Above: Alexander Jang and Parallax SCF at 2026 Magic Millions Showjumping.

Young rider Alexander Jang is building something steadily and seriously in Australian Jumping. While still in school and only recently beginning to think of the sport as a genuine long-term path, he has already put together a body of results that suggest there is much more to come. Last year he finished on a high by winning the Stal Tops Australian Young Rider Series, and this season he has continued to step forward, not only in Young Rider company, but also in senior classes where the atmosphere, pressure and expectation are at another level. What stands out most, though, is not simply the results. It is the way Alex speaks about the sport, with a mix of honesty, self-awareness and ambition that feels well beyond his years.

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His story with horses began early, shaped first by his father’s interest in racehorses rather than by any immediate plan to become a showjumper. Alex explains that he “started riding when I was around six years old” because of that influence, before joining a local club in Centennial Park at around eight or nine, where he rode a pony called Mini and spent time in the dressage arena. That beginning was important, but it was not yet pointing clearly toward the sport he now loves. The real shift came when he bought his first horse, an off-the-track thoroughbred known as Rusty in the stables. Rusty led him into Jumping lessons with Rhys Stones and Jess Stalling, and Alex says that was the point where things started to change because he “really enjoyed it a lot more than Dressage”. From there came the country shows, the 90 centimetre classes and the first sense that this was a discipline that gave him more enjoyment and more excitement than anything he had done before.

Even so, Alex is open about the fact that becoming serious about showjumping has not been a lifelong certainty. He says that only recently has he really started to think of it as something he wants to do in the future, admitting that for a long time it was more of “a hobby that I really like to do on the side”. There is something refreshing in that honesty. He does not try to present his progress as inevitable or polished from the beginning. In fact, he says plainly, “I wasn’t really good at it back then, to be honest,” but what kept him moving forward was his love for the horses and the fact that the jumping side of the sport kept drawing him in. That willingness to be frank about the work still ahead perhaps says as much about him as the wins do.

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The horses around him now are a major part of that development, and Alex speaks about each one with clear understanding of what they are teaching him. His main horse is Parallax SCF who was imported to Australia around two years ago. Alex says Parry has “really helped me become a better rider” and that together they have already built strong experience in young Rider classes, with hopes of stepping higher in the future. Alongside is Griddy, another horse from the same American stable, whom Alex has been competing in Futurity classes at the biggest shows. He says he would “really like to step it up and become more competitive” with him this year, a comment that reflects the mindset running through so much of his interview, not just being present at the major shows but wanting to be a genuine factor in them. Riverton Red Balou, known as Chuck, is another important horse in the team and one that Alex says has been teaching him a great deal because “the different style I have to ride him is really teaching me a lot”. Then there is Christella, his Junior horse, who has also played an important role in sharpening his riding and helping him become more disciplined in the saddle.

That sense of progression was one of the defining features of Alex’s 2025 season, which culminated in his win in the Stal Tops Australian Young Rider Series. It was not a title built on one standout moment alone, but on consistency across all four legs, and Alex clearly understands that. He says the series “meant a lot” to him because at the beginning it was simply exciting to be part of those classes in his first year as a Young Rider, but by the end he had realised that “being consistent over the four legs was really important” in securing the overall win. There was pressure in that final leg, and he acknowledges that openly too, saying there was “a lot of pressure on me to deliver and get that final win”, but there is also a sense that the pressure itself taught him something. He improved not just in results but in partnership, particularly with Parry, and he reflects that over the course of the series he and the horse became “a lot of a stronger combination”. By the later legs, including Willinga and the Summer Classic, he felt the partnership had developed into something stronger and more reliable, and that better results had come as a direct consequence.

One of the clearest signs that Alex is beginning to stretch into the next level came with his Mini Prix debut at the SJA Classic. It had not originally been part of the plan, which perhaps made the outcome all the more telling. Alex says he decided to step up “to see how it was competing at that bigger level and that stronger, more competitive class”, without putting much expectation on the result. That lack of pressure seems to have freed him up. He remembers that jumping clear in the first round was “definitely something that I didn’t expect”, and from there he simply chose to keep going and see what happened. What happened was a third placing, but more importantly it gave him a genuine sense that he could belong at that level. Asked how he felt walking into the ring that day, he said he was surprisingly calm. “I didn’t feel that much pressure because I didn’t have any expectations on me,” he explained, adding that this mindset helped him get the clear round.

