Jye Thurgate riding the five-year-old winner, MP Phoenix Rising. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.
Last month, German-based Australian Jye Thurgate was in town as the guest rider for the Sydney CDI where he rode eight young horse finalists across the age classes. Here, he shares with us what he looks for at each level.
When Jye Thurgate spoke with Suzy Jarratt ahead of his trip to Australia for the 2025 Sydney CDI, he said that he would be looking for young horses that were willing, comfortable and trained according to the Training Scale. “I’d prefer to see the horse tracking up with a topline that moves,” he said. “There shouldn’t be too much other than that unless the horse offers it. I’d rather see at an early age more swing than cadence – then later the rider can reach higher.”
We caught up with Jye following the event to learn more about what the 31-year-old was looking for in Australia’s top young horses.
Jye Thurgate riding four-year-old Remi Braveheart. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.
‘IT’S EXCITING FOR THE FUTURE’
“With a four-year-old, I’d be looking that the horse is finding a good rhythm to start with and seeking a good contact,” begins Jye. “They also must be happy to be in front of the rider’s aids, between both legs and hands. The four-year-olds, I was quite impressed with [at the Sydney CDI]. They did a good job. It’s a lot of atmosphere in the indoor arena [at Sydney International Equestrian Centre] and they coped well. In the beginning they were quite tense, but they all came back to me. The horses showed really good quality and it’s exciting for the future, especially here in Australia.”
“It’s a lot of atmosphere
in the indoor arena.”
Stepping up to the five-year-olds, Jye explains that with more training and time to develop, there is an expectation that these horses are now beginning to step up the training scale.
“We want to see a bit more impulsion and collection; the horses did a really good job [at the Sydney CDI]. And within the collection work, we obviously have the simple changes and some counter canter to test that,” explains Jye.
Jye Thurgate riding the five-year-old Glenhill Totil Star, who was a little tense in the atmosphere. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.
While she wasn’t crowned the winner, Glenhill Totil Star (ridden by Riley Alexander for owner Christan Trainor) did catch Jye’s attention; due to time out through injury, the mare had only been to a handful of competitions and consequently was a bit green.
“In the beginning, maybe it was the atmosphere, she was feeling a bit tense and high in the neck, and when she started relaxing and coming back to my aids, I had a great feeling. I could get her a little bit rounder and more relaxed. I could feel there was a lot in that horse, in walk, trot, canter, I think it’s a complete horse for the future horse.”
“I think it’s a complete
horse for the future horse.”
In the six-year-old class, the winner Emillio (ridden by Rodney Martin) was a standout for Jye. “The winner of the six-year-old class, that was really established in all the six-year-old movements. He was really in front of the rider and the horse could really sit and had good self-carriage. Everything was very safe.”
TRAINING SCALE COMING TOGETHER
“There’s a high degree of difficulty as we go up the training scale, and from the age groups we want to see the horses tackle the movements required in each age group from four, five, six, seven,” says Jye.
By seven years of age, he likes to have the feeling the training scale is beginning to all come together. “We want to see the whole criteria of the training scale… we want more collection, impulsion, and straightness with these horses. The changes are very important. We want to secure them as six-year-olds, and by seven, we hope that they’re pretty safe and on the aid.”
At this stage, Jye is also looking for the horse’s potential for the canter pirouette. “I test this by starting to canter on a smaller circle, yielding in, and testing the collection and how well these horses can sit.”
Jye Thurgate, originally from Wagga Wagga and now living in Germany with his partner Stefan Wolff, of course also has his own young stars at home. Without giving too much away, he hints that there could be a few to watch down the track.
“I have a couple of nice young horses that could have a bright future. We’re working away and I hope that we can get somewhere there.”
Catch up on all the young horse winners at the Sydney CDI via Roger Fitzhardinge’s report here.
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