Rhapsody in Blue Ready for Australian Showjumping Championships!

By: Sue Hurley

One of the pairs competing for the Senior Title at the Australian Showjumping Championships for the first time this year will be Emily Longhurst and her nine-year-old mare, Rhapsody in Blue. 

Emily is excited to be stepping up to this level of competition, having purchased Rhapsody in Blue as a two-year-old and bringing her through amateur series and young horse classes until eventually enjoying some great wins together, including Jumping Horse of the Year at Sydney Royal in 2015.

“Rhapsody and I know and trust one another well. Sometimes we get it wrong, but we really try for each other, which is perfect for show jumping,” says Emily.

Rhapsody in Blue is a Warmblood bred by Denis and Susie Crane at Sale in Victoria, sired by Mr Blue, out of the dam Blackall Park Poem. Emily also has a lot of affection for Throroughbreds, with her previous horse, Fairway, being a former AJC Australian Derby winner later trained as a showjumper by Vicky Roycroft. Emily describes Fairway as a “lovely natured horse who was good to have around.”

Emily’s love of horses began early, fostered by her grandfather, Jim Longhurst, who was foreman at Jack Denham’s racing stables at Rosehill when Emily was growing up. “From the age of ten, I spent school holidays staying with Granddad, going to work with him every morning as a groom, and learning how to handle Thoroughbreds.”

Life in horses remains very much a family affair for Emily. Her parents, Brad and Donnie Longhurst, helped her to purchase Rhapsody in Blue and in preparing for the 2016 Australian Showjumping Championships, Emily has the good fortune of being able to draw on the eventing expertise of her husband, George Riley, and mother-in-law, Anne Riley. Emily’s training regime with Rhapsody in Blue involves a lot of flat work, interval canter work for fitness on the gallop track at the Riley’s equestrian centre at Jeir Park, and hacking around the nearby hills.

Talking to Emily about competing it’s clear that one of the things she loves best about the process is the sense of community. Emily is enthusiastic about the fun of working through structured competitions at junior and amateur levels, striving for goals, and getting to know the other horses and riders as everybody travels around the shows. Emily is also generous in giving credit for her development as a show jumper to various coaches and trainers, including Grant Hughes from Forrest Park riding school in Canberra, Vicky Roycroft, and most recently George Sanna from Chatham Park. “Grant has been very influential,” she says, “and tuition from George has been great for my confidence at the shows and for helping me to feel part of a team environment.”

Emily is looking forward to taking her partnership with Rhapsody in Blue to the next level.  “I’m sure she’s ready,” says Emily, as the pair make their preparations for the trip to Werribee and the competition for the Senior Title.

The Australian Showjumping Championships are being held 15-18 September 2016 at Werribee Park.

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