Grace Murphie-Ryan and Pemberton Show Bizz, aka 'Teddy'. Image supplied.
As the Virtus Equestrian movement continues to blossom here in Australia, new faces are common at each event; this year’s Hawkesbury Dressage Festival was no different. Thirteen-year-old Grace Murphie-Ryan from Leeton, NSW is one young rider looking to kick some goals in life – and that she did with a successful Virtus outing at Sydney International Equestrian Centre last month.
Grace has a love of dressage, which she partially attributes to Teddy. Image by Oz Shotz.
Grace was born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and as a result lives with Autism, ADHD, general and separation anxiety, emotional dysregulation and chronic insomnia – however none of this has slowed down her love of horses.
Grace explains she has been riding for five years now and takes part in Equestrian Australia (EA) and Virtus Equestrian competitions with her pony, Pemberton Show Bizz, aka ‘Teddy’. “He is a dark bay 14hh Welsh x Riding Pony, and we compete at EA Novice/Elementary and Virtus Novice/Intermediate level,” says Grace.
Daily life can be tricky, as anxiety really gets in the way. Loud noises can be a trigger for Grace and insomnia makes her tired, but that doesn’t get in the road of her riding.
Grace explains she got into horse riding when she went for visits with her biological mother. She loved to get on and ride her pony, and that then turned into lessons at a local riding school. When the school shut down, she slowly turned to looking for a pony of her own. “My family encouraged my riding aspirations, and I’m thankful for that,” says Grace.
FALLING IN LOVE WITH DRESSAGE
Grace started having lessons with her amazing instructor, Sarah Venamore, who as well as Teddy made her fall in love with dressage. She adds that her love for the sport may also be partially due to Autism; Grace describes herself as a perfectionist, so while many of her friends where galloping at solid fences, Grace was practicing in the arena constantly and then slowly upping her game to the stage were she’s now training lateral movements at Elementary level with Teddy.
Her recent successes have made Grace look back to where she first started as a beginner, and she appreciates dressage even more. She’s also very thankful to have Teddy.
However, not only does Grace do dressage – while it is her focus this year, she also does quite a bit of eventing on the side as well!
Grace and Teddy enjoy competing. Image supplied.
“Grace and Teddy won all
three Virtus Grade II3 tests…”
MANY ACHIEVEMENTS
“When I first started riding, being scared was an emotion I felt,” explains Grace. Now, she’s ridden at big events such as Hawkesbury Dressage Festival and even Equitana; Grace has certainly overcome a lot and pushed through that fear.
Grace says riding at Equitana in Melbourne last year, where she represented her instructor in group lessons, was a highlight – and she would love to compete there again.
The Hawkesbury Dressage Festival at Sydney International Equestrian Centre in June was also a major highlight. Grace and Teddy won all three Virtus Grade II3 tests, scoring 69% in the Grade 4 Novice Test A, 68.2% in the Grade 4 Intermediate Test A, and 69.6% in the Freestyle. It was the pair’s most successful Virtus competition to date, and Grace was thrilled with the results and encouragement she received at the event.
Grace and Teddy love their dressage, but they also like to get out and do some eventing as well! Image supplied.
CHALLENGES
“The most challenging part of training a horse is probably my patience level, as that doesn’t really stretch,” explains Grace. “But it is always rewarding when you get there in the end; I love getting the reward of getting good marks and great comments on a dressage sheet or getting a movement I’ve been working on for a while… whatever it is, a great pressure releases inside.
“I’ve also gotten much better mentally for a show, but I will try and isolate myself from others before I get on and just watch or listen to something to get my mind off the nerves. I will always walk Teddy for at least 10 minutes before even entering the warmup, as it just makes it so much easier for us to warm up.
“I will always put Ted’s saddle on, then Mum will put his bridle on while I’ll put my helmet and boots on and give my tack a quick once over. This seems to help ground my nerves as well.”
Prior to competitions, Grace also has routines she likes to follow. “I wash Teddy before a competition using ‘Polished Ponies’. They are an Australian based company and use Australian ingredients to make their products.
“My favourite grooming routine is probably to use my ‘Hairy Pony’ copper bristle brush first, then a stiff brush, followed by a soft brush… then I’ll start on Teddy’s tail, which I only brush with something in it to detangle and prevent breakage.”
Grace and Teddy at Hawkesbury Dressage Festival, where they were the Virtus II3 Champions. Image by Jenny Carroll.
“It’s all about having fun
and not putting so much
pressure on myself…”
FUTURE GOALS
One piece of advice Grace would like to give other riders is to just have fun. “As of late I am reminding myself it’s all about having fun and not putting so much pressure on myself,” she says.
While fun is the name of the game, Grace still has big goals for the future. She hopes to make the Australian team for the 2027 Virtus Global Games. (At the 2023 edition of the Games, Australia was very successful and actually claimed team gold alongside many individual accolades). Another goal is to return to Equitana and compete, and Grace has her fingers crossed that the event will add para dressage classes to the program in the future.
Further afield, Grace has Paralympic aspirations. “I’m also hopeful for the 2032 Brisbane Paralympics, as Virtus may be a part of the Paralympic program by then.”
In the meantime, it’s wonderful to see Virtus Equestrian continuing to grow here in Australia, and with riders like Grace coming up through the ranks, the future continues to look bright. EQ
Grace has big goals for the future – but most importantly, she loves her pony! Image by Grain & Mane.
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