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That same idea surfaced again when Alex talked about competing in the Magic Millions teams event on the Gold Coast, where he rode for the Divas Beverages team alongside Rhys Stones, James Paterson-Robinson and Jeremy Whale. Being first out for the team could easily have been overwhelming, especially in a senior environment with a large crowd and more noise than most young riders are used to, but Alex seemed to take something positive from the responsibility. He said it felt “really good to be part of that team” and admitted that there was “a lot of pressure on me to deliver a clear round”. Rather than being undone by that, he felt the pressure actually sharpened his focus and concentration, helping him produce the clear round the team needed. What he learned from that class has stayed with him. He reflected that “staying calm in those situations and not overthinking some of the distances or some of the decisions” was probably the best thing he could have done, because panicking over small moments could have led to much bigger mistakes. It is a mature insight, and one that will serve him well as the classes continue to get bigger.

Behind that progress is a support team Alex clearly values, starting with coach Rhys Stones, who has worked with him since he was nine or ten. Long relationships between coach and rider do not always guarantee growth, but in this case it seems to have created a foundation of trust and understanding that Alex relies on. He says Rhys’s methods and way of teaching have “really helped me develop as a rider”, particularly because of the detail he goes into when explaining what needs to improve. Alex appreciates not only the technical guidance but the time taken to make sure it sinks in, saying Rhys’s way of describing things helps him absorb the information and then put it into practice. He also credits Rhys with teaching him that the work does not stop when the class ends. Watching videos, reflecting on rounds and doing the thinking away from the horse has become part of his development, and that speaks to a rider who is learning how to train his mind as well as his body.

That process is supported in a very practical way by his father Jae, who is almost always there on the sidelines. Alex’s gratitude for that support is obvious and heartfelt. He says his dad has “always been my number one supporter” and makes the point very plainly that “without him, I wouldn’t be able to do anything in this sport”.

Above: Alexander with his dad Jae Jang at Magic Millions Polo and Showjumping.

Another important figure in that picture is Marie Hewitt, whose experience has added another dimension to Alex’s preparation. He says Marie is “a really great addition to the team” and values both her warm-up support and her input on course walks, where she offers insights he may not have considered himself. Perhaps even more significant is the way she helps manage his mindset. Alex gives a particularly revealing example when he explains that if there is something obvious that could add pressure, “she doesn’t exactly tell me straight up, so I don’t overthink it”. In the final leg of the Stall Tops series, for instance, Marie chose not to tell him exactly what placing he needed to secure the overall title, understanding that too much information in that moment might create more tension than clarity. He also says that before a round she does not overload him with extra advice that might “muddle up” his thinking. Instead, she lets him process the task for himself and offers only what will actually help. It is clear that Alex responds well to that kind of calm, measured guidance.

What also comes through strongly is that Alex places responsibility on himself. Asked whether he ever has self-doubt going into the bigger classes, he says not usually, because he knows his horse can jump the track. For him, the question is whether he can do his job well enough to guide the horse properly. “If I can ride Parry well, he can jump the course clean,” he says, adding that if there is a rail or they do not perform as hoped, “it’s usually my fault”.

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A recent trip to Europe with his father opened that perspective out even further. Visiting the World Cup show in Leipzig and touring major breeding and training stables was, in Alex’s words, “a really eye-opening experience”. He spoke with real excitement about seeing the World Cup horses and the seven and eight-year-olds, and about the level of quality on display. But what seemed to affect him just as much was the discipline and efficiency of the operations. He noticed “the work ethic” in the bigger barns, the routines they followed, and the process of watching horses developed “right from being foals all the way to being 6, 7, 8 year olds”. He also pointed to the atmosphere at Leipzig, from the efficiency with which the classes ran to the scale of the crowd and the fact that people stayed for presentations.

Back in Australia, another major piece of Alex’s future is taking shape in the Southern Highlands, where his family has bought a property that they are transforming into a showjumping base. It is a project that could change the rhythm of his riding life significantly. At the moment, Alex says, he only really rides on weekends, so the chance to spend more time at the farm after school and eventually operate from there more fully feels like a turning point. He describes the plan as one that will “give me a lot of opportunities to ride a lot more and understand and learn a lot more about the horses in their daily life”.

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For now, though, that ambition still sits alongside the demands of school. Alex has just started Year 11, and he is realistic about the balancing act involved. He says his school does not always allow the flexibility he would like in terms of riding and travelling to shows, but he also makes clear that “focusing on school is really important” while he is still in these years, especially with Year 12 approaching.

When Alex looks ahead, the goals are substantial but sensibly framed. In the short term he wants to be more competitive in Young Rider classes and continue stepping into bigger Mini Prix competition. Looking slightly further forward, he talks about Grand Prix classes next year and, beyond that, the dream of World Cup level. He says that competing at that level “would be a massive goal” and that gaining experience overseas is something he would “really like to do”, whether that eventually means time in Europe or simply broader international exposure. It is easy to see where some of that ambition has been sharpened by what he saw in Leipzig, but it is also rooted in what he is building here at home.

You can listen to the full interview with Alex on the ‘All Clear’ podcast, available now on:

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