Tell me a bit about your family and their involvement with horses
I am very lucky to have the support of my family, who are just as passionate about show jumping as I am. Dad (Phil) has show jumped and hunted a lot in the past. His two best horses were Bintang and Hugo Marakopa, and he jumped up to Grand Prix. Mum (Jen) hunted and evented in her younger years. And my sister Tanya competed at pony Grand Prix level (riding Exceptional and Peter Pan). She took a few years off to go to uni but is now back in the game with some very nice young horses.
Mum and Dad are still very hands-on at the shows. Dad puts the studs in, warms me up, and walks the courses with me. Mum cooks, videos and is the ultimate Camp Mother. My sister’s husband Willie Hansen has been my jumping coach, and reckoned he might steal my good horse to resurrect his polo career if I don’t sharpen up.
Where did it all start? How did you to get the jumping bug?
I attended Jill Tompkins’ riding school as a youngster, and had a cool learner pony, Pepsi. My first season competing was on a cheeky grey pony named Rainman; where I got eliminated at every show! Janet Tolo took pity on me, and sent me Heloise’s old pony, Peanuckle. He was awesome and was the turning point for my riding. I was even able to beat my sister (occasionally)! Peanuckle, aged 26 years, competed in the Pony of the Year class, with me aged 16. I attended Oakura Pony Club and got to my C Certificate and hunted with the Taranaki Hunt Club.
You rode two top Grand Prix ponies, what made them so special?
Sam Roke is a good mate of mine. He is a year older than me, and when he couldn’t ride ponies anymore, offered me the ride on his Grand Prix pony Co Calico. Sam had done very well with her, so it was a privilege to get the ride. She was owned and bred by his grandmother, Anne Roke, and was used on the farm as a stock horse, so she could turn very quick in a jump-off.
And Wilful was my palomino pony, who we purchased from Pam Hamilton. Tanya had him first and then I got him when she turned 17. He was the best pony I ever rode.
At the 2008 Horse of the Year show, I won the Pony of the Year class with Co Calico and was third with Wilful. Another Taranaki rider, Charlotte Myers with Miss Coruba, was second – and all three ponies jumped triple clear rounds! But when Co Calico won, two families won, us and the Rokes! It’s always hard to beat anyone from the Myers family, so I must have been lucky that day. Wilful not only jumped three clear show jumping rounds that day, he also jumped two rounds of show hunter and won the Pony Show Hunter of the Year title. This was my last year on ponies, and so it was a good way to go out.
How easily did you make the transition on to horses, while keeping on track with your studies?
While I was riding ponies, Dad started Kiwi Guard, a five-year-old also known as Hemi. The following year, I took over the ride and a few years later, in 2011, won the Young Rider of the Year with him. I spent four years getting a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in Auckland. I generally kept two horses in work, and based first with Jaime Campbell, then with Shelley Ross, and later with Janice Sommerville. It was often an hour commuting, five or six days a week, but I liked getting out of the city to ride my horses. It was good fun juggling riding, university and the social Auckland life.
Then you returned home to Taranaki, tell me about your job and life there
I joined BTW Company, where I specialised in structural assessment and design, foundation design, retaining wall design and water reticulation modelling. I have spent time designing and assessing buildings to make them comply with earthquake standards throughout New Zealand, Fiji, and Vanuatu. I was also involved with projects such as domestic and commercial building design, and the design and improvement of water reticulations. Dad has been with BTW Company for over 30 years, so it is nice to be part of the family business.
Our family purchased some bare land and it became our project to develop an equestrian facility. I did the structural engineering work on the stables and arena – my degree paying itself off! Before this, we had no arena or stable facilities; I would work my horses on the beach or ride to the local pony club grounds. It was a dream come true to finally have our own arena, with lights, which makes it a lot easier to exercise three or four horses after work.
Have you been able to apply your engineering knowledge to any other equestrian projects?
I was always involved in the Taranaki Equestrian Jumping Group, and I was the Vice President; Dad was the President. We had a big project with the Hawera A&P, with an 80×100 arena developed at the showgrounds. It was great for me to apply what I learnt to help with the sport that I enjoy. I was able to do the concept plans, and will assist with the civil design and supervision. The TEJ is a great group of hard-core volunteers!
At the Taupo Christmas Classic that December, I was the nerd taking photos of all the steel work and design of the indoor. These types of buildings really interest me!
Does your career rule out any plans to compete overseas?
Sure, I would rather spend all my time on the back of a horse, but riding internationally is both expensive and a bit of a gamble. I have a very good job and a good income, but taking a horse overseas in the future is still on the cards!
- This article was first published in the February 2017 issue of NZ Horse & Pony
