equiprove

Five parts | One Event | A much bigger story

As the 2026 Peachester Lodge Festival of Showjumping closes for another year, we wanted to bring the full equiprove insights series together.

Because the FOSJ was never just the rounds we watched in the arena. It was:

🐴 786 accepted horses on site, from 883 initially entered
🤼 698 connected people representing seven countries
🏤 129 organisations and businesses
📅 11 calendar days
🏆 9 competition days
🏟️ 4 competition arenas
🚩 73 jumping classes
🏁 3,170 actual class starts
📈 A competition pathway from 80cm through to World Cup
📍 219 distinct Australian origin locations
🇦🇺 Five Australian states and territories represented
🛻 249,436 km of modelled return road travel

Part 1 showed the horses and people | It brought the owners, breeders, studs, sire & dam lines, officials, organisations and businesses behind the arena into view

Part 2 showed the venue and event operation | Four competition arenas operated across two competition blocks, supported by officials, volunteers, arena crews, course designers, contractors, sponsors and service providers

Part 3 showed what happened in the arena | The Festival delivered:

3,925 class entries
3,170 class starts
1,201 clear rounds

It also showed how the competition changed from Week 1 to Week 2, with a more demanding second-week profile.

Part 4 showed where the pathway changed | The middle levels carried the greatest depth

The upper transition remained competitive. The elite end genuinely separated the field.

From 80cm through to World Cup, the data showed where participation was strongest, where the pathway narrowed and where the questions became significantly harder.

Part 5 showed how far the Festival travelled

Nearly a quarter of a million kilometers of modelled return road travel were represented by horse-and-rider origins travelling to QSEC at Caboolture.

This is what connected equestrian data begins to reveal. Not simply who entered. Not simply who won. But the horses, people, businesses, venues, movement and economic activity required to make the sport happen.

Thank you to Peachester Lodge, the Queensland Showjumping Club, QSEC, the officials, volunteers, arena teams, sponsors, contractors, service providers, riders, owners, breeders, grooms, families and supporters who delivered and supported the 2026 Festival of Showjumping.

For another year, the FOSJ has shown what Australian showjumping can produce when an entire industry comes together. 💪

The results tell us what happened in the arena | Connected data helps us tell the much bigger story behind it

Festival of Showjumping
Queensland Showjumping Club
QSEC (Queensland State Equestrian Centre)
Jumping Queensland
Must Do Brisbane
Black Diamond Construction
Queensland Family Pools & Spas
Equestrian Queensland
Equestrian Australia
FEI Jumping
World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses
Australasian Horse Breeders Federation Ltd

Part 5 | Nearly 250,000 km represented by one Event 🤯

Before we wrap up our 2026 Peachester Lodge Festival of Showjumping insights series, there was one more story we had to share!

🚗🐴 Approximately 249,436 km of modelled return road travel was represented by the 2026 Peachester Lodge Festival of Showjumping.

Using deidentified, aggregated origin data connected to FOSJ competition activity, we modelled where horse-and-rider combinations were travelling from to reach the Queensland State Equestrian Centre at Caboolture.

The result:

🇦🇺 219 distinct Australian origin locations
🤩 Six Australian states and territories represented
🇳🇿 New Zealand represented
🛻 Almost 250,000 km of modelled return road travel 🚘🚜

That is the equivalent of travelling around Australia roughly 17 times....

Every kilometre carries an economic footprint:

Fuel ⛽
Accommodation 🏨
Camping ⛺
Horse feed and bedding 🦄
Groceries 🥗🥙🥪🥩🥕🍓🍎🍞
Takeaway 🍔🍕🌭
Ice ❄
Coffee ☕
Rural supplies 🚜
Vehicle maintenance 🚘
And yes, probably more than a few emergency Macca’s stops! 🍟

This is what equestrian events quietly generate in the communities that host them.

Not just entries

Movement | Spend | Tourism | Regional activity.

And a reason for governments, councils and sponsors to understand that horse sport is far more than what happens inside the arena.

(The kilometre total is a modelled Australian road-distance estimate.)

This is something the industry rarely gets to see: the scale of movement behind the sport.

