Japanese rider relies on telepathy and sugar

By Alastair Himmer

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sugar lumps and telepathy are the ingredients for success in the equestrian sport of dressage, according to Japanese rider Mieko Yagi.

Eleven times national champion, Yagi makes her Olympic debut on her horse, Dow Jones, at the age of 58 when Hong Kong hosts the equestrian events for Beijing in August.

"I was so happy to share the joy of qualifying with my horse," said Yagi. "We're partners. I'm trying to be in perfect harmony with the horse.

"I have got so used to the horse that I feel there is a distinct overlap in our feelings. We know when one of us is not 100 percent."

Dressage requires horse and rider to work in harmony executing a series of precise, pre-arranged moves. The horse is also judged on its behaviour in the ring.

In 2002, Yagi won the national title after her then-mount instinctively realised she was ill and needed its help. Yagi had earlier been taken to hospital with abdominal pains.

"I have had horses do miraculous things like that many times," Yagi told Reuters in an interview. "I was so sick I could only walk about 10 metres under my own power. Amazingly the horse understood and took up the slack.

TENDER CARE

"The wavelength between horse and rider is extremely important. If you have strength, you use your strength. But for me to manoeuvre a 600-kilogram horse, I rely on communication.

"You can do it by power or technique -- I believe that heart and trust is the most important thing."

Yagi said Dow Jones would need tender loving care to help the gelding acclimatise to the testing conditions in Hong Kong.

"We will need to get him gradually used to the heat or he could feel stressed after a week or so of being at the Olympics. Conditioning will be key.

"He can only go outside for an hour or two a day so he needs constant attention for the other 23 hours. It's a lot harder than looking after a human being," she said.

Dow Jones, the former mount of Germany's 2004 Olympic team gold medallist Hubertus Schmidt, has been under Yagi for two years and horse and rider have formed a tight bond.

"It's almost telepathic," said Yagi. "He has a look in his eyes which tells me exactly how he's feeling. In competition his ears prick up as he concentrates on hearing my instructions.