It is always fascinating to catch up with very competitive dressage riders to see where their equestrian endeavours take them. Gill Rickard’s story is as fascinating as it is self-driven.

Gill Rickard is a very well-respected name in the equine industry. Strong-willed and strong-minded, worldly, well-educated and well-read, she is unafraid of a challenge and never shirks responsibility.

This dynamic NSW equestrian personality can sometimes be misread as authoritarian — but that is simply because Gill knows where things are heading and what she wants. Underneath her strong exterior is a compassionate woman who revels in helping any people, sports and situations around her. As a sportswoman, she takes on that steely attitude with “to be the best that is possible” as her motto.

She represented Australia at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm in 1990 on the small palomino mare Peaches and Cream, a fairytale that only came true because of her determination to never let negativity get in her way. Obstacles only make Gill Rickard more determined.

Gill grew up in the Sydney suburb of St Ives where her passion for horses was evident early. Her sister Jane had a pony that was passed on to Gill when she was eight. Ricky was brown and nondescript with a talent for pigrooting! Gill took Ricky to Avondale Pony Club where there were two very good dressage riders who coached — June Smyth-King and Viv McCormack, who were instrumental in setting up the Dressage Council of NSW.

Gill says her attempts at becoming a “showjumping princess” were thwarted by negative reinforcement as Ricky either stopped at the fence and she would tumble off or, if he jumped the fence, he would pigroot on landing and again Gill would be ejected! Under the guidance of June and Viv, she soon took to dressage with great enthusiasm and found flatwork was the way to go.

Viv found Gill her next pony; he was 11.2 hands high and 10 years old, but had never cantered on the correct lead when on the right rein. With the help of Doug Green, Colleen Brook and Viv, he eventually cantered right, which Gill says was a milestone and turning point in her riding skill and attitude. She was awakened to the benefits of training and of balance and aids and understanding. It was not so long before the fruits of her efforts were recognised when that pony, with Gill, took out Champion Dressage Pony at the State Championships.

Gill’s parents had no real understanding of equestrian pursuits; their focus was on academic results. Gill knew that if her pony took up too much time and head space, she would lose him, so with that thought driving her, she made sure she excelled at school.

RIDE THE BUS TO RIDE A HORSE

When she was 12, the quarter-horse pony Hero was purchased, and being young and green he was a real learning experience for Gill. He was kept in the back yard at St Ives and Gill would ride him on the roads — and busy Mona Vale Road at that! When Jane had her horse there as well, Hero was moved to Viv McCormack’s property and Gill would catch the bus after school to ride every Tuesday and Thursday, and at weekends when she stayed over.

Gill was in the top percentages in her HSC year and went on to Sydney Uni to study teaching; she became a physical education teacher and started work at Nepean and Richmond high schools. Viv had moved to Wilberforce, so Gill moved to a rental property nearby to continue training with her.

Viv always had an interest in breeding good ponies with temperament, dressage ability and movement and it was through Bev Chugg that the palomino stallion Chico D’Oro caught their eye. Chris Chugg used to ride Chico and Gill adored the stallion. While she was in her last year at school, she had wanted to buy a palomino that was for sale but her parents were against it until the studying year was over. By then the horse was sold but a weanling came up by Chico out of a mare, Apricot. This mare was purchased for $2,500, a very handsome price then for a palomino weanling. Of course, her name was Peaches and Cream and what a story she was going to create!

Peaches and Cream was shown in-hand with a lot of success. She was broken in and started being ridden at breed competitions, again with success under the watchful eye of Viv. With an interest in dressage brewing, it was off to Julie Peterson-Smith for more dressage help. Julie observed to Gill that, as well-mannered as the mare was, “perhaps she was just average”. Gill was not expecting a world beater but wanted to go as far in the dressage training with Peaches as she could. She had been purchased as a nice all-rounder with no expectations, so any success was a bonus.

At this time, Gill met Rod Barker who became a leading light, both as a mentor for Gill and as a trainer for the two towards the higher movements. Back then the term “more through” was not often talked about but the mare was strong over the back and liked to be a little open in the frame; this was a work in progress to get her more through. In 1986, Gill and Peaches went to the National Championships in Adelaide and came home with an Advanced Championship. It was in 1988 that Gill was at a local dressage competition where Rod Barker was due to compete, but as she was about to enter the arena news came through that he had died in a freak riding accident at his property.

It was a terrible time as they had developed a great partnership and Peaches was powering ahead! It proved a bad year as Gill’s young horse, Raise The Flag (her horses all had three-word names) also died. Then, due to government changes allowing larger classes at school, Gill was retrenched. Peaches was about to get to Grand Prix so Gill focused on that, but it was a ridiculously wet year in 1989 and her training and income from coaching were very limited. Relief came at the end of the year when she was re-employed at Richmond High.