One Event | Hundreds of origin points | Nearly a quarter of a million kilometers

Peachester Lodge
Festival of Showjumping
Queensland Showjumping Club
QSEC (Queensland State Equestrian Centre)
Equestrian Queensland
Must Do Brisbane
City of Moreton Bay
Brisbane City Council
Howden Equine Australia

Part 4 | Where the pathway changed

The Festival did not simply run classes from 80cm to 1.55m. It created a genuine competition pathway and the data shows exactly where that pathway was strongest, where it narrowed and where the questions became significantly harder.

Foundation pathway - 80cm to 1.00m

812 class starts
34.5% clear rate
56.9% finished clear or on four faults

Participation engine - 1.05m to 1.20m

1,532 class starts
632 clear rounds
344 four-fault rounds
63.7% finished clear or on four faults

This was the busiest and deepest part of the Festival.

The 1.20m alone produced:

628 class starts
275 clear rounds
147 four-fault rounds
43.8% clear rate

Upper transition
1.25m to 1.35m

610 class starts
223 clear rounds
161 four-fault rounds
63.0% finished clear or on four faults

The pathway narrowed, but the competition remained deep.

Elite pathway - 1.40m to 1.55m

216 class starts
54 clear rounds
50 four-fault rounds
25.0% clear rate
10.2% did not finish

World Cup, only 2 of 32 starts were clear (First round and jump-off). That is where the pathway became genuinely selective.

The biggest shift came between Week 1 and Week 2.

At 1.20m:

Week 1
375 starts
56.0% clear

Week 2
253 starts
25.7% clear

At 1.30m:

Week 1
114 starts
60.5% clear

Week 2
169 starts
18.9% clear

At 1.45m:

Week 1
31 starts
48.4% clear

Week 2
89 starts
21.3% clear

Week 2 brought more volume at several upper heights, but the clear rates fell sharply. That is the story the totals alone cannot show. The middle of the pathway carried the greatest depth. The upper transition remained competitive. The elite end separated the field.

Part 1 showed the horses and people | Part 2 showed the venue | Part 3 showed what happened in the arena | Part 4 shows where the pathway changed



Festival of Showjumping
Queensland Showjumping Club
Peachester Lodge
Must Do Brisbane
Black Diamond Construction
Queensland Family Pools & Spas
Equestrian Australia
FEI Jumping

Part 3 | What happened in the arena

We got a little trigger happy with the first start total and included the Young Horse Style Award sections as additional rounds. 🤪

Those 117 records were published separately, but related to rounds already counted in the underlying classes.

The corrected whole-event competition totals are:

3,925 class entries
3,170 actual class starts
80.8% start rate
1,201 clear rounds
743 four-fault rounds
210 did not finish

The most striking result is how much of the competition sat close to the clear-round line!

1,201 rounds were clear | A further 743 finished on four faults

Together, that means 61.3% of all starts finished either clear or with a single rail!

The ring comparison also tells a strong story:

Must Do Brisbane Arena
1,201 starts
487 clear rounds
40.5% clear rate

Black Diamond Construction Arena
927 starts
366 clear rounds
39.5% clear rate

Queensland Family Pools & Spas Arena
934 starts
310 clear rounds
33.2% clear rate

QSJC Arena
108 starts
38 clear rounds
35.2% clear rate

The week-by-week comparison shows how the competition changed.

Week 1
1,557 class starts
45.0% clear rate
4.8% did not finish

Week 2
1,613 class starts
31.1% clear rate
8.4% did not finish

Week 2 produced slightly more starts, but fewer clear rounds and almost twice the non-completion rate. That points to a more demanding second-week competition profile.

Across the full Festival:

3,170 actual rounds
1,201 clear rounds
743 rounds on four faults
210 did not finish

The value of these numbers is being able to see where the competition was strongest, where combinations came closest to clear, how the challenge changed between weeks and how each arena contributed to the overall pathway.

Part 1 showed the horses and people | Part 2 showed the venue and event operation | Part 3 shows what happened in the arena



Festival of Showjumping
Peachester Lodge
Must Do Brisbane
Black Diamond Construction
Queensland Family Pools & Spas
Queensland Showjumping Club
Jumping Queensland
Equestrian Queensland

Part 2 | The venue and event at a glance

For 11 days, the Queensland State Equestrian Centre became a four-arena showjumping venue supporting competition from 80cm through to 1.55m.

