Preferred name / nickname (if any):
Liv
Riding discipline(s)
Dressage, Show Jumping and Show Horse
Horse(s) name(s):
Warrego Dumbledore and Pikachu
Breed(s):
Warrego Dumbledore (Wizard) – Oldenburg Warmblood. Pikachu – (Duke) Stock Horse
Your coach(es):
Clemens Dierks (NSW) and Vanessa Lines (NT) for Dressage. Clive Reed (SA) and Karen Ruzsicska (NT) for Show Jumping. Clemens comes to Darwin once a month for 6 months and Clive for a week in May. I have also attended their stables to have lessons.
Name the most influential person in your riding career and why:
I cannot just name one person. My Aunty Karen has been with me since the start when she first put me on a pony 12 years ago. She is influential because she started me in this sport and has continued to help me, train me, turns up to my lessons with the interstate coaches and gives me the confidence to stick to my goals no matter what.
Joann Formosa and Worldwide PB, what an outstanding team and great person. I met Joann in 2014 at the National High Performance Squad Clinic and from that day she has been encouraging, supportive and an excellent role model for me to look up to. She told me her story of how she become a Para-Olympian and the difficulties she has faced along the way. Her dedication, discipline, sportsmanship and love of all animals is amazing. To be around her is energizing because of her drive to be the best (which she is) and her drive to defend her gold medal again at RIO. She is focused and knows her end goal. When you talk to her and watch her ride you can see how she is working at fulfilling her dreams which makes me more determined and focused on mine.
Describe your riding history:
My Aunty Karen bought a pony (Pebbles) for her son. He didn’t like riding so my Aunty put me on the pony and mum says from then on I was horse mad. I started riding at the Noonamah Horse and Pony Club, Darwin, soon after winning Champion Rider in my first year at 2 years on Pebbles, a welsh X mare.
I then started show horse shows attending the Freds Pass Rural Show and the Royal Darwin Show. Then at the age of five I wanted to do show jumping, on lead line, with either my Aunty or my mum running beside me, sometimes hitting the poles themselves. This was my introduction to show jumping and I loved it.
In late 2009 mum and dad purchased my second pony, Roskyle Silver Ghost (Bagel). He taught me so much and I have become the confident rider I am today because of him. We enjoyed every moment and gave anything a go, including chasing cows bigger then him. In 2011 mum and dad purchased a Galloway, Diamante Sky (Diamond) for me as the girl who owned him had lost interest and her dad said he would be good for me. Well he was and we did everything show jumping, dressage and show horse. I did the Power and Skill on him at the Freds Pass Rural Show (2012) jumping my first 1m jump, I was so happy I had tears in my eyes, I was 9 years old and came second in this event against the adults. Another of my favourite events is the elementary six bar, the last six bar competition for 2012 held by the Darwin Show Jumping Club I jumped 1:10m. I also won the elementary 6 Bar competition for 2013, coming equal first with another member of the Darwin Show Jumping Club, I jumped 1:20m. Diamond and I rode to Novice level dressage, show jumping rounds of 90cm and we won many show horse titles together. Mum and dad then bought Pikachu a 15.1hh stock horse and then we were lucky enough to have Warrego Dumbledore (Wizard) offered to us by a client of Clive Reeds. Wizard is a little warmblood, 15.2hh, but has big movement and is very educated. He has been doing show jumping but is also trained Dressage. I do dressage, show jumping and show horse on him. Pikachu and Wizard are so different to ride but they are both excellent in teaching me so much. I am competing Elementary on Wizard but training for Medium dressage next year.
Special highlight(s) in your riding career:
I was selected, through hard work and determination, to represent the Northern Territory (NT) at the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Australian Interschool Equestrian Championships held in Toowoomba, Qld (2012), Brigadoon WA (2013) and Werribee VIC (2014). I qualified (2012) for the Dressage and Showman Phase 3 on Bagel and Combined Training and Showman Phase 4 on Diamond. In 2013 I qualified on Diamond for the Showman Phase 4, Dressage, Combined Training, Rider and Show Hunter Galloway. In 2014 I qualified on both Diamond and Pikachu for Novice Dressage (reserve of Pikachu).
