Five Minutes With... Jade Findlay

Eventer Jade Findlay has been feeling very privileged lately. Jade runs a successful eventing training and competition yard in the Hawkesbury region of NSW, where, in addition to training great horses for clients, she has several talented horses of her own. One of those just happens to be HP Leilani, who with devoted pilot Chris Burton in the saddle, kept us all enthralled during the cross country phase of the eventing at the London Olympics.

To add to her feeling of being a lucky girl, as owners of Leilani, Jade and her mum Jean (who is also an owner of the mare), were on the frontline for all three phases of the Olympic Eventing.

Jo Johnson caught up with Jade on her return to Australia to find out more about Leilani and what the London Olympics were really like...

How did you first become involved with horses and eventing?

I didn’t really focus on riding until I left school, then I did a gap year, went to the UK and worked with Christopher and Jane Bartle in Yorkshire for ten months. It was during this time that I fell in love with eventing, the castles, the glamour, the people and the sport itself. I came home to Australia and said “this is what I want to do”, however, I still went to uni and did a journalism degree. After that I enquired who the best person would be to base myself with in Australia and worked with Stuart Tinney for almost two years. This was a great start - can't get much better than that! Then I decided to really focus on eventing full time, so I worked with Nicky and Gendy Turner. Following that I was lucky enough to be able to buy the property I’m on now and have some lovely young three star horses and wonderful clients.

How long have you owned HP Leilani and how did she become yours?

I first saw Leilani in a Belcam Sales advertisement and thought she was a lovely horse. Kerry French bought her through the sale and had her for a while. Amanda Lancaster then purchased her and just wanted to do dressage, but Leilani was too much horse and was sent to me for schooling. I found she was switched off and not enjoying dressage and was difficult to ride, so I decided to motivate her with some jumping. Well after that I loved her and bought her. She was an 8 year old then and is 16 now. I always believed in Leilani. She was slow thinking and slow to learn things but once she learnt them they stuck for life.

How did Chris Burton come to ride Leilani?

For two years I competed with Leilani in 2 Star competitions and I began having a little trouble with the showjumping, so Chris helped me out with that. Then I entered her for a 3 Star, but found out I was pregnant, so Chris rode her and took her on from there. He's a very patient rider, but she was like my baby, so I kept telling him what to do every step of the way. Then I realised what a good job he was doing, he was getting really great results, so I backed off. I was going to ride her again but it looked like Chris was going to get to WEG with her. They kept getting better together but were a really green combination at WEG. They had trouble in the cross country, which is surprising as this is her forte and the crowds scared her. After that there was some bad luck with Chris coming off at Adelaide and Burghley, but then they put in amazing performances and were a successful combination leading up to the Games.

You must be pleased with Chris and Leilani's performance at the Olympics?

Chris has been riding Leilani for three years now and I really think that his riding at the Olympics was faultless. It was an absolute pleasure to watch, they looked like ultimate professionals and I was so proud of them both. Chris is 100% driven. He is always charming and completely respectful, but he is very driven towards his end goal which is nothing but absolute success.

Obviously Chris and Leilani get on well…

They had a bit of a rocky start because I was an overbearing mother! Leilani isn’t easy as she is big and a lot of horse to ride, but they get on very well. He once said, "I love her, but it's hard knowing that she's not mine and she's going to go back to you." He calls her his princess and they definitely have a very special relationship, which was cemented in London.

Was that the first time you’ve been to the Olympics?

I worked at the Sydney Olympics in a voluntary position in the office. That was a fantastic experience, which I didn't think could be topped, however, London was a whole different experience. Having a horse I know and love competing and a dear friend riding the horse was an unbelievable experience.

What was the atmosphere like with the Australian team?

The atmosphere amongst the eventing team was fantastic! Prue Barrett provided fantastic support to the riders, while Brett Mace, Michelle Battams, Gilly Bockman and Brett Parbery also gave wonderful back up. It was the most brilliant team of people. Prue has really relaxed into her role as team coach now and all the riders love her. She focused on the riders and making sure they were okay and was very supportive and professional. Prue created an environment where the riders were totally relaxed and focused. That was my observation. Also the older riders were very supportive to younger ones, Andrew Hoy (seven Olympics with three gold medals and a silver) was incredibly supportive to Chris, whom he shared a room with - helping him deal with the intense atmosphere and the pressure that comes with that level of competition. We didn’t get to have much to do with other equestrian team members, except the dressage riders, who came along on cross country day and cheered on the Aussies, which was fantastic. It was great to have them there for that. The showjumpers didn't come into the venue until after we had all left.

Was there much behind the scenes rivalry between the countries?

