Stuart Jenkins the Cachassini II were the 2025 JNSW Senior Indoor Champions. Image by Arcadia Images.
The 2025 Peel River Produce NSW State Indoor Show Jumping Championships took place from 20-23 February at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) in Tamworth, with competitors keen to get their year into gear with a high-calibre event.
Molly Mooney and JB Evolution claimed the 2025 JNSW Young Rider Indoor Title. Image by Arcadia Images.
Separate to the NSW State Jumping Championships held later in the year, the Indoor Championships give riders the opportunity to compete at a top-level show with a World Cup-type indoor stadium atmosphere.
“Tamworth is a real regional centre, and for riders in our area it’s really important they feel the sport of show jumping is not necessarily a five-hour drive to Sydney away… we’ve got a world class facility on their doorstep here in regional New South Wales,” says event director Martin Gostelow.
Run by North and Northwest Showjumping Club this year, the Championships saw Senior, Young Rider, Junior and Amateur Champions crowned in front of enthusiastic spectators and an electric indoor atmosphere. The Championship titles were decided based on the overall results across two rounds of competition (Round 1 and a Final).
All about the atmosphere and having fun, the Indoor Championships kicked off with a welcome barbecue that catered for over 400 people. This was sponsored by local business Jack’s Creek Steaks who gave the event an “international flavour”.
“Jack’s Creek have been voted the best steak in the world in 2023 and 2024 at an international competition,” explains Martin. “We’re very proud of them locally as world number one!”
STUART JENKINS & CACHASSINI II CLAIM SENIOR INDOOR TITLE
Stuart Jenkins and Cachassini II (by Cacha S out of Varese, by San Patrignano Cassini) were crowned the JNSW Senior Indoor Champions after consistent performances across both rounds.
“We had a really smart win from Stuart Jenkins, who has just recovered from injury and was at his first show back with Cachassini II,” explains Martin. “Stuart was the National Senior Champion in 2023 with his homebred mare Fairview Alicana, and Cachassini II was also a National Senior Champion in 2022 with Tom McDermott. Cachassini II was a stallion, and then he came to Stuart and was also gelded. He’s been progressing well and went superbly.”
James Mooney and grey mare KPH Cavatina claimed the 2025 Peel River Produce Grand Prix (which served as the JNSW Senior Final), just pipping Stuart and Cachassini II, with Gemma Creighton and Dada Des Brimbelles Z rounding out the podium. Olivia Hamood also made a successful return from injury to place fourth with Knockout 111, followed by Hugh Buchan and Christamour D, Nicolas Taliana and Adesman, and William Wood riding Powehouse Park Ego Roc filling the placings.
“Olivia Hamood has lost none of her magic,” says Martin on the rider’s comeback from a compound fracture of the leg. “Olivia won the opening round of the Senior Title on day one and finished third in the overall rankings. She made the comment that the mare felt beautiful and was getting down her lines in the AELEC indoor better than ever before.”
JB EVOLUTION TURNS BACK TIME WITH MOLLY MOONEY
Molly Mooney and 19-year-old Warmblood x Thoroughbred JB Evolution (by Mr Blue out of Amarco, by Family Ties) were named the 2025 JNSW Young Rider Indoor Champions, also taking out the Portable Horse Stables Young Rider Final.
Lorna Clifford and Waratone were second in the final, ahead of Olivia Gostelow and Tulara Cristo, Holly Tomkins and Finch Farm Vroom, Olivia Gostelow again – this time with Belhaven Coolibah – and then Zoe Grant and Snowy River Billy Jim rounding out the placings.
“She won on her father’s old World Cup horse, Blue,” explains Martin. “Blue was a stallion when James Mooney would ride him in World Cup competitions, and now as a gelding he’s had a couple of years with Molly, and she’s been going gangbusters with him, starting in the Juniors a couple of years ago and now pushing into Young Riders. Molly rode really, really well to win the Young Rider title.”
Martin’s daughter, Olivia, also rode some cracking rounds – made all the more impressive given she’s another rider who’s just returned from injury after being sidelined with a serious back injury.
Molly also won the New England Girls School Junior Final riding JB Delightful, with Makaylah Fenwick filling the podium aboard Grace and Glory and The Garret respectively. Makaylah was crowed the 2025 JNSW Indoor Junior Champion, with both of her horses – Grace and Glory and The Garret – leading the overall junior standings.
