Glenhill Mr Hollywood with owner Christan Trainor, trainer Riley Alexander, and competition rider Alison Gill. Image by Simon Scully.
Glenhill Mr Hollywood has rewritten the record books for Australian-bred ponies. His journey from unlikely stallion to Young Pony champion underscores the impact of thoughtful breeding, correct training and extraordinary temperament.
The 2026 edition of P.S.I. Dressage & Jumping with the Stars is just around the corner, and with the event comes a celebration of Australian breeding. DJWTS shines a spotlight on rising talent each year – and some of that talent continues to shine for many years to come.
Glenhill Mr Hollywood with Alison Gill in the saddle. Image by Simon Scully.
One name that has repeatedly appeared at the top of the results sheets in recent seasons is Glenhill Mr Hollywood. The German Riding Pony stallion, owned by Christan Trainor of Glenhill Sporthorses, is the first pony to ever win both State and National titles as a four-, five- and six-year-old.
Christan never originally set out to have a pony stallion as part of her breeding program. In fact, German Riding Ponies weren’t part of her original plan when she moved to the Southern Highlands from the United States a little over 15 years ago.
Christan first crossed paths with German Riding Ponies in the States, but it wasn’t until she met a special pony in Australia that she began to see them as serious dressage prospects.
“I had a client with a pony name FS Golden Storm, and he was the first German Riding Pony ever imported into Australia,” recalls Christan. “He was about 15 years old and competing Medium level when I started riding him. I ended up taking him to FEI level and he was absolutely the most fun. He was like a little horse rather than a pony, and he could hold his own with the horses. He changed my perspective entirely about German Riding Ponies.”
“I never intended
to have a stallion…”
Glenhill Mr Hollywood as a foal. Image by Christan Trainor.
THE MAKING OF A HOLLYWOOD STAR
When Christan sourced an embryo in utero by Movie Star and out of the imported Dutch mare Nobis Juliette, she had no idea whether the resulting foal would be a colt or a filly.
“I never intended to have a stallion, but ‘Nacho’ was just always so laid back and I thought I’d keep him as a colt as long as he wasn’t being colty, just to develop his body type… and then he never got colty!”
Christan ultimately decided to present him for licensing with the Westphalian Stud Book as a five-year-old, reasoning that if he didn’t pass, it would be a good excuse to geld him.
“Mr Hollywood has been a standout from the time he was born. We never had big dreams for all that he has achieved, but he clearly had other plans! We put him up for licensing with Westphalia in Germany, fully expecting he would not be accepted as it is very hard to achieve this here in Australia. And of course he was accepted.”
COMPETITION SUCCESS
“We then rode him and thought, ‘This is just a bit of fun, he’s lovely and easy but there are imported ponies in his age group here and surely he won’t beat them’,” recalls Christan of Nacho’s early days under saddle, ahead of his first DJWTS appearance as a four-year-old.
“We took him to DJWTS just wanting to see how he would handle the big atmosphere – it’s the biggest for a young horse or pony in Australia – and he ended up winning. This was a wonderful surprise and not expected but he didn’t put a foot wrong and showed us he really is a top competitor.
“Then he backed that up by winning Champion Four-Year-Old Pony at Sydney CDI [which serves as the NSW Young Dressage Horse and Pony Championships] and being crowned Champion of Champions Pony there that year. We knew we had something special.”
Alison and Nacho at Sydney CDI. Image by Amy-Sue Alston.
Further success quickly followed.
“He has since gone on to win both State and Nation Pony Champion [DJWTS being the Australian Young Dressage Horse and Pony Championship] the next year in the five-year-olds and again the following year in the six-year-olds. He was also crowned Champion of Champions Pony at Sydney CDI again as a six-year-old.
“It was very special for us as a team here at Glenhill for Nacho to finish his Young Pony career undefeated [there are no seven-year-old pony classes] and the first pony ever to win all the age groups each year. When he won the Champion of Champions Pony as a six-year-old at Sydney CDI as his final Young Pony swansong, we were so happy as he works so hard and always brings his A game; we really thought he deserved it and such a special way to end his Young Pony classes.”
Alison Gill has been Nacho’s competition partner throughout all of his successes, with Riley Alexander of Alexander Equestrian responsible for training the stallion at home.
Glenhill Mr Hollywood competing at the Sydney CDI with Alison Hill in the saddle. Image by Simon Scully.
Nacho has a very easy temperament. Image by Christan Trainor.
TRAINING WITH RILEY
“Riley has been the only one to train Mr Hollywood, and he’s done that so well that the stallion has been catch ridden and won each time. Riley is a true credit our team and success,” says Christan.
Riley says he is not biggest fan of having stallions around that he doesn’t believe in. “I’m not interested in dealing with the stallion behaviours, especially if the quality isn’t there. I said to Christan, ‘I’ll call it… if Nacho’s not good enough, he’ll be a lovely gelding.’”
Nacho has never given Riley a reason to make that call and the stallion has successfully moved up through the levels.
“The training process is very much the same [between Warmbloods and German Riding Ponies]; I just look at them like little Warmbloods, which essentially they are,” says Riley, who also rides Glenhill’s Warmblood mares. “A young horse is a young horse. That being said, Mr Hollywood, he is very easy. I’ve never had to think about lungeing him beforehand or anything like that,” adds Riley.
“He’s the epitome of the German Riding Pony,” continues Christan. “He’s treated like a normal horse at our place, and now that he’s proven himself both in competition and in temperament as a stallion.”
To date, Nacho has produced impressive offspring.
“His foals have been everything we could have wished for and more,” enthuses Christan. “He’s covered a range of mares from imported Warmbloods, German Riding Ponies, Thoroughbreds and all in between. His foals have been some of the top scorers in the country, and all of them have in common his wonderful easy temperament and try attitude. He is really a once in a lifetime stallion here for us.”
Some of Glenhill Mr Hollywood’s progeny.
Alison with Nacho at the 2025 Sydney CDI, where he was crowned NSW Champion Six-Year-Old Pony and Champion of Champions Pony. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.
GRAND PRIX GOALS
“As Riley reminds me daily, this pony has won more rugs and titles than any of his or our previous or current horses… and he’s only just seven!”
While Glenhill Mr Hollywood has concluded his Young Pony career, his competition journey is far from over.
“He’s now schooling the Prix St Georges at age seven, and his aim is for Grand Prix, which he shows all the talent and capability to achieved,” says Christan.
“He is truly our once in a lifetime pony, as not only has he stepped up for everything we have presented to him, he’s a joy to have around and makes us smile every day. He’s so easy, and fun to ride. He’s really created an awesome team with Riley Alexander and Alison Gill and me, and is the reason we should all be pursuing this sport; for the fun, the team and the enjoyment of the horse. I feel so lucky to have him here and create this for us.” EQ
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