11 calendar days
9 competition days
4 competition arenas
73 jumping classes
3,287 class starts

Arena 1 - the Must Do Brisbane Arena, carried the largest share of the competition, delivering 1,318 class starts.

Arenas 2 and 3 - the Black Diamond Construction Arena and Queensland Family Pools & Spas Arena, each delivered more than 900 starts.

The QSJC Arena added a fourth competition program near QSEC’s covered arena complex.

Across nine competition days, all four arenas had to operate as one connected event.

That meant coordinating separate class programs, course designers, judges, officials, warm-up areas, horse movement, arena preparation, timing, scoring and published results.

Three grass arenas carried most of the program, making surface preparation and changing weather conditions an important part of the venue operation.

The opening four competition days were dry. Most of the rain fell on 22nd and 23rd June, between the two competition blocks, with lighter rain returning over the final three days. Daily maximum temperatures ranged from 20.0°C to 25.0°C.

The scale of the Festival was reflected in the volume of horses moving through the venue, the number of starts delivered, the people required to keep each ring running and the ability to operate four competition arenas as one event.

More than 3,200 class starts were delivered across nine competition days.

That takes planning, experience, teamwork and an enormous amount of work behind the scenes.

Thank you to the Queensland Show Jumping Club committee, officials, arena crews, volunteers, sponsors, contractors, service providers and every person connected to delivering the 2026 Peachester Festival of Showjumping at QSEC.

Festival of Showjumping
Peachester Lodge
Queensland Showjumping Club
Must Do Brisbane
Black Diamond Construction
Queensland Family Pools & Spas

Behind every round is an industry

Part 1 of our look inside the 2026 Peachester Lodge Festival of Showjumping brings the horses, people, organisations and businesses behind the arena into view.

🐴 883 horse entries
🐎 762 horses with at least one start
🏁 3,767 starts
‼ 694 horses competing across multiple heights

Behind those horses were:

🤼 698 people
🏤 129 organisations and businesses
👩🏼‍💼 56 people contributing across multiple roles
💪 22 named officials across 178 appointments

From 80cm to 1.55m, the Festival of Showjumping created a genuine competition pathway while showcasing the owners, breeders, studs, sire lines and officials supporting the sport.

The results tell us what happened in the arena.

Connected data begins to show the industry that made it possible.

Part 2 will add the courses, riders, results and the wider event workforce



Peachester Lodge
Festival of Showjumping
Queensland Showjumping Club
Must Do Brisbane
Black Diamond Construction
Queensland Family Pools & Spas
Jumping Queensland
Calico Pony
Finch Farm
Oaks Sport Horses
Glenara Park Stud
Chuggy Equestrian - Chris and Gabi Chugg
Davidson Equestrian

THE PEOPLE BUILDING THE PATHWAY

Saturday at the Festival of Showjumping celebrated Thoroughbreds building second careers at 1.00m, while also recognising the most consistently successful Grand Prix horse across the Festival’s major classes.

At first glance, the TSHA class in Ring 3 and the Guru Award may look like opposite ends of the sport.

They are not.

They are connected by the people who breed horses, preserve their identities, create opportunities, develop partnerships and carry each horse from one chapter into the next.

This industry is built on connections | That is what the equiprove nodes represent

KRISSY HARRIS AND TSHA

The Thoroughbred Sport Horse Association did not simply create another restricted class. It created a reason for riders to add a Thoroughbred to their competition team, gave former racehorses a place to remain visible and created a pathway through which their racing identities, pedigrees, breeders and second careers could remain connected.

That pathway has been driven by Krissy Harris and the wider network of organisers, sponsors, owners, retrainers and riders who continue placing Thoroughbred classes inside major Australian events.

Saturday, 16 Thoroughbreds contested the TSHA Peachester 1.00m Special Two-Phase. Four combinations completed both phases clear.

🥇 Alise Meakins and Little Possum
Little Possum raced as Starfleet (AUS) 2011. He is by Starcraft, out of Discretion by Canny Lad.

🥈 Emmy Ravenscroft and Its Preferred
Its Preferred raced as Preferring Ceily (AUS) 2018. She is by Preferment, out of Forty Winks by Rip Van Winkle.

