Young Rider: Sally Simmonds

This article is from the February 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Age: 18

Lives: Bourke, NSW

Education/occupation: Full-time rider

Family history with horses? Horses have been in our family forever. Dad was a saddle bronc rider and mum was a barrel racer, both being around horses their whole lives.

What age did you start riding? Before I could walk.

Tell us about your first pony. My first pony was Denny, a little black gelding, who was an absolute delight. He looked after me for my first few years learning the ropes.

What was your first competition? Bourke Show way back when… the good old days.

You have just wrapped up an amazing 2019 season, what were your highlights? Definitely winning the Australian Junior Championship and coming runner up, but also winning at some major shows around the country like Elysian Fields Junior Champs, Tamworth Winter Champs Young Rider Championship, Young Rider Champs at Waratah World Cup Qualifier with my brother’s horse Oaks Castanza, Willinga Park Junior Champs. Straight after Australian Titles we were at Sale World Cup where Soldier (Oaks Chifley) won the Young Rider Championship. Then the weekend after to win all three days of the Junior Championships at the Chatham Park World Cup which was my last ever Junior.

What went through your mind when you won the Australian Junior Championship? I was just glad to get the job done, and so happy to be doing it with Soldier. It was a very tough time at home, being in horrible drought, and Dad had to stay home and cart water.
I was just so glad to get the job done for them!

What is the secret to your success? There’s not much to it really, just hard work forever pays! Work at it until it becomes second nature, surround yourself with level-headed people with the same goals, focus on what’s important and have fun.

Tell us about your partnership with Oaks Chifley. I started riding Soldier around four years ago. My brother Clay originally rode the horse, but he was way too tall for him and had plenty of other horses coming on, so I was lucky enough to catch the ride. It wasn’t easy learning to ride him because he is so different to my other horses; small stride, very fast and turns on a dime. My little Ferrari! He’s an absolute ball to have around too, which makes it even more rewarding. My little cousin Nellie rides him at home because he’s such a kid’s pony, but as soon as he gets into the arena he knows it’s time to get to work.

What has been the most difficult aspect of your journey with Oaks Chifley? The journey with Soldier has been pretty straight-forward. He tries his little heart out every time he goes into the arena and that’s just how he works. But definitely sometimes things don’t go to plan. We all make mistakes and I think I’m just very lucky he loves his job as much as he does and doesn’t get fazed by my mishaps.

Tell us about your exciting young horse Chio MS. (Leo) is a six-year-old out of the Matawaho Sport Horse stud just out of Auckland. Sired by Chaco Silver and out of Dollar Girl MS. I’m very excited about the future with Leo. He is such a smart horse, very good on his feet and very quick also. You can feel him hunt for a fence, he loves being in the ring and of course showing off.

How has Leo progressed in his training over the last 12 months? He is progressing out of sight, something I love about the Chaco Blue bloodlines; they’re all very smart and pick up on things fast. This year we were at a show just about every weekend so he got plenty of rounds in and just feels better and better every time he goes into the arena.

What’s your future plans and goals with both Oaks Chifley and Chio MS? We will see where this year takes us, but I plan to compete young riders with Chifley and I plan to bring Chio up slowly hopefully to jump Grand Prix level.

How many events would you do in a year? In a normal year we do around 20 shows from Queenland, all over New South Wales and Victoria.

What do you do in preparation for a big showjumping competition? We try to keep everything the same, make sure the horses are fit and happy to do the job. Plenty of trail rides to keep their minds fresh, they love it.

Is there much rivalry between you and your brother Clay? Yeah of course, but we don’t really compete against each other, so it’s mainly just keeping each other on our toes. I’m very lucky I get to travel with my brother. I think it’s brought us both a lot closer and appreciate having each other around. I love being in the warm-up with him for big classes. You see a lot back there, it’s a great feeling.

How many horses do you have in work at the moment? At the moment we have four young horses in work, the seven show horses are just coming back in after a well-earned break. Enough to keep us out of trouble.

Do you have a current favourite? Some days I think I do but it’s hard, being that I have a team of very nice horses. I like different things about them, but Soldier (Chifley) at the moment would have to be my favourite, being that he’s just so much fun and does so well for me.

How are your young horses shaping up? I’m very, very excited about the young ones we have. The breeding is just getting better and better and the young horses are looking very exciting. Thankfully I have my parents who have a very good eye for a young horse.

Do you have to balance study and horses? I no longer study, a decision made at the end of year ten, being that I was never home, always on the road and always riding. To be honest I never tried hard at school, being that I knew what I wanted to do. Being out of school and travelling all the time has opened my eyes a lot. I’ve had to prioritise my career, set myself goals and focus on what is important. I’ve gained a lot of life experience and met some unreal people.

Share a typical day in your life. Wake up early, feed the horses, make Pedro’s (Dad, Peter Simmonds) coffee, work all the horses, let the horses out and get them settled. Then it’s really just helping out in the office with mum, looking after the horses all day and I’m normally in the truck doing something. Feed up is normally pretty late, being that it’s so hot at home so we like to put the jet ski in the river and have a bit of fun, go for a run and relax at the end of the day.

Who’s your idol? I idolise Beezie Madden. She looks like such a hard worker and makes it look so easy! I’ve studied her videos on flatwork and she seems like an actual horse person. She knows how to get the best out of the horses without causing a fuss and gets them to work with her like a team. I admire that.

Who is your coach and what are their best words of advice for you? Gavin Chester has been my coach for the last four years. This year my dad tells me he’s been getting all the results as my coach, but then Mum was at Aussies to help me so she claims that one. But at the end of the day I’m lucky to be surrounded by great horse people and their best advice would be “you’re never too rich to listen and never too good to learn.”

How do you manage the highs and lows of the sport? Definitely the lows of the sport are hard, but I think you have to assure yourself that the hard times are there to shape you into a better athlete. I’m lucky that I’m surrounded by very level-headed people who are always there to push me through the tough times. I think also going back to Bourke, being that it’s so remote and different, I get a lot of down-time to myself which keeps your head clear. You’ve got to know how to get yourself out of the hard times and use them as fuel to succeed. Doing well and winning is just proof that you’re working hard and making it happen, but you’re always going to get bad times to test you so you might as well just keep smiling and enjoy the ride.

What are your future plans? This year I will compete in Australia and go back and forth from Europe as well. We have young horses there, and I also would like to spend a bit of time in America with my brother as he is basing over there this year. I haven’t got any major plans for this year, but I hope to one day be competing internationally, still producing young horses and hopefully competing for my country.

What is your advice for young up and coming riders? Remember where you started. No one is ever too good, so just enjoy the moment, set yourself some goals and tick them off one by one. Be hard on yourself but not too hard, you should be having fun. Oh, and always remember to smile.

What do you like to do outside of horses? I love to spend time on the river skiing — just being a kid, watching my brother play cricket on weekends, go for a run with my dogs and just keep my mind fresh.

Can’t live without? Pedro and Trace (Dad and Mum).

3 things we don’t know about Sally Simmonds?
1. I was never keen on showjumping.
2. I have a lot of trouble with my back (I probably wouldn’t pass trot up).
3. Mum has an old Quarter Horse called Bill and I always get on him bareback. He always pig roots so I pretend to be a bronc rider.

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