For more than four decades, Rod Brown has been a constant presence in Australian Jumping. As a rider, coach, breeder and mentor, his influence has reached far beyond his own impressive results, shaping riders, horses and systems at every level of the sport.

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Rod represented Australia at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games with Slinky, an achievement that remains one of the defining moments of his riding career. Nearly two decades later, he returned to championship competition at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen with Mr Burns. Alongside those appearances, Rod has been Australian team coach, led squad programs, worked extensively with elite eventers and quietly mentored many of the riders who now form the backbone of Australian Jumping.

His journey with horses began at home.

“It started with my father. He trained trotters and gallopers. I didn’t get my first horse until I was 13, but he was responsible for me being around horses and for the love of them.”

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Growing up in Victoria, Rod joined Pony Club at a time when the culture was markedly different to today.

“It was very different Pony Club then. It was much more competition orientated. That was a big part of it.”

Rod admits he started with enthusiasm rather than knowledge.

“I knew nothing. I just knew how to ride.”

What followed was a largely self-directed education, shaped by observation and a willingness to learn from anyone who offered something different.

“I didn’t have a lot of lessons. I’ve basically been self-taught, but very observant. I watched what was going on.”

Early influences left a lasting impression. A visiting Dutch coach, opened Rod’s eyes to a new way of riding. “He came to Pony Club once and I thought, wow, this is something different. I rode about 20 kilometres to have a lesson with him and then rode home again.”

Another horseman of Dutch heritage, Art Uytendaal, would shape Rod’s philosophy even more deeply.“He was probably the biggest influence on riders of my generation in Victoria. His horses came out beautifully turned out and well schooled. Classy. From that point on, that was my way of thinking. I liked class.”

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From a young age, Rod knew horses would define his life.

“I don’t think there was a time I didn’t think I was going to do this. Making it happen was the difficult thing.”

That meant building a business as well as a riding career. Alongside John McMillan, Rod bought, produced and sold horses to fund their ambitions.

“We bought horses, trained them, sold a few and kept some. That was the only way to do it and it eventually became our business.”

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Success in World Cup classes followed, with Rod competing across Australia before a move to New South Wales that would prove pivotal. Through John’s connection with George Sanna, Rod stepped into a new phase of his career.

“When George went to Europe preparing for Los Angeles, we moved to Sydney to look after his clients and keep the business going. That’s where I met my wife Cathy. When he got back, the three of us formed a business and it was very successful for many years.”

The partnership with George extended well beyond business. As riders, they pushed each other, trained together and ultimately earned selection for the Seoul Olympic Games.

“We were both in the team at Seoul, which was fantastic.”

The path to selection was not straightforward. A fall shortly beforehand left Rod injured and unable to ride his horse during final assessments.

“I fell straight on my shoulder and couldn’t do anything. George had to ride my horse while I sat on the sidelines watching.”

That moment only reinforced Rod’s belief in his mare.

“I said to him afterwards, my horse looked the best one. He said, I know. It felt the best.”

Once selection was confirmed, everything else faded away.

“Once I got on the plane and left, everything was forgotten. It was just focus on Seoul.”

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The Olympic experience itself remains vivid.

“It was absolutely fantastic. Olaf Petersen built the courses and he was the first of the modern course builders. Optical illusions, different looking fences. They were the best jumps I’ve ever seen at any Olympics or World Championships.”

Rod acknowledges that his horse was still developing at the time.

“She was relatively green, but she went pretty well.”

Both he and George made the final, an achievement Rod still views with pride.

“Considering where we came from, it was a pretty impressive performance.”

Following Seoul, Rod’s career continued to evolve. Slinky returned home and delivered one of the most memorable wins of his career.

“She won the big World Cup at Wodonga.”

That performance drew international attention, and before long, Slinky was sold to the United States.

“Unless you’re very wealthy, when you get a good offer it’s really hard to say no. Even though you don’t want to sell them, it makes a difference.”

Those experiences naturally led Rod toward breeding. When Evita could no longer compete, Rod explored embryo transfer.

“She couldn’t carry a foal, so we did embryo transplanting. That got the breeding thing going.”

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On Australian breeding more broadly, Rod is optimistic.

“It’s improved out of sight. There are some beautifully bred horses in this country.” For Rod, the key issue is not horse quality but production.“The hardest thing is producing them. Not every top rider is a great producer.”

Despite challenges, Rod sees progress.“Our sport has improved out of sight compared to 20 years ago. Young riders ride beautifully now.”

The sport in Australia owes a lot to Rod, and we were privileged to interview Rod on a recent episode of the ‘All Clear’ Podcast.

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