The March issue of The Horse Magazine is on sale now! On the cover are Sheridyn Ashwood and Prestige VDL at Boneo Park.

Inside you’ll find these stories and more:

Clayton Fredericks: The Next Step

George Morris: Everything that is old is new again

Who is Sheila Willcox?

A Clinic with Marianne Lichtwark

Boutique Dressage at Boneo Park

Ride the Rhythm in New Zealand

Climbing the Classical Pyramid with Steffen Peters

And our new monthly column, “Free Rein” with this month’s contributor, Hayley Coman.

Plus all our normal monthly features including The Amateur, HorseTalk and Transitions…

In fact, take a sneak peek at this month’s leading stories in our online flip book version:

http://www.horsemagazine.com/files/MarchTeaserHTML/index.html

We also have a Saddlery Feature this month, “On Your Horse”, which can be viewed online at:

http://www.horsemagazine.com/files/2013SaddleryFeature/index.html

Here’s Carl and Uthopia:

Kristy Oatley and Clive were first out for the Aussies. He’s a big imposing horse and as fifth out for the day made a good start for the team.

Diva Royal and Dorothy Schneider are new faces on the German team. The impressive Don Frederico daughter, who is only ten looked relaxed but still powerful and correct.

Donnerfee (DeNiro) is always a favourite of mine, she’s pretty, bright and in lovely self-carriage, ears pricked and happy. She competes with Claudia Fassaert for Belgium.

Grandioso PRE gave a great show for the Spanish with Martin Dockx.

All the Spanish supporters…

Salinero halted!! At both the start and finish of the test. In between was some of his good work and some of his tense and irregular work.

Sandro Boy and Lyndal Oatley made their Olympic debut, wet, but after the main downpour.

Looking forward to Day Two!

Words and Pics by Roz Neave for The Horse Magazine

A horse involved in the research interacting with the remote control car

Sydney University has questioned the Monty Roberts’ Join Up technique, which relies on the trainer using movement and noise to drive the horse around the perimeter of the pen. The trainer gradually reduces their aggressive movements, after which the horse will eventually slow down and approach them. The researchers used remote control cars to mimic the technique and to eliminate the assumed essential role of the humans speaking the language of the horse.

“We ‘rewarded’ the horses for stopping and turning towards the car with a period of ‘safety’, when the car didn’t chase them as long as they kept facing it. We trained some horses to actually walk up to and touch the car,” said Cath Henshall, a Master of Animal Science candidate in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University.

“Given that we could train horses to produce similar, though not identical responses to those seen in round pen training, but in reaction to non-human stimuli undermines the claim that the human’s ability to mimic horse behaviour is an essential component of the technique.”

The researchers believe that the training outcomes were achieved as a result of ‘pressure-release’ and not the ability of the trainer, or a remote control car, to mimic horse behaviour. “Put simply, pressure-release works because the horse finds the pressure applied unpleasant and therefore the removal of the pressure rewarding,” said Henshall. The response the horse makes immediately before the pressure is removed is what the horse thinks made the pressure go away. When put in the same situation in the future, it is likely to perform that same behaviour to obtain the outcome that it values – safety.

“Although neither Monty Roberts’ method nor ours uses pressure applied directly to the horse’s body, both apply a form of emotional pressure by scaring and then chasing the horse.” Proponents of Join-Up and similar methods claim not only that they are humane because no equipment is used on the horse’s body but also that the horse can choose whether to approach the trainer.

“Our results indicate that because these methods rely on fear and safety, the horse is forced to choose between being repeatedly frightened or remaining with the trainer. We question whether it is humane to rely on fear and its termination to train horses,” said Henshall. “Although it is appealing to think that horses in the round pen choose to follow their trainers because they are responding to us as though we are a horse, we believe that the use of fear has no place in genuinely humane and ethical horse training.”

The travelling reserves for the team are Megan Jones and Kirby Park Allofasudden and Tim Boland and GV Billy Elliott. The third travelling reserve was Bill Levett and One Two Many NJ, but unfortunately One Two Many sustained an injury at  Barbury and Bill has had to pull out.

