5 Minutes with... Hudson Craig

This article is from the May 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

How old are you and how would you describe yourself? I’m 14 and I would describe myself as shy. Getting to know people takes me a long time and Mum says my shyness may come across as rude but I just find it hard especially when there are strong personalities around. I find it easier to talk to people in situations like when I’m helping out in my sponsor’s trade stands as I know the products well and I want to help customers. I’m also better on social media as I have time to think about what I want to say. I would also say I’m competitive against myself as I like to set goals and achieve them. I try and set one main goal for the year and lots of smaller ones to get me to that main goal.

What’s your proudest achievement? I have had many achievements throughout my riding career starting with winning Overall Champion at my first show on my pony Toby! Within the first three months of riding, I won Overall Jumping Champion in my primary class and placed in combined training which gave me my first ticket to Nationals. The following year I was the youngest rider competing in eventing at Nationals. Nerreman Tatiana (Tati) is my eventer which I have had great success on over the years but as she is getting older I have been focusing more on my showjumpers. Adeline Des Hayettes (Adi) was my first showjumper. She was super careful but not so brave but very affectionate. I competed on her at my first Children’s at the Australian Championships but sadly soon after I had to retire her due to an inoperable bone growth on her knee. I know my parents spent a lot of their money on her and I had her only for two years so when we were looking for my next horse our budget wasn’t great but we found Flashdance DH (Fergie) through Vicki Roycroft (as we did for Adi) who just happened to be Adi’s half-sister. I fell in love with her even though she was super green and couldn’t jump straight (mostly fixed now but still a work in progress). I bonded instantly with her and won a comp the day after I brought her home. My biggest achievement so far was jumping my first 120 and 125 rounds on her only after a couple of months of competition together. I wanted to do my first major Juniors on her at State Titles this year but that was sadly cancelled due to the Coronavirus.

What’s your worst riding habit? When I keep taking my leg off the horse, especially when I’m competing in the ring. I relax and think my horse is going to be good and not stop but she needs my leg there to guide her and give her confidence as well. Also by not having my leg on, makes me not able to get the right striding in between jumps which is really important especially at higher heights like 1.20m+.

What’s your most used app? Even though I’m not on my phone much, I’d have to say Instagram is my most used app as it is where I post all my videos of my training and competition rounds as well as some other stuff to do with horses. I find it a very friendly app and I get to meet people from all around the country and world that I probably would have never met any other way. It is also cool that your friends are of different ages, disciplines etc. As I’m quite shy in person I have also been able to find a voice so it has definitely helped me socially.

Who’s your equestrian idol? My coach Paul Brent. Since I aspire to be like him I get lessons off him as often as I can to help me be a better rider. He seems to be reserved like me so that makes him relatable but he is a tough coach that is never shy to say when I’m not riding my best but is encouraging and gives praise when I deserve it. My other big influence would have to be Olympian Vicki Roycroft. I only met her by chance when I was looking for horses in Sydney but will strap and look after her horses any chance I can get so I can learn as much as I can. She is the toughest lady I know, you should be scared of her, but I think she has a soft spot for me. So, if I could just be the tiniest bit as good as either Paul or Vicki I would be happy. It is also fun to compete against people like Billy Raymont that are encouraging and helpful but also make me work hard for a win against them which challenges me to be a better rider.

What’s your after-school ritual? I wouldn’t say I have an after school ritual but generally, I catch the train home from school, grab a quick bite to eat, get changed then go to my horses which are agisted about 20-30 minutes away. I will ride one or both. I only ever work on dressage or fitness, very rarely jumping as they don’t like me jumping there and we can’t leave the jumps out. If Mum has time she will set up some grid work when the weather is good but I’m hoping to do more now that there are no competitions on. Whilst I ride, Mum mucks out the stables and gets their dinners ready. After riding I wash the horses down, put the rugs and boots on then go home for dinner. If I don’t have any homework I get to play games on the computer.

Among your friends, what are you best known for? My best friend at school likes me as I’m chilled and laid back. We get along really well and all we do really is just have conversations which most of the time we do going to and from school. When I’m not competing on weekends or during school holidays we go out to watch a movie. Even though I only have one friend at school, I still have many in horse riding.

What’s been your worst riding injury? I’m really lucky never to have had a really bad injury, especially whilst doing cross country. A couple of months ago I got hit in the face by the horse’s head when we had a refusal at a jump. My body went forward as my horses head went up, so my face hit the poll of the horse and knocked back four of my teeth, two on the top and two on the bottom on the left side of my mouth. I was unable to close my mouth properly and I couldn’t eat properly for two weeks.

Who’s your favourite YouTuber? I don’t have one specific YouTuber who is my favourite as I have a couple which are Bitwit, TechSource, JayzTwoCents, Linus Tech Tips, Greg Salazar and KristoferYee because I’m into gaming and PC’s/PC building. I don’t really follow riding on YouTube but rather watch shows like Jump Off and All Clear.

What is the best gift you have ever been given? Definitely my horses because if I didn’t have them I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. My first pony was Toby and I actually had to save up and buy him and the only way I could do that was to sell some of my grandmother’s miniature ponies. I hadn’t learnt how to ride yet so she taught me how to make them bombproof on the ground and then I got to get on them and be led around and soon I was riding myself. My second horse was Tatiana and I stole her from my mum (she stole her from my sister). She is a brumby that is now 18 and we have had since she was two. She took me up to training 2* eventing in my first couple of years of riding but I was restricted by age to 95cm then to 1* which I totally understand. This is one of the reasons I started doing straight showjumping. My third horse was Adeline and I know she cost my parents a lot of money, so when we had to retire her after just two years I didn’t think I would be getting another horse so I was so grateful when my parents allowed me to have Fergie. She is very green and hasn’t had competition experience like Adi had but I’m happy to still have the opportunity to ride.

If you could ban one vegetable forever what would it be? Even though there are many I’d have to say peas because I think they taste disgusting just like most green vegetables. I would have to say I’m more of a fruit person, my favourites being bananas, pears and apples which I share with my horses along with carrots.

If you didn’t ride, what sport would you be doing? The other sport I play is cricket but I often have to miss training and games because of my riding. I love cricket and am lucky to not only play locally but overseas as well. So far I have played in England, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. My dad used to play cricket for Victoria but now he umpires nationally and internationally. He is ranked the fourth-best umpire in Australia and he has heavily influenced the way I play cricket and as has taught me everything I know about it especially in the way I play.

What do you want to do when you finish school? I’m only in year nine so I’m still not quite sure what I want to study after high school, but at the moment I like the thought of doing something that is in the world of gaming, like game design. My sister just finished a course in game design at university so I know she will be able to help me if I choose to go down that path. I would like a job that I love, but will also earn me good money so I will still be able to ride and achieve my goals.

What’s your favourite competition item? It would have to be my Flexible Fit Equestrian bridle, breastplate and girths which I have been using since I first started riding five years ago. Three years ago, they approached me to be one of their sponsored riders which was a huge privilege and love being part of the FFE team still today. The English leather is super soft and is infused with a special gel, they have a large range to choose from but the best thing about them is that the bridles are fully customisable which is awesome as all of my horses don’t suit a standard size bridle as they need different size parts. My other favourite item is definitely my Butet saddle. It took me a long time to find a saddle that fits both me and my horses, even when customised. It is really comfortable and made from quality doubled calfskin.

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