Andrew Hoy AO, has been running a three day riding clinic in Harden this week, organised by Natalie Blundell, teaching young riders the finer points of dressage, cross-country and show jumping.
Andrew is a triple Olympic Gold Medalist equestrian rider, having competed in every Olympic Games since 1984. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM for his service to equestrian sports) in 1993 and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2000.
Raised in the Riverina, Andrew resides in the UK, but is still firmly Australian, only living there so he can ride horses at the highest international level and compete often.
Natalie and Andrew meet three years ago while coaching in Thailand. Natalie said she admired Andrew’s training techniques and they have been great friends since. Recently Natalie and Andrew spent 5 months training and competing together in the UK.
Andrew has conducted other clinics in the local region and Natalie convinced him to run this one in Harden. Natalie said it is exciting to have someone of Andrew’s calibre come to Harden and share his knowledge, experience and skills with the young riders.
The clinic was open to all experienced riders and was attended by locals such as Olivia Howe and Brittany Grovener, as well as riders from Young, Canberra and Sydney.
On Tuesday Andrew and Natalie met with the Harden Pony Club. Natalie spoke of her time in Europe, where she competed in some of the most prestigious events in the world, about travelling internationally with a horse and how she made the reserve for the World Equestrian Games team – although disappointed she didn’t get to ride, Natalie said she learnt a lot being part of the team.
Andrew shared his experiences of being in pony club as a young rider and how it has played an important part in his stellar career. Andrew and Natalie agreed that Pony Club gave both of them a great beginning in their riding careers and enabled them to experience many different types of riding.
They both appreciated the support of their individual pony clubs and want to give back to the sport where they can. Natalie said the great facilities at Harden, especially the cross country course, gave her a wonderful opportunity to develop her skills and gain experience when she was young.
Photo: Alyssa Brown, Andrew Hoy, Natalie Blundell, Sarah Clark, Abby Davis, Meg Perceval, Olivia Doolan.