The Dressage and Showjumping teams have been nominated but have not been confirmed pending appeals against the selection.

Clayton Fredericks and Bendigo (Photo by: Arie de Vroet - www.equineworld.com)

Shane Rose and Taurus (Photo by Julie Wilson)

Christopher Burton and Leilani (Photo by Roz Neave)

Chris and I decided to make an edited highlights stroll around the course and met Prue Barrett, Clayton Fredericks and Bill Levett on one of their walks at Fence 13. It’s a jump up a bank and then a turn to a brush on a seemingly, to me, impossible distance. Made more difficult by a rail designed to encourage a run-off. Clayton told us the same fence had been in the course last year and had been removed by the TDs, and he would try to make sure it was removed this year. ‘Oh yeah!?’ said Prudence…

All three Aussies on the first day did good tests, with Christopher Burton finishing in the lead on Hurazac on 47.2. Bill Levett and Hippolyte are on 49.2 and Clayton Fredericks and Be My Guest on 51.6.

Clayton Fredericks and Prue Barrett discussing the course

The inside line of Fence 13ab... and the rail that just asks for a run out...

Bill Levett and Clayton Fredericks surveying the first part of the water jump

Bill Levett and Hippolyte

Clayton Fredericks and Be My Guest

Fabrice Lucas on Keep Du Mesnil looking very smart in their uniform

Photos by Roz Neave

Former Equestrian greats and current heroes were on hand to celebrate Equestrian’s night of nights which also saw some of the sport’s all-time greats inducted into Equestrian Australia’s Hall of Fame. A full list of this year’s inductees is available on Equestrian Australia’s website (www.equestrian.org.au).

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2011 Sport Achievement Awards

Event of the Year                      Australian International Thee Day Event

(Joint winners)                           All Reef RM Williams Endurance Festival

Official of the Year                   Kerrie Robbins

Club of the Year                        Eyre Peninsula Showjumping Club

Owner of the Year                    Linda Spratley & Beau Dowsett

Administrator of the Year      Sue Austin

Coach of the Year                     Megan Jones

Volunteer of the Year              Rob Leishman

Young Athlete of the Year      Tom McDermott

Domestic Horse of the Year   Jaybee Alabaster

International Horse of the Year   Cevo Itot du Chateau

Domestic Athlete of the Year     Rachael Sanna 

International Athlete of the Year   Edwina Tops-Alexander

Event of the Year – Al Reef RM Williams Endurance Festival

Al Reef-RM Williams Endurance Festival, featuring the FEI 3* National Championships, attracted a record number of entries from several countries and was the largest endurance ride in Australia in 2011. The event doubled as a qualifier for the 2012 World Endurance Championships in Euston Park, England and nationally was a Tom Quilty cup qualifier. It successfully showcased endurance riding and equestrian sports to a broader audience through a live webcast which broadcast competition to a global audience.

The event was held in conjunction with the Australasian Endurance Forum and offered international officials a unique opportunity to facilitate or participate in an educational Forum and the exposure and experience of officiating at a 1, 2 or 3 star event in Australia.

Event of the Year – Australian International three day event

The 2011 Adelaide International thee day event attracted 19,000 spectators from across Australia and was the year’s best attended equestrian event. It is the only event in the southern hemisphere to host a four star class – the highest level of eventing.

There was a record number of competitors who contested the four star class and there were 97 competitors across all levels of events.

Last year’s event was included in the prestigious FEI HSBC Classic series for the first time, bringing the highest ever prize money and unprecedented media and TV coverage to Australian Eventing. It was also the setting for the Equestrian Australia hosted FEI eventing officials seminar.

The Australia International three day event is an EA sanctioned event run by the Adelaide horse trials Management.

Owner of the Year – Linda Spratley-Dowsett & Beau Dowsett

Linda and Beau Dowsett’s involvement with horses began ten years ago when their daughter Danielle started attending the local pony club. The couple own five imported warmbloods which have collectively enjoyed much success on the Australian competition circuit last year winning a multitude of accolades including 16 regional titles, nine state titles, 1 Reserve State Title and an Australian Title. Two horses are on the National Futures quad, two on the QLD state squad and one on the QLD state young rider squad.

