Daisy inspired by brush with champ
DAISY Fielding is ready to take on the state’s best young riders this weekend after returning from the World Equestrian Championships in the USA as a spectator.
The 18-year-old has been inspired by her whirlwind trip where she met Australian legend Kristy Oatley who set an Australian record and finished 12th at the world event.
Fielding, who is part of Bond University’s elite sport program, will compete at the Queensland Young Rider Championship in Caboolture this weekend.
“I came home motivated and wanting to ride, it was such a great experience,” the Bond University Sport Management student said.
“One of our Aussie riders Kristy Oatley had an Australian record and I got to meet her which was very inspiring. I got a photo with her and was fan-girling a bit.
“It really has given me more inspiration to want to ride.”
Fielding was only three years old when she first sat on a pony and fell in love with horses. As a kid she would beg her parents every weekend to take her to the Carrara markets to ride the ponies.
Without a horse of her own, her opportunity to ride came via riding camps in the school holidays.
“I got my love of horse riding at the Carrara markets, as a kid I’d beg my parents to take me there every weekend,” she said.
“I kept showing interest so mum found ways to feed my love of horses and riding.
“I’d go to riding school and riding camps in the school holidays, I spent time with really experienced horse people and tagged along to events with them, and I just kept getting more and more into it.
“Mum and Dad leased my first horse when I was 13 and we haven’t really looked back.
“I am really grateful now to be an Adco Sports Excellence Scholarship recipient at Bond University.
“It’s enabling me to continue my pretty intense training and competition regimen while studying at Bond.”
Fielding will compete against riders aged 10-25 at the Queensland State Equestrian Centre, on her horse Fairbanks Davinci, who is affectionately known as Vinnie.
She trains every day at 5am on her family’s property in Mudgeeraba before going to Bond during the day to complete her sport management study. One day she hopes to emulate Oatley and represent Australia.
“Working with animals is always a challenge. You are trying to train and get better yourself, but you are training your horse at the same time,” she said.
“Patience, discipline and repetition – that’s how they learn, you need to be patient.
“You have to really get to know your horse and when they are training you have to be able to ride differently depending on how he is feeling.
“You need to get the best outcome you can based on how they are going. You can only push them so far, so you need to be able to read that and work with them.”