Horse sense: equestrian rider Laura Scott

Humans of 2075

When Laura Scott is not out at various Eventing and Show Jumping competitions around Sydney, you can find her and her squad of ponies at the Avondale Pony Club grounds giving lessons to a team of very promising young riders!

How long have you been riding?

I’ve been riding since I was 6 - so about 26 years. It definitely helped that both my parents were riders.

How many horses do you have?

I have 3 ponies in my stable at the moment! Harry, my superstar pony who is only 14.1hh. He is currently in full training and being competed by myself in 1* star eventing - which includes jumps up to 1.25m and elementary level dressage tests!

Biscuit is used in the riding school and is definitely a favourite. He’s also been out to compete with myself and students and produced some fantastic results.

Libby is the grandma of the group, but don’t let her age fool you - she’s as sassy as they come. She is also a school pony and teaches our riders to be soft but firm, she is an expert when it comes to teaching correct position.

How did you end up teaching at Avondale?

I attended Avondale as a pony club rider from the age of 7-15. I’m now lucky enough to be able to teach other children to ride on these amazing grounds as part of my riding school.

Best advice for someone wanting to get into riding?

You don’t need your own horse or pony but, you do need to set yourself up for success by mastering the basics - hand, seat, leg! Find a good riding coach who can support you in the early stages of your riding journey.

What are your 3 golden rules of riding?

Build a relationship with your horse, don’t just show up to ride or for a lesson and hop straight on. Grooming is a great way of doing this.
Be disciplined - horse riding is all about repetition, correction, and being strong with yourself. Being disciplined will stop you from letting bad habits form.
Don’t overdo it ! The aim of horse riding is to have a happy, healthy horse! Keep variety in your rides and never make them too long - horses aren’t machines.

What is your biggest achievement-

My biggest achievement so far would be breaking in and training my current pony up to 1* level - he is almost always the smallest horse competing!

How can we organise a lesson?

First, send an email to Koojoequestriancenter@gmail.com with your details. From here, we can discuss your riding journey. Lessons can be as little as once a month to multiple times per week, I always create a plan for each individual rider.

Avondale Pony Club

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