The Dowsett’s travel vast distances to support their horses and regularly attend events outside of their home state of QLD to watch them compete. In addition to being exemplary owners, Linda and Beau are passionate supporters of Dressage, sponsoring regional events and training clinics. The couple are great supporters of the sport and they work tirelessly behind the scenes at shows and events.

Sue Austin – Administrator of the Year

Sue Austin is the President and chair of the Queensland Interschool committee. The voluntary role asks much of Sue and she graciously dedicates her time and skills to the program. Sue is dedicated to the growth and development of the Interschool competition. She is a mentor to her fellow committee members, school representatives and parents and oversees five official interschool competitions per year as well as numerous other interschool and club competitions. In 2011, Sue assisted with the formation of a central Queensland Interschool committee, offered Para-Equestrian classes in two regional championships and at the state championships and formed a committee to organize the 2012 National Championships which QLD will host.

Young Athlete of the Year – Tom McDermott

This is the second consecutive year Tom McDermott has been named Young Athlete of the year. 18 year old McDermott who hails from Wagga Wagga NSW keeps re-writing Australian show jumping records. He is the current Australian National Junior Champion and Young Rider Champion – a feat that has previously not been achieved. McDermott is also the current NSW state champion and was named National Young rider of the year and is enjoying much success on the senior circuit winning his first Jumping World Cup qualifier at Gawler, South Australia, in what was just his third CSI-W outing.

Club of the Year – Eyre Peninsula Showjumping Club

The Eyre Peninsula Showjumping Club has overcome the ravages of drought and a falling population in recent years and remains a prominent presence in the local community. The club continues to actively promote equestrian to the region and actively encourages new membership to its ranks. In addition to managing events at local shows, the club convenes numerous club competitions including the Eyre Peninsula Championships and the Yeltana Championships. The club lends its ground to other equestrian organisation such as Pony Club and show horse and regularly provides clinics for judges and accredited coaches and course builders

Coach of the Year – Megan Jones

Already a world class eventer, Megan Jones is also a well-respected and highly sought after coach, mentor and role model of many of Australia’s young elite athletes. Megan displayed her world-class coaching skills and versatility when she trained Para-Equestrian athlete Grace Bowman ahead of her 2010 World Equestrian Games campaign. She is also the South Australian State Interschool’s team coach. Megan is passionate about youth development and also coaches at the grass roots level. She is a popular coach and has students based across Australia.

Volunteer of the Year – Rob Leishman

Rob Leishman wears many hats – As well as an official Showjumping course designer who has helped to build courses, Rob is one of Victoria’s most valued officials. He is a member of the Victorian Jumping judge’s official panel and has mentored and trained many of the state’s judges. Rob acts as a measurer within the Show Horse discipline and works at most major events including the Royal Shows. He also acts as a starter at International three-day events. Rob’s service to the sport spans decades and has seen him work within many Equestrian organisations including Equestrian Victoria and Pony Club of Victoria. Rob built courses and rode at some of the first horse trials in this country.

Official of the Year – Kerrie Robbins

Kerrie Robbins is a Technical Delegate – FEI Level I, TD EA Level E, FEI I Level Jumping Judge and Level 1 Course designer.

Kerrie is a fully accredited FEI international jumping judge who received an invitation to officiate at the World Equestrian Games. Kerrie officiates at most of Western Australia’s top jumping events and In 2011 travelled to Sydney to officiate at the Sydney International CCI* and CCI*. Kerrie has worked diligently to attract international officials to Australia and in 2011 organised a judge from Belarus to officiate at the international three day event in WA. Kerrie is also the Vice Chair of Eventing WA and the Event Director of the Perth Horse Trials.

Domestic Athlete of the Year – Rachael Sanna

Rachael Sanna’s most exceptional performances came in the latter part of 2011 and earned her the two most coveted crowns in Australian Dressage – Australian Grand Prix Champion and winner of the FEI World Cup Pacific League final. The latter awarded her one of just 18 starting positions at the World Cup Dressage final in s’Hertogenbosch. Sanna also achieved firsts at Sydney CDI3* in the Grand Prix and Freestyle, Sydney CDI-W in the Grand Prix and Freestyle and the Werribee CDI-W LF, Grand Prix and Freestyle.

