Stuart Jenkins has been at the elite end of show jumping here in Australia for many years, with numerous Grand Prix victories and a World Cup win to his name. However, his recent Senior Title win at the Australian Jumping Championships with homebred mare Fairview Alicana is his biggest thrill yet.

“She was extremely consistent,” says Stuart of Fairview Alicana’s performance at the Australian Jumping Championships in Sydney. The pair won the first round of competition, were fifth in the second round, and finished a close second in the final to claim the overall Australian Senior Championship title. “We were unlucky in the second round to just to put a slight toe on a vertical, the middle of the treble,” explains Stuart, “but otherwise she jumped fantastically. I was extremely happy with her.”

“For Stuart and Josie,
the win has capped off
a very successful year…”

For Stuart and Fairview Alicana, aka Josie, the win has capped off a very successful year. They were second in the Grand Prix at the World Wetlands Day Jumping Championships at Boneo Park in January; won the Grand Prix on the Sunshine Coast and were named leading young horse at Sydney Royal in April; won the Grand Prix at Brisbane Royal in August, and then in the same month finished second at the World Cup in Tamworth and also won the warm-up class there.

“She’s got quite a lot of blood,” explains Stuart of Josie’s endurance across multiple days of competition. “For instance, at Brisbane Royal she had four or five classes and had four or five wins… she just keeps going, she’s got plenty of energy!”

The mare’s consistency has also been a standout attribute. “Her consistency has been great all year. We always had high hopes that it would pay off at the Australian Championships,” adds Stuart.

It’s an amazing effort for a nine-year-old in her second season at Grand Prix level – especially considering the mare only had a handful of Grand Prix starts in her first season. “Last year we stepped her up on a few occasions and just gave her a taste of some bigger classes, and then this year she has just found her home at that bigger level.”

A SENTIMENTAL PARTNERSHIP

All the more exciting is the fact that Josie is by Stuart’s former top-level mount Fairview Aliquidam out of a much-loved mare named RSB Jacana who was ridden at World Cup level by Stuart’s wife, Becky.

“That’s made it all that bit more exciting having ridden both the parents – you sort of know all their quirks… and they’ve certainly given some of their quirks to the daughter,” laughs Stuart. Josie is the only progeny from this combination, with Fairview Aliquidam gelded shortly after and then sold to an elite competition stable in Germany in 2018. As such, both Stuart and Becky were keen for the ride on Josie; they decided if it was a filly, Becky would take the ride and if it was a colt, it’d go to Stuart. Josie started with Becky, however they didn’t click and so Stuart eventually ended up taking over the reins.

“She’s a little bit of both [her parents],” explains Stuart. “To ride in the ring she’s probably more like her father, because he was quite hot and bloody. And on the ground much more like her mother – very placid and relaxed.

“Certainly, as I began to ride her I would be in the ring saying, ‘I’m riding mum for this fence and I’m riding dad for that fence’. Just those similar qualities and little nuances.”

Many will remember Fairview Aliquidam’s expressive front leg action over fences that often made for spectacular photos. Stuart says Josie isn’t as photogenic over a fence, however it’s clear she’s more than capable of getting the job done.

“We thought she was going to be a bit handy [in her early days under saddle], but it did take a little while because she was a little bit hotter, even compared to her father. She always found it a lot easier to focus when the jumps were a bit bigger, so we knew we had to wait and bide our time until she was old enough and the jumps got big enough, and then it would suit her way of going and that fiery hotness.”

“They’ll let you know
when they’re ready…”

A LIFE SPENT JUMPING

These days, Stuart and Becky have all but stopped their breeding program and although they still have a couple like Josie who they’ve bred themselves, the majority of their young horses are ones they’ve bought or are training for clients.

Regardless of where the horse has come from, Stuart says the main thing in producing young horses is to be patient and treat each as an individual. “Take your time and don’t be in any rush,” he advises. “Let them tell you what they’re able to do. I always find that works pretty well. They’ll let you know when they’re ready to go and jump higher or to go quicker. You’ve got to listen to the horse. That, and select good shows on good footing – that’s a really important aspect as well.”

Stuart has finished in the top 10 at the Australian Championships on multiple occasions previously with Fairview Aliquidam and Fairview Animation, however this year’s win was his first time finishing at the top of the rankings. It’s no doubt a career highlight for the 45-year-old, who has been in the saddle since he was a kid.

“My parents weren’t into horses, however my Dad purchased horses for my elder sisters and they both rode. When I was old enough, I rode too. I tried a bit of everything, including polocrosse and eventing, but show jumping was always what I wanted to do. From a young age, I’ve just always show jumped.”

Growing up, Stuart has had some special horses. “[During the early days] I always had hand-me-downs. I was 12 when I had my first horse actually bought for me; he was for sale because he used to bolt on another kid. His name was William Tell, and he went on to win me my first Grand Prix.”

However, it was a Thoroughbred named Fairview Maestro that really gave Stuart the competition bug. “He was the first horse that I left the state with and got placings at shows in Sydney and Melbourne… he was my first World Cup horse, and he placed at the level. So, between the two of those horses… they really got me going, I guess!”

In the early 2000s Stuart set up Fairview Performance Horses near Brisbane with wife and fellow jumping enthusiast Becky. Up until 2018, Stuart worked a full-time job as an electrical manager alongside the running of a show jumping stable and breeding program. These days, both Stuart and Becky are with their horses full-time, and therefore have more free time…

“Definitely not! We’re very busy riding lots of horses,” laughs Stuarts, explaining that he and Becky have 20 horses in work. “I try to ride only about a quarter of them,” he adds with a grin. “Becky does a lot of teaching and travelling with coaching, and so if she’s away then I’m riding a lot more… if she’s home then I ride a lot less. I also do a lot of property maintenance. Ever since relinquishing my full-time role and turning to horses full-time, we have no spare time at all!”

Stuart says his success at the Australian Jumping Championships really was a team effort, and he couldn’t have done it without his wife: “A big thanks to Beck for all her support!”

OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

So now that Stuart has an Australian Championship-winning horse, are the Olympics on the radar? “Look, we’re having a lot of those ideas thrown at us as we speak,” he laughs. “We’ve a got a few people who are encouraging me to try and go on a little overseas stint.”

When it comes to chasing Australian team selection, Stuart is philosophical; show jumping is of course a passion, but it’s also a business – and overseas jaunts don’t necessarily make the most sense financially. For now, Stuart is happy basking in the glory of his first Australian title and enjoying the ride on a talented mare whose career is just beginning. That being said, he’s not yet ruled anything out. “I’m open to thoughts at the minute… we’ll see what happens!” EQ

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