CRACKER OF A TEST

Over the summer of 1989-90, there were many selection events and Gill, who was now at Grand Prix, competed. The international judge at the Melbourne qualifier had Peaches in first place — and back then the international judge’s placing was the only one that counted, so it was a great start! This put them on the long list and suddenly the national judges were taking a lot more notice. At the final selection at Lochinvar, again the international judge placed them first which was enough to put them on the squad to go overseas and try for the team for the Stockholm World Equestrian Games! The squad was Gill and Peaches, Glennis Barrey and Livius, Peter Weston and Tutenkhamen, Rozzie Ryan and Stirling Wilton, and Anne Honner with Sydney Symphony. Peaches did a cracker of a test in Fontainebleau and they were subsequently selected with Glennis, Rozzie and Peter, with Anne the reserve.

Peaches had trained really well coming to the competition, and she was to be followed in the draw by Nicole Uphoff who was the German favourite. The warm-up arena was flanked by Uphoff admirers as I don’t think they were there to watch the pretty yellow one! As Gill rode into the vast stadium at Stockholm, Nicole’s fans were all filing in and clattering to their seats in readiness for her test; 20,000 people were excited to see the German, while Peaches was overawed by the atmosphere.

Being somewhat noise-sensitive, as in those days no ear bonnets were allowed, she become extremely worried by being all alone in a huge arena with so much going on in the stands. However, she marked the highest she had ever for the canter tour and the trot tour was fine, while the piaffe was explosive – as were the transitions out to passage. Unfortunately, on the final centreline her pent-up energy and expression let fly and the percentage came tumbling down!

Needless to say, it was still an amazing achievement and experience, and inspirational to all riders in that you never know how far you are going to go with your horse until you train hard and take the chances. (It is another drama in its own right that on the flight home with the horses, where Gill travelled with them, the plane ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing at Newcastle. It was seriously touch and go!)

PEACHES RETIRES

In 1992, Gill and a business partner, Pat Bakarich, bought a property with good facilities and an indoor arena at Kurrajong at the foot of the Blue Mountains, about 90 minutes west of Sydney. They named it Kurrajong Equestrian Centre and it soon became a landmark. Peaches had her last competition at the National Championships in Adelaide and Gill admits that, as pragmatic as she is, she had a tear in her eye at the end of that final Grand Prix before Peaches was retired to Kurrajong.

When Gill returned from WEG, she pursued her coaching studies and went from NCAS Level 1 through to Level 3. For Level 1 there was a jumping and cross-country component that Gill completed easily and was able to become a Level 3 coach specialising in Dressage. Yet another string to her expertise and equestrian prowess.

Gill became a sought-after dressage coach and trainer and also was involved in riding and driving a pair of Haflingers with Pat Bakarich and Viv McCormack. She was also a judge of driving and was by now an A Level judge; she successfully completed her international dressage candidate’s course in New Zealand where she passed well – but her papers and results were lost! She was not able to be nominated and never went on to be an international judge and to this day she is bitterly disappointed in that debacle. Gill was no shrinking violet and with her expertise and experience she gave a lot back to the sport, being Convenor of the NSW Judges Sub-Committee, a judge educator and a president and vice-president of the Dressage Council of NSW.

It was time for a new Grand Prix horse and the black gelding by Domherr, Time After Time, was purchased. Gill took him successfully through the ranks to Grand Prix. Time After Time was a good horse but not quite talented enough to mix it with the top horses. After he did a great test at the Nationals to be ranked fourth, Gill being realistic understood he had reached his mark with her and it was time to look again. She was offered very good money for the horse and he was sold overseas; she relates with a smile that with the proceeds of his sale she was able to purchase a “wonderful four-wheel drive and a great float!”

ALONG COMES VOODOO

Next in line was the stallion Voodoo, owned by good friends Helen and Chris Chugg. Gill rode the jumping-bred horse for them in dressage and competed him. He was a big black stallion by Valeur from a thoroughbred mare and Gill also took him through to Grand Prix with good success. She so loved the big horse that she bought him and continued on with him. He was also a well sought-after sire. Diamond Ego was by Voodoo and a World Cup successful Grand Prix jumper. (Peaches, who was retired at Kurrajong, produced two buckskin foals by Aachimedes and Voodoo – Rum and Raisin and Chuggy, respectively, both going on to be great all-rounders for young riders.)

One of Gill’s most enormous success stories – but probably the hardest she has undertaken – was finding horses for the Para riders for the 2000 Paralympics. Gill had taken on the role as assistant national coach after being approached by Caroline Lieutenant and Judy Cubitt. Gill found and rode 250 horses, mainly in NSW and Victoria, riding each one twice to select the 150 ultimately needed for the loan pool at the Games. In the lead-up to the Games she had to ride every one of the 150 horses in just two days for the Para Committee.

