BY JARROD POTTER
SADDLING himself into the long line of Australian-calibre cross-country riders, Sam Jeffree is jumping for joy after receiving a prestigious state equestrian award.
At the Equestrian Victoria awards night last month Jeffree, 17, from Macclesfield, showed he is part of the equestrian elite’s next generation as he was awarded the Equestrian Victoria Young Event Rider of the Year.
The Haileybury Berwick student has excelled throughout the year, highlighted by his first ever state title triumph after five attempts – and he capped it off with this unexpected prize, usually won by riders in their late teens or very early 20s – not a 17-year-old.
“They interviewed the top three riders on the night and decided the winner from those interviews, so I didn’t know I was getting it until they called my name out,” Jeffree said.
It’s been a textbook rise through the rankings so far for the cross-country specialist who started as all the great riders did at the local pony club before knocking down the door of the eventing scene and impressing at each level en route to his stellar 2015.
“I won the state title this year and also started competing in open classes – up to one-star – and getting two places on my two horses,” Jeffree said.
“This year has been quite a successful one for me and, hopefully, keep standings pretty high heading forward.”
Jeffree is always keen to take his horses out of the arena and test them on the cross country courses around the state and beyond.
While he’s a dab hand at show jumping and dressage, he enjoys life in the saddle a little more when he’s off the beaten track.
“The cross country – before I was allowed to event at pony club, I attended a lot of combined training days and they were fun, but my heart was always in the cross country,” Jeffree said.
“The amount of skill, stamina and agility that the horses need and a single, tiny thing going wrong could lead to a lot of penalties – the technicality side has always been appealing for me.”
He won’t rest on his laurels either as Jeffree hopes to keep pushing up towards the peaks of the sport – representing Australia and pursuing his riding overseas in Europe.
“I’d like to make a jump into two-star at the start of next year – hoping everything goes well – but also competing up to the top level and maybe even going overseas and trying to compete at the top level over there.
“And I’d also love to represent my country in eventing – I love the sport and just want to show that Australia can be really competitive in this.”
It’s not just a symbolic award for Jeffree – he wants to help grow the sport and encourage any young male riders out there to pick up the reins.
“My role is to represent all young event riders and try to improve the sport, increase awareness in the public eye and helping out with events,” Jeffree said.
“There definitely needs to be a lot of support for the young boys.
“I’ve gone through school and know how tough it can be for young male equestrians.
“Just keep motivated and persist through all the hard times – there’s always going to be a lot of them with horses and no matter what they throw at you, they can always give you joy and if you keep working hard enough they’ll give you some success.”
Jeffree thanked Flexibility Fit Equestrian, James and Son Premium Horse Feed, Technyflex Natural Mobility and Equus Rugs for their ongoing support.
