I grew up in Kaukapakapa, New Zealand in a very ‘horsey’ family. My mum, who started off as a track work rider when she was younger also evented and later focused on Dressage to win the Novice Horse Of The Year Title in 1996. My dads side of the family were also heavily involved in the racing industry in NZ, with my grandfather owning New Zealand thoroughbred Bonecrusher – one of the most successful racehorses in Australasia.

It was no doubt I would begin to ride at a young age. And after a lot of begging and pleading, my mum eventually gave in and bought me my first pony at the age of five. Together with my pony, I started off competing in showing classes and over the coming years moved onto a bigger pony to compete in show jumping and eventing.

However by the age of ten years old I had begun primarily focusing on dressage, so shortly after my parents bought me my first horse, Greendowns Laredo (Larry) who was a NZ bred Gisborne Stationbred trained up to Advanced.

Over the next six years, my partnership with Greendowns Laredo earned us multiple Young Rider titles throughout New Zealand, North Island Championships, Regional Championships and won two FEI World Challenges. I was at the time the youngest member to have been chosen for a New Zealand Dressage Team and the first combination selected from the ‘Childrens Division’ to be selected into the World Challenge NZ team back in 2005. He was an invaluable start to my dressage career who also gave me the opportunity to compete in Germany at only eleven years old. At sixteen years old I retired a then 19 year old Larry to another young rider to learn on.

Knowing too well the cost of keeping a horse I started full time work straight out of school for a Finance Company. And over the next five years while working in Finance, I completed my university degree in Communications Majoring in TV and Screen Production. During this time I produced a couple of young horses who I competed and sold before embarking on my next big adventure!

In 2016 an opportunity came about for me to move to Germany to work and train in a dressage stable near Dusseldorf, something I had always dreamed of. With the sale of my young mare and savings behind me I took a one way ticket to Germany to learn and improve my riding, whilst also investing in a few young horses of my own to bring on. My four years in Germany was a pivotal time in my career where my riding developed a lot and what I learnt while training under German riders Ellen Schulten-Baumer and Tom Berg was invaluable.

After four years in Germany, in early 2020 my partner Jack and I made the move to Wiltshire in the UK. Little did we expect to arrive one week before the country was put into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic! However, unafraid of a challenge I was fortunate to find and set up my own yard near Cirencester, a lovely town in the Cotswolds. With a permanent base set up, and my horses and I now heavily part of the UK competition scene the future is exciting!