Above: James Hosie.

Article by Mia Jensen.

The Mexican leg of the 2024 GAT took place from the 7th -16th of June at the CSI 2* Puebla International located in Puebla, where eight young Australian riders April Davies, Sophie Shaffer, Cassidy Sullivan, Harriet Smith, Kadell Sykes, Posie Sutherland, and James and Skye Hosie took on the challenge.

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April Davies described the GAT as “a surreal experience that offered ambitious riders the opportunity to live out their dreams!”. The GAT bridges the gap for Amateur riders that want to experience an international show and atmosphere when they do not have the funds or horsepower to do it on their own, making it much more accessible for riders to gain valuable experiences. Over the course of her 1.2m Amateur series, April rode clear in all four rounds, placing 4th in the Final, 8th overall and was the highest ranked foreign rider in the class…. not a bad resume for her international debut.

Above: April Davies

Harriet Smith, who competed in the Children’s High (110cm), said “the GAT exceeded my expectations…. I couldn’t believe that at my age I was able to ride into an arena on the other side of the world and begin my international riding career. I want to follow in my dad’s (Ross Smith) footsteps and become a professional rider, and the tour made that goal more realistic. It was really quite cool!”. Harriet explained that the GAT wasn’t just about the results, it was about doing your personal best, whatever that looked like. Harriet was fully supported and motivated by Lucy Olphert and Paxton Conder as Co-Chef d’Equipe’s, and Christian López Redetzki as Coach, who she felt were simply outstanding with their professionalism and personal interest in each rider throughout the show.  With a huge appreciation for this team, and of course the support of her family, Harriet placed 6th on Day 1, and 11th on Day 3 in the Final, with some invaluable lessons learnt along the way. For Harriet this trip was an early 13th birthday present, so if anyone needs any ideas for a present that will be remembered for years down the line, you might want to take a page out of the Smith’s gift giving guide!

Above: Harriet Smith

The GAT format requires each rider to select a horse at random at the beginning of the trip and then learn and build a relationship with their selected horse over three training days before competing in their classes. As we can all appreciate, riding a new horse in an international setting was always going to be tricky, but all the riders rose to the challenge and represented Australia very well and should be extremely proud of their performances. Kadell Sykes, who rode in the Children’s High, commented that her horse Priscilla “was such a sweet, quiet mare, and easy to get along with. She is a horse that needs to be ridden forward which I’m not used to as my horses have their own engines. Priscilla was like a schoolmaster that knew her job, but she also makes you work for it”. Kadell placed 2nd on day one, which was the highest individual placing of a foreign rider throughout the entire show. With this, Kadell made quite an impression such that the owners of Priscilla invited her to travel to California to compete in the Desert Circuit. With such an incredible experience at her first GAT, Kadell is already trying to decide which GAT event she should attend next!

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Sophie Shaffer, who also competed in the Children’s Highs, explained that the most memorable part of the competition for her was when she placed 3rd on day two. She described the podium finish as a surreal experience, especially as she saw the Australian Flag rise on international soil for her efforts. She said, “My experience at GAT was unforgettable and a once in a lifetime opportunity. It came with highs and lows as everything does, but overall, it was an amazing experience!”. Sophie explained that the support there was unmatched, everyone on the tour was cheering and urging each other on, and despite people coming to GAT from all parts of the globe with completely different backgrounds, everyone was able to bond and form friendships whilst participating in such an incredible experience.

Above: Sophie Shaffer

As we know with horses not everything can always go perfectly! At no fault of his own, James Hosie, who competed in the Children’s Highs, found himself having to ride three different horses throughout the training and competition. Like the aspiring professional he is, James handled it like a pro, seamlessly adapting to each of his horses, “I didn’t have many issues, I just let the horse travel the way it wanted to” he said. This approach made it all the more worthwhile for James when he rode out of the main ring on his horse to the crowd cheering him on after some great rounds!

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Similarly, Posie Sutherland, who competed in the Children’s 1m, said the GAT team cheered her on after each of her rounds, chanting “AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OI OI OI!”. Posie continued to say that “for me being part of a team at my first International Competition made the experience really fun. We all shared the highs and lows of the competition together”. Jumping is very much an individual sport; you only get up to two minutes in the ring, a very short time which is characterised by one thousand tiny decisions…. So, getting the opportunity to share the highs and lows with others who are in a very similar situations creates a strong sense of camaraderie and support, making the journey all the more rewarding”. Posie called it the trip of a lifetime! In addition to all of her great experiences, Posie had a strong campaign at the GAT and placed 7th overall out of the 35 riders in her class, making her the highest placed foreign rider.

Above: Posie Sullivan. Photo Credit: Rodrigo Ceceña

Many of the riders said that this experience taught them some incredibly valuable lessons. Skye Hosie, who also competed in 1.2m Amateur, said, “you don’t have to win a ribbon for people to notice you… work and try hard every day and dreams will come true”. Every time Skye stepped into the ring, her and her horse became a stronger combination in and out of the saddle. As a result of putting in that consistent effort, Skye landed a 6–8-week riding position with one of Mexico’s Grand Prix riders, Tatiana Holder, and an incredible opportunity for her to gain some additional invaluable international experience before starting her next chapter before returning home to Australia, or potentially even staying oversees.

As for Cassidy Sullivan, she couldn’t recommend the GAT experience highly enough, and would encourage others to sign up. She explained, “the opportunity to compete on international soil on such quality horses is one that doesn’t come often, and the knowledge that you learn whilst on the tour is invaluable. It was so fun to meet other riders from other countries and be able to learn about the cultural differences from country to country.” Cassidy and the mare she rode got on very well and produced some lovely and consistent rounds throughout the competition, earning them 7th place overall in the Children’s Highs and the achievement of being the highest placed foreign rider.

As part of the GAT experience in Mexico, the riders and their families were able to find time to explore the Puebla district and surrounds, which involved site seeing, visiting Teotihuacan Pyramids and some other local touristy attractions. There was also no shortage of good food and good people! As Harriet put it, “Mexico was very colourful and such a cool culture to experience. I suppose my favourite part was experiencing some cool places with people that have now become really awesome friends”.

To place at an international event on a borrowed horse is an incredible achievement, and one that should absolutely be celebrated. But, arguably the most important take aways are the lessons learnt and using these to become a better rider and competitor in the future.

Cassidy Sullivan: “The most important thing that I learned from this tour was probably that consistency is key, and to live in the present when I am on course.”

Sophie Shaffer: “The most important thing I gained from the GAT was to keep your head up because you really never know when opportunities will present themselves.”

James Hosie: “The most important thing would be to have fun.”

Skye Hosie: “Listening to advice from all different people can take you very far and make you a lot better rider as everyone has different opinions and perspectives on things. Also, appreciating what you already have, as so many people don’t have what you have and wish they did.”

April Davies: “Consistent riding will get you further than results.”

Kadell Sykes: “Whether you’re competing at a quiet local show or competing on the other side of the world, there’s always highs and lows but you just have to take the good with the bad and enjoy the sport for what it is and remember that there will always be another show.”

 Harriet Smith: “The experience of having to adjust my riding on a horse I didn’t know, in an environment I didn’t know, was a proud moment for me, and in my opinion, is what GAT is all about. For me, this is a skill I think is important to have especially to further my riding career.”

 Posie Sutherland: “I loved being a competitor at an International Competition. I know I want to experience that again – which means I need to train and work even harder for my dreams of competing Internationally again one day!”

These are some insightful words from some very talented young riders, we wish them all the best with their competitive futures, and we look forward to seeing what next year’s GAT competitors get up to!