Domestic Horse of the Year – Jaybee Alabaster

Jaybee Alabaster returned to form in 2011 and enjoyed a very successful year winning the Australian Championship Grand Prix and the Pacific League Final of the FEI World Cup, which earned him a start at the World Cup Dressage Final in s’Hertogenbosch. The 13 year old chestnut gelding, who is owned by Bev Edwards also finished in first place at Sydney CDI3* in the Grand Prix and Freestyle, Sydney CDI-W in the Grand Prix and Freestyle and the Werribee CDI-W LF, Grand Prix and Freestyle.

International Athlete of the Year – Edwina Alexander

As the 2011 overall winner of the Global Champions Tour, Edwina Tops-Alexander proved herself a formidable contender on the world Show Jumping stage. 2011 saw Edwina climb as high as sixth position on the Rolex FEI world ranking, which is the highest ranking ever achieved by an Australian rider. On her way to winning the multi-million euro Global Champions Tour, Edwina placed first in the Cannes Grand Prix CSI5* and Chantilly Grand Prix CSI5*.

International Horse of the Year – Cevo Itot du Chateau

Cevo Itot du Chateau is one of the world’s top Show Jumping horses. As the overall winner of the 2011 Global Champions Tour, 16 year old ‘Itot’ – as he is often referred, last year enjoyed his most successful year to date. Wins at the Cannes Grand Prix CSI5* and Chantilly Grand Prix CSI5*and a second place at the Rio de Janeiro CSI5* helped the chestnut gelding secure the title of overall winner of the Global Champions Tour. Among some of his other highlights are a second placing in the Rio de Janeiro CSI5* and third placing in the Zurich CSI5* FEI World Cup qualifier. ‘Itot’ is owned by Edwina Tops-Alexander and Stal Tops.

Showjumper Jamie Kermond is returning home to Australia from the USA after a disappointing run in Florida at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Jamie headed over to Florida as a lead-up to the selection events in Europe. Sadly, due to health issues with the horse, Colthaga, Jamie has decided to return home with the horse, thus ending his Olympic campaign.

Jamie spoke to Go Jump Magazine about the decision to head home:

“It is with great disappointment, that I am informing the readers of Go Jump Magazine that Colthaga and I will be heading home. We have had a less than perfect run here in Florida to date, as Collie experienced unavoidable veterinary issues due to travel and stress. We were hoping for a speedy recovery, and to be back the ring sooner than what has been possible. These trying circumstances have led to the difficult decision to bring the horse home. The time to the selection events is just too short to be altogether prepared for an Olympic Games, or to be a competitive combination with the other Aussies who are firing on all cylinders. I wish the best of luck to all the others looking to make it to London, and I will be watching with keen interest and enthusiasm to see how the team go! Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my owners, Bob and Jacqui Cox, who throughout this whole journey, despite not having an extensive horse background, have been incredibly understanding and supportive. As we are all too aware, horses are not machines and things don’t always go to plan, but our horse is only young and we will be looking at another Games in 2 years time.”

Regards,

Jamie Kermond

Very clever, but is it so different to this?

Riding softly to achieve great results as Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro (GBR) did at the European Championships…

They would love to receive more sponsorship next year to raise money for the centre and to continue putting on a very special kind of Showjumping Event.

If you would like to help out next year please contact Beate Lantzsch on sonovet@westnet.com.au – a worthy cause to support.

Growing up in New Zealand, Sarah Honeywell had Nicole Uphoff and Rembrandt plastered over her schoolbooks. She marvelled at the skill of Isabell Werth, Klaus Balkenhol and Dr Reiner Klimke at the Olympic Games, Sarah’s dream was to ride in Europe.

Her start in riding was like any other. A mischievous pony and a firm instructor saw Sarah winning on the show circuit from the age of three and she caught the bug. From then on it was all about horses: “When I turned 13 I was saying I wanted to make it a career. But my parents were like, ‘You can’t ride horses for a living!’ So I said, ‘I want to be a jockey then, because you can ride a horse and it’s a job.’ And my parents said, ‘Absolutely not!’ As I got older I was itching to go overseas, but my parents wanted me to have a back-up plan, so I did business studies.”