I was the first NT primary aged child to win a ribbon for the NT placing 6th in the Showman Phase 3 in 2012. I also placed 7th on Diamond in the Combined Training. In Brigadoon Diamond and I did exceptionally well placing 5th in the Combined Training, 7th in my rider class and Diamond placed 8th in the Show Hunter final. In 2015 I qualified for Elementary dressage and Show horse but we decided not to go because I was invited to attend the National High Performance Squad Clinic (Dressage) held at SEIC so we decided to attend that and stay for the National Dressage Championships.
I am also very proud to have been invited to the National High Performance Squad Clinic (Dressage) twice (2014 and 2015) as a spectator. I have met some outstanding riders there and have learnt so much from attending and watching the lessons and attending the talks. This year I went to lots of talks but the talk on RIO was so interesting. To listen to the “behind the scenes” organising of what is required right down to apples and carrots for the horses was amazing. I have always enjoyed the dissection talks as well.
I have also been nominated for NT Junior Sports Person of the Year 2014 and 2015, an achievement I am very proud of.
What are your ambitions?
I have short term, medium and long term goals. My short term is to not only qualify for the 2016 Australian Dressage Championships held in SEIC NSW and the 2017 Australian Young Rider Championships held in Werribee but to be competitive when I compete there. I did qualified for both Championships for 2015 and 2016 but feel I need to improve on my scores to be competitive. I have only had one year with Wizard and would like another year to get myself ready for such a big competition, so another part of my short term goal is to keep competing through-out the Northern Territory to get my experience up. I also have the short term goal of qualifying and competing at the 2016 National Inter-school's Competition. I have been to this competition 3 times before with my highest placing being 5th in the Combined Training. My medium goals are to compete in more interstate competitions, start competing Medium level dressage and really lift my scores so I can get closer and closer to my long term goal. I also want to start my (Equestrian Australia (EA) level 1 training, I have completed my EA Intro Horse Management and General Riding, which was a goal I set myself for this year and I passed just before my 13th birthday. My long term goal is to get over 65% in Medium Dressage and be accepted onto the National High Performance Youth Squad which will be on step closer to my ultimate goal of the WEG and the Olympics. I want to be an Olympian and a high level coach
Have you trained or coached any riders who have had success?
As mentioned I do have my EA Introductory Horse Management and General Riding certificates which I completed when I was 12yo. I do coach mum, she took riding up so she can come on trial rides with me, she now wants to do dressage so I have been helping her.
Special care and management considerations of your horse(s):
The heat and humidity in Darwin is the main factor here. Pikachu and Wizard (and the mini Coco) are on Pryde’s EasiLyte. It is important for them to be on that as it encourages them to drink water and replaces electrolytes that they lost through sweating it also helps to maintain kidney and muscle function, for example muscle cramps. Also in the wet season it is important to look after their feet as the ground gets quiet wet. They are both on Pryde’s Polished which does everything; coat, feet and skin. In the dry season the horses skin dries out so Pryde’s Polished helps with that along with the Pryde’s EasiOil. The farrier every time he comes mentions how good their feet and coat are. Otherwise thanks to them being on Pryde’s EasiFeeds since I have had them they are extremely healthy. Wizard gets a vet check every year and the vet comments on the horses shinny coats and overall fantastic condition.
Which Pryde’s feeds do you use and why do you like them?
EasiResponse, EasiLyte, Polished and EasiOil. As above for Pryde’s EasiLyte, Polished and EasiOil reasons. We have used many Pryde’s EasiFeeds products of the years with the different horses. We have used Pryde’s EasiFeed Four Old Timer, EasiResult, EasiRide and EasiResponse and Protein Pak. I use Pryde’s EasiResponse at the moment because I love the way it keeps the weight on my horses no matter what the weather is or what level of riding and training I am doing. It doesn’t get them all worked up and keeps them cool and calm.