Sophia Hill and Tulara Baltango were crowned the CCI4*L champions at this year's Melbourne International Three-Day Event. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
Sophia Hill first rode at Melbourne International Three-Day Event 10 years ago. That was in the Junior one-star as a 17-year-old. She couldn’t have expected that 10 years later, she would be back there in the four-star on Tulara Baltango, let alone that she’d be winning it. Sophia admits that as time has progressed, so too have her goals. “My aspirations are much bigger now,” she says.
As a Victorian and originally a Melburnian, Sophia viewed MI3DE as a pinnacle event growing up. “This event was always the goal to get to, the one to aim for,” she says. “It’s pretty special to win it.”
It’s even more special, considering this is not only Sophia’s first win at MI3DE, but also her first CCI4*L (four-star long format) win too. Which seems surprising, given her impressive and consistent performances across both the eventing and show jumping scenes throughout recent years.
The rain wasn’t going to dampen Sophia Hill and Tulara Baltango’s spirit at this year’s MI3DE! Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
“My goal was to win. I knew
Tango was good enough and
that we would be going for the
time on cross country…”
“My goal was to win. I knew Tango was good enough and that we would be going for the time on cross country,” says Sophia.
The commitment to taking the top spot was always there for Sophia; she approaches all events competitively. But her recent mistake at Adelaide CCI5*L, where she missed a fence in the show jumping, lit a fire within to chase down the Melbourne title.
“It was such a shock. It’s been hard to come to terms with. Of all the things you worry about going wrong, that just wasn’t one of them,” Sophia reflects.
Sophia says the heartbreak of Adelaide wasn’t just making a mistake at a crucial moment. “It’s what I’ve worked my whole life for,” she explains. Sophia’s resolve is incredible. She admits that she is “grateful to have been in a position to lose a five-star”, because it also means she was good enough to be in a position to win one, too.
To the eventing community, there is every confidence that a CCI5*L win is on the cards for Sophia one day. “But that doesn’t just happen either, that’s a lot of hard work and timing to be in the right spot to have a chance,” says Sophia.
She admits that the drive home from Adelaide was “the worst” – but it also led to her resolve to win MlI3DE. “It was just utter disappointment. I was so relieved to get back home,” reflects Sophia. That long drive home with her husband, Andy, left lots to think about and even more to feel. “Andy has taken this dream of mine on as his own, he’s amazing like that… I felt worse for him than I even did for myself.”
The journey back did have a silver lining though; it yielded a commitment from Sophia and Andy that has motivated them through the past month. “We said ‘well, now we have to go and win Melbourne!’”
With that declaration steering her towards the June long weekend at Werribee, Sophia got back into a routine and back on the horses, particularly Tulara Baltango, her MI3DE partner and Adelaide CCI4*S second place ride.
Sophia and Humble Glory, pictured here competing at Defender Burghley Horse Trials. Image by Hannah Cole Photography.
ANOTHER TOP TULARA HORSE
At 16.2hh and rising ten, Tango has grown up and found his groove. “He’s so trained now that most of his quirks don’t really show,” says Sophia, adding the gelding can still be quite particular and likes things a certain way. “He wouldn’t get on the truck to leave Melbourne. He likes to be second on the truck, not first,” laughs Sophia. “He’s super cuddly and likes people, and can be just a bit arrogant at times, but it now comes through as athleticism.”
It was Tango’s athleticism that first caught Sophia’s attention. Image by Click Capture.
That athleticism is what Sophia noticed when she first saw Tango out competing as a five-year old at EvA80 with Sarah Jelbart. “I thought, oh that’s a really nice horse!” He wasn’t for sale, but Sophia rode him one week later and says she then convinced Sarah to let her buy him.
You’d be forgiven for assuming that with a ‘Tulara’ prefix, Tango came directly from Tulara Warmbloods. Sophia’s name has become synonymous with Tulara as a result of her close friendship with the late Mark Fraser, owner and founder of Tulara Warmbloods.
“It started a few years ago with one stallion, Tulara Ziniero (recently sold to Prairie Sport Horses in America). I had the opportunity to have a part ownership and produce him. He won the four-year-old class at Jumping with the Stars, something Mark had always aimed for.”
One Tulara horse turned into more, and Sophia’s 100-acre property at Mansfield – ‘Bluebell Park’ –now hosts many Tulara progeny in its paddocks, along with a number of Bluebell horses from her own breeding program. “We use the Tulara stallions for their incredible jumping bloodlines and have a range of Warmblood and Thoroughbred mares. We’re aiming for seven Bluebell foals this year.”
The Tulara name is best known for its affinity with breeding show jumping horses, but Sophia says she was slowly convincing Mark that eventing is just as good! “He would have been really proud to have Tulara horses hold the top two spots after cross country at Melbourne,” says Sophia. ‘Tulara Chicouve’, ridden by Hannah Klep, held second place after the CCI4*L cross country at Melbourne, finishing in a final position of third.
Mark’s passing was “a huge shock” for Sophia. So much of her daily routine involved him. “We spoke on the phone most days. I’d go and help him free-jump the young ones and he loved to come here to watch them under saddle too.”