While studying in Christchurch, she took up eventing. Funnily enough, it led Sarah to her first FEI Dressage horse: “I was given an eventing horse to ride by Hilary Holstein, who was a very good dressage rider. Hilary had been asking me if I wanted to ride her old dressage horse for a while, but he had a mane this long (she holds her hands two feet apart) and he was hairy, with long feet. He looked like a wild Friesian basically. Hilary had asked a bunch of people if they wanted to ride him but they took one look at him standing in the paddock and were like, ‘Eh, no thanks.’”

When Hilary’s ‘retired’ dressage horse broke out of the paddock and trotted into the arena, Sarah had a change of heart: “He came trotting out like this, in the air, and I was like, ‘Oh wow.’ After that I wanted to ride him, so Hilary put some shoes on him and I never looked back. He was about Elementary level and I took him up to competing Prix St George, but training Inter II.”

Together Sarah and Vangelis went on to win New Zealand’s National Young Rider Championships in 2000 and were named on the various talent squads. This led to clinics with Clemens Dierks, giving Sarah a push in the right direction: “I didn’t realise you could make a career out of dressage, because there weren’t many people in New Zealand who were. Then Clemens said, ‘I’ll send you overseas’ and I was like, ‘Oh really!’” A plan was hatched that night: “Clemens made a phone call to Belgium and they said, ‘Send her over.’ I left a week later. I had my twenty-first birthday and going away party the weekend after the clinic and left two days later, my parents didn’t have a say, they finally gave up trying to stop me.”

The stable of Stefan Van Ingelgem was Sarah’s first stop: “I learnt a lot about breaking horses in there, and that there’s a planned progression into them becoming a riding horse. If you take the right steps, it’s really not a drama breaking them in.”

Sarah was well suited to the task: “When we first broke them in Stefan would be on the ground and I would be on them, and I had 100% faith in him. Stefan put me on the breakers because fear wasn’t a factor, I sat quiet and I didn’t scare the horse. A lot of people will do too much, they grab at the reins and cling with their legs. But I wasn’t scared because I’d ridden so many mad Thoroughbreds in eventing.”

Many riders struggle to adjust to the workload of a European barn, but Sarah was pursuing her dream and would do anything to prove herself: “Even when I was in New Zealand I would go and live at my instructor’s house during the holidays because I was keen as mustard, I was mad, anything I could do to ride I would do and I idolised anyone who was in dressage. When I got to Steffen’s, sure, it was really hard work, but I thought it was the best thing in the world to be in Europe riding dressage horses.”

It was at Stefan’s barn that Sarah bought her first dressage horse: “After I’d been in Belgium for a year I bought a four-year-old with a friend of mine from New Zealand, Ben Alexander. We doubled our money on it two weeks later. Then we bought a three-year-old by Rubinstein called Ruben James.”

When Ruben James suffered from a hernia it gave them a rocky start: “He had a big colic operation and spent a lot of time recovering so he ended up being a year behind the horses in his age group. I would’ve had to really push him to do the young horse classes, but I was at a competition when he got the hernia, which is created from stress, so I was always a bit worried about competing him.”

They became travel companions instead: “He travelled with me everywhere through Europe from then on and it was time to take another step. I decided to make a move, Stefan was the main rider, and because there was only ever him and his wife, Carmen (De Bondt), they were always busy teaching clients. So I went to PSI to see the Kasselmanns’ and moved to Germany.” The prestigious sales barn was the perfect place for Sarah: “I loved it there. I really like the German style of riding and I liked the family atmosphere there. It was more fun because there was a big group of us. When I was there we had 180 horses in work and I think they have even more than that now.”

Lots of horses meant lots of learning experiences: “You’re exposed to so much and they really teach you how to bring the best out of a horse. Whether it’s a Stallion show or you’re riding the horse for clients, you’re really taught how to present them and train them to be something special.”

