Sky’s the limit for Hauraki showjumper

A Hauraki show jumper is set to face her obstacles head-on when she gears up for an international competition in South America.
In May, 15-year-old Camryn Young will head to Argentina to take part in the Global Amateur Tour, which offers amateur horse riders the opportunity to experience all the excitement, adrenaline, and professionalism of competing internationally.
She will spend her first two days trialling horses around various stables in Buenos Aires, before jumping in three rounds over three days from the onset of the competition on May 10.
“It was around Christmastime when we got the letter that said I’d been accepted, and I could not believe it, I was so incredibly excited,” she told The Profile.
The Hauraki Plains College student trains with Julia Johnston from Starlight Farm, and because she’s had experience in riding a different collection of equines, she said she wasn’t daunted by the fact she’ll have to bond with a new, Argentinian horse.
“I’m used to getting on different horses,” she said. “You start to get a feel [for each] and adapt quite quickly. It could be tricky to adjust, but they give you a selection of horses and you ride them and see which one suits best and which one you click with the most.”
Camryn’s skills in showjumping were recently showcased at Horse of the Year, where she rode StarlightIvanhoe and StarlightSahara. On the former, she came third in the ESNZ Show Hunter show jumping equitation, and now wants to ride StarlightIvanhoe during the Pony Grand Prix.
Luckily, Camryn said she’s always been very organised. As she heads into her first year of NCEA exams, her useful tool for keeping on track is a whiteboard.
“The horses have a routine, and there’s certain things they do each day, but when it comes to school work, I just try to do as much as I possibly can,” she said. “I find it not too hard to keep on top of everything.”
Camryn will head over to South America with her mum Sheena and dad Matt – who have always supported her equine passions even though they are not “horse people” themselves.
“I am a perfectionist, so mum and dad always have to remind me to wait a moment and look at what I’ve done,” she explained. “But I do love it, even though there’s definitely days where I go: ‘Why do I do this?’. Everyone gets that with anything they do, and it’s about being able to switch past it because you do love it and you want it so bad that you’d do anything to achieve it.”
DETAILS: Camryn is currently seeking sponsorship and has plans to raise funds for the trip. To keep up to date with her sporting achievements, find Camryn Young Equestrian on Facebook.