Julia joined the team in April 2022 and quickly established herself as a knowledgeable, experienced and much-loved member of the team.
Tell us a bit about your riding background, how you got into riding and how you got into your preferred discipline.
I started riding when I was around 3 years old when my mum decided to throw me up onto her thoroughbred she had at the time and I absolutely loved it, we lived in Cyprus at the time. I started to take regular lessons at the local riding school before getting my first pony at 6 years old when we had moved to Sydney Australia, a 11.1hh grey welsh pony named Garnet who we still have to this day! I got into showjumping after we purchased my 3rd pony, Maggie who was an absolute ripper of a jumper and we had a LOT of success in the show jump ring which grew my love for the discipline after years of dabbling in show riding, eventing and mounted games!
Tell us about your horse Magnum
Magnum is my main competition horse, he is a 10 year old bay Holstein and I've had him since he was 6. He is a very quirky horse with a unique personality to match. He is very opinionated and will throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get his way or something upsets him! An achievement would be getting a clear round in his first ever Junior Rider class which was 1.15-1.25m, I was very proud of him!
What is biggest personal achievement in your riding career so far?
My biggest personal achievement would have to be jumping around my first 1.20m and 1.25m rounds at one of Sydney’s most prestigious shows when I was just 13. It’s special to me because it was something I thought I wasn’t ever going to be capable of!
Do you have any goals for the upcoming competition season?
Goals I have for the upcoming showjumping season are to be back jumping at 1.20m consistently and get some good placings too!
What do you like most about coaching and what made you want to start coaching?
What i like about coaching is being able to help riders achieve their goals and seeing their progression over time. Coaching is something i’ve always wanted to do as i love to be able to share my knowledge and skills. I took a coaching course in 2021 and gained my level 3 qualification and here we are!
Tell us about a funny/awesome horse experience you have had in the past.
A funny experience I've had is when I was around 6 years old and riding my pony Garnet on a hack, he put his head down to eat some grass and I couldn’t get his head back up so I ended up rolling down his neck and landing in a head stand! My mum thought it was absolutely hilarious!
Who is your favourite horse at Maris Equestrian and why?
my favourite horse would have to be Mickey. He has the sweetest personality and always wants attention! He is also really lovely to ride.
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