Instagram - Sophia Hill Equestrian

Instagram

Follow me on Instagram to catch up with my latest news.

sophiahillequestrian

Homebound to Bonnie Doon!

Homebound to Bonnie Doon!

It was a perfect final day at Burghley Horse Trial

It was a perfect final day at Burghley Horse Trials with Hughie jumping a clear show jumping round.

He really is the best!

@horseland_official @albionsaddlemakers @dublin_au_nz @cavalorequicare @johnsonsnaturalformula @balance_hoof_care @rv_offthetrack @fairfaxandfavor

It was an amazing cross country day at Defender Bu

It was an amazing cross country day at Defender Burghley Horse Trials and Hughie was incredibly brave.
I’m gutted to have had a frangible pin, but equally know I should be happy to have jumped around Burghley 5 star and crossed the finish line!

@horseland_official @dublin_au_nz @albionsaddlemakers @johnsonsnaturalformula @cavalorequicare @balance_hoof_care @rv_offthetrack

Dressage is complete at Burghley HT! I am thrilled

Dressage is complete at Burghley HT!
I am thrilled with Hughie who kept it all together for a PB at 5 star level and our best test yet.

We are scheduled to go cross country at 2.06pm tomorrow (11.06pm AEST)
The course looks amazing and tough - it will definitely be our biggest challenge yet!

@horseland_official
@albionsaddlemakers
@dublin_au_nz
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@cavalorequicare
@balance_hoof_care
@rv_offthetrack

Accepted through trot up at @burghleyhorsetrials !

Accepted through trot up at @burghleyhorsetrials !

Dressage is on Friday at 10.54am!

Dressed by @fairfaxandfavor ❤️

@horseland_official @albionsaddlemakers @dublin_au_nz @cavalorequicare @johnsonsnaturalformula @balance_hoof_care @rv_offthetrack

I was trying to get a nice photo to mark the occas

I was trying to get a nice photo to mark the occasion but Hughie had other ideas…

He is all settled in at Burghley Horse Trials, and looking very handsome in the last pic 😂

Featuring our @albionsaddlemakers jump saddle
@horseland_official @dublin_au_nz @cavalorequicare @johnsonsnaturalformula @balance_hoof_care @rv_offthetrack

@burghleyhorsetrials Arrivals today ➡️Trot up

@burghleyhorsetrials
Arrivals today ➡️Trot up tomorrow!

@horseland_official
@dublin_au_nz
@albionsaddlemakers
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@cavalorequicare
@balance_hoof_care
@rv_offthetrack

Competition Groom Needed: We will be home from the

Competition Groom Needed:
We will be home from the UK in a couple of weeks and are looking for a groom.
This is a full-time, live-in position, suitable for an experienced competition groom.
The role will include grooming at competitions and at home. The successful applicant must be able to turn a horse out to a high standard, feel confident handling young horses and stallions, and be able to work independently.
This is not a riding position, however there may be the opportunity to do some hacking/fitness work.
The successful applicant must be prepared to work 5-6 days per week on a roster system, including work on many weekends as per our competition schedule.
Located Mansfield, Victoria - Annual salary package

To apply please email sophiahillequestrian@gmail.com

Andy’s never ridden cross country in his life (c

Andy’s never ridden cross country in his life (can you tell?) but he reckons it’s easy if you follow his advice!

Featuring the 4 star course at Aston Le Walls from a few weeks ago…
P.S. Basil jumped clear. And I definitely didn’t listen to Andy!😂

Today marks the end of our Paris 2024 campaign - W

Today marks the end of our Paris 2024 campaign - What a journey - we made it further than I ever imagined, spending the night 15 minutes from the Paris Olympic venue ready to go as reserves before trot up.
It’s been an amazing experience to get this close, and I’m wishing the Aussie team Shane, Chris, Kevin and Shenae the best of luck for the next few days! 🇦🇺

A huge thank you to everyone from home who has supported us on this journey. The biggest of all to Andrew Hill who is literally Superman and so incredibly supportive - husband, father, groom(!), farrier, and generally just the best guy around!

Also to the Australian Equestrian Team for all the support, and for welcoming little Oliver into the team too!

Onwards to Burghley!

Hughie and I head to Belgium tomorrow to take part

Hughie and I head to Belgium tomorrow to take part in the pre Olympic training camp! We will be joining up with the Australian eventing team as one of the extended reserve combinations. 🇫🇷🇦🇺

@horseland_official
@dublin_au_nz
@balance_hoof_care
@albionsaddlemakers
@cavalorequicare
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@rv_offthetrack

Basil jumping super confidently through the 4 Star

Basil jumping super confidently through the 4 Star water at Aston Le Walls!
We are aiming him at Blair Castle 4 Star Long!
Everyone has told me Blair Castle is incredible, so I am very excited to go while I am here, especially seeing as it’s the last event there!