The Tulara legacy proudly lives on for Sophia, and she credits the Tulara bloodlines with Tango’s trainability, resulting in a meteoric rise through the levels from EVA80 to CCI4* in less than five years. “He’s been a great horse to produce; he’s purpose bred, and he just finds everything so easy.
Off the track Thoroughbred Humble Glory is a very quick cross country horse. Image by Hannah Cole Photography.
PRODUCING FAST HORSES
Sophia is no stranger to producing a horse from their very beginnings to the elite levels. Her other top level ride, Humble Glory or ‘Hughie’, is famously known for being an off the track success story. Hughie arrived in a stock crate at Sophia’s and has gone on to CCI5*L level; he’s one of the fastest Australian event horses of the modern era. Although Sophia has produced both horses to be lightning quick across the country and super clean in the show jumping, she acknowledges that they’re “very different.”
“Hughie is incredibly fast,” says Sophia, “Whereas Tango has a good gallop and is adjustable.” This is what makes him – and really, all of Sophia’s eventers – some of the fastest out there.
Despite the difference in their breeds, both Hughie and Tango appear to charge around a course in a very similar fashion, a result of the great trust they have in Sophia, who admits that she is fortunate that the cross country phase comes naturally to her. “I adjust them only when needed and minimally. I let them do what they need to and don’t interfere,” she explains.
She has great trust in them too. Like when Tango jumped off the bridge at Melbourne and cut out a stride to the B element: “I knew when he took off that it was a bigger leap than planned, and when I landed, I just saw the four strides. I changed my plan in that instant and trusted Tango to do it.”
Whilst the cross country phase feels natural, Sophia admits that on the flip side, she’s had to work hard to learn dressage. She says this point was highlighted during her trip to the UK last year with Humble Glory: “It was a great opportunity to see first-hand the standard and to know how good we must be to be competitive with the best. I know two of my three phases (cross country and show jumping) are up there with them.”
Sophia says she was fairly happy with Tango’s dressage at MI3DE. Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
“I was fairly happy with [Tango’s] dressage at Melbourne,” says Sophia. “Although I was hoping for a better score, the flying changes were a bit costly, being a double mark. He needs some fine tuning, and he’s still young so I know he is definitely capable of a better score.”
Holding seventh place, Sophia and Tango parked the fine tuning of the dressage phase for later and sped into, or rather around, the very wet cross country at Werribee Park. “He was amazing! Incredibly brave the whole way around, and it was a big step up to run competitively to chase the time. Although he’s not Thoroughbred he came back full of running and fit. I can just imagine how my phone call with Mark post-cross country would have gone. He would have been so proud.”
A fit and happy Tango trotted up Monday morning, much to the credit of Sophia’s groom, Bianca Christian. “She loves him as I do, I’m so grateful for her,” says Sophia. Credit must also go to husband Andy, who is not only a farrier but was the official farrier for MI3DE.
Sophia’s parents were also on hand to swing into grandparent mode and look after hers and Andy’s son, Ollie, during the event. “They’re not horsey people but they’re so supportive of this.”
PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE
Support is definitely needed, both in the physical and mental sense when holding the overnight lead at a three-day event.
“I’ve never actually been in the lead going into show jumping,” says Sophia. She’s held second many times, but never had the pressure of being last to jump. “I spent most of the day in the lead-up trying to distract myself. I told myself I knew what to do. I know my process; I know how to warm my horse up and I know how to jump a clear round.”
Keen to put Adelaide firmly in the past and leave it there, Sophia knew she needed to deliver under pressure – and that they did, with only the one rail added to their final score. “I was so relieved,” reflects Sophia. “I was absolutely thrilled with him… I now have my [2026 FEI World Championship] qualification and hopefully a championship horse in the making.”
Sophia was determined to put Adelaide behind her when she entered the show jumping arena with Tango at MI3DE. Image by Michelle Teralto Photography.
INTERNATIONAL GOALS
With two horses now proven and competitive at the elite levels, the winter period will be used to plan out the season ahead and to look forward towards the long-term plan. “My ultimate goal is to represent Australia, so I’m working towards that,” says Sophia, who was short-listed for the Paris Olympics last year with Humble Glory.
That long-term vision requires more than just determination and talent — it also calls for clever planning and support. Sophia is not only mapping out her training and competition calendar, but also thinking practically about the resources needed to stay on track. She understands that reaching the international stage is as much about opportunity and backing as it is about performances, something she was made aware of during her time in the UK last year. “I noticed overseas that everyone has ‘owners’ that are either fully or partially funding their competition campaigns. I’m welcoming of the opportunity for ownership or syndication for any of my horses here, it would make a huge difference.”
Building that kind of support network at home is one of the options Sophia is considering, and it’s a great option for people to connect with the sport from the sidelines to share a passion and vision. It works well overseas, and there’s every reason for it to work in the Australian eventing scene.
For now, Sophia remains focused, steadily building toward her goal. With her talent, determination, and a strong team of horses behind her, it’s easy to imagine her donning the green and gold and representing Australia on the world stage — hopefully in the not-too-distant future. EQ
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