Gemma Creighton and Dada Des Brimbelles Z won the Peter Hoffman Memorial Cup. Image by Arcadia Images.
Filling the placings in the Junior Final were Tayla Ryan and Greengrove Hestia – a student of Martin’s – Georgina Pillar and Joselands Cosmic Star, Jake McEvoy and Sandhills Swing, Luiza Dias Marucio and Crumpet Xtreme, and Savannah Hallgath with La Luna Celeste.
Chelsea Berg and Counta Rocks were the 2025 JNSW Amateur Indoor Champions, also claiming the KSM Equine Shots Amateur Final. Chelsea was also named the Jumping NSW Amateur of the Year Series winner.
Following them in the KSM Equine Shots Amateur Final were Nicole Kennedy and Mitza Frosty in second place, and then Lori James and Bond Girl, Elissa Schneider and Carve It Up, Aanicka Grant and Alumni, Bridie George and Southern Cross Rea, Jesse Knight and Pippins Mini Cooper, and Brooke Richardson with Finch Farm Fed X.
The AELEC 1.30m Speed Class was also a thrilling contest, with William Wood and Grady edging out Ryan McDermott and Montana MVNZ.
GEMMA CREIGHTON WINS PETER HOFFMAN MEMORIAL CUP
The Peter Hoffman Memorial Cup, presented by Hunter Homes, saw serious competition and serious horsepower. In the end it was Gemma Creighton who took home the Cup with the in-form French-bred gelding Dada Des Brimbelles Z (by Darco), owned by Graham and Linda Huddy.
The Cup is traditional event in memory of Peter Hoffman, one of the founding people of the North and Northwest Shore Jumping Club. “He was an ex-president of the club and was part and parcel of the NSW Jumping Council as well as the team that instigated the concepts for the building of AELEC itself,” explains Martin. “He was also a really popular volunteer and just really put his heart and soul into the sport.”
TOP COURSE DESIGN
The Indoor Championships were fortunate to have excellent course designers, led by FEI Level 3 Course Designer Mark Atkins who took care of Ring 1 in the indoor. Mark is not only sought after here in Australia, but also in New Zealand.
“Mark found that the surface was riding so well in the indoor that he was actually extending his distances between fences, from traditional indoor shorter distances to actually opening up to more traditional outdoor surface distances, as the horses were getting down their lines so well,” notes Martin.
“FEI Level 2 Course Designer Rebecca Henry from Queensland was our Ring 2 outside course designer. She built fantastic courses. Rebecca has just come back from Germany and the United States and is about to go back to the West Coast of the US where she will join FEI Level 4 Course Designer Olaf Petersen Junior – the designer who built the courses for the 2024 Australian Jumping Championships at Willinga Park – at a CSI5* competition as his assistant.
In Ring 3 was FEI Level 2 Course Designer Arslan Ansari. “As show director, I think it is equally as important in terms of the course building on these rings as it is on the main ring,” muses Martin. “You’re looking after the newbies coming into the sport, you’re looking after children, you’re looking after young horses. Courses must be free and easy to access and nothing too silly.
“All three course designers throughout the four days of jumping produced some marvellous classes, and everybody was raving about the quality of the courses. And of course, the AELEC surfaces rode beautifully.”
SEASON SPRINGBOARD
Having the Indoor Championships at AELEC in February gives riders a platform from which to move forward for the rest of the year.
“Because of this event’s timing, it’s sets up two things: one, it sets up those that had a particularly good show as a massive platform to leap forward to the rest of the year with confidence in the knowledge that they’ve had a real hit out with some testing atmosphere with some brilliant course building. On the other side of the coin, it also gives riders who perhaps didn’t have the show that they wanted plenty of time early in the year to work on a few little quirks.
“Some of those senior professional riders and their horses, they will be back for the Tamworth World Cup (28-31 August) where the atmosphere will be tenfold. They’ve given their horses real exposure early in the year to the indoor atmosphere and a little bit more of a pressure cauldron, and so they’re used to it. As all horse riders know, confidence is king, is key. They know they can excel in it. When we see them return in August, it will be a great spectacle!” EQ
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