@horseland_official
@albionsaddlemakers
@dublin_au_nz
@cavalorequicare
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@balance_hoof_care
@rv_offthetrack

For the followers who have recently joined my jour

For the followers who have recently joined my journey, I thought I’d introduce you to Hughie and Basil, my two @rv_offthetrack Thoroughbreds ❤️

We had another great weekend eventing at Aston Le

We had another great weekend eventing at Aston Le Walls!
Hughie competed in the Advanced section for Olympic listed horses and put in another double clear jumping performance. We opted for a slow run this time though (much to Hughie’s disgust), and finished up in 9th place.

Basil ticked off another 4 star completion, and is proving to be such a cool horse! He did a sweet dressage test, clear cross country with just a couple of seconds over time, and 1 unfortunate (and costly! 🤦‍♀️) rail show jumping. He finished up in 11th place out of 80 starters!

Picture is from Bramham of Basil! 💕 I am so excited for what’s to come from this horse as he gains experience at this level!

@cavalorequicare
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@horseland_official
@albionsaddlemakers
@dublin_au_nz
@rv_offthetrack
@balance_hoof_care

When the UK summer was actually sunny for a day ☀️

@rv_offthetrack
@albionsaddlemakers
@horseland_official
@dublin_au_nz
@cavalorequicare
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@balance_hoof_care

Hughie just doing his thing… @horseland_offici

Hughie just doing his thing…

@horseland_official
@albionsaddlemakers
@dublin_au_nz
@cavalorequicare
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@balance_hoof_care
@rv_offthetrack

POV When your tiny Aussie thoroughbred that you’

POV When your tiny Aussie thoroughbred that you’ve flown across the world to compete nails his first 4 star track and it’s at Bramham International!
Basil is just the best boy 💕🌿

@horseland_official
@albionsaddlemakers
@dublin_au_nz
@cavalorequicare
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@balance_hoof_care
@rv_offthetrack
Forgot to mention the top 20 finish - what a star!

Hughie doing what he loves and going fast! We jum

Hughie doing what he loves and going fast!
We jumped double clear and under time at the prestigious Bramham HT 4*-S to finish on our dressage score and have a top 20 finish!

Such an incredible event @defenderbramhamhorse

@horseland_official
@dublin_au_nz
@albionsaddlemakers
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@cavalorequicare
@balance_hoof_care
@rv_offthetrack

I've had a few people ask why I said this was the

I've had a few people ask why I said this was the best cross country lesson I've ever had! (Ft Basil and coach Chris Bartle)

To start with, it was a fantastic way to school. I had an earpiece in to listen to Chris, and then we put enough jumps together (around 2-3 minutes worth) that it felt more similar to being out on course.

There was no discussion of any distances or strides beforehand - everything was ridden off my eye, which felt like a great way to train my instincts and reaction time.

The course itself was amazing - We trained all the elements of cross country, jumps on varying terrain, drops, steps, water and ditches, and added technical lines into these elements. (The very first jumps I did to warm up were a drop and ditch!) I mention this because after competing in the UK I'm convinced we don't have enough drop fences in Australia!

We didn't repeat particular lines/jumps until they were perfect. If the horse was confident, jumped between the flags, and I knew what to work on, we moved on.

The biggest takeaway for me personally is learning to lengthen my reins when approaching jumps that use terrain. This isn't something I've ever been taught in Australia, (we usually talk about slipping reins at home) but it makes so much sense and allows the horse to use their necks so much better over the fence whilst keeping the rider in a safer position. I'm definitely going to have to do a bit of work to perfect the art of long reins!

Basil and I both had lots of fun and I'm feeling ready for the 4 star at Brahman, which will be his first 4 star cross country run!

@horseland_official
@albionsaddlemakers
@cavalorequicare
@dublin_au_nz
@balance_hoof_care
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@rv_offthetrack

Hughie gave me the most amazing ride around the 4

Hughie gave me the most amazing ride around the 4 star at Bicton Arena. Fastest horse of the day and the only horse to make time cross country in a huge field - I think I have the best cross country horse in the world ❤️

Next stop Bramham HT!

@horseland_official
@dublin_au_nz
@cavalorequicare
@johnsonsnaturalformula
@balance_hoof_care
@albionsaddlemakers
@rv_offthetrack

Load More Follow on Instagram