Meet 21 of Australia’s best competitors in horse sports
Olympic medallists, World Cup winners and Hall of Famers. Australia’s best horse riders are making waves both at home and abroad. Meet 21 of our best.
National
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If there was ever a time to celebrate the best Australia has to offer in our equestrian endeavours, it’s during the Paris Olympics and on the horse’s birthday.
August 1 is officially the horses birthday and if the report card of Australia’s most talented horsemen and women is to be a guide – the industry is in good shape.
Figures from Equestrian Australia shows that horse sports bring in more than $1 billion to the national economy. This is revenue raised outside of Thoroughbred horse racing.
We showcase some of Australia’s most talented horse riders in disciplines from endurance, to eventing, showjumping, rodeo, campdraft and cutting.
Meet 21 of the industry’s best horsemen and women.
TODD GRAHAM
Todd Graham of Tamworth, NSW initially earned a reputation as being Australia’s million-dollar cowboy. However, he has since amassed earnings of more than $2.4 million in competition earnings and continues to dominate the cutting horse world. He has ridden some of Australia’s best-known Quarter Horses to victory in the coveted National Cutting Horse Association futurity. Much of his success relates to a mare known as One Moore Spin. The late One Moore Spin still dominates the bloodlines of some of the most influential performance horses in Australia today. Graham was inducted into the NCHA hall of fame in 1996 and the mare he credits for so much of his success, One Moore Spin was inducted into the NCHA horse’s hall of fame in 1998.
CHRISTOPHER BURTON
Olympian Christopher Burton of Toowoomba, Queensland won an individual silver medal in the eventing at the Paris Olympics. Burton, 42, teamed up with his horse called Shadow Man to earn success. In addition to being an accomplished eventer Burton has also enjoyed success as a showjumper.
ANDREW HOY
Andrew Hoy of Culcairn in southern NSW is one of Australia’s most decorated Olympians. Hoy started riding when he was six and has an enviable medal collection. At Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 he won gold, at Atlanta in 1996 he won gold, Sydney 2000 he won both gold and silver and at Tokyo in 2020 he won silver and bronze. Hoy received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1993 and he was inducted into the Australian Sport Hall of Fame in 2000 as an athlete member for his contribution to the sport of equestrian. Hoy was also inducted into the Equestrian Australia Hall of Fame as an individual in 2013. An additional three inductions to the Equestrian Australia Hall of Fame for his success in the Australian Eventing Team followed in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
COREY HOLDEN
Corey Holden of Cobram won the National Cutting Horse Association open futurity riding Metaloo (sired by Moore Metal) earlier this year in Tamworth. Holden credits his mentor the late Max McTaggart who resided at Benalla with much of his success in the cutting horse industry. Holden was inducted into the NCHA hall of fame for riders in 2010. Earlier this year his wife Trudy Holden was inducted into the NCHA non pro hall of fame.
JESSICA STALLING
Jessica Stalling of The Oaks, NSW is considered one of the best all-around competitors in Australia. She has won the prestigious Garryowen Equestrienne Turnout at the Royal Melbourne Show twice in 2023 and 2019. Stalling also competes at elite level in showjumping including SJ World Cup. She is the epitome of versatility in the equestrian arena and has countless royal show championships and many state and national horse of the year titles. Stalling has ridden in the US, UK, South Africa, India and New Zealand.
BEN HALL
The surname Hall is synonymous with campdrafting in Australia and Ben and his father Terry have dominated the winner’s circle for many years. Ben is from Muttaburra in Queensland and aside from dominating events such as the Warwick Gold Cup he spends much of his time working as a contract musterer. He has also taken the top honours at the Nutrien Classic Campdraft held in Tamworth. Hall’s father Terry earned a reputation as being one of Australia’s best campdraft competitors of all time.
EDWINA TOPS-ALEXANDER
Edwina Tops-Alexander of Sydney recently made history as Australia’s first five-time Olympic showjumper. She rode at her first Olympics in 2008 at Beijing. Topps-Alexander is one of the highest ranked show jumpers in the world. She also has claim to being the first rider to win more than 1 million euros by competing at the Longines Global Champions Tour. Her Olympic history includes Beijing, 2008, London, 2012, Rio, 2016, Tokyo, 2020 and Paris, 2024.
IAN FRANCIS
Ian Francis of Chelmsford in Queensland is known as one of Australia’s best clinicians. On his path to success he has earned major wins in several different disciplines. He holds claim to multiple reining horse futurity and derby wins, he has had success in challenge events including two wins at the Cloncurry Stockman’s Challenge and has also won the NCHA futurity. He has won the International Reining Council’s World Cup in Canada and was a member of the Australian team, which placed second at the same event. He is an inductee in to the Australian Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame, the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame and the Reining Australia Hall of Fame. Francis has also been named a National Reining Horse Association legend rider. Back in 2011 he received an Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the equine industry.
