2012 New Team Riders

Meet the new 2012 Sponsored Rider Team!

Lucy Kolomanski
"I am a 24 year old Victorian, based near Geelong, and in 2012 was the Victorian Amateur Eventing Rider of the Year. I am currently a member of the Victorian Stars of the Future Squad and my main horse is Jirrima Royal Command. Aside from riding I coach, school and occasionally compete horses for clients. Outside horses, I work as a Town Planner and love skiing in the off season. My goals for 2012 include bringing on some exciting young horses and after a sucessful season at 2*, stepping Jirrima Royal Command up a grade for our first 3* start."

Louis McWhirter
"I am 16 years old and in year 11 at Guildford Grammar School in Perth WA. I am in my 5th year in the Equestrian WA BEATS squad. I will be competing at Pre-Novice this year with my thoroughbred eventer Just Will and aim to finish the season running at 1*. I hope to be accepted to the Equestrian WA JETS Squad in 2013. I have a 2nd horse, Belstone Matisse. Last year we had a fantastic year, winning our national interschools Eventing class and aslo the junior Equestraian WA Junior Eventing Leader Board. I aim to establish Matisse at Pre-Novice level by the end of 2012."

Makayla Wood
"I am a 20 year old event rider based in WA. I am currently competing at CCI** level on my 5 year partner, Just Corona, who had a fantastic finish to 2011, winning the Young Rider Challenge at the AI3DE. This year I am hoping to upgrade Just Corona to 3* level and gain some experience at this grade. I also have a CC1 */ green CIC** horse, Grand Elevation, who will hopefully manage a successful season this year gaining more experience at **, hopefully finishing with the CCI class at AI3DE. As well as ride, I work part time in office administration and accounts for my parent's company, Fox united Building and am also working through my NCAS Level 1. I am looking forward to the challenges that 2012 will certainly bring and hope to campaign both horses on the eastern coast, as well as one or two young ones back at home."

Fiona Paul (nee Russell)
"I purchased my horse Olivegrove Chesterfield, Charlie, as an off the track racehorse in 2004. My aim has always been to ride at the AI3DE. I achieved this goal with Charlie twice in 2009 and 2010 in the CIC** class. In 2011 I was busy with work commitments and organising my wedding! During this year, Charlie was ridden at Prelim and Pre Novice level by a good friend with great success. 2012 will see Charlie and I renew our partnership with the aim to compete at the Camperdown CCI at the end of the year, plus a new goal to compete successfully in pure dressage at the Southern Australian State and Spring Championships. Charlie is my one in a million horse, he has enabled me to achieve everything and more than I dreamed about as a pony mad teenager- and he is also know to take home a few broad ribbons at hack shows too!"

Sharmayne Spencer
Sharmayne's biggest riding accolade was winning the Sydney CCI3* in 2006 and then going onto AI3DE CCI4*, where she came 7th in her first 4* event. Mega Star was then sold to the UK. Competing the ever beautiful Jaybee Star Celebrity from scratch to 3* was a fantastic time unti again selling her to UK also. Now after having a family and with the help of her husband Michael, Sharmayne is now on the pursuit of bringing several talented youngsters through the grades this year. Shaymayne is a EA Level 2 Eventing specialist coach and Coach Educator. She has established Heritage Hill Equine Centre as a boutique horse and rider training centre. Her personal philosophy is simple: "be true to yourself and try harder than you think you can". It is a mantra that has resulted in this ultra professional equestrian reaching successfully for the top, both as a competitor and coach. www.heritagehillequine.com.au

Ellen Trigger
"I am a 21 year old event rider based in VIC. My competitive career started at the age of 16, mainly jumping because I had such a nutty young thoroughbred that he couldn't cope with dressage! I then bought and experienced 1* horse (Liberty Hall) to take me up the grades. We even managed to secure 1st place in the 1* at the Victorian YR championships. I now have Parkiarrup William who I ma competing 1* with the aim to get up to 2* later in the year, hopefully competing at AI3DE. I have been involved in the young rider squad for 3 years now and have two young thoroughbreds wgo will commence their eventing careers in March. My aim is to compete internationally and hopefully represent Australia at the Olympics."

Luke Ellis
"I am 17 years of age and am based at Ellison Park in Baldivis, WA where my father and I compete predominantly in Eventing. I am currently riding at PN level with my new horse "Ellison Park Junior". I have high hopes for Ellison Park Junior, but also for the fleet of Ellison Park horses that my father and I are training and preparing for the 2012 season. I had a sucessfull 2011 season, placing 2nd in the EWE Wolfe Civil Rising Star Awards and 3rd in the state for the Jnr PN eventing Season. I have represented WA twice in 2009 and 2010 at the Interschools Nationals."

Adam Benson
"I began riding seriously after I won the 2007 amateur rider of the year, I now have had Enthusiast at CCI3* level for numerous years with 3 CCI4* starts. I won the 2010 Young Ambassador "eventing" (aka young rider of the year). I have a strong team of eventing horses and now FEI level dressage horses and plan on making a debut into the large tour circuit (InterII and Grand Prix) this season and also aim to have two horses at Adelaide, with Enthusiast in the CCI4* for the 4th time. Brookwood Park Feuergress is aimed for the CIC or possibly CCI2*. Ultimately my dreams and aspirations are to represent Australia for either eventing or dressage and win lots of gold medals!"

Charlie Brister
"Like many eventers, I come from a horsey family, yet my early riding experience consisted of exercising the quiet racehorses for my mum at age 8 and foxhunting throughout the season on various ponys. It wasn't until a chance entry into Oberon ODE that I caught the eventing bug. Although boarding at school during the week made riding hard I took many lessons with Fiona Hughes and spent my summer holidays as a working pupil for Sharmayne Spencer, both great coaches who have helped me immensely in my riding. After leaving school I worked in horse stables in Germany and Ireland before returning home to start my university degree. It was during this period that I started to take my riding more seriously attending regular dressage lessons with Ann Slatford and jumping lessons with Colleen Brook. Currently, I train my eventers from a picturesque farm 20 minutes from SIEC and attend uni(occasionally). On top of this I also take on horses for training, breaking, spelling, coach at clinics, commentate at events and work as a bid spotter at the Magic Millions yearling sales. Despite all this I am focused on getting the best out of my horses, especially Barrel of Fun, who was bred by my step father as a fox hunting lead pony, but is now a 3* eventer. This year I am looking to compete him at Adelaide 4* and to produce the young Irish sport horses at home as future eventing stars."