S P OT L I G H T
It’s a busy life Having horses in your blood doesn’t necessarily make equestrian success a foregone conclusion. Without single-minded focus and sheer hard work there are never any guarantees, writes AMANDA MAC.
I
’m talking to champion showjumper Olivia Hamood. It’s late afternoon and she’s just finished riding for the day
– not that that means work is over and done with, not by a long chalk. There’s plenty still to do.
NCAS Level 2 Jumping Coach, and Olivia manages a very busy stable as well as competing with her team, something she does extremely well. That Olivia’s earliest memories include horses shouldn’t come as a surprise: “I
We’ve been discussing what it takes to
think I was still crawling when I first sat
be successful in this sport, when Olivia
on a horse,” she says, “and I’ve probably
remarks: “It’s probably not what people
been riding since I was around two-years-
think it is when they see us at shows.
old. I started off on a Shetland pony, as
We’re getting garlands of flowers and
most kids do, and got bucked off nearly
having a great time but that’s just a small
every day.” Safe to say that never give up
part of it. Everything that you do at home,
was a lesson learned early.
all the hard yards, the blood, sweat and tears, the disappointments, that’s what you have to keep on pushing through and not give up, never give up.”
I wonder whether Olivia’s obsession with jumping was through nature, nurture, or a little of both. “It was entirely my decision, but obviously I think that growing up with
The words of someone who knows that
a mother who was heavily involved in the
great achievements in the show ring
show jumping world was an influence.
come with a sizeable price tag, even if
But it’s what I was always passionate
you were born into a family immersed in
about and wanted to pursue, and I’ve
the equestrian world. Olivia’s mother is
never seriously thought about any other
well-known Australian showjumper Paula
discipline. I was probably four years
Hamood, while her father David was for
old when I knew show jumping was it. I
many years involved in the Thoroughbred
used to pretend I was a horse. I would
racing industry.
put a spoon in my mouth - that was the
Together, Paula and David established Glen Haven Park in Kilcoy, 70 minutes north-west of Brisbane, Queensland.
bit - and canter around the coffee table jumping books. It was pretty clear even then!”
There they specialise in producing,
I mention that when I was around the
campaigning and selling top quality
same age, my pretend pony could
horses to an international market. It’s a
execute a mean flying change. We
family owned and operated business.
laugh. “It’s funny,” she muses, “it’s like an
David is the manager of the nearly 486
addiction, once you’re hooked, you’re
hectare property, Paula is a rider and
hooked.”
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And young Olivia’s intensity of focus never faltered. She tells me that in primary school, she had been a promising runner: “I went to the Nationals for cross country running when I was only ten. I was quite good and they wanted me to give up riding and run professionally, but there was no chance of that happening!” It’s natural to assume that it was Paula who taught Olivia to ride, and while that’s largely true, Paula’s father Brian Kennedy (lovingly known as Pop), has had a considerable hand in her progress as a rider. And there’s an interesting backstory. “They’re the two people who have helped me the whole way, but actually Pop never really came from a horsey family”, Olivia explains. “As a young child it was Mum who decided that she wanted a pony, and I guess it was the blind leading the blind to start with. Pop and Mum bought a colt from the doggers and broke it in. They did it all themselves, and learned along the way, and yeah, Pop absolutely loves it. He’s passionate about horses and has been for over 50 years. He’s here every day working with us, and that’s pretty amazing.” Besides two brothers, neither of whom is horse-minded, Olivia also has a younger sister, now 12-years-old, who after a nervous start recently learned to ride. That’s a very different trajectory to Olivia’s: “Right from a young age I’ve always been very gutsy and Mum had to hold me back. When I was just 12, I had a 13.2h pony called Aztec Sun and we were at the Shepparton World Cup Show. There was a junior six bar and I was trying to jump 1.40. My pony ducked out and I whirled around again to have another try with Mum yelling at me from the sidelines to stop! So I’ve always been determined and never really afraid or put off by anything.” Olivia tells me that her introduction to the show ring was in hacking classes, and you get the feeling that it wasn’t her preferred option! “That was simply because 12 is the earliest you can start to jump competitively and I was too young. I guess Mum thought hacking was a good place for me to start.” But when the longed-for transition from
