%… but he didn’t really know what was coming [in that test]… it was a bit of a surprise for him. He’s a very clever horse and he learns really fast,” explains Warwick. 

While Le Special’s clever brain meant he was a fast learner, it also meant he would begin to anticipate the Grand Prix movements quite quickly, and that proved to be a little more of a hindrance than a help.

Following their successful CDN Grand Prix debut, known as an S*** Grand Prix in Germany, it was on to international-level CDI competition.

ROAD TO AACHEN

Prior to Aachen, Warwick and Le Special contested four CDIs to obtain their qualifying scores. It all began at Hagen, and this was where Le Special decided that, after his Grand Prix debut, he now knew the test.

“He was taking over, as he thought he knew exactly what to do. I didn’t really get a chance to prepare… I had no control over the two tempis or anything like that,” laughs Warwick.

“He was a little bit bruised up afterwards, so I had to really back off and not ride too much. That threw everything back and interfered with the plan that we had for shows and a bit with the training,” explains Warwick.

Following a thorough veterinary check, the combination made it to the high-profile Lier CDIO4* later that month, achieving scores of 68.196% and 67.787% in the Grand Prix and Special. It was then on to Rotterdam CDI in June, where they scored 67.391% and 66.340%.

“Unfortunately, it was not my best test,” reflects Warwick of their Grand Prix on the famed Aachen Soers, which ultimately scored 64.984%. “When I came out of the test… I was not that happy with it because I knew I had made mistakes and I knew the points would not be that high.

“I could just feel all the little things… coming onto the centreline, the first pirouette, and the zigzag was not perfect because Le Special was looking at the video camera in the corner; that ruined a few of the movements coming up the centerline. But the first piaffe…. that was a little bit my fault! The one tempis, I didn’t even know if we were going to get the 15 or land on the correct lead because he was looking so much at the camera that I did not know what he was doing with his legs!”

Having watched other Australian combinations campaigning for the World Championships drop out of contention for a range of reasons, and having experienced a near miss himself, Warwick is acutely aware that the stars must align for these career-defining moments.

“It only takes one small thing for it not to happen; one wrong move with the horse or one wrong test at the wrong show… and you don’t make it there.

“All things considered, you have to be just happy when you’re there representing your country. [Aachen] was a pretty life-changing experience, and you always have to be grateful for it because you don’t know really when you may have the next horse ready for this kind of competition. You hope it’s coming many more times in your life, but I think all the same, you have to just be happy you are there in that moment.”

TOP TEAM

Another highlight of Warwick’s experience in Aachen was the team camaraderie, particularly with William Matthew, who rode the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare Faye 43 (Fuerst Heinrich x Aljano 2).

“I had a lot of fun with Will. He’s been a good friend of mine,” explains Warwick.

When Will first moved from Perth to the UK as a 17-year-old to train, he stayed briefly with the McLeans, who were based there at the time, on the recommendation of his then-coach, Alisa Dodds. A couple of years later in 2012, when Will had gained further experience and was looking for a paid position in a European stable, he received a call from Warwick.

At the time, Warwick and wife Carolina had just started a new business in Germany, McLean Reitsport, and they were looking for a rider. Will worked for the McLeans for nearly five years.

Speaking to Equestrian Life a few years ago, Will shared how his time at McLean Reitsport was a pivotal part of his career development: “Warwick’s was amazing, I learnt so much, especially with problem horses and young horses. Warwick and his wife gave me so many opportunities; they organised a horse for me, D’Artagnan, so I could do Young Rider competitions and then Under-25 Grand Prix. To be honest, they shaped me totally into the rider I am.”

Fast forward to 2026 and Will and Warwick had now represented Australia together at the World Championships. Just as they did more than a decade ago, they were once again working together.

“I warmed Will up and he warmed me up and we were helping each other,” explains Warwick, who also greatly enjoyed working with fellow teammates Simone Pearce (Will Marq) and Mary Hanna (Ivanhoe 1).

AMAZING AACHEN

“Riding in a stadium like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Warwick of the World Championship experience. “I don’t think there’s any place in the world that can have a show like they did. The place is just made to do it… I think they should be having every World Championship there. I mean, it’s nice for other countries to have it, but the place is just absolutely fantastic, and the show just runs so smoothly.”

Warwick also feels that, following the World Championships, the future of dressage is looking brighter than perhaps it once was. “I think the sport is going in a good direction, and it’s really on another level now.”

Warwick believes you never stop learning when it comes to dressage, and his World Championship campaign left him with several takeaways.

“I think you really need to try and pick the right shows leading up to the competition. This is really very important. Keeping your horse happy and safe, that’s probably the number one thing. And really try to be practicing the movements and riding the test as much as possible,” he explains.

“You’ve just got to try to do the best for your horse, at the end of the day. You always want to go out and do your best and ride the best points you possibly can, but I think you’ve got to try to do the best for your horse too. I think that’s also really very important.”

The importance of good support cannot be underestimated either. Warwick is thankful to have his wife and family, long-time groom and Under-25 Swedish rider Emma Kåberg, and several working students supporting the journey.

“You’ve got to have a good support team around you. I’m very lucky with my family and my wife. They’re the biggest supporters. And Emma has been there every step of the way.”

“I was a little bit cautious before Aachen and did not want to change too much in the lead up. Now, I think we can focus on getting more power, more expression. That will be the focus over the next six months, and also just to get the piaffe and the passage much more on point with more power. We just need to tidy things up a little bit and get a bit more confidence in himself to really stay in more collection.”

Warwick plans to do some national Grand Prix tests and one more international show before the end of the year to help consolidate the small details, pending a new truck. “We still have to sort out our truck situation; we rented one for Aachen,” he explains.

“We’ll hopefully do some Nations Cup and World Cup classes in the near future. The more you ride in this kind of company and atmosphere, the better you get, and the more the judges see you. And I think the way the judging is going now, with an emphasis on more harmonious riding, I think I have the right kind of horse for this.”

Warwick says the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is the next long-term aim with Le Special, although he also has a couple of younger horses that could develop into contenders.

“I think for sure it’s possible to [make the team] again, but of course you never know what can happen. I think Le Special has so much more to give. Everyone says that you can find one of these horses in your lifetime… this is one that I really enjoy riding every day.” EQ