Portrait of Esther Brooks, awarded Best Masters Performance at the Clubbies Awards

“No Hour of Life is wasted spent in the saddle”.

This Winston Churchill adage is something 73-year-old Esther Brooks lives by. Rarely a day passes where she doesn’t hop on a horse.

“You can’t put a raincheck on today. If you want to do it, do it now and ride today,”” says Esther.

Esther hails from Julatten in Far North Queensland and has been riding horses since she was 13. She distinctly recalls the days when she had no saddle and used to hunt around bareback on an ex-trotter that had a tendency to bolt.  When he wasn’t being ridden he would be tethered at the local swamp.

At the age of 40 when her kids were off her hands, she took up riding more seriously and focussed on honing her dressage skills.

“Dressage is a great gauge on your progression as a rider. It’s never easy. Dressage can be devastating but also very rewarding.”

In her heyday, Esther competed at Prix St George level on a grey Andalusian/Thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross called Cielo. Nowadays she potters around on her Hanoverian chestnut Benchmark Let’s Rock in local competitions and is a loyal volunteer for the Atherton Tablelands Dressage and Equestrian Association that was formed in 2006.

She was recently awarded Best Masters Performance in the Inside Sport - Confederation for Australian Sport’s annual Clubbies Awards with prizes provided by HorseWyse Magazine and its supporters.

Club president Margot Warnett said Esther has been a mentor to more than 100 riders in the association and they all appreciated her passion for dressage.

Esther is grateful for the award and says she couldn’t be happier with her lot in life. Her large collection of animals, horses and still being fit and able to ride are more than enough to keep her blissfully occupied.

And her life tip – “You’ve only got today to live so do what you want. Find time to do the things that you want to do most.” 

View the video of Esther on ABC Far North HERE.

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