Showjumper strives for excellence

HER journey may have only started five years ago, but Leongatha’s Bella Farmer is making waves in the world of show jumping.
Formerly an elite gymnast, Bella made the switch to horse riding in recent years, sharing a similar passion for horses with her family.
Making the change wasn’t a stretch for Bella, as her time as a gymnast had given her the balance and body awareness needed to ride horses.
With a smooth transition, she far exceeds the standard for riders with the same level of experience.
Bella rides at her farm in Leongatha, having moved from Pearcedale around 15 months ago.
She works with six horses with the aim of developing showjumping champions.
Her recent successes include reaching the finals on a young mare at the Australian Showjumping Championships in November and winning Overall Reserve Champion at an interschool showjumping event in February.
She was representing Leongatha Secondary College, where she studies in Year 11.
Bella also made the Victorian Showjumping Squad, which accepts the state’s top 12 riders.
She intends to take part in the Australian Showjumping Championships in November again, with smaller events to look forward to in the lead up.
In the short term, Bella has set herself a series of goals to help her reach her dream of breaking in and producing young horses.
“It’s exciting to be able to see the improvement. I set weekly and monthly goals that are achievable and help me to compete with the young mares,” she said.
“In the long term, I want to produce young horses to World Cup level.”
Bella has trained with Brad Cunningham, who was originally based in New Zealand and now works in Cranbourne South.
The dedication to horses and show jumping has been a joy for the family.
“It’s a full time operation at home to help Bella reach her riding standard,” mum Bec said.
“We love seeing our kids working with the horses and striving to improve.”

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Jun 4 2019. Filed under Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry