Stable name: Timmy
Height: 15.2h
Breeding: Out of CP Argentina, by CP Ulixes
Owner: Madeline Sinderberry
Top 3 results:
– Champion 7 year old horse, Australian Showjumping Championships 2015
– Most successful Junior girl rider Sydney Royal 2015
– Most successful Young Rider Sydney Royal 2016

Fernhill Zinzan was bred by George Sanna at Chatham Park in 2008 and was then purchased as a yearling by the Tripp Family. Tom McDermott started him off and had him jumping around the showjumping circuit as a youngster. This was when I first laid eyes on him.

When I tried Timmy I instantly fell in love with him. He had a reputation of being a very hot horse, and maybe too crazy to ever be consistently good. But we decided to give him a shot anyway. This was in 2014, he was 6 years old and I was 13.

I started competing in Juniors on him and very quickly formed a very good relationship with him. After having him for 3 months we placed 2nd overall in the Juniors at the Australian Showjumping Championships. Since then we have moved up the grades together and in 2015 we placed top 5 in nine different Mini Prix’s, 1.35m – 1.45m, including some wins at big shows. Last month he won the Mini Prix at Elysian Fields, Qld. He is sometimes a bit too hot on course, but he is super, super clever. Timmy has also won every 6 Bar he has been in, and never knocked a 6 Bar rail. He cleared 1.80m to win the Junior/Young Rider 6 Bar at the 2016 Sydney Royal.

Timmy is an extremely alert, bubbly character. He always wants to talk to all the horses and people around him and has to be the centre of attention or he will throw a tantrum. If he was a human he would be a little boy with ADHD! This would have to contribute to why we get along so well because it is like we are raising him as a child, we have to give him a lot of attention. I trust him completely on course, so in return he puts all his trust in me.

In the weeks leading up to a competition I like to try and set up a course at home to have a jump around just to get my eye in. I don’t like to do a lot of jumping though as I find the flat work far more important. I spend the majority of my time doing various flat work exercises to build up the right muscles and keeping him soft over the back. Before a competition I mainly focus on keeping him nice and soft, flexible and concentrating calmly to maximise the chances of him listening to me on course at the competition.

Timmy is a one in a million kind of horse. Someone once said to me, ‘The only problem with having such a great horse at your age is that you’ll spent the rest of your life trying to find another one as good as him’. I think that that sums him up pretty well. Timmy has a huge heart and loves doing his job to the best of his ability at all times. He makes me smile every time I see him and that’s certainly something very special.

Photo Credit: Oz Shotz Photography