🥈 Nathaniel Phillis and Expensive To Keep
Expensive To Keep competed under her registered racing name. She is by Von Costa de Hero, out of Appreciate by Dehere.

🏅 Natasha Dunworth and All Spice
All Spice raced as Spy Ci. He is by Casino Prince, out of Vision of Falvelon by Falvelon.

🏅 Geneva Searle and Grey Opinion
Grey Opinion retained her racing identity. She is by Legal Opinion, out of Madison M’Lassie by Canadian Silver.

These pedigrees do not belong to a separate world from the horses contesting Young Rider, Future Stars or World Cup classes. They are part of the same international breeding and performance network.

The difference is the pathway.

These horses began in racing before being given another job, another rider and another opportunity to perform. One node became connected to the next.

THE GURU AWARD

At the other end of Saturday’s program sat the Guru Award. The award recognised sustained performance across the Festival’s Grand Prix classes, not simply the winner of one major event.

🥇 Olivia Hamood and Diangella - 28 points
Diangella is a 2013 Selle Français mare bred by Stal Tops. She is by Diamant de Semilly, out of Tialotta Z by Toulon. Her granddam is Pialotta, by Pilot, the celebrated international mare who competed at the highest level with Edwina Tops-Alexander and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson.

🥈 Madeline Sinderberry and Camie Z - 24 points
Camie Z is a 2013 Zangersheide mare bred by Alan Waldman and descending from Holsteiner Stamm 7126. She is by Concord Z, a son of Casall ASK out of a Caretino mare. Her dam, Zelvita Z, is by Zandor Z and also carries Caretino through her maternal line.

🥉 Jess Brown and Elysian Fields Oceanus - 23 points
Elysian Fields Oceanus was bred by Kellie King. He is by Higgins, out of Pamela. The same pairing also produced his full sibling Elysian Fields Prima, showing a family capable of producing more than one high-level performance horse.

Jess and Oceanus also finished second in Saturday’s World Cup, adding one of the Festival’s most significant individual results to their third-place finish in the Guru Award standings.

OLIVIA HAMOOD

Olivia Hamood’s contribution to Queensland jumping extends far beyond her own results. Liv has represented Queensland and Australia, contributed to the administration and development of the sport and spent years acquiring and retraining Thoroughbreds for lives beyond racing.

That makes her Guru Award victory especially meaningful. The rider standing at the top of an elite Grand Prix consistency award is also part of the network creating opportunities for horses beginning another career. The Thoroughbred and Grand Prix pathways are not separate. Olivia is one of the people connecting them.

CLEM, SHARLENE, JESSIE AND GURU

The Guru Award exists because of an extraordinary horse and the people who built his career.

Guru was by Belcam Gambler, out of Dove by Herr Dominator. Dove was herself a successful Grand Prix mare with Leanne Bruggermann. Her dam, Shandelle, was a Thoroughbred mare by Bon Watch, giving Guru another direct connection between Warmblood breeding, Thoroughbred influence and elite performance.

Guru was bred by the Bruggermann family. His journey with Clem Smith began through a chance conversation with Richard Bruggermann at the Adelaide Royal Show in 2009. Richard described an eight-year-old gelding with enormous jumping ability and a few complications. Clem picked him up on the way home from the Royal and began the work of understanding him.

Guru’s quirks never disappeared. Travelling and stabling required careful planning. Show organisers, stable managers and countless helpers adapted facilities and routines to keep him comfortable and safe.

But when Guru entered the arena, he was a winner. Together, Clem and Guru built a career defined by speed, toughness, consistency and repeated success.

Their achievements included:

🏆 2018 Australian Speed Champions
🏆 2016 Queensland Grand Prix Horse of the Year
🏆 2016 Queensland State Grand Prix Champions
🏆 2016 Queensland Country Grand Prix Champions
🏆 Aquis Champions Tour Speed Champions

Guru also finished runner-up in the 2013 Australian Senior Championship, was named on the Rio Olympic training squad and accumulated years of wins and placings at Grand Prix and World Cup level.

His career was nearly ended in 2012 when a 5.4-kilogram enterolith was discovered and surgically removed from his colon. Five months later, he was named Jumping Horse of the Show at Adelaide Royal.

