She had come close previously, and it was finally Olivia Hamood’s year. The 29-year-old took out the Senior Championship title at the Australian Jumping Championships riding the ‘family horse’ Jane Fonda DVD, whose success she says is as much her mother’s as it is her own.

“I think it is just starting to sink in now; it’s something I’ve wanted to win my whole life and I’ve been very close a number of times, but had never been able to pull it off. To actually do it feels a little bit surreal,” says Olivia of her Australian Senior Championship title win at Boneo aboard Jane Fonda DVD.

Drawing on her experience finishing runner-up in the 2019 championship to Tom McDermott, she explains that it really is a competition like no other: “All three days count, in particularly the first day. It was always my goal to try and finish top five the first day and just try and jump clear each day after that. Going into the final I tried not to think about the standings; I just treated it as if it was any other Grand Prix class. I knew if I rode Jane well she would try her best to jump clean.” It was a brilliant win that saw her edge out Australian showjumping legend Chris Chugg aboard Cera Cassiago, alongside many other big-name riders.

Olivia explains that her equine partner, 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Jane Fonda DVD (Der Senaat 111 x Calvados IV), was originally ridden by her mother. “Mum bought Jane as a green five-year-old from Belgium after she sold Airtime Z to Tom McDermott, and then produced her through to Grand Prix level. In October 2018, Mum had a really simple fall at a show off a young horse and broke her ankle quite badly. We were away on the road and she said, ‘Well you are going to have to ride Jane next week at Tamworth in the Silver Tour’.

“To be completely honest, I didn’t actually love Jane when I first started riding her; I found her quite different to the horses I had at the time. But very quickly we started to understand each other and now our bond is like no other horse I’ve ever ridden. She has a heart bigger than herself and literally gives me everything she possibly can; she is that rare mix of being super careful but also super brave. Mum said after 2019 when I was runner-up that she couldn’t possibly take her off me then – so I am extremely thankful that I was able to keep her. The success we have with Jane is as much Mum’s as it is mine, so it’s actually a nice partnership we have and she really is the family horse.”

On the topic of kin, Olivia is very much part of her family’s business at Glen Haven Park, where her father’s background with Thoroughbreds meets her mother’s passion for jumping. “I’ve been very fortunate to be born into a horsey family. Dad and his family used to own Glen Haven Stud in Birdwood, South Australia, which in its prime would foal down over 150 Thoroughbred mares a year, as well as spell horses for a lot of Japanese clients and stand stallions such as Lord of the Dance and Avaray.

“Mum obviously has always run the jumping side of the stables and also was the brain behind and one in charge of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games procurement,” says Olivia, explaining that she and her mother trained 38 pool horses that they then took over for the Games in 2010. “In the last few years, Mum and Dad have taken a step back from the business and handed the reins over to me. I still have a lot of help and support from my family, but ultimately it’s my deal now. I breed a handful of jumpers and Thoroughbreds each year, as well as spell, pre-train and break in horses. I must say, outside of the jumping, my passion is definitely the yearling prep, I just love it.”

Olivia has been surrounded by equine talent since an early age, however, a stint in Europe when she was 21 was certainly an experience that has stayed with her. “Spending 13 months with Ludo, Nicola and Olivier Philippaerts was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. I was so fortunate to be able to compete at some really nice shows, including Jumping Mechelen – an indoor CSI5* show in Belgium – and the Tuscan Tour in Arezzo, Italy, twice, which was six weeks each tour. I also spent four weeks in Portugal and France with the Australian team.

“I think spending time in Europe definitely makes you realise how bad you want to be in the sport… or maybe not be in it. It’s hard work and a very different lifestyle. I have the utmost respect for anyone that has done the hard yards over there, as it really isn’t easy. I learnt a lot about the business and management side of the sport, and the professionalism over there is second to none. I would like to go overseas again at some stage, but probably not to live. When I have a horse good enough I’d love to go for a campaign and sell it, then come home and do it all again!”

At present Olivia has a competition team of three jumpers, including Jane, all of which she and her family own themselves. “I do like mares, hence it’s an all-mare team. Jane is my number one horse. Knock Out 111 is coming along well and should step up to some World Cup classes this year. We also use Knockie in our breeding program, as she is very well bred being the half-sister to Winningmood, Chippendale, Richi Rich and former 7YO World Champion, Think Twice. Then Diamond B Bedazzled I bought from Helen Chugg last year and I’m really enjoying producing her; I’m hoping she’ll jump the Future Stars classes this year. At home I have a lot of young horses I’ve bred that I also have in work and am producing, so I have plenty to keep me busy.”

As for future goals, Olivia just tries to take one day at a time and does everything the best she can in terms of management and performance. “I hope one day I can make it onto a World Championship or Olympic Team – it’s my ultimate goal. I would love to think you can do it from Australia, and in some instances it has been done. But personally, I think if you want to be considered and also prepared for a major championship you need some sort of exposure to the international stage, whether it be America or Europe.

“I would love to think going forward we could do it from here. There have been some really great initiatives coming forward in the last few years with a lot more money in the sport, and even in the next 12 months there are some very exciting things happening for our sport in Australia, so maybe one day it will be achievable.” Olivia says she hasn’t completely ruled out taking Jane overseas this year to Europe (ahead of the World Championships in Herning) and will make that decision in the next month or so.

Olivia’s immediate primary focus is building a sustainable career in the sport – something she’s managing to achieve, crediting two special horses with giving her the ability to recently purchase her first home. “My family has always been very proactive in making me realise that I have to make a business in this industry to be able to keep doing it. Sometimes we have to make the really hard decisions to sell some of our favourites. My first sale of a really top horse was Carado GHP. This was particularly hard as I bought him from the Czech Republic as a rising three-year-old colt off a YouTube video; I was 17 and went halves with my grandfather, Brian. Carado arrived in Australia about all of 15 hands and I nearly cried thinking, ‘What have I done!’

“But sure enough, he was as special as he looked in the video despite only growing to a mere 15.2 hands. I broke him in myself, took him to Europe with me as a six-year-old, then brought him home again and produced him to World Cup level. He was then sold in December 2018 to the best home I could ever have wished for in Annabel Francis. Carado is now living the life in Florida with Annabel, under the watchful eye of Cian O’Connor.”

Olivia says the second really special horse she sold was Sundance GHP, who went to Japan. “Sundance was another horse I produced from a three-year-old through to 1.40m/Mini Prix level; this horse was just a winner and would always try her hardest. It was also a difficult decision to let her go, but I had two foals from her and one was a filly, so I thought it was the most sensible decision. Sadly, we can’t keep them all; most of us have to sell our top horses to be able to stay in the sport.”

Olivia says that in building a sustainable business, the stars really have to align to end up on a good enough horse come an Olympic Games – however that doesn’t stop her from dreaming. “I think the real dream would be to have a horse for Brisbane 2032 on home soil… and it would be even sweeter to do it on a homebred one!” EQ

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