Pioneering Australian dressage rider. Judy studied at the Spanish Riding School, and educated her Stockhorse, Debonair to Grand Prix.

Debonair was foaled on Merewah at Boggabilla, a beef property run by Judy and her husband, Ken. Even at the height of his fame, as Australian Grand Prix Champion, he would be found helping muster the cattle. At his first outing, in 1974, he won the Novice dressage at the Brisbane Exhibition. At the 1975, Expo, he won the Elementary dressage and ridden Stock horse gelding.

In 1979 he competed in his first Grand Prix. All told, he competed in 20 Grand Prix for 19 victories. The pair were selected for the 1980 Olympic Games, and when Australia joined the Olympic boycott, they competed at the Alternative Olympics at Goodwood. When Debonair died of colic in 1984, he was the reigning Grand Prix Champion of Australia, having won the title at Sydney in 1983.

Judy turned her attention to the Warmblood, Duell Diablo, and took him to Grand Prix level. The last Grand Prix horse Judy campaigned was the Thoroughbred, Silver Munda, who was later ridden by a young rider.

Judy’s early mentor was Franz Mairinger but she was later instrumental in bringing Hubert Eichinger from the Spanish School, to Australia.

Judy observed: “Hubert followed on from Franz Mairinger. They are both from the same school, so there is no contradiction. Hubert and Franz work on the same principle – if you can ride a corner correctly and the horse is balanced and on the bit, all the other things come reasonably quickly.”

“Hubert worries a lot about the rider and not just the horse. He never misses the riders – if the horse is not going correctly, watch the rider. At the Spanish School, I was lunged every day for three months. As Hubert says: Don’t rely too much on your legs – get the horse with your seat. The seat is the most important thing of all. If you can sit there without reins on the lunge, then your hands will be light. There are too many riders leaning on their reins.”