But the award also represents every person behind that partnership.

The Bruggermann family bred Guru and remained part of the ownership partnership throughout his career. Clem understood, trained and rode him. Sharlene managed the stable, entries and the countless practical details required to keep the team moving. Jessie grew within that family program and became part of the next generation carrying it forward. Show organisers adapted facilities. Veterinarians saved his life.

The Guru Award was established by Clem, Sharlene and Jessie Smith so that Guru’s contribution would remain visible beyond his competitive career.

THE BELCAM CONNECTION

Guru’s sire, Belcam Gambler, was bred by Belcam Stud, the Australian Warmblood breeding program developed by equiprove co-founder Ulrich “Ulli” Klatte.

By Grannus II, Belcam Gambler became a successful Grand Prix horse in his own right. He competed with Michelle Clark, earned multiple South Australian Horse of the Year titles, continued winning Grand Prix classes into his later years and later stood at Mallala Equestrian Centre.

🔹 Belcam Stud bred Belcam Gambler
🔹 Belcam Gambler sired Guru
🔹 Dove brought her own Grand Prix performance and Thoroughbred-influenced maternal family
🔹 The Bruggermanns bred Guru and trusted Clem with the difficult young horse they knew could jump
🔹 Clem developed the partnership that made Guru one of Queensland’s most recognisable Grand Prix horses
🔹 Sharlene and Jessie supported the family program that carried his career and legacy forward
🔹 Today, Ulli Klatte is a co-founder of equiprove, working to ensure the breeders, pedigrees, owners, riders and people behind horses like Guru remain connected and visible

That is another equiprove node in the network.

THE CONNECTIONS

🔹 Krissy Harris and TSHA create opportunities for Thoroughbreds after racing
🔹 Racing records and pedigrees preserve where those horses began
🔹 Owners and retrainers give them a second education
🔹 Riders carry them into a new sport
🔹 Olivia Hamood contributes inside the elite arena while also helping horses find lives beyond racing
🔹 The Bruggermann family bred Guru and remained connected throughout his journey
🔹 Clem, Sharlene and Jessie Smith created an award honouring consistency, longevity, horsemanship and the lifetime work behind a Grand Prix horse
🔹 Belcam Stud connects Guru back to the Australian breeding program that produced his sire
🔹 Dove connects him to another Grand Prix performer and to the Thoroughbred influence within his maternal family

These are not separate stories. They are connected nodes within one industry.

A breeder connects to a horse. A pedigree connects one generation to another. A horse connects to an owner. An owner connects to a trainer. A trainer connects to a rider. A racehorse connects to a second career. A difficult young horse connects to the person prepared to understand him. A result connects back to every person who helped make it possible.

That is what the equiprove nodes represent.

The breeder matters. The racing identity matters. The retrainer matters. The class organiser matters. The owner matters. The rider matters. The veterinarian matters. The family behind the stable matters.

This industry is built on connections. The whole story of the horse deserves to remain connected too.

Festival of Showjumping
Peachester Lodge
Thoroughbred Sport Horse Association
Glen Haven Park Australia
Team Smith
Queensland Family Pools & Spas
Calico Pony
Belcam Stud

RING 3: WHERE AUSTRALIAN BREEDING MEETS THE BROADER SPORT

The Queensland Family Pools & Spas Arena may have been the third ring on Saturday, but across the 1.00m Open and QSJC Members Championship it carried one of the broadest snapshots of Australian showjumping.

Across the two classes:

🐴 58 combinations started
🐴 28 completed both phases clear
🐴 Australian-bred horses, young horses, established campaigners, ponies and club riders all met at the same height

This was not a separate world from the Young Rider, Future Stars or World Cup classes.

It was another level of the same breeding and performance network.

1.00m OPEN

The Dr Joerg Rhau 1.00m Open attracted 38 combinations, with 14 completing both phases clear.

Hunter Potter-Lowe and Vakarra Champagne took the win in 25.78 seconds. Vakarra Champagne is an Australian-bred mare by Charlemagne Ego Z, out of Ruby Dazzler, and was bred by Vakarra Park.

