Meet Our Sponsored Athletes
Bellaroo Equestrian - Will Matthews & Sara Ryan
Discipline: Show Jumpers & Racing
Based: Central Coast, New South Wales
Bellaroo Equestrian in Jilliby on the central coast of NSW is the home base for showjumper Will Mathew and racehorse trainer Sara Ryan.
Will’s focus is on producing riders and horses mainly in Showjumping whilst maintaining a strong focus on the need for correct foundations found within dressage and flat work.
Aside from coaching, Will has produced and competed horses to World Cup level and currently has a team of horses ranging from just broken to Grand Prix level.
Will started riding at 11 years of age and focused primarily on eventing growing up. Against his high school career’s advisors opinion, once finishing high school Will was determined to be a professional rider. Will groomed and worked as a working pupil for 7 years under some of Australia’s top eventing show jumping riders before starting his own business in 2017.
Sara Ryan has an extensive history in showjumping having grown up in the sport but in recent years has seen that focus shift toward the racing industry.
She’s managed and run a large pre training facility on the Central Coast since 2017 and since taking out her trainers licence at the end of 2021 has had some great results with her runners. With some really quality horses in the barn at the moment the second half of 2022 is shaping up to be a pretty exciting time for Sara’s training career.
Greatest achievement/ favourite memory with your horses so far:
It’s really hard to pin point one single moment, but there really is no greater feeling for me than getting a horse that you have produced from a baby safely through the finish flags of their first Grand Prix or World Cup. For me training horses to be sound, happy and hopefully competitive horses is why I do what I do. So if I manage to do that, any results that come along the way are just a bonus.
First memory with horses:
My mum rode when she was younger but hadn’t had much to do with horses for some time and Growing up on the northern beaches meant most of my childhood was spent surfing and being a beach rat So I sort of fell into riding by accident. Close family friends took me to see their horse one day in Terry Hills and they let me have a ride. I remember bouncing around whilst they led me around the round yard. That’s my first real memory of horses and I guess the rest is history..
Favourite competition/ event you have attended:
I was lucky to spend a bit of time in the US a few years ago at WEF. Seeing some of the 5* grand prixs there was pretty cool and if I can make it happen I would love to take a horse over at some point and compete over there. Locally though I have to say having the amazing Stonewall facility so close to home and the competitions there have been real favourites recently.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given:
In order to achieve your goals be careful of blind desire or blind ambition. This has always resonated with me and has helped me stay accountable for the decisions I make.
Quote/ saying that you live by:
Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ―Winston Churchill
Goals for the future:
We’ve been pretty busy the last couple of
Years setting up our property so the focus hasn’t been 100% on competing but My current goal is to get a couple of the young horses I’m producing to World Cup level in Australia and when the timing is right take one overseas to compete.
If you could have a lesson with anyone in the world, who would it be and why:
That’s a tough one, there’s a few!! Either Daniel Deusser or Henrik Von Eckermann. Both are wizards on a horse.
Piece of equipment you can’t/ wouldn’t live without:
Gel-eze non slip sticky pad. I feel like I haven’t even got a girth on without one, lucky you Essential Equestrian Wear sell them!
If you could ride at any competition in the world, which one would it be:
Aachen - probably because I just watched the Grand Prix there, but it is an amazing ring with an incredible atmosphere
Brilex Park - Lexy Stansfield-Wise
Discipline: Dressage
Based: Lower Hunter, New South Wales
Greatest achievement/ favourite memory with your horses so far:
Winning the Sydney CDI 2023 FEI Inter A/B Freestyle with BC Romanov.
Riding my first born foal Brilex Park Florentina at her first competition and winning both the dressage tests against 25 other competitors.
BC Romanov’s first FEI Grand Prix test.
First memory with horses:
Watching my older sister have lessons and then me getting to cool the ponies down on the lead. She was about 6 years old and I was 3. I just wanted to be unclicked, let loose & go really fast! Little did we know this gunhoe little kid who loved going fast would turn into a dressage rider.
Favourite competition/ event you have attended:
PSI Dressage and Jumping with the stars. It’s such a fun event. Especially when we get to watch some jumping and some of the best dressage young horses in Australia.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given:
Put in the time and you will reap the benefits. I think this reflects nearly everyday with me. The more time I spend with my horses and the training the better they get. Especially with clients, I love when they have done the hard work at home in between lessons and then seeing the improvements when I see them next.
Quote/saying that you live by:
Hard work always pays off, whatever you do.” – Dustin Lynch
Goals for the future:
Short term, keep breeding and producing my own horses in dressage successfully.
Long term, represent Australia in dressage.
If you could have a lesson with anyone in the world, who would it be and why:
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour. Master of piaffe & passage in my eyes.
Piece of equipment you can’t/ wouldn’t live without:
Definitely the hairy pony products from Essential. They are crucial in my everyday grooming & competition routine! They have the horses looking schmick at all times.
If you could ride at any competition in the world, which one would it be:
Definitely Aachen. Amazing atmosphere and show! Definitely a dream.
ELLA SARTOR
DISCIPLINE: SHOW JUMPING
BASED: CENTRAL COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES
Greatest Achievement/favourite memory with your horses so far:
My greatest achievement and favourite memory with Sunny was being selected to ride in the Maiden Team Event at the Thoroughbred Nationals at Stonewall in May this year. it was such a great experience, I'll never forget it.
First memory with horses:
My first memory was going on a trail ride the day after my sixth birthday. It was at Coast Kids Horse riding, we were only supposed to orgainise a lesson, but I ended up riding a horse named Blaze on a two hour trail ride.
Favourite competition/event you have attended:
Definitely Thoroughbred Nationals at Stonewall.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given:
I am lucky enough to be surrounded by such supportive people that give me the best advice. I think my favourite piece of advice is "Over it or through it" when jumping, and "Be a goldfish" if I have a bad round when competing.
Quote/saying that you liveby:
Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Goals for the future:
To be jumping 1.30m with Sunny in the next couple of years, then the Olympics in 2032 in Brisbane.
If you could have a lesson with anyone in the world, who would it be and why:
I am already having lessons with the most amazing people, Krissy and Di, but I'd never turn down an opportunity to have a lesson with Edwina Tops-Alexander.
Piece of equipment you can't/wouldn't live without:
My girth haha. In all seriousness, my PE Bilancio leather tall Boots are my favourite - so comfortable, grippy, not to mention they look stunning!
If you could ride at any competition in the world, which one would it be:
It would have to be the Olympics, to be representing Australia would be incredible!