Amber Fuller on “The Road to Paris”
Above: Amber and Nopal Van Talaert in Doha. Photo Credit: Noor Al-mahmoud.
We recently caught up with Amber Fuller to chat about her recent successes and the way forward from here as she works towards her long-held goal of selection for the Australian Jumping Team for an Olympic Games.
When asked about her 2023 season and whether that went to plan, Amber said “We started the year with trying to get our MER, which we achieved really early in the year, at Shepparton, DJWTS and Larapinta with Nopal Van Talaert, known to us all as Nick. That was the first priority for 2023 and we achieved that very comfortably and easily at the beginning, which is great because as we know, it doesn’t always go to plan with horses. So that was a box ticked, which took the pressure off the rest of the year, knowing that we could leave Australia for Europe with that already sorted.”
“The highlight for me of 2023 was actually winning the World Cup on CP Aretino at Larapinta, that was a really nice win for him and Nick jumped super there as well but obviously I was a bit quicker on Aretino and he’s just been such an amazing horse for me for so many years that that was such a nice win for him to have, he deserves the recognition for being such a superstar.”
“Then Nick won the World Cup Qualifier at Waratah, which was wonderful, because that event is run by Edwena Mitchell who’s one of my best friends and it’s a beautiful show. That was a really emotional win I think for all of us.”
“Then we had one big thing that we wanted to do, which was try win the Australia Championship and we were so close – until we weren’t! It goes to show that anything can happen and you just have to do your best and you just have to shrug and say, okay, well I’m going to come back out and do it a bit better next time!”
“Generally, it was an amazing year and the horses were fantastic – the whole team. We grew and gained confidence and Nick and I were really at the right stage when we left for Europe.”
Following the Australian Championships, Amber and Nick headed off to Europe, with their sights set on Doha for their first event overseas. Because of quarantine laws, horses are required to stay in Europe for a month before they could go to Doha. Following the required time in Europe, Amber, along with team mate Amelia Douglass and coach George Sanna headed over to the Doha Tour.
Amber says about the Doha venue “the arenas are amazing, it’s just an incredible stadium, beautiful stables and very user-friendly, the weather was perfection and the horses were super relaxed there. The big jumps, the big arena and the big atmosphere, the night classes etc were actually great for Nick because he’s a bit of a laid-back guy and he knows when it’s a big class and then he can raise his game. And I think the atmosphere actually suited him and we did two 4* and then four, 5* classes in a row, which was a lot of big jumping. It was perfect really, because we sort of went in boys and came home men, the both of us and then by the time we got to the LGCT it wasn’t such a shock!”
“It was also wonderful to be doing this show alongside Amelia and watching her develop and grow as a rider who has a huge future ahead of her!”
Above: Amber and Nopal Van Talaert in Doha. Photo Credit: Noor Al-mahmoud.
Above: Amber and Nopal Van Talaert in Doha. Photo Credit: Noor Al-mahmoud.
When asked about the difference in the standard of shows from Australia, Amber says “I don’t think there is much difference at all. At no point did I feel that the horse and I, or Amelia (Douglass) and her horse for that matter, were underprepared or that we were out of our depth. There was an element where it was a bit of a progression, we didn’t start with 5*, but even so, you know, the first show we jumped was 1.55m and I don’t think our World Cups and our big shows are far off the mark at all. Yes, of course, we have to come away and do our months in Europe and get the horse to jump bigger tracks and put ourselves forward in classes that are relevant to selection, but we hit the ground running doing that, you know, we didn’t need time to them to grow here and that’s all thanks to Australia and thanks to shows and organisers and course designers. People are quick to say it’s not, it’s not a high enough level at home, but I don’t agree with that.”
This sentiment was echoed by Amber’s long-time coach George Sanna, who said “the course designers that we have in Australia that are building the bigger tracks as well as the international designers that have been coming out over the past few years had both Amber and Amelia well prepared. I’m not saying that the shows are all the same quality as some of the shows in Europe, especially in terms of footing and the jumps, but the times we have had to achieve in the last year or more in the major classes, especially now they’ve got the 1* and 2* ratings system to the World Cups. There was nothing that we’ve seen over there that both Amber and Amelia weren’t totally comfortable with.”
When asked what we could do better in Australia, the answer from George was ‘Footings’. “The Australian Championships was the prime example on the grass surface, because we had weather and the surface broke up quite badly, even though it’s the best outdoor surface at SIEC, sadly it’s still way, way sort of what it should be. SIEC is a beautiful venue apart from the most important thing – the surfaces and unless they find the money to do the surfaces it’s an unusable venue for jumping”
Amber is also quick to thank George for all his help and mentorship over many years and George in turn said about both Amber and Amelia in the Doha Tour, “I know I say this as their coach but I was very proud of both of them. In that field of riders, when they jumped their rounds, they looked absolutely like they belonged there. Straight away from the first show, their horses were beautifully schooled and the girls rode very well, and it was it was a really nice thing to see.“
Speaking again with Amber about her experience so far overseas she highlights how she has felt so embraced and supported by everyone especially Jan and Edwina and the team at Stal Tops, team Yandoo including Jamie Kermond and Wayne Sherry, Alex Bignasta and other Aussies both in Doha for the tour and back in Europe.
“It’s very easy to come to Europe and feel very homesick and very lost and that couldn’t be further from my experience. Jan and Edwina and the whole team at Stal Tops have bent over backwards to help in every way, and there was also immediate family and immediate support with the Australians in Doha from the whole team and I do believe massively that when the Australians go overseas that everybody does rally around and band together, and that we are stronger together. I think that the Australians are helping each other, backing each other, supporting each other while we’re away from home, that we are stronger together and that it is actually a really big part of the Australians having success over here, that we do help each other. Even if we’re all chasing the same goal in my experience, everybody is quick to put that aside and help where they can and support where they can and as a group, we’re stronger together.”
When asked about what is next on the calendar Amber says they will “start the horses back up at a local 2* show in Belgium at Peelbergen in mid April and then after that we go to Fontainebleau 5* in France which is a beautiful show.”
When asked what would make 2024 the success she would like it to be, it was no surprise that Amber said “to be selected for the Australian Team for the Paris Olympics.” As it is for most, if not all, top riders – this has always been the dream and for Amber this is closer to becoming a reality than it ever has been before.
The support Amber has had from Nick’s owners, the Douglass family, means so much to her “It’s been absolutely incredible. You know, they have been so supportive for me over so many years and buying Nick five years ago as a six year old, hoping that he was going to be a top class horse – there’s no guarantees there. Just having them be happy to let him develop in his time in Australia and become the horse that he is today and then to be so supportive of backing this trip to come away with a view to make the team, there’s lot of support in there and it’s not just financial. They have been incredibly supportive as friends and family, it’s a unique opportunity that not everybody gets. No matter how talented you are, how hard you work, it’s not something someone owes you. So for me to have that from them, I’m incredibly lucky and incredibly grateful.”
We thank Amber and George for taking the time to chat with us and we wish Amber, Nick and all their connections the very best as they continue on this ‘Road to Paris’.