Emily Wagstaff filled both second and third place with:

🐴 Zahra Park Camouflage, by Blau Commander Cohen, out of KPM Sierra Belle

🐴 Akaroa Park Tai Tai

The top eight also included:

🐴 Briar Bonita, by Byalee Briar, out of a Richmead Medallion mare, and bred by Byalee Stables
🐴 Dornamour, by Dornkaart, out of a Samarant mare
🐴 Brocoda Eero, by DP Emyl, out of a Raise a Stanza mare
🐴 APH Lucy Lou, by APH Rocardo
🐴 Bellini's Moonstone, by James Bellini’s Boy

The wider field showed just how much Australian breeding depth sits beneath the elite classes.

Finch Farm was represented through:

🐴 Finch Farm Canaveral
🐴 Finch Farm Whitaker
🐴 Finch Farm Carrington
🐴 Finch Farm Milan

Other Australian breeding programs in the class included Tulara, Boree Equine, Danyiera Park, Glen Tanner Trakehner Stud and Glenara Park.

The field carried many of the same sire lines visible elsewhere across the Festival:

Cornet Obolensky
Corofino II
Lord Pezi
Cachassini
Charlemagne Ego Z
Calgary GNZ
Emerald van ’t Ruytershof
Billy Congo

QSJC MEMBERS CHAMPIONSHIP

The Sedger Farms QSJC Members Championship attracted 20 combinations, with 14 completing both phases clear.

Isabella Sauverain and The Radish won in 24.83 seconds. The Radish is a 2008 gelding by Nothin’ Leica Dane, bringing a Thoroughbred influence into the open club pathway.

Sharmay Bleakley and Willtony Galaleo finished second. Willtony Galaleo is by Centaur Gladiator, out of Willtony Saphire

Kirstie Ansell and Oaks Lattitude placed third. Oaks Latitude is by Lord Pezi, out of Oaks Cinderella (Centus / Ahorn)

The top eight also included:

🐴 Wizz Kid RF, by Wily Trader, out of a Wily Trick mare
🐴 Denim Diva, by Cera Charisma
🐴 Vertical Valley Bella Boop, bred by Christiane Gripske and by Orlando, out of a Riverside Aaries mare
🐴 Cil Dara Delight, by Diarado, out of Libby by Washpool Classic
🐴 Catana D, bred by Davidson Equestrian

Catana D carries a particularly strong performance pedigree. She is by Shane Davidson’s former World Cup stallion Fairbanks Catargo, by Indoctro out of a Grannus II mare. Her dam is the World Cup-winning mare Checkamour D, by Check-In out of a Champion FP mare.

THE BREEDING THREADS

Ring 3 showed many of the same breeding programs and sire lines seen in the elite arena, but at an earlier or broader stage of the pathway. These pedigrees are not from a separate world to the horses competing in the Young Rider, Future Stars or World Cup classes. They are part of the same international breeding network.

The difference is not the quality of the pedigree. It is the stage of the pathway. Some of these horses are beginning their careers. Some are developing riders. Some will progress into larger classes. Others will build long and valuable careers at the grassroots and club level.

The World Cup shows one destination. Ring 3 shows the depth of the road leading there.

Peachester Lodge
Festival of Showjumping
Queensland Showjumping Club
Calico Pony
Kirstie Ansell Equestrian - Vakarra Park
Finch Farm
Davidson Equestrian
Queensland Family Pools & Spas

FROM SCOTLAND TO EUROPE, JAPAN, IRELAND, NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA

The Black Diamond Construction Arena told a very different story on Saturday.

Ring 1 showed how breeders create the next generation at the top.

Ring 2 showed what can happen across the lifetime of a horse when breeders, owners, importers, producers and riders continue creating new opportunities.

Across the Amateur and Children’s Tour Finals:

🐴 77 combinations entered the arena
🐴 25 qualified for the jump-off
🐴 15 completed both rounds clear
🐴 Four different combinations claimed the two Final wins and the two overall Tour titles

AMATEUR TOUR FINAL

The West Vets Amateur Tour Final attracted 47 combinations.

Fifteen jumped clear in the first round and advanced to the jump-off...almost 1/3 of the field. Ten combinations produced double clears.

Erina Miyama and Waitangi Imagine won the Final in 36.90 seconds, just 0.39 seconds ahead of Teigan Matthews and Baloubell.

