A Queenstowner’s been giving up-and-coming mainly Kiwi showjumping riders invaluable overseas training and competition experience.
Showjumping coach Lucy Olphert, who’s represented New Zealand seven times, took a group of 10 riders, including a Canadian, to France, then a group of nine Kiwis to Brazil over recent months.
Between times, she coached NZ rep Dylan Bibby at the Youth Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany — the sport’s ‘holy grail’.
Olphert, 34, says ‘‘it’s pretty hard to get that leg up in the sport, in NZ, unless you’ve already established yourself with results, or you’ve got really good financial backing’’.
‘‘These opportunities are about giving riders that foot in the door.’’
In France, where the focus was more training-based, the riders got tuition from famous rider, trainer and course designer Michel Ismalun, whom Olphert’s formerly trained with, and competed at a prestigious competition at Le Baule.
In Brazil, the experience was more competition-focused — ‘‘almost all the riders had a podium finish’’.
Olphert, who benefited from similar training in Europe when she was starting out, says one of the riders’ biggest challenges was riding borrowed horses.
‘‘It’s like Married At First Sight, that’s how I probably relate it to.
‘‘It teaches them a lot of skills — communication, resilience, just really important life-long skills.’’
Olphert says a highlight was seeing many of her riders, some of whom hadn’t travelled beyond NZ or Australia, shine.
‘‘A lot had to fundraise really hard to make this trip, so it’s pretty cool when you see that hard work pay off.’’
Some have already been offered apprentice-type work opportunities to return overseas.
Prior to Covid, she’d co-founded a company, Global Amateur Tour, providing competition for international riders who’d otherwise not get a chance.
That tour won’t restart till next June, in Mexico — as a result, she conducted her recent tours under her own brand, Lucy Olphert Showjumping.
Meanwhile, one of her Brazil riders was Queenstowner Holly MacKenzie, who’s currently studying at Nga Tawa equestrian boarding school in the Manawatu.
‘‘She had some great results,’’ Olphert says.