Surprisingly Sarah was given more lessons riding for the auction barn: “It was really good because they don’t have many clients coming for lessons, they don’t teach a lot of people apart from their staff, so they had more time for us. Training us is a way of investing in their horses, the better we do, the better their horses do. They can’t ride 180 horses so they have to make sure we’re doing a good job.”

It was also a chance for Sarah to prove herself: “If you can do well with the horses that aren’t the super stars then you get better horses and everybody wants to have the best list of horses.”

This appealed to Sarah’s competitive nature and after making progress with the challenging ones she was given an opportunity: “I actually got what we call the ‘best seat in the house.’ Bianca Kasselmann had the best horses in the stable, amazing horses, and I got to warm them up for her and sometimes work them as well. A particularly memorable one was the stallion Lord Sinclair, but I rode her Grand Prix competition horses too.”

After four years at PSI, Sarah was ready for a change: “I was at the stage where if you stay there you’ll be there for the next twenty years, like you’d never leave, and I was starting to want to have a bit more of a lifestyle.” When Sarah moved to England she became frustrated with the change of pace: “I went there for a couple of months and I couldn’t handle it, I didn’t like it at all. I was used to the German way, where everything is so precise and planned, and it made me a real perfectionist. In England they wanted to ride one horse and then have a cup of tea. I actually got home sick for the Kasselmanns’ so I went back to PSI for a few months.”

Through a connection made at PSI, Sarah took a job riding at Florida’s Winter Show in the United States that runs for three months. Then it was time for another change of scenery, and Sarah was introduced to a different style of riding in Holland: “At the Kasselmanns’ they’d always say, ‘Legs on, legs on, sit deep and put your legs on, ride with your legs.’ When I went to Holland they said, ‘Take your leg off.’ I went, ‘Is this a joke?’ Their system was so different and I just couldn’t get my head around it. The way I’d been riding had been working for me so I needed to find a trainer who suited me.”

This led Sarah to the stables of Anne van Olst, who was part of the Bronze medal winning Danish team in Beijing, and has coached the likes of Hans Peter Minderhoud and Carl Hester: “She’s a very precise trainer, she’s where I learnt more about developing the horse into a Grand Prix mount from a very early age. Not pressurising it to do movements but taking the simple steps that build up to them being an FEI horse, rather than the horse turning eight and the rider going, ‘Oh now we have to piaffe.’”

I watched Sarah ride three horses, two five-year-olds that had started the half steps, and a six-year-old that hadn’t. The strength of the horse dictates the work, not their age: “You feel when they’re strong enough. When they have a good connection to the bit, and they can push from behind while staying straight and steady to the contact, I play around with the half steps. By no means can they hold it but they start to get their head around the rhythm, and they’re thinking about sitting on their hind legs. They start to build strength from that and learn how to use their body better. Then they show themselves better in their working and collected trot.”

This work brings the horse into an uphill frame: “When they’re strong enough behind and straight to the contact, they come up themselves. When they’re not pushing from behind they dive on the forehand. I find if they’re off the leg and engaged they’ll come up in the contact when they’re strong enough.”

For Sarah, feeling the horse do exactly that is what it’s all about: “I’m a perfectionist and I like competing, I did from a young age, but what I really love is the feeling underneath you when the horses lift and they trot with expression. I just think it’s amazing what you can teach a young horse. Like Alexis Rose (Aachimedes / Falkland II), who was running around like a scared rabbit when I first got on her, and now she’s like I know what to do. I love that feeling when you connect with them, and you’re on the same wavelength, and they just want to perform for you, that I love.”

Alexis Rose connecting with Sarah

Sarah works on building strength before teaching tricks, which is why the six-year-old stallion Glencairn Waterdragon (Wolkenstein II / Daktylus) is doing trot poles and cavallettis: “He’s only been back in work for a couple of weeks. If I push him now then I create an issue already, because he’s not strong enough to do it. He physically can’t do it, so if I force him to then he’s only going to get negative about it and that’s the last thing I want. I’d rather play around with him, do some poles, have him forward off the leg, and develop his balance. He’s got plenty of talent so he can catch up.”