Rebecca Bates and Something to Talk About finished third in the Final with another double clear. But across the full three-class Tour, Rebecca and Something to Talk About were the most consistent combination.

They won the overall Amateur Tour point score with:

🥇 Rebecca Bates and Something to Talk About - 128 points
🥈 Scott Wessel and Vulcan GNZ - 124 points
🥉 Teigan Matthews and Baloubell - 122 points

The winning horse’s story crosses countries, disciplines and riders.

Something to Talk About is a British-bred Scottish Sport Horse, born in Great Britain in 2008. He is by Up to Date 8, out of Pencader Miss Ramexico by Ramexico. His pedigree brings together British and continental European sport-horse breeding, with Pancho II, Nithard and Zeus behind the sire line and Ramiro, Almé and Le Mexico appearing through the maternal family.

His story then moved well beyond his pedigree. Something to Talk About began his competition career in Europe, where he was campaigned by Chris Burton. He was later imported to Australia by Alexandra Townsend of Wallaby Hill and continued his eventing career before the Bates family purchased him in 2018 as a showjumper for Ben Bates.

Now, with Rebecca Bates, he has won the Festival of Showjumping Amateur Tour point score after finishing third in Saturday’s Final.

→ Great Britain
→ European eventing with Chris Burton
→ imported to Australia by Alexandra Townsend and Wallaby Hill
→ transitioned into showjumping with the Bates family
→ Amateur Tour champion with Rebecca Bates

That is not simply a competition result. It is the complete journey of a horse across breeding systems, countries, disciplines, owners and riders.

The wider Amateur result carried its own international network.

Japan was represented by Final winner Erina Miyama.

New Zealand breeding appeared through horses including Waitangi Imagine, Rodeo Drive LC and Takapoto Truffles.

Irish influence appeared through Courtlands Irishman, an Australian-bred Irish Sport Horse still competing at 23 years of age. ☘️

European bloodlines, including Balou du Rouet, Kannan GFE, Arezzo VDL, Cornet Obolensky, Big Star, Darco, Clinton, Colman and Cassini II, ran through the pedigrees.

Australian breeders were equally visible inside the Final:

🐴 Pippins Mini Cooper, bred and owned by Pippins Lodge, finished fifth
🐴 Tulara Aretto, bred by Tulara Warmbloods, finished seventh
🐴 Kiaurora, registered with ACE as GT Karpe Diem and bred by Elke Robertson, James Miller and Georgia Calvert, finished eighth
🐴 Bradun Park Mavis, bred by the Bradfield family, finished tenth
🐴 Vulcan GNZ, bred by Golden Grove Stud, finished second in the overall Tour

CHILDREN’S TOUR FINAL

The MGT Construction Children’s Tour Final brought together 30 combinations. Ten jumped clear in the first round and advanced to the jump-off. Five completed both rounds clear.

Audrey-May Geraghty and Second Edition won the Final in 31.99 seconds, 5.82 seconds ahead of second place.

Sienna Martin and Calveston Cavalier finished second in the Final but claimed the overall Children’s Tour point score. ☘️

The final standings were:

🥇 Sienna Martin and Calveston Cavalier - 83 points
🥈 Rhys McEvoy and Clevedon Oboe - 82 points
🥉 Winnie Coventry and Gangitano Zee - 74 points

Only one point separated first and second after three classes. That distinction matters.

The Children’s field also reflected an international mix of breeding and influence. From Australian-bred horses and ponies, to New Zealand registrations, Irish & European sport-horse lines and a Brazilian rider in the field.

THE STORY OF RING 2

Some horses were bred in Australia | Some were bred overseas | Some began in eventing | Some moved from professional riders into amateur or children’s partnerships | Some are young horses beginning their careers | Others have spent many years educating riders and continuing to compete

The pedigree matters. But so does every country, discipline, breeder, importer, owner, producer and rider that becomes part of a horse’s lifetime journey.

The whole story of Australian equestrian deserves to be visible.

Festival of Showjumping
Peachester Lodge
Black Diamond Construction
WestVETS Equine Hospital
Calico Pony
JRS Photography
Bates Equine
Wallaby Hill
Burton Equestrian
Waitangi Sporthorses