No, not really. That's something I love about this sport, everyone from the different countries gets on well. They’re all really supportive and Chris is good friends with heaps of riders from other countries including Zara Phillips (GBR), Boyd Martin (USA) and Jock Paget (NZL). It is such a humbling sport - you can be at the top one moment and at the bottom the next. This is often nothing to do with the quality of the horse or rider, sometimes strange things just happen, like Clayton’s fall in London. I think that's why there isn't really any rivalry because it's not personal opinion, sometimes things can just go wrong.

Which other horses were you excited to watch perform?

I was excited about seeing Michael Jung and his horse, Sam, who is amazing and looks like a lot of fun to ride. Also, Apollo, the Italian horse. He is so divine. As far as riders go, I love watching Mary King, she’s great. She has been eventing for so many years and is just a lovely, lovely lady and always smiling.

What did it feel like to see your beautiful mare out there in the main arena during the dressage?

I got goose bumps all over and am tearing up now just thinking about it! That arena was so magical. All the wonderful Greenwich buildings were like nothing else I’ve seen and the crowds were so supportive of every single rider. It was incredible.

Was Leilani worried about the crowds?

At WEG Leilani was worried about crowds, but after doing a full season in England she's gotten used to the noise and atmosphere as there are always crowds. During the cross country when the horses got tired the crowd would cheer and that lifted them. It was fantastic. You could always tell where a horse was on the course by the sound of the crowd. So, far from frightening her, the cheering of the crowds really lifted her.

What location did you watch the cross country from?

We watched it from the D box, in the finish area. All the athletes and owners were watching from there and there were eight screens so you could watch a horse go the whole way around. There was an amazing atmosphere, with riders who'd already competed and those who hadn't gone yet, looking like they were about to vomit! It was a great place to meet everybody and experience the excitement of the event.

What was the most exciting moment of the cross country for you?

There were two moments. Firstly when Chris and Leilani were coming to the first water she had a massive slip, I thought she was going to go down and then she stood up and was okay, so that was exciting. Secondly, seeing her come through the finish flags, eighteen seconds under time and then trotting through happy and sound as a bell. When she came through the finish I just burst into tears. I couldn’t have been prouder. It was the most amazing feeling. Shortly after she finished I was introduced to Kieren Perkins and Australian Team Chef-de-mission Nick Green and was asked to explain eventing to them and I was so overwhelmed I could hardly string two words together.

What did Leilani think of those amazing show jumps?

It was a beautifully done course, big enough and bright enough that they should have jumped well. Lots of fill and colour helped Leilani, but she's used to these types of courses after being in Europe for a year.

What was the most unexpected thing about being at the Olympics?

How tight the accreditation was. I felt really privileged that we were treated so well and able to access behind the scenes. Unfortunately with the limited accreditation, partners weren't allowed into the stables etc. This was very hard as these are the people who support the riders 100% and they're used to having them with them at events. It was hard for them to sit in the stands and watch, knowing they hadn't even been able to say 'good luck'

As an owner, how satisfying is it to reach the Olympic level?

Totally satisfying! Like nothing else. The Olympics is a pinnacle for all sports people. I loved the atmosphere of having every nation there and being part of it. Giving up my horse to Chris, when I still ride full time, was kind of strange. Normally owners only give horses to riders if they don't want to ride at the Olympics themselves but I would still love to make it to the Olympics, however, it all felt worth it, getting Leilani there, even though Chris was riding and not me.

What was the overall highlight of the Olympics for you?

The realisation that all the hard work had been worth it. At the end of it was a feeling of absolute achievement that it had all paid off. Very few people get to experience that. When you think about what has actually been achieved it’s incredible. It was also such a special time to share with my mum, Jean, who I own Leilani with. She found it all very emotional too!

What’s next for Leilani?

She was going to come home but she pulled up so well that she's staying in England to do Badminton. She's 16 now so her time is limited and I want her to retire a happy horse. She missed out on Badminton this year due to cancellation from rain, so we decided she should stay and do it. Badminton is the cross country course of a life time and if any track will suit her, it should be Badminton because she’s the cross country expert, but we'll take it one step at a time. Before she comes home I would love to go to England and train with Chris and ride her in a 3 Star competition over there myself.

Are you going to breed with Leilani when she retires?

Yes, we’re looking at putting her in foal before we bring her home and let her have a live foal herself. Then in the second year we’ll look into doing embryo transfers. Hopefully in future there'll be several little Leilanis running around!

Thank you so much for your time Jade! What an amazing experience. We look forward to hearing how Leilani and Chris go at Badminton and in future are keen to see her beautiful foals.

Photos: these are some of Jade's happy snaps from the Olympics. Top to Bottom: Jade with Leilani; Chris and Leilani in the dressage; Jean and Chris; Leilani and Chris; and Sam Griffiths and Chris during the cross country walk.

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