PARALYMPIC SUCCESS

Gill took over where Caroline left off as National Coach of the Para team and took a great team of horses and riders to the Athens Paralympics: Jan Pike and Dr Dolittle, Ann Skinner and Berkeley Castle, Marita Herd and Special Edition 68, and Georgia Bruce with Voodoo. The results were outstanding, gaining a silver and bronze medal, as well as finishing in sixth place overall as a team.

As always in any sport, there were some politics in dressage and Gill eventually stepped aside. After a really hard rethink, she decided she was done with scratching for money and working so hard that she decided there must be a better way. As her sister was a vet, Gill decided that vet science would be of great interest and studied at Sydney Uni for five long years. As with anything she does, it was all guns blazing and she graduated in 2007 with honours, ranking 12^th among the 120 graduates.

She started working at vet clinics in Rosehill and at Centennial Park, largely for the racing industry. In 2009 she moved to the Shoalhaven area and joined Illawarra Veterinary Practice, where she took a shine to the reproduction side of the industry. Gill stayed for eight years, all the time riding and remaining very interested in dressage. She decided judging took up too much time and she was tired of being asked to judge every weekend. For her own self-worth she took a year off that subsequently became a resignation. This was a sad loss of a dedicated and seriously knowledgeable judge, but needless to say it slipped by without a word from the powers that be.

After eight years at the Shoalhaven practice, Gill started her own South Coast Equine Veterinary Practice in 2017. She had also purchased a 2.5ha block just south of beautiful Berry and had developed a small but practical dressage barn and wonderful arena.

Lisa Carver, a good friend and keen dressage enthusiast, has a passion for Spanish-bred horses that stemmed from her mother’s involvement when she owned Budara, a property on the Hawkesbury where she had wonderful Spanish-bred horses — such as Sanchez that Caroline Lieutenant was very successful with. Lisa has imported several horses from Spain, including the very special stallion Grandioso in 2009. After initial work with Amanda Madigan to check his rideability and take him to a few dressage competitions, Gill (admitting she was no longer brave and not up for any heroics) took him on as a serious Grand Prix prospect.

‘ABSOLUTELY CHARMING HORSE’

“There is no question and no doubt that wonderful bay stallion is the best horse I ever rode,” says Gill. “He was an absolutely charming horse with a workmanlike attitude that simply wanted to please. It was a treat to see him go all the way through the grades to Grand Prix and be very successful and adored during that time.

“Unfortunately, he had a stifle injury and there was simply nothing we could do to see him recover, so Grandi is retired and lives the life of Riley. He looks so well and still has that ‘come ride me’ look. I was so upset at his demise but he was the most wonderful one I have every trained, so I am humbled and grateful to Lisa for the opportunity and to Grandi for his dedication and gracious attitude. May he live a wonderful retirement. I have a Grandioso four-year-old who is out of the mare Double (Fürst Love x Neversfelde Kudu). I am riding her once a week at the moment and am excited to have this special daughter of Grandi to entertain me.”

Not being one to sit still for too long, Gill decided to add another speciality to the vet practice and went to Kansas to study an equine chiropractic course. She now is extremely busy with this extra feather in her cap. She also loves being an owner and has an event horse that is in work with Deon Stokes, and loves the eventers and the much less political stance in the sport.

What a life so far! What a will to succeed! What guts to step outside the comfort zone! Nothing holds Gill Rickard back from doing what she wants. Her life as a single woman has been full of amazing times, people and success.

 “Now chiropractic is my joy,” she says. “It gives me contentment to make horses happy. It’s like giving back to say thanks for the joy and disappointments they have each brought to my life.”

Something that has always stood out with Gill’s character and personality is that she loves the colours green and purple. It could not sum up her personality better! According to the online ‘my personality test’ site: “Individuals with green personalities do well in careers that allow them to apply all of the big ideas they have. They typically succeed in careers within higher education, science, technology development, and medicine. Being a personality colour purple, you have a peaceful and tranquil quality and a quiet dignity about you. People are drawn to your charismatic and alluring energy.”

Say no more; the green and purple trademark of Gill Rickard is truly fitting. What a woman, what a life … and wait, I am sure there is more to come! EQ

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ:

Training the Rein Back – by Roger Fitzhardinge, Equestrian Life, February 2022

Roger’s Fitzhardinge series on Carolyn Lieutenant –

Part One of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, August 2020

Part Two of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, September 2020

Part Three of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, October 2020

Part Four of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, November 2020

Part Five of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, December 2020

Part Six of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, January 2021

Part Seven of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, February 2021

Part Eight of Carolyn’s story – Equestrian Life, March 2021