Luke Dee was given an unexpected opportunity when he was asked to represent New Zealand in the FEI World Cup Final after Julie Davey, the FEI World Cup New Zealand League Series winner, decided not to travel to Switzerland to compete.

Luke, a Kiwi, had previously represented New Zealand at the Nations Cup in Europe and the United States, and with his current jumping partner Gangster WW, had won an FEI World Cup Qualifier round in December 2024. Hardly able to believe his luck, he was more than happy to act as the replacement.

He spoke to podcast host Charlie Brister about the experience, as well as:

• The benefits of working overseas
• The importance of having good systems in place
• Trusting more experienced professionals when purchasing horses
• Experimenting with different bits
• The need to be transparent with clients and owners
• Going from selling real estate to a World Cup Final

You can hear this interview on the Equestrian Hub’s podcast page, or listen on your favourite streaming app.