THAISA ERWIN
Thaisa Erwin, originally from Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, now calls Armidale, NSW home is representing Australia at the Paris Olympics in the showjumping. Erwin is an environmental engineer who has been competing at World-Cup showjumping level for 20 years.
LUCY GRILLS
Lucy Grills of Holbrook in southern NSW has made her mark on the world stage in the sport of polocrosse. She is from a family of successful polocrosse players and her brother Jim has also achieved notoriety. This year the brother and sister were part of the Australian polocrosse team that competed at the World Cup titles in South Africa. Ultimately South Africa won the World Cup last month after beating Australia by one point.
KEVIN MCNAB
Kevin McNab of Mareeba, Queensland has two Olympic Games to his credit including Tokyo in 2020 and Paris, 2024. The talented eventer made his foray into international competition at just 16 years of age after participating in the young rider category in two European championships.
SHANE KENNY
Shane Kenny of Emerald, Queensland is a 15-times all around champion cowboy. He is currently sitting third in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association all around cowboy standings. Campbell Hodson also of Queensland is currently holding the top spot and Victorian, Terry Evison is second in the all-around standings with several events still left in the competition year. Kenny is described as the most successful rodeo cowboy in Australia and he is also a stock contractor.
SHANE ROSE
Four-time Olympian Shane Rose of Werombi, NSW has dominated the eventing scene in Australia and overseas for decades. His Olympic history includes, Beijing, 2008, Rio, 2016, Tokyo, 2020 and Paris, 2024. His story in the lead up to Paris is one of courage. Four months ago he was in hospital with 19 broken bones. He was riding a young horse over some jumps at his property at Werombi and the horse clipped a jump and the horse fell on him. Rose entered the international competition arena at 21 when he competed with horse Mr Joe Cool for Australia at the Young Riders trans-Tasman competition in 1994.
AARON WHEATLEY
Aaron Wheatley of Kaarimba was inducted into the National Cutting Horse Association hall of fame in 2006. And earlier this year his wife Lindsey Wheatley was also inducted into the riders hall of fame for the NCHA. Both Aaron and Lindsey have multiple futurity, derby, classic and open wins to their credit.
HILARY SCOTT
Hilary Scott of Moree, NSW made her Olympic debut in showjumping in Paris this year. While she has risen to the top of the sport in showjumping her background includes helping her parents to muster cattle on the family property. She says she began riding horses before she could walk. In 2011 she won the Australian Young Rider Championships and the Tonimbuk World Cup on her horse Oaks Miss Scarlet.
KRISTIE TAPRELL
Kristie Taprell of Wodonga has earned kudos in the sport of endurance riding. She won the coveted Tom Quilty on multiple occasions. The Tom Quilty is Australia’s most well-known 100 mile (160km) endurance ride. The ride is the namesake of a well known cattleman and the event was initially instigated back in 1966 with support from RM Williams.
SIMONE PEARCE
Simone Pearce, 33, of Melbourne is competing at her second Olympic Games in Paris riding Destano. Back at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 Pearce was the youngest member of the Australian team. Pearce and Destano hold all three Australian Grand Prix records: 76.261 per cent in the Grand Prix, 77.894 per cent in the Grand Prix Special, and 81.385 per cent in the Grand Prix Freestyle.
BOB HOLDER
Bob Holder of Cootamundra, NSW is the world’s oldest competing cowboy. He still competes in Australian Professional Rodeo Association and Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association events at 92 years of age. Aside from his longevity Holder is an accomplished horseman. He has competed on the professional circuit in America in rough stock events and is currently a talented team roper. The community at Cootamundra recently named the town’s rodeo arena in his honour.
WILLIAM MATTHEW
William Matthew of Stirling, Western Australia is representing Australia at the Paris Olympics in dressage. His horse riding career started at pony club in Perth and in his younger days he didn’t have his own horse. He started out by using borrowed mounts. He has two horses that both compete at Big Tour Level in dressage, Freischutz and Mysterious Star.
LEANNE CABAN
Leanne Caban of Emerald, Queensland is currently sitting in the number one all-around cowgirl standings for the Australian Professional Rodeo Association. She has dominated the rodeo circuit for a number of years and competes alongside members of her family. Interestingly it is Caban’s daughter Maddison who is providing some of the toughest competition on the circuit for her mum. Maddison is sitting second in the APRA all-around standings and Georgie Kapeller of Nilma North, is third.
JAYDEN BROWN
Dressage competitor Jayden Brown of Bellbowrie, Queensland is competing in his first Olympics in Paris. He grew up on a small rural property and started his riding career after participating in pony club with his sisters. Brown competed in the World Young Rider dressage final in Frankfurt, Germany, on one of his first horses, Widelo. Earlier this year he placed with both his rides at a Grand Prix event at Wellington in the UK, finishing fifth aboard Sky Diamond and sixth with Willinga Park Quincy B. The scores of 69.969 per cent with Sky Diamond and 69.478 per cent with Quincy B were both Paris Olympic qualifying scores.
Originally published as Meet 21 of Australia’s best competitors in horse sports
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