The NSW Country Jumping Championships are back on the calendar for 2025, and this year they’re heading to Camden, thanks to the passion and determination of Rhianna Burke and the team at Hara Equine.

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“We noticed that nobody hosted the country champs last year,” Rhianna said. “So many people love this event, and we just wanted to make sure it ran again. It means a lot to the Jumping community.”

After a gap in 2024, Rhianna saw not just an opportunity to keep the tradition alive, but to grow it. “We’re very central here in Camden. It’s accessible for people coming from the north, west and south. That was a big motivation for us in putting our hand up.”

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The event will run from July 11 to 13 at Camden Bicentennial Equestrian Park, with entries opening on June 25.

Riders can expect four major Title classes: Junior, Young Rider, Amateur and Senior, with the Amateur class also counting towards the Jumping NSW Amateur of the Year leaderboard. There are also Young Horse and OTT Thoroughbred classes on Friday, open height classes throughout the weekend, and three competition rings in action.

Behind the scenes, Rhianna has been pulling together an event of impressive scale. “I don’t think I quite realised how much planning is involved! Officials, stewards, volunteers and sponsorships, there are a lot of moving parts.”

One of her first calls was to secure standout Course Designers. “We have Mark Atkins designing Ring One, the Orangeville Performance Horses Main Arena. John Vallance will design Ring Two, which is sponsored by Assistance Dogs Australia, and Arsalan Ansari will design Ring Three, which runs Saturday and Sunday and is still open for sponsorship.”

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Rhianna is also excited to showcase the significant improvements to the Camden surface. “In the past, it’s been known to be a bit hard, but the council has taken over maintenance. It’s now regularly aerated, top dressed with sand, and watered. The surface is just getting better and better.”

This promises to be a fantastic event, with over $15,000 in prize money plus rugs and garlands to be won. There will be a VIP tent onsite (tickets available HERE), with early bird access codes for competitors who purchase VIP tickets before entries open.

Jumping NSW are proud to be the major sponsor of this event and Hara Equine is still finalising class sponsorships and seeking support from businesses keen to be involved.

The Championships are more than just another show. For Rhianna, they’re about opportunity. “Where’s our next Olympian going to come from? It could be from here. We’ve had Olympians like Hillary Scott and Shane Rose come out of this area. We need grassroots events where riders can come up through the levels.”

“Originally we were going to run just two rings, but I realised that would leave out the lower heights. So we added a third ring to make sure those just starting out have a place here too. They need to experience shows like this in a welcoming environment.”

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The Thoroughbred Sport Horse Association has thrown its support behind the event, and a raffle will run alongside entries, with fantastic prizes including a stallion service from Oaks Sport Horses, a jump set from TBV Equestrian, and a rider prize pack from Voler Equestrian.

Rhianna summed it up simply: “It’s about giving regional riders a platform, keeping this Championship alive, and creating a show people want to come back to.”

Entries open June 25 via Global Entries Online HERE. VIP tent bookings and raffle details will be available at the time of entry. Volunteers are still needed — if you’re keen to support, reach out to Hara Equine directly.

Photos courtesy Elegant Exposures.

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