Alanna Richards
An experienced show rider with a string of Royal Champions and Reserve Championships behind her, Alanna is ideally placed to help you make your show ring dreams a reality. But for Alanna, who has some great mentors herself, it’s not just about the riding and show ring successes; it’s about constant improvement and being a good horsewoman.
Helped by her mum who also loved horses, Alanna started riding at a local riding school when she was four. Throughout her childhood, she did “lots of everything” but loved show jumping. When she was about seven, she became friends with showy people and got Kobe, her first show pony, who she rode and competed with for several years.
Next came a string of quality show horses. She competed at Royals and Grand Nationals until her early teens, when she rode casually for a few years before becoming serious about her sport again.
In 2016 she purchased her “best horse” France, and in 2018 moved to South Australia to train with Chris and Vicki Lawrie, who have a wealth of show ring experience. She has won many titles with France, including Royal Championships, Reserve Championships, Reserve at Grand Nationals, and two Reserves at EA Nationals, along with many other Royal show wins and placings, National and Royal Show Child’s Champions, and HOTY titles.
Image Above: Lisa and France have won Royal Championships, Reserve Championships, and Reserve at Grand Nationals (Image by Lisa Gordon Photography).
Vicki Roycroft
Congo Z, the last horse with whom Vicki won a World Cup Qualifier, at home at the Roycroft Stables in Mount White (Image courtesy Vicki Roycroft).
With a work ethic that puts many younger riders in the shade, this self-confessed “not great” Junior rider became an elite athlete and a household name. A three-time Olympian, Vicki Roycroft has won more World Cup Qualifiers than any other Australian rider. She has represented Australia at four World Cup Finals, is an NCAS Level III Show Jumping and Eventing Coach, has previously served as Chair on the EA National Show Jumping Committee and the Australian Show Jumping Riders Association, and was the recipient of an Australian Sports Medal.
One of Vicki’s best known horses was Apache, a 15.2hh Thoroughbred with a dismal racing history who she bought for $500. But Apache went on to win the Grand Prix at Wentworth Park, and was runner-up in the Geneva World Cup.
In 1987, Vicki and Apache won the Rome Grand Prix, one of the most hotly contested events on the planet, against an outstanding field that included Katherine Burdsall and The Natural who a few weeks previously had won the World Cup. That victory made Vicki the first woman and the first Australian to win the title, and propelled Apache into the ranks of the world’s top ten horses.
Today Vicki still competes, produces horses at her Mount White property, and enjoys teaching and coaching as a way of giving back to the equestrian community.
To apply for our Mentoring Program & Life After Racing Mentor Program follow the link: https://equestrianhub.com.au/mentoring-program/apply-for-mentorship/