Building strength with Glencairn Waterdragon

Riding in Belgium, Germany, and Holland has exposed Sarah to a range of horses and trainers: “I’ve sat on hundreds of horses, I think I’ve sat on everything you can imagine, and I think you get a feel for everything. I rode a lot of clients’ horses that were there to be sold and you’d see them come in and think, oh no, how was this one started in life?”

Sarah believes being a worker, rather than a client, provides a superior learning experience: “You’re not paying them to be polite to you and they’re not after your money, so they’re going to tell you what they think. I’ve been called everything under the sun and they do that not to offend you, they do it to make you try harder. That way you’ll go for absolutely everything instead of sitting there complacent on the horse.”

Connections made while riding abroad has given Sarah some interesting opportunities. Like touring the South of France and the Arabian showjumping circuit for Jan Tops and the Qatar team: “They needed someone to ride the horses on the flat so I flew over and it was great fun. They put you up in five star hotels the whole time and each week is a different show.” Sarah worked at Jan Top’s prestige facility in the Netherlands for nine months, with her dressage horse, Ruben James, still in tow. By now he was a frequent flyer, but Sarah wanted to find someplace to settle down and she wasn’t sure where that would be: “He went everywhere I went. He was Prix St George by then but I left him with a friend I made at the Kasselmanns’ to be sold. I couldn’t sell him myself because I was too attached to him. I couldn’t take him with me because I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up and I couldn’t afford to keep flying him all over the place, we’d end up backpacking around the world together.”

After working in stables all over the globe Sarah was ready to start out on her own: “I was looking for the lifestyle choice after being overseas so long. I like going to the beach and doing normal people things too, that’s why I came to Australia. I wanted to have some sort of mix, I like a warmer climate, and Australia seemed to have more happening.” Sarah started out at a friend’s place in Toowoomba, Queensland, and picked up work along the way. Eventually settling into one of the Gold Coast’s beach towns, Burleigh Heads: “I have no horses to look after at home and I did that for a reason, I want to get back into a normal life again. I have about seven clients’ horses I ride and I give a few lessons.”

Starting from scratch has been a struggle: “The hardest thing is having no one know me. I don’t have a reputation here. I had to prove myself in Germany and Holland and now I have to do it in Australia too. In Europe they’re used to seeing a lot of riders come through, so when they see someone who can ride they snap on a lot quicker.”

After nearly two years Sarah has a promising team of young horses to work with: “I’d literally come to the Coast and I didn’t have any horses or anything. I moved into a place and I was like, ‘Okay now I have to do something for work.’ So I called Celia Zastrow through a friend of mine and I started doing a few of her horses and giving some lessons. Then it was just word of mouth that got me a few more horses and now it’s starting to build.”

One of these horses is the five-year-old mare Diamond Z De Niro’s Dreamtime (De Niro), who Sarah rode to place second at the Dressage With the Stars competition this year. The owner, Celia Zastrow, is now looking for an investor to keep Sarah campaigning the horse: “I think she’ll be a Grand Prix horse. She’s always been so balanced and the De Niro/Donnerhall line has the strength to sit and do the higher movements. She has a good head, she loves to work, and the more people watching, the more she thinks it’s exciting. She likes shows too and when they’re like that, half the battle is won.”

Sarah's future star - Diamond Z De Niro's Dreamtime

Sarah is also excited to get the ride on a talented young horse from Kevin and Heather Adcock of Kalimna Stud, the imported Stallion Legend of Loxley (Lord Loxley). Although the Stallion was not with Sarah when I visited her she assures me they will be out competing together soon.

The challenge is keeping the ride on the talented ones: “My aim is to progress some horses to Grand Prix and have something for International competition. That’s a long way off but I’m happy to have the horses going in harmony, to the best of their ability, at any level. Hopefully, one day, that’s at Grand Prix and at the top of the sport.”

For the moment it seems Sarah is here to stay: “I’m quite comfortable here and the sport is really growing in Australia.” Her family in New Zealand will just have to do without her: “My Dad would always tease me about riding and say, ‘When are you going to give up Pony Club?’ I think he’s finally given up saying it now!”