This year’s Australian Young Rider of the Year, Madeline Sinderberry, is still eligible to compete in the Juniors, and Madeline has to balance working her horses, with the school work:
“I am pretty busy. I play a lot of sport as well, netball in the winter, touch football in the summer, and I do athletics as well.”
“I’m only fifteen, so this is the first year I’ve been eligible for Young Riders. I turn sixteen in December, so ten days after I turned fifteen I was allowed in Young Riders. I did have one horse in the Juniors here too. He went well on the first day, but unfortunately he had two rails down today.”
You’ll be a bit like Tom McDermott, haunting the Young Riders for year after year…
“Yes! I’ve got a few years left to go. A few years left in Juniors too.”
How did you get involved with horses?
“Mum had horses when she was little, Pony Club, and I guess she put me and my sister on ponies when were little and it just went from there. She took us round the Pony Club events, I’m not really sure how I fell into showjumping, but I did have a Palomino Quarter Horse that was good at showjumping. I just took to it, and I love it.”
You won your title on Zinzan, when did you get him?
“Just over two years ago. We’ve formed a really good relationship. He was six when I got him, and he is now rising nine, and we are going well…”
You told me before that he bucks like crazy…
“He does buck like crazy, but he is getting better! As he ages, he is maturing a lot.”
Who helps you?
“Dave Cameron is my coach, but we are seven hours from him where I live – we try and get a few lessons a year, but he helps me at all the shows. I do most of it myself, but we get as much help from Dave as we can.”
“I live in Condobolin, western NSW. I generally have three horses in work – one got injured, he was supposed to come to the championships, so I’ve got two now, and three young ones coming into work, a two, three and a four-year-old.”
Are you ambitious?
“I am aiming to get to the top level…”
What riders do you look at and admire?
“Definitely Scott Brash, and Dave obviously, he’s a fabulous rider, and since he’s my coach, I try to follow after him. It’s good to look up to someone, and you get tips off them just watching and seeing how they ride, and you try and copy them a little bit. It’s good to aspire to be like them.”
Introducing the Saddleworld Rising Star
Australia’s only Rising Star – Young Rider award recognising excellence over all three Olympic disciplines. Each monthly winner will receive a prize from the Saddleworld Range. To be eligible, riders must be under 21 on January 1, 2016.
Winners will be selected for their performances at Young Rider Championships, and will also be considered for their performances in open events.
This month’s winner, Madeline Sinderberry, will receive a Pessoa Legacy Hanoverian Bridle valued at $270.00 and will be in the draw to win her choice of a Pessoa Heritage Pro valued at $4,295.00 or PDS Carl Hester Euro Pro Saddle valued at $4,395.00.
Congratulations Madi and Zinzan on such a great win. We know how much effort you put in under difficult circumstances — travelling long distances over rough roads to compete, 50 km each way daily to attend school and training your own horses without company when you get home. Your passion and determination is amazing. Although your parents have a farming business to run, your mother is a great mentor and they both are very supportive.
We are all very proud of you and hope your dreams are fulfilled